colleague moving soon

 a colleague picked up checks this afternoon and i found out she is moving soon, once the house sells. bummer. i said i have gotten too used to saying goodbye to people in corporate america. an email was sent to the fargo business line about how any checks are left to print on the special project, just over five thousand. i said another half-day on saturday should be enough to complete the backlog, possibly even less than that. this evening i watched the bob barker special on CBS, it was on instead of a 'young sheldon' rerun. there were clips from the movie 'happy gilmore' as barker was in this movie with adam sandler. i haven't seen that movie. i looked at the closing credits of this special and sandler was involved with the special, producing and directing credits if i am not mistaken. drew carey, who took over hosting 'price is right', was emcee of the special. later on i went on a walk and found 7 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard tries to throw out the first ball at an angels baseball game. it was followed by part one of the final episode.

friend visiting soon

a friend is visiting soon. my college roommate contacted me through facebook and spoke of visiting the twin cities the weekend after labor day. it is to see a twins and vikings game. but not on the same days. i checked the schedule and the twins are playing the mets while the vikings are playing the bucs. my schedule is open that weekend so i said it would be great to meet up somewhere, doesn't have to be at either game. something about the employer having a box at the twins game. at work the five boxes of envelopes were put out to be returned. the branch manager said the driver had to come back once space was cleared on his truck. near the end of the day the trainee showed up to drop off an envelope. i didn't enjoy the conversation as we were re-arguing subjects that i just don't care about. even said so, how i was too busy to care about some things because i don't have to do them right now. during my walks i found 53 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon tried to be an instructor but only howard signed up for the class. it was followed by the one where leonard's mom visits but it was only to research her next book. i am starting to think about the upcoming TV season but based on online searches it is hard to tell when some shows are returning. of course due to the writers, and then actors, strike. according to one article i found, an interview with john goodman on french TV, he thinks the upcoming season of 'the conners' will be the final one.

night deposit envelopes

 i picked up five boxes of envelopes from the branch just before midday. i did not recognize the kind, based on the code on the label, or who had ordered them. i opened the box with the packing list and looked at the envelopes inside- it was for night deposits. the branch manager said the branch does not use them. so they were moved to the fourth floor delivery table and i emailed my boss about it. it was revealed that it was a test order and these were never meant to be sent out by the envelope company. so i was sent some labels to get them returned and i will put them out to be picked up in the morning. there was a spike in volume on a morning file, larger than one of the fargo files, so none of the special project checks were done. we are down to just over eight thousand checks so the end is in sight, but it might mean doing another half-day on saturday to complete it. i am to follow up with my boss later in the week to see where we are on remaining volume. when sending up refund checks and invoices i got a pumpkin spice cupcake from the lady who places supply orders for me. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 27 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was picked up from arizona at the end of his sabbatical to ride the rails. it was followed by the one where kripke provides evidence that a fermi lab employee trying to steal the nobel had plagiarized his thesis.

the moon and i

 last week i bought a CD from a fellow performer at the open-mic. i listened to it tonight before going to perform. it is called 'the moon and i'. it is a short 27 minutes, 11 tracks. some were instrumental interludes. there were three tracks i liked. it was 'valley of dreams', sun and sky say goodbye', and the title track. especially 'dreams', the twang in it and the drawn out lyric at the end of a stanza works for me. i said the instrumental tracks don't do anything for me, as i want to hear stories. when it was played tonight his co-performer announced that i liked it as i found him before the show to say what i liked. i did some more bank stories, and spoke of being at the state fair and the water park. at work there was no training to do, and no complaining about that from me. i did see the trainee in the morning who was picking up a printout and asked it be canceled. i asked how many pages, only said a lot. and i said the only way to cancel it once sent to a printer is at the printer itself. at first it didn't print, because there was no paper in it. i liked how i-pay in the afternoon was six checks, all set aside to be picked up. this made it easier to get caught up on overnight labels i needed to do. the colleague said she would pick them up the next day. during my walks i found 12 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were a season finale, when sheldon decides to ride the rails. and stuart's store burned. it was followed by the one where leonard threatened to quit and got another assignment at the university.

