girlhood exhibit

 went to the 'girlhood' exhibit at the Minnesota history center this afternoon. standouts were mention of feed sacks as DIY clothing, as well as a Twiggy lunchbox thermos. my dad once said to my sister when school clothes shopping how she was 'wearing it like a feed sack', sounded weird to me as a kid, but i guess that was a common thing for a while. as for who was on the thermos, i mainly knew her for having a cameo in the movie 'blues brothers'. i spent just over two hours there, finishing up just before closing time. i bought some souvenirs as well, two stickers. one was of caitlin clark in her WNBA jersey, the other was of the geena davis character in the movie 'league of their own'. neither women were part of the exhibit, but there was a section about girls playing sports, especially basketball. i watched some of the films on display, there was three about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases. the first one, from the World War one era about syphilis, seemed to be that era's version of 'scared straight'. there were six sections in this exhibit, also ones about girls going to school and to work. i lunched at chick-fil-a before the museum, heard the trampled by turtles song 'wait so long' as i was pulling into this food place. in the morning i went to the liquor store, bought two cans of beer, a michelob and a miller, so now five beers are waiting. also went to the post office, two orders were picked up, so i placed two more e-bay orders when i got home. in the evening i got groceries at aldi, during my walks i found 1 dollar 62 cents. 

stainless steel microwave oven

 i bought a microwave oven after work tonight. i chose one made by General Electric, at the best buy in Richfield. i had one with this brand name before as it is my former employer. the one made by rival lasted nearly nine years, bought in January 2016 from the Walmart on university avenue that has since closed. i knew it was time to get another one when i noticed just before going to work in the morning how one of the prongs from the plug was stuck in the outlet. i figured it was no longer safe to use. guess it went out with a bang as it cooked both of my thanksgiving meals. i went online and it said the average life span of this item is seven to ten years, so it sounds like i am getting my money's worth so far. i did my research before going there, and with the brand name i wanted i knew this was the store to visit. and the location as well, as not every location had this brand and this size. i wanted another small one- 0.7 cubic feet. this is my third microwave oven, and the second with the GE name on it. i looked at the earlier entry where i spoke of the dire straits song 'money for nothing' as well as what food was first put in it, burritos. this time it was a TV dinner, chicken strips. i could tell the salesman wanted me to get a larger one, likely since it cost more. but i knew my needs and the compact countertop model i chose is just fine, not just for the meals i normally eat but also when i want popcorn. i did ask about air fryers, as a friend of mine really likes her fryer, but decided a microwave oven is still the right thing for me. first one that is stainless steel, a good reason to try to take really good care of it and clean it more often than the ones i had. it was on sale as it was black Friday, and of course the store was packed. i ended up parking in a lot that was meant for an adjacent store, as i am a big believer in the path of least resistance. the next steps will be to haul off the junked one to the dumpster and get the new one registered. the postcard said it can be registered online. at work i liked how a business line is still taking a break for the holiday, much like Wednesday no checks were sent. still plenty of overnights though, from the mortgage file. it appears just that one business line is on break though, as i still sent out more than three thousand checks for the day. when i got home after picking up the appliance i watched some of the football game on TV, Iowa Hawkeyes were playing Nebraska, on NBC. when it reached halftime i went to get groceries at the Hy-Vee in Eagan. before that i went to the five below in the same complex and found a gift for a meetup event for next week. along with something for me, a homer simpson solar bobble-head, it goes well with the snoopy i already have. while at the grocery store i found a half-franc Swiss coin, it will go in the tin with other foreign coins. when i got home the game was nearly over, and Iowa won on a last-second field goal. i didn't do much after the game was over. during my walks i found 3 cents. 