between two worlds movie

 this afternoon i went to see the french movie 'between two worlds' at the lagoon in uptown minneapolis. i had heard about it through the french alliance as i am on their email list. right away i liked it as i had done plenty of cleaning jobs before, especially when i was in school. so the machines they were operating looked familiar to me. and i know there had been books about work, such as 'working' by studs terkel. and i reminded myself how some of them were investigative reporting or 'muck raking' such as 'the jungle' by upton sinclair or 'nickel and dimed' by barbara ehrenreich. the latter is the one that seemed to be most like this movie. i had seen 'dimed' as a play when i was in chicago for a writers convention. one scene where there was a celebration for one of the cleaning ladies getting a good job in another industry reminded me of leaving behind test scoring and starting with the bank. i liked how there were some scenes depicting the book signing, and the varied reactions to it from those she had worked with. even the scene where they live it up in first class on the ferry they clean worked for me. i had some ice cream at the nearby mcdonald's after the movie. i had lunch at IKEA near mall of america before the movie. i kept getting emails about their 80th anniversary sale so i decided it was a good place to go eat. then i drove over to the movie and arrived just before it began. and i did laundry in the morning. during my walks i found 72 cents. 

mushroom risotto rice

 sometimes there is food left on the counter in the breakroom at work. it is often expired or will be soon. i often claim it, especially if it is boxes of cereal. this week it was ben's original rice, mushroom risotto. it tasted fine. i opened the packet and dumped it in a pan and heated it up on the stove top once water was added. i did this in the evening, it was an eventful day. i did some more overtime at work. much like the previous saturday it worked well on doing four hours, again filling a tub an hour. i ran over seven thousand checks through the machine. in fact just eighteen fewer than the previous saturday. i bought two items from the vending machine and ate them during that time, some planters peanuts and some oatmeal raisin cookies, along with a granola bar i brought in my lunch bag. then i had a sandwich and tea from the nearby walgreen once i was done for the day. i drove home and checked email, then i was on the road again. i made it to the water park in eagan. this annual visit had been postponed several times. i looked at the page i put notes on and originally i wanted to do it back in june. well this weekend was the last chance as they are closing for the season soon. i was there for a little over an hour, went on the lazy river on an inner tube first. then i went on most of the water slides after that. when they called a safety break at 5pm i knew my time there had to be ending soon. so i went on one more slide. then i had some pizza and a chocolate eclair ice cream bar and i left. it was likely a thinner crowd than the previous week as i saw more open parking spaces. i am sure the state fair had something to do with it. then i went home and got groceries at aldi. after this was done i turned on the Fox baseball game of the week. i watched about half of it, twins were playing the rangers. but i was tired and laid down and fell asleep. later on i found out the twins lost. during my walks i found 93 cents.

string puppet

 when i was taking a walk i noticed some things on a table. it was a page that said 'string puppet', how to make one i guess. next to it was a blue tote bag full of thin wooden sticks for stirring paint. must have been some arts and crafts for kids, a thing i recall doing when i was young. even though i very much enjoyed the day off, it was nice to get back into the work routine. some things of course are more fun than others to deal with at work. that is why one has to be careful on getting the names right. there are two ladies with the same name and i like working with one way more than the other. one of them had a request for a tracking number on a check to be overnighted, and i asked for the payee. good thing i was told about it as it wasn't marked as overnight and otherwise would have went regular mail. it was in the second i-pay. then there was the one who said he was expecting a check, and i said i send you an I.M. if there is one. she does her research and gives me a check number from tuesday, three days prior. i said it went into a file where i don't check for special handling, and it likely went regular mail. otherwise there wasn't too much out of the ordinary. i am still sending out four full mail tubs a day to get the volume of checks knocked down. the dude who picks them up noticed this when i saw him in the morning. and he spoke of dealing with traffic when at the energy park facility since it is near the state fairgrounds. i said it means avoiding it until labor day, which of course is the last day of the fair. during my walks i found 51 cents. i bought just five items at hy-vee in eagan tonight. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny got engaged after penny was fired from a movie. howard and bernadette hire a nurse to take care of howard's mom. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy talk to HR, then do a sensory deprivation tank. sheldon loves it and amy hates it.

amateur talent contest button

 i went to the minnesota state fair, took a day off to go to day one. early on i got some souvenirs, some postcards i bought. then it was an information booth which had maps and a free button. it was honoring the 50th anniversary of the amateur talent contest. only words on it, no pictures. i knew well enough to do some of the things i wanted to by myself before i met up with the meetup group. this included going on the giant slide where i screamed like lt. dan in 'forrest gump' during he hurricane. and i went to the fan central building where the st paul saints display is. we met at ballpark cafe, not far from fan central. i drank more beer than typical but i didn't mind as i was doing plenty of walking as well. i drank a surly a summit and a schell's. all beers from this state. of course i took plenty of pictures while there. some was of the crop art in the horticulture building but the one that means even more to me was the fine arts building near the end of the day. most of the art didn't do anything for me, but there is usually a handful that i really like. some of those i liked i am moved by. this year i liked one titled 'kaposia days' as i have been to this festival often, in south st. paul. it was three young ladies holding umbrellas. others of note were one called 'melancholy' and another called 'grace'. the former was a young lady thinking, but there was some red around her hands. the latter was also of a young lady, sitting in a nice chair with with a nice dress on. i really had a good time there, and this was something i needed when it has been tough at work lately. it may have helped that i was attending with somebody, the retired postal worker, the only friend i have made from meetup. i had the time to confide in somebody, and somebody i can learn from as well. and there was the food. i had a pork chop on a stick. later on it was a texas burger. at one point in the ag building i was by myself for a short time and even though music was everywhere the one song in my head wasn't was what was playing anywhere. it was crowded house's 'locked out'. it might remain a mystery as to why. at the end of the night i knew well enough to  find a bathroom near the smelling exit at o'gara's, as i would be taking two buses home. i was running to get from the first bus to the second in downtown st. paul as it was after 10pm and knew the next bus would have been a 30 minute wait. but in the end it was all worth it. during my walks i found 32 cents.

locking up toothpaste

 i did some errand running after work tonight, and one of those stops was at target. they are now locking up toothpaste, and some other things. i use aim and not many other stores sell it. so it meant asking an employee to unlock the case so i could get a tube of it. walgreen has been doing this for a little while, especially in the soap aisle. i know why, too many people were likely stealing it, but it is still sad to see it. since it has been warm i got some tea in a bottle as well. other stops made were the ATM, and the light rail. the latter was to add value to my bus pass. at work i got frustrated and couldn't hide this emotion with how slowly training has been going. it seems like i am a glorified babysitter, and that is all i have to say about that. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 28 cents.

zingers at picnic

 there was a picnic to attend after work, at como park in st. paul. i brought zingers, much like before. i had one and nobody had any others so i took the other nine home at the end of the event. there was little sandwiches and potato salad. as usual i barely knew the people there so it was hard to know what to talk about. most people left before the end of the 90-minute allotment. at work it was more training of the vacation replacement, especially the overnight labels. and it meant being behind on work much like before. so i had to be quick and print out the afternoon files myself in order to get caught up by the end of the day. i was getting annoyed in the morning when an assistant manager asked how training was going, when picking up a check, and i was getting shouted down. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 12 cents.

abbott and costello routine

 i performed at the open-mic tonight, the last one on. there is one act that seems to do an abbott and costello routine each time before they play music. one of them is known for covering buck owens. tonight he spoke of having a CD out so i bought one. it is now one of many i have of those i have performed with. i had plenty of bank stories to tell, starting off with the one about the rat statue. at work a visit by a senior leader was postponed and a make-up date was not given but it will likely be sometime this week. there was another request to re-route a canadian check. this time it is going to oshawa. this meant something to me as it reminded me of being in toronto for the pan-am games as the boxing matches were in this town. three of the four tubs filled on saturday went out at the end of the day. the fourth tub had the inter-office envelopes in it and the afternoon checks as well. i will send out four more the next day. now that there are enough envelopes i feel better about sending out more tubs, it had been just three a day. and getting the checks run through the machine same-day as well. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 56 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon couldn't decide what to buy at the electronics store. it was followed by the one where some of the friends went on a simulated space walk.