extra puzzle pieces

 i found a way to stay occupied for most of the day, it was put together a charlie brown puzzle i had bought at MSP airport a few years back. it was 500 pieces, finished it then retired for the night. except there was three pieces left over, go figure. wonder if another puzzle is missing that many. it had many of the themes that the comic strip is known for, such as snoopy on his doghouse, as well as schroeder playing the piano. what prompted me to get it done was getting one with these characters but with a space theme from five below recently, another one i can do on the days off in december. i did watch much of the first two football games of the day. the bears found another way to lose, in the opener against the lions. kept hearing 'here we go' before plays in the second, cowboys beat the giants. i liked how jelly roll was one of the halftime performers during the second game, i have one of his CDs. i ate both of the turkey dinners to mark the holiday and drank a can of beer with both. there was bud ice for the first, and a miller with the second, so now there are three beers waiting. i had the last two english muffins as well, and the pumpkin pie. now it means figuring out what i do with the rest of the whipped topping in the can, get another half-pie maybe? before the first game i watched the macy's parade, then switched to putting in my DVD copy of the charlie brown turkey day special after seeing the 'beagle scout snoopy' balloon. no surprise how there was mention by the announcers of the specials being on the apple streaming service. there is usually a reason for why some things make appearances- as it is all about advertising. then after the second game there was 'masked singer', with a charlie brown theme. this one had mention of apple t.v. as well, along with the characters arriving from knott's berry farm. during my walks i found 1 dollar 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both thanksgiving editions, no surprise there. first was when sheldon has a beer with howard's father-in-law, and we found out penny married zac in las vegas. then there was the one where the friends volunteer at a soup kitchen and howard meets elon musk. while sheldon and amy go to the aquarium. 

box full of plastic

 at work i decided to move a box to another room in the morning. it was a box full of plastic, and the label had an old bank name on it, so it had been there for a while. i didn't know what else to do with it, because i didn't feel like tossing it in the trash, so it is someone else's problem now. it was sent to a storage room i had recently discovered, where i had previously claimed and used most of the copy paper i had found. i liked how it was a fairly light day on check printing, as one business line did not send any checks at all. this is the one from kansas city, account closures, with plenty of overnights when it is sent. but i know this is most likely around a holiday when there are fewer personnel available. there was an email i reported, but then found out it was legit although it was just a small bank logo on it when i clicked on the link. didn't sound right when it said, 'something needed my immediate attention'. when i did log into my account, i found a notice there about my health insurance, HIPAA regulations if i am not mistaken. and there were plenty of other notices as well, unread, going back for quite a bit of time. huh. in the evening i did some more research about more e-bay and amazon orders to place in the near future. there was not only CDs i discovered, but also more of those little golden books. i have ten, and three more are on the way. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj and sheldon worked together, and it was a rare one with music, a song from the 'rocky' movies in the background. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy have brunch guests, while penny signs autographs at a convention. 

notes added to check copy

 i had a visitor pick up a check before midday, this is definitely not too common now. but this colleague was working from home for the day. and there was a request to add notes to a check before it was sent to a government agency, so it was known what it is for. and i made a copy of it after the notes were added, scanned it, and printed out a copy before notes were added. since i have seen the sense of urgency on these special handling checks, i advised this colleague to go to the post office across the road to send it if it needs to go out right away. i have seen how mail in the tub isn't stamped until the next day. i heard what it was like for my vacation replacement on my day off, something about i.t. issues until midday. and the trash i put out in the hall wasn't picked up friday although the bins were empty when i arrived in the morning, so i brought them all in. branch manager asked me at lunchtime about my day off. thankfully there wasn't too much left behind for me to discover. i did some research on polka CDs, likely inspired by telling my dad about this year's visit for oktoberfest in new ulm. i found two more to order soon. i narrowed the list to one for each music act, wanting to make it count on what i buy. this is what i have done so far for others as well, three in all. of course, also on my list was some discovered that weren't polka, but on a label called concord when looking at a new ulm band called the concord singers. during my walks i found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when howard and bernadette found out raj and stuart were in their hot tub, while sheldon and amy decided to share a toothbrush holder. 