rookie movie, dennis quaid

 this morning i watched the movie 'the rookie' on DVD, the one with dennis quaid about a baseball coach who ends up in the major leagues. this was a recent purchase from amazon. i noticed that jim morris is in the closing credits as an umpire. i see this often when based on a true story where the subject of the story gets a small role in the movie. only the ending shows the main character pitching in the majors. i see this fairly often where the story is mainly about how they got there. once the movie was done it was time to get on the road to the st paul saints baseball game. there was a team card set giveaway. and it was super-hero day so there was somebody dressed up as spider man, saints beat indianapolis 7-6. i liked how the saints got an early lead on a manufactured run. a walk stolen base wild pitch and sac-fly. the long ball was small help as both were solo shots. the home team was behind for a few innings. but there was an inning where they got three triples and led again, this time for good. the simpsons seemed to be inspired by taylor swift and her army of fans. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 93 cents. i had some popcorn at home after the game as i saw some with it at the game. and i bought a pair of socks at the game to replace my pair of saints socks. hopefully it is another long run and i know it was aided by being willing to sew them up for a while.

four tubs, four hours

 i did some overtime at the bank, and a branch employee was surprised to see me. my goal was to fill four tubs in four hours, and i did. half of the checks i ran through the machine were printed the previous day, and i ran the two check printers simultaneously. there was some 'busy work' i got done as well, such as finding returned canadian checks in a box. two of the four are being re-routed while the other two are to be destroyed. one of them is nearly a year old and was harder to find than the others. there were of course pictures to remind me of being there. one was of the food i brought. it was a hy-vee hot dog bun, a hostess baseball cupcake, and some planters peanuts. the third item was bought from the vending machine. all of it was next to my GE water mug. then there was empty check stock and envelope boxes. when i was done i got a sandwich and some juice from walgreen. when i made it home i went to aldi for groceries and laid down for a little while. the visit to the water park in eagan was a no-go as i found out the lockers had all been rented. so move it back another week. i went for a blizzard treat at dairy queen, then a sandwich at jersey mike's. in the evening i went through my monthly bank statement while i had the vikings pre-season game on as background noise. vikings lost to the titans. later on i went on a walk and found 93 cents.

rat statue

 at work i saw a rat statue this week so i got a picture of it. the customer service boss has it on her desk. something about it helping remind people to lock their computers before walking away from them. the stance of it reminds me of a t-rex. the rest of the envelope order for the month arrived in the morning. as usual i say i like how they arrive at his preferred time, when i don't have many files to print. and it is early enough in the day where i have more time to get caught up on my normal duties. i had it  brought into the shop and placed on the wall in just 20 minutes, 34 boxes. so it will be easier to finish the special project, now there are enough supplies for it. i bought eight items when at hy-vee in eagan, another small order but only buying what is needed. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 66 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon confronts his mom in texas about what he saw. while the friends make a pledge to show up at the same place in 20 years but only stuart makes it there. it was followed by the one where sheldon helps howard and bernadette at the 'zone zone' when paperwork is needed for a neighbor's bright light. while leonard has a dream about being possessed and eating others.

stories behind the songs

 as we all know, i like those special magazines. when i was at walgreen at the end of my lunch break i found one i liked. it was 'stories behind the songs'. some of the stories i had heard of before, but not all. on the cover is one about a johnny cash song written by a children's author, of course i knew this was shel silverstein who wrote 'boy named sue'. some of my favorite music acts are in it, green day (time of your life), sia (chandelier), and lady gaga (poker face). it was a little un-nerving to read about james taylor spending time in a mental hospital, but i had to remind myself that mental health is something that many performers struggle with. this was in reference to his song 'fire and rain'. it has been a good read, as expected. already have read more than half of it. at work there was another stack of refund checks to send to energy park. when i said in an email response how i already sent some this week it was taken as i was refusing to send more for them. not so, i wanted to know why there was another one and found out there was a delay on getting approvals. another box of overnight envelopes was picked up from the branch, so i am good in that part of my work for a little while. i drank the can of pabst with the evening meal so there still are four beers waiting. it was an unopened can i found during walks this week, at a bus stop shelter. i watched the baseball game on Fox, cardinals lost to the mets 4-2. the postcard i sent from st. louis a month ago just arrived. i had accepted it likely wasn't arriving at all. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and sheldon went to texas, while leonard got penny a replacement car. it was followed by the one where two people from fermi lab are trying to steal the nobel from sheldon and amy.

pizza coupons

 sometimes i get coupons from food outlets, tonight it was for pizza. domino's is advertising their online ordering app. i haven't ordered pizza in a while, carry-out or delivery. if i want it i get it from the grocery store or the gas station. there is mention of  'earn points to free pizza', so this must be their 'loyalty program'. at work the colleague i am training had the UPS seminar around midday. i saw that the envelope stuffer was off during that time as it is loud. the number of overnight packages to do was down but it is till slow progress on the volume of fargo checks. one thing i will have to add on the next report is how we do not have all of the envelopes ordered for it just yet, although there is enough check stock as of last week. i am still sending out what i can each day, usually three mail tubs full. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 20 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard got a table then amy manipulated sheldon to prevent him from breaking up with her. there was an intervention when howard said he wanted to go back into space. it was followed by the one where zach said he sold his company for a fortune and wanted leonard to be a sperm donor.

ice dumped in grass

 when i was out late taking a walk i went past a coffee shop where i saw plenty of ice dumped in the grass, so i took a picture of it. probably will melt once the sun rises. during the walk i found 14 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy went with howard and bernadette on a valentines day train, and sheldon met another train weirdo. while leonard nd penny stayed home and raj's dog was poisoned by chocolate. it was followed by the one where sheldon was benched by the university president, wanting only amy to do the interviews about their discovery. and the friends went paintball gaming. 

  at work it was easier for me as the colleague i was training was working from home, there was somebody coming to work on the plumbing. i got caught up on sending out overnights, likely the first time there was carryover. and a box of more envelopes arrived, making things easier for me. our internal UPS team was contacted. there had been a supply shortage and another box will be ordered. other issues were how i had to enunciate on an email how i sent the refund check in question to another department that actually processes it. along with getting bogged down in semantics when i was sent an i.m. i found out the file was court orders but the colleague kept calling it garnishments. i had a donut in the morning. there was an email how somebody brought them and it meant going to another floor to pick it up.

follow the trucks

 when i was trying to get to a UPS facility tonight after work, i figured it was best to follow three of their trucks to it. this left me at the entrance that wasn't for customers, which was at the next light. but when i get there, i see a sign on the door saying they started closing early, at 6pm, as of february. so getting a box of overnight envelopes wasn't possible. i did take some out of the drop-off box in front of this customer entrance though. training a vacation replacement still isn't going well, still falling behind on work for various reasons. there was a last-minute meeting about mail i was invited to in the early afternoon although i didn't have much to say, it hardly seemed to concern me at all. service call was made on the envelope stuffer, as it kept saying it was blocked when it wasn't. sensor calibration was done. tech wasn't there for long, an hour. all of this may have been why i did more ranting than typical when i was performing tonight. i was on near the end of the night. then the show runner went on a rant of his own about dancing, saying he tried to teach dudes to dance in order to make them more attractive to the ladies. during my walks i found 50 cents.

jersey boys movie

 mid-morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from the closing video store, 'jersey boys'. i recognized christopher walken in it, as a mobster. it was the story of the music act known as the four seasons. i had heard of frankie valli, best as a solo act doing the theme song to the movie 'grease'. this song was not in the movie. some of the four seasons songs in the movie i had heard before, such as 'big girls don't cry'. i noticed how director clint eastwood got himself in the movie as there was a clip from 'rawhide'. the lasting impression was the troublemaker in the group, tommy, who had a big debt to another mobster. frankie kept him in the group due to loyalty from being in the old neighborhood. the closing credits say it was based on a play, and some actors reprised their role from the play. it ends with them re-uniting to perform in 1990 at their rock and roll hall of fame induction. 

   the other notable event from the day was attending another show in the minnesota fringe festival. it was the final day and it was the fifth show i attended in the 11-day run. it was the one that was a satire of podcasts, held in the basement of the u o m rarig venue. i had some potato skins from the vending machine before the show. i was recognized by the box office manager, who i had worked with on day one. and i was thanked by another front of house employee for volunteering, as i was using my volunteer pass. capping this year's festival with a silly show like this one works for me. after the show i stopped at mall of america on the way home and got some ice cream. dairy queen was closed, but the place next to it was open, where i earned some airline miles. during my walks i found 2 cents.