look, pause, discover

 i had the day off for a dental appointment, and this meant going to downtown st. paul. i got a good look around before and after it. before it i went to the food court where in once ate when working downtown, although not many options remain. the cajun grill had a sign up saying they had just closed after 26 years. this meant having pizza by the slice. then farther down in the skyway i saw a display that said 'look, pause, discover'. it was quotes from famous people, especially writers. something about 'writers blocks' and espresso coffee. guess it means looking it up some more online. hard to say what i will do when i do the next appointment in six months. i was reminded of how a sandwich shop, erbert gerbert, is still open, but not in the skyway. and then there is the skyway grill, which moved to a different food court. those two are the front runners. then there was going to rice park to see the big christmas tree, put on display by the salvation army. and then going inside the landmark center, where there was displays about governors. it went all the way up to the current one, walz. and there was some art that will be sold at auction soon to benefit a women's shelter. one had some media on it, a VHS tape of MASH, as well as a cassette of the judy garland album, 'star is born'. i got plenty done in the morning as well. there was sending another donation to goodwill, followed by getting a paper shredder at walmart, and then picking up turkey day dinners at cub foods. all three were done in eagan. then i went to the post office and two orders were picked up, and when i got home i placed orders for two more, on e-bay. i watched 'jeopardy' and found out there was a mixed drink called a 'gibson', the clue was two baseball players with that name. i went to perform in the evening and the show runner gave me a twins baseball jersey. i did not do any bank stories this time, but i did some rants about what i have seen in some facebook groups i am in. along with mention of the news story about the president pardonint turkeys for the holiday. during my walks i found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when lewis black was a guest star, followed by when sheldon and amy start living together and they were called 'weird' by penny. 

i used to be funny movie

 in the afternoon i watched the movie 'i used to be funny' on bluray. i decided to go back to the beginning, even though i had seen part of it a few days earlier in order to test out the player that i had just acquired. in many ways this was beneficial, as i noticed some things the second time that i didn't the first time. the main character, a stand-up comic in toronto, mopes around for most of the movie. this was why i liked her roommates, who are also comics, more. as a comic, i liked the parts about stand-up comedy, except there didn't seem to be much of it. a big part of the story was the missing teenager, and the main character once was her nanny. i agreed with what the reviewer said in the new york times, the article i printed to remind me that i wanted to order it if it ever was on disc. she said that the movie took too long to get to why she had PTSD. it was only hinted at for a while, and i did catch on to some of the hints. this was why she moped around and would refuse to take the stage and perform, even when announced by her friend and roommate. there were many things about stand-up comedy that this movie got right. one of these is the jealousy when a peer gets a big performing opportunity. there are four other movies i had seen about stand-up since i started performing, and those four seemed to have more scenes depicting stand-up. that being said, one thing i liked about this movie was how ruth buzzi was name-checked. this did prompt me to look up the name, found out it was somebody on 'laugh-in'. i like anything that refers to comics of yester-year, as it helps me with understanding more about the history of the craft. i got some things done before i put in the movie. before midday it was copying notes on pages i had printed, it was ideas of things to order online. i like being able to consolidate things and i get a fresh look at what i wrote down. except i will wait to order more until more of these orders arrive. but it sounds like some should be arriving soon, and i can see what i can pick up the next day as it is a day off. then at midday the bears-vikings game was on, bears lost in overtime. 'the simpsons' was a good one, doing three stories. one had a 1950s theme, then robot clones, but the one i liked the most was the 'fahrenheit 451' parody that name-checked 'big bang theory'. then i went on a long walk around the neighborhood, where i found 1 dollar 9 cents. when i got back i tried to call my dad, we spoke of upcoming holiday plans, but his battery died after 15 minutes so the call was cut short. 