love 105 prom cruise

 this evening i went on the love-105 prom cruise. i bought the ticket on may 8, after the first postponement and before the second. it was at padelford landing on harriet island in st. paul. some things about it looked familiar, as i reminded myself i had been on this boat before, an event through my (then) employer many years ago. it was a good deal, not only the boat ride but also a meal. i paid ten dollars to park nearby, as the irish fair was happening on the island as well. this made the walking over to the landing harder to navigate, but i made it with plenty of time to spare. i liked how i found some people my age there, as all too often at meetup events i do not. there was two couples, j and a, then r and a, where i chatted with them for a while. with the former we were both at the DJ table, i put in a request for cyndi lauper's 'time after time'. with the first couple i was told that they had won tickets, and i liked sharing about some of the concerts i had attended over the years. a tip-off that the dude was my age was hearing how we had both attended smashing pumpkins shows. with the latter couple, the lady did most of the talking, at first about her line of work, in radiology but not as a doctor. later on she wanted to dance, and ended up dancing by herself as her hubby does not dance and i turned her down. i recognized some landmarks along the way such as the 35-E bridge, close to the lilydale, route 13 exit. along with the 'airport parking' ramp in big red letters. of course the (former) schmidt brewery sign, and i liked the way the st. paul skyline looked when lit up at night when we made it back to the island. i felt myself tingle when i heard bob seger's 'against the wind' during the event, reminding me of 'forrest gump' when forrest is doing all of the running. i will have to look up what other cruises these radio stations have as i heard about a karaoke cruise and of course karaoke interests me. 

   i had other things to do before then, made a list of four stops to make. the post office, where two orders were picked up. a UPS store in eagan, where i found more overnight envelopes to use at work. then lunch at home, then the other two. aldi for groceries, finally comcast to return the modem. i let them know my laptop does not charge with their modem being used so i have to go with the internet provider where my laptop battery does charge. i made it to the liquor store nearby as well, got a can  of icehouse so now there are four beers waiting. during my walks i found 1 dollar 40 cents.

medical delivery van

 there was two supply deliveries in the morning, less than an hour apart. one of these was the check stock, in a little van with a sticker on the door saying it also did medical deliveries. the driver said this was happening more often due to covid. it should have been an easy day at work but there seemed to be interruptions throughout the day that put me behind on my work. it was things like asking for check copies or a very late request to pull a check from a file. i didn't mind when the envelopes and check stock arrived since i prefer in the morning when i have more time to get caught up on my normal duties. i am running low on overnight envelopes and the order i placed last week has not arrived. i am trying to think of what is to be done about it, such as what stores might have them for sale such as hopefully office supply stores. nine items bought when i went to hy-vee, and much like at walgreen this week i am already seeing halloween candy for sale. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 53 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon and amy stayed home, disappointed that their theory had been apparently disproven decades earlier.

napa almond chicken salad

 near the end of the work day i got an i.m. from the customer service boss, the one that likes baseball and karaoke. she also has a tat on a shoulder blade, something i noticed when passing by when she once was moderating a meeting. the fluid bottle order somehow was delivered to her area. so i said i would investigate and it meant bringing up a cart as i knew it would be two bottles. while there she said there was sandwiches left over from a meeting, from panera bread. i chose the napa almond chicken salad. i knew i couldn't chat for long so i said thank you by i.m. when i got back to the shop. there was one visitor to the shop, just before midday, wanting iron mountain boxes for storage. i said it was 'some assembly required' and they were still in the zip ties, ten were claimed. i let my boss know about it as there are not too many visitors to the shop. it was easier to get my work done, as expected, since nobody dropped in, and there was nobody to train. as the trainee was working from home. i drank the can of modelo with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. i watched 'young sheldon' as usual and i clapped twice during this one. it was the lead-off episode of the season, where the mom says 'i have had enough' and leaves church during the service. then sheldon points out hypocrisy. i clapped the second time when she closes the door on the preacher when he tries to talk to her at her family's home. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon tried to learn comedy and construct the perfect joke. it was followed by the one where sheldon tries to bond with amy's parents while anu tells raj 'shower with me, raj!'

condescending show card

 went to see fringes how number four tonight, at the rarig venue. it was the burlesque show. my review said it left a lot to be desired. i am used to burlesque shows being way less than 16 performers. i also found the show card to the condescending, it encouraged the audience to cheer while the performers are dancing. i think most people are smart enough to cheer at a live performance, be it sports concerts or theater, whenever they see something they like. it also seemed to be wrong to be throwing tips onstage. it can be hard to tell what is being thrown, it could just as easily be garbage. one of the performers was morbidly obese and another had pronoun tattoos on their bottom. a lady was crying when the monologues about what burlesque is were done but it didn't land with me. as i have said the same things about performing so it wasn't in any way unique to burlesque. the show ran short and was filled in with more advertising for the troupe. after the show i had to deal with an idiot who was in my way when i was trying to leave the venue. i said there were better places to check your phone. training a vacation replacement isn't going well as we are still falling behind each day. and it doesn't help when a colleague keeps dropping in as i am pretty much forced to take an unscheduled break. the trainee missed the UPS training by being off on the time zone difference for when it began. during my walks i found 23 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the ladies were in the playhouse with bernadette, and howard knew about it but didn't say anything.

another supply order delay

 it had been a week since i had placed the supply order and i hadn't seen anything so i followed up and it wasn't done, again. the new person claimed to be busy but didn't tell anyone. good thing i have copied the previous colleague in charge of it, who took care of it again. i was going to ask about it even if my boss didn't ask me. there was another high volume file drop from the fargo business line and much like before, no warning. i am still waiting to hear how much to order for that one. training someone can be tough especially when there are too many cooks. not just my boss but this time a colleague wandered in to the shop claiming to be bored. the colleague seemed to be unaware that we were just getting started, was only the second full day. so i still did what i could off to the side, things that still needed to be done and eventually the colleague went back to another floor. in the evening i went on a walk and found 66 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon had amy taken off her own project, and we see bob newhart guest star, wanting to be at a deli.

training vacation replacement

 this morning i re-started the training on a vacation replacement. i will have to get used to it as it will be for most of the month, although i am not enjoying it. i know i have to answer questions but when the talk was about non-work subjects it was less positive. i found it easier to get the work done once the colleague left to handle normal duties on another floor. i will have to figure out what i learned from all of it when i don't have a lot of experience teaching others. i didn't mind having a night of doing nothing off-site as sometimes one just needs to rest. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 35 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bob newhart was a guest star along with bill nye, and bob said 'back off bowtie.' it was followed by the one where sheldon's texas friend, tam, visits.

dreaming wild movie

 mid-morning i went to see a movie, 'dreaming wild', at southdale in edina. i recognized casey affleck and beau bridges in it. this was about music that was re-discovered 30 years later. i liked the scenery in it as it was filmed in washington state, seeing a logging truck and the wide-open countryside with some dirt roads. even noticed a spokane 74 shirt in one scene, the world's fair that was in the area. the story shifted between the 1970s, when the album was made, and the present time. sometimes they seemed to be presented together, where casey shares a scene with his younger self. i am used to seeing the disclaimer in the credits that said 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect' so no surprise seeing it here. with the music that wasn't done by the brothers the standout was bob dylan's 'hard rain', likely because it was in another movie i had seen. 'born on the fourth of july'. it was raining when i got out of the movie, good thing i brought my rain jacket. i went home and had lunch there, then laid down for a while. i liked how there was less that i had booked compared to the previous day. then i ate before i went to perform at an open-mic. liked seeing a performer i hadn't seen in a while, his grandpa had played gopher hockey. i was wearing the fringe volunteer shirt and did a story about it, along with some about the bank. then i did dishes and capped the night with another fringe show, the third of the festival. it was 'five prisoners', five vignettes. some worked better than others, the final scene worked best for me. it was a debate about rehab and justice, also memorable as the alien was wearing  green costume. during my walks i found 51 cents.