lawshe memorial museum

i went to the lawshe memorial museum in south st. paul in the afternoon. it had been on my list for a while, except i didn't get around to seeing it during the town's festival, kaposia days. free admission was nice. right away i noticed a linus statue on display, it had been at the pharmacy in the middle of town. i didn't mind that part of the museum was temporarily closed to the public, as i arrived with less than an hour to see things before closing time. there was plenty about the agriculture of dakota county, as well as the women's suffrage movement. i bought eight postcards, four were of posters from the first world war. only one was of this town itself, the road known as concord, i drove on it after exiting i-494. the others were of the governor's mansion, fort snelling, and the sibley home. i had been to the sibley home, the first governor of the state, also in dakota county, over a decade ago. i chose this day to see the museum as i attended a spaghetti dinner at the croatian hall, just a few blocks away. it was a fundraiser for kaposia days, i had just heard about the event through facebook a week earlier. it was shortly after i had liked their page. in the morning i went to the french alliance to see an art display. it was about the passion of paris, so many of the themes were of love in this art. i noticed how sheet music was often used in the art. and of course at times i had to step back a little to see what point the artist was trying to make. i got a good look around in the gallery, saw each artwork at least twice. and as usual, i was the only one in the gallery at the time, the way i prefer it. i saw some art books just outside the gallery and looked at them when i was done. one of these was impressionist paintings, a reminder of how i haven't been to some of those museums yet. some are domestic locations, such as the met in new york city and the getty in the los angeles area. another is 'dorsay' in paris. before my arrival to see the art, i went to the post office, two orders were picked up. i had a sandwich at jersey mike's for the evening meal. i was tired by then and didn't do much besides laying down, and going to aldi before i got the sandwich. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 76 cents. 

five little pumpkins

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight for groceries and when i was leaving i saw the 'toys for tots' box. on top was a book called 'five little pumpkins'. it said it was 'touch and trace nursery rhymes'. an online search revealed this is also the name of a song. another thing of note in the box was a football still in a box. i got a picture of the 'rudolph' cereal boxes to remind me to check if i already had bought that cereal. when i got home i found out i did, one of two from target, the other being pebbles. i am not up to those cereals just yet as i am still working on the ones from the halloween season. at work i tossed some more of my papers in the shred bin. a meeting scheduled for the morning was moved back a week. otherwise, it was a low volume day on check printing, and i didn't mind. i watched some of the high school football on channel 45, the championship games, before heading out for groceries. and when i got back i watched 'blue bloods', sounds like the next episode is in two weeks. it must be a 'behind the scenes' about the show is next week, marking the final episode which will be soon. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 33 cents. 

liquor store cashier

 every so often i make a visit to a liquor store to get a can of beer as i like a beer with the evening meal once a week. tonight, i went and got cans of miller light and busch light. i drank the can of 56 with the evening meal, so there are five beers waiting. notable about this visit was finding out the cashier is in school at a junior college, with plans for law school eventually. this was found out when i was told of sending an email to himself. two things in particular stand out. i said i had a classmate that was a judge but died of cancer four years ago. also, how i was 'stubborn enough' to reach the finish line and graduate. i advised the dude to 'find out what works for you to reach the finish line'. i know i have done this before, when i hear of someone in law i speak of my late friend. i think this is why i try to avoid thinking about friends who have passed, as 'life is for the living'. do i miss them? of course. but i am also aware of the reality that they are gone, and i can't change that. this is something i can work on, i guess. at work i found some more papers to toss in the shred bin. there was a UPS envelope for our i.t. rep and i was told it was 'tokens for new users'. waiting to hear more about the 'distribution' of the contents of the package. there was a dial-in meeting just before midday but part of the time i was still doing my normal duties, sounded like an optional meeting about company ethics and security. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends were working together. there was when sheldon led a project at the north pole. then there was when the project for the military started, and they tested the eye scanner. 

repurposed supply boxes

 at work the vacation replacement was in for the day, but i still did most of the check shop work. one mandate we had from the boss was to do cleanup related to the move. so we went through the desk, the workstation, and cleared out most of what was there. it meant what i wanted to save i moved into some empty copy paper boxes. i labeled both of these repurposed boxes as 'office supplies'. there was paper clips, binder clips, napkins, and bags i still wanted to use. late in the afternoon the boss did call me and ask about it, i said my colleague was down the hall. so when both of us was there we spoke with the boss. i took an alternate route home due to the winter weather, i prefer to stay off the divided highways during a snowstorm. when i got home i went through email as usual and found two more events to sign up for in december, one of them through meetup. sounds like it means getting a gift for one of these events. during my walks i found 26 cents. 

netflix button on remote

 i knew that step one on using the bluray player i just bought was to take it out of the box that i put it in to get it home on a rainy night. i did, and i noticed that there was a netflix button on the remote control. along with one for bluetooth, and i don't use either. not too big of a deal to get it hooked up, i used the HDMI cord from my DVD player. i put it in the recent purchase from amazon, 'i used to be funny', and watched part of it, satisfied that this player works. i can watch the movie in full this weekend. i still wanted to do other things such as take a walk, since it was still raining in the morning. at work there was two meetings. the first one was about the tax checks once i move downtown, sounds like there won't be phones there so we had to exchange cellphone numbers. the other one i said i would not attend as there was no dial-in option. later on, i got the slide show version of the meeting, and if it was like most quarterly meetings i probably didn't miss much. recent orders were picked up from the branch, the UPS envelopes as well as the toner cartridge. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went to las vegas and hired a hooker for howard. it was followed by the one where leonard's dad and sheldon's mom met and spent the night together. penny loved it, sheldon and leonard hated it. 

wandering leaf brewing

i went to a meetup event, through the micro-brewery group, at wandering leaf in st. paul. i knew that it was in what was a family dollar. i moved around a little while there, saw the dude in the cowboy hat that spoke about living in austin, texas, for a while. there was also a young lady in scrubs who said she was a pharmacist at a group home, and lives in woodbury. a dog named jupiter was getting passed around and at one point somebody tried to put a nametag on its head. as usual, when i arrived i wanted to find the event coordinator. i said i was thankful that the group finally made it to this place, it had been on my list for a while. another lady spoke of how she likes blue cheese in her food. i stayed for a little over an hour, then knew i needed to get going to the next event. this of course was performing at an open mic. not too many in this edition though, don't know if the rain kept some people away. i did some bank stories, along with ones about the grinch as well as attending a meetup hike. at work an envelope box was picked up from the branch near the end of the day. the boss had a question about a check but it looked nothing like one that i print, this was when i had just returned from lunch. i picked up a used bluray player nearby just before midday. during my walks i found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when stuart went on a date with penny, then leonard went with howard and raj to a bar to try to meet women. it was followed by the one where stuart was hired to wait in line for sheldon at a movie, and to go shopping with amy. 

man ray, return to reason

 in the afternoon i went to see 'return to reason' at the trylon cinema. it was four short films, a total of 70 minutes. it was subtitled as it was in french, but silent films as it was from the 1920s. i liked when they were in motion, in a car going somewhere. i am aware that man ray was a leader in the dada and surreal movement, it was why these films were being shown. when some of the music was playing i was stomping a foot to the beat of it as it sounded good. i had some popcorn and 7-up at the movie, more affordable there as it is non-profit. i liked how i didn't have much to do for the day until then, stayed in shorts as i was inside for a while.i watched most of the bears-packers game but had to leave to get to the movie. bears were leading at the time but found out they lost. after the movie i printed two event tickets. i didn't do much else after the movie, watched some of the chiefs-bills game, chiefs lost. 'the simpsons' was about bart becoming attached to a brain in a jar. during my walks i found 25 cents. 

pacific northwest timber country

 in the morning i went to a lecture at the minnesota history center in st. paul. it was about the pacific northwest timber country. the speaker was a professor from the u. of oregon, and had a book for sale. the book was called 'strong winds and widow makers', during 'q and a', it was revealed this was inspired by a song of the same name. as usual, i liked how i learned something from being there. in this case it was about the labor union known as the IWA, the international woodworkers of america. i liked how there was mention of how those who work in that industry understand it best and are aware of the balance needed between the need for wood but also preserving forests for recreation. i got a look around at the souvenir shop after the lecture, and it gave me some ideas for what to buy on my next visit. there is a limited run exhibit called 'girlhood' that will run until early june, so i still have some time to see it. better to go on a weekend where i have less planned. i got a pic of a sign near the front door about a DAR meeting onsite, it had wrapped up before the lecture did. the lady near the sign spoke of 'evacuation day' in new york after the american revolution ended, hadn't heard of it before. then it was on to a pizza place down the hill near the xcel center. i had a big slice of sausage pizza and some tiramisu, along with some sparkling water. then i went home and got groceries at aldi, and laid down for a little while. when i got up again it was time to go to a meetup walk at a nature center in bloomington. i had done this walk before, but first time since april. i roasted a hot dog at the campfire after the walk. in the morning, before the lecture, i went to the post office and picked up one order. i paid for my box fee, for six months. i didn't do much after the walk, when i got home i watched the news. during my walks i found 57 cents. 

solar bobblehead

 i went to hy-vee in eagan for groceries as usual tonight. another thing i did before i got there was go to the five below store in the same complex. i found the charlie brown and snoopy socks i was looking for. the other item i bought wasn't the jigsaw puzzle that was on my list, will have to research some more to see what location has those. saw everything but snoopy in the puzzle section. i also bought a solar bobblehead. there was two of interest to me, besides snoopy i also saw homer simpson. so at some point if i feel the need i can get homer as well. i liked seeing a metallic grinch balloon at hy-vee, plenty of christmas decorations are up. at work there was a dial-in meeting, just before midday. it was the one about moving the check shop, and it looks like this is just a month away. i let the tax specialist know, and it sounds like there will be another dial-in about the tax checks. the backlog of checks to send out went down some more, likely will be eliminated on monday. i try to send out no more than three mail tubs each day, and not a big deal if some of the fargo checks are sent out a day behind. i am still doing planning for the holiday season, and more event tickets will be ordered soon. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 74 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon played d and d with bernadette, who was unable to go drinking with the friends as she is pregnant. zack was at the bar, and raj brought claire. 

salad days, music documentary

 i went to a movie after work tonight, it was 'salad days', a documentary about the music scene in washington, dc, in the 1980s. it was part of the 'sound unseen' film festival, just my second visit to this festival, and first time in seven years. the screening was at bryant lake bowl in uptown minneapolis. what made this movie for me was interviews with musicians i had heard of- henry rollins, and dave grohl. i often said 'yep' or nodded in agreement with what was said in the interviews. this included when there was mention of releasing music on your own record label- the 'do it yourself' concept. it even got a laugh out of me when there was a comparison made to the 'island of misfit toys'. understanding what the nation's capital was like during that time helped, especially mention of the neighborhoods these music venues were in such as georgetown university. during my weeklong vacation in the town, i stayed in foggy bottom, close to george washington u, just blocks from the white house. i think the only mention of a big venue would have been the national mall, in reference to 'revolution summer' in 1985. i had to go to the bathroom once during the screening, waited as long as i could, but i know i didn't take long, just a minute or two. this wasn't the most ideal venue for a movie screening, as the door to the showroom was opening and closing a lot. i ordered a can of grain belt beer before the movie started, it was orange, in reference to 'pheasants forever'. i knew about this due to attending oktoberfest in new ulm. and i had a meal at the speedway gas station across the street before going inside, two slices of pizza and some peanut butter cookies. i sat on a nearby bench while eating and said to a passer-by how 'i heard that one, but didn't see it'. as i heard a 'crunch' and then 'damn!' about a block down. a car crash maybe? in that part of town, who knows? i don't know why it took me secen years to get back to this festival. there are others that i have attended more often, in st. louis park, and at st. anthony main. i did press 'like' on all three of their facebook pages, it will increase the odds that those film festivals will stay relevant to me when they happen again. at work i found out the cake from the previous day was for the birthday of a bank employee, that moves around a lot at various branches. there was a dial in meeting in the afternoon, moved up my lunch for it. but much of it was i.t. related so i was told it was fine to leave the meeting, and i did. there were other things i could get done such as overnight labels. i picked up a snoopy and woodstock 'pom hat' at walgreen during lunch, replacing the minnesota wild winter hat that i have had for twelve years. during my morning commute i said 'what the?' when i saw smoke off in the distance. i got closer and saw a car on fire, a nissan, but on the other side of the divided highway than me. then a little behind the burning car was two people hugging, possibly those who had escaped the car. during my walks i found 50 cents. 

anyone order a cake?

 near the end of my workday i was taking the overnights to the UPS box. on the table next to it, i saw a cake, from 'nothing but cake'. did not recognize the name on the receipt but i read it hadn't been there for long, about 30 minutes. i let the branch manager know, and was told it was a branch employee that i hadn't heard of. and the branch manager went to claim it. just plain weird that it wasn't brought into the branch by the courier. the boss was in and left after a half day. the two fargo files were late, approved when i was at lunch. i was able to get one of them printed and out the door by the end of the day, but not the larger one. so i guess i will run that one through the machine, more than two thousand checks, the next morning. i put in two vacation day requests for early december, still have some days left to use besides those two. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the friends went to a cabin and played 'never have i ever'. raj brought an oversized teddy bear to howard and bernadette. 

sunset a system

 there was two dial-in meetings at work, the first was about 'sunsetting' a system that i didn't use. but i guess most of my colleagues do. there was also mention of an employee in another department that was being too loud. i asked my vacation replacement after it was done and found out my best guess was correct. the second was in the afternoon and was considered to be a 'team huddle'. sounds like i have a 'move date' now, a month away. i said i should get some vacation days in but avoid that particular week as much as possible. there was three check copy requests from kansas city, i sent the first two shortly after the third one arrived. one file with overnights in it was approved at the end of the day, so i said it would not be going out same day. there was two lists for that file, and the first one had one more check on it than the second. looks like there was slightly different check numbers on them as well. i know when this has happened before, i would go by the payee and amount as to what to pull if check number was off by one. in the evening i got the postcards from recent travels into photo albums, had to move things around a little. smaller postcards got moved to another album, as some recent finds were kind of big, the ones from the rochester art museum that is. some souvenir stickers were moved to the binder labeled 'pocket schedules and business cards' as sometimes i also like stickers as souvenirs. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny shot the couch cushion and gets shot in the paintball game at the end of the episode because of it. this was followed by the one where we see sheldon's storage locker. 

five below, mall of america

 it was a day off due to the bank holiday. a simple way to stay occupied is to have lunch at mall of america. i went to the a and w. there is actually two, but this would be the one in the third-floor food court. i also had some ice cream, from a place where i knew i could get airline miles. but the lasting impression of the visit was the store discovery i made, a place called five below. it was the third place i went to when looking for socks, specifically with a 'simpsons' theme. the first two only sold socks and didn't have what i wanted, but i found a two-pack at this variety store. i also bought a four-pack of buttons with a 'shrek' theme. what caught my eye when walking past was a snoopy display, in one of the store's sections selling shirts. didn't buy any of those, but thankful i gave this store a look. there were plenty of 'hello kitty' items as well. surprised i hadn't heard of this store before, as according to my online search there are plenty of locations in the area. i had shopped at 'dollar stores