bingo cards, bathrooms

 there was two festivals to attend. in the afternoon and evening it was the fringe festival. i attended two shows and ushered at two others. with the second i gave out one bingo card and pointed out where the bathrooms were, this was at the round theater. the first shift was at mixed blood. i recognized a performer from an open mic i once did. the first show i attended was the one man show about heroes, followed by the musical improv show. it is an 11-day festival so i have 8 more days to see the other three shows of interest to me. i said 'what were the odds' on seeing a performer twice in one day, at the first show i attended and the second show i ushered. i ate at bobby and steve's between the shows i attended and ushered. i was pleased that they brought back godfathers pizza. also had some lady baltimore cake. drank a PBR beer at a venue i once performed at between ushering shifts. in the morning i went to canadian days in little canada. there was the pancake breakfast, the bagpipe band and the car show. WCCO was there, the segment went fast. if i was in it then i was in one of the crowd scenes. i am on metal bleachers wearing a blue st. paul saints hat. this was while the bagpipe band was performing. for lunch i had a super sandwich at jersey mikes. during my walks i found 61 cents.

button swapped out

after work i went to canadian days in little canada. when i bought the festival button i was recognized for having so many of the buttons. i ate the corn on the cob and registered the button. then i noticed the plastic wasn't crimped all the way over so i asked them to swap it out and i got another one. i hadn't seen anything like it before but liked how there was a simple solution. also had some pizza, two slices, and a can of a and w root beer. then some ice cream, i chose the raspberry cheesecake flavor. also recognized by who had once delivered envelopes, he was there with his grandkids as his son lives nearby. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 26 cents. when i was at hy-vee for groceries i also went to their liquor store and got a can of alaskan beer and this week drank the bottle of coors light so there still are four beers waiting. at work near the end of the day i was asked to help with swapping out a toner cartridge from the copier in the branch manager office, although it was a different model than what i use.

pencil sharpened, both ends

 first night at fringe festival, i was fine with clearing out any trash from the seating area. as usual, there was not a lot at both shows i was ushering. some show cards and a pencil that was sharpened at both ends. i hadn't seen anything like this before. there was 26 people at the first one and 23 at the second, which was about star trek. i found out i have five credits on my volunteer card so i can see five shows in this festival. this was at u of m, rarig venue. the article about the charlie brown exhibit was sent to me and i saw it during my lunch. surprised at how many pics there were of me, but the candids work as well as the posed ones. haven't seen the reaction on facebook yet. at work i was asked to send more test checks to oregon. and there was some requests on checks for a business line i did not recognize, before i had started there over three years ago. my boss sent them to customer service. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon reacted the same way to stimuli as the monkey did when he showed up at amy's lab. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy go on a scavenger hunt about a wedding gift that had been re-gifted more than once before.

training began, sort of

 in the morning the training began for another vacation replacement, sort of. we didn't get very far along, only two files printed. i didn't like it because there were too many people, i was one of four in the shop. my boss and the group leader as well. entered a vacation day request for day one of the state fair before this training began. i probably should have entered it before i found out my colleague had quit. since i am told that i will be training for much of the month, at least on the days when this cohort is in the office. it took a while to get caught up on things after everyone left. but thankfully the overnight checks were a lower volume. there was one for 13 million going to new york. tech showed up for the envelope stuffer and changed the sealing settings, slowing it down a little. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 54 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy pointed out plot holes in 'indiana jones' then sheldon does the same on 'little house'. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy are on their honeymoon and wake up next to lego-land. amy's dad is a mousey little man, trying to avoid his domineering wife.

automated checks sent

 the fargo files are the highest volume, and one of these sent nearly 30,000. contacted the business line and was told many of those check requests were automated, unable to send advance notice about it. of course not all can go out same-day, but just under 10 percent of them did. any check over $50 was printed. this was proof of how most of those checks are small amounts. i typed up revisions to the written procedure in the morning then went to the team huddle. we found out a colleague will be leaving the company, one of the two who had trained me for check printing. she had been on the 'absent list' quite often lately. so it means hiring a replacement and showing somebody my role to be my back-up becomes even more important. looks like that training will be moved back a day. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 35 cents. the 'big bnng theory' rerun was when sheldon and amy were married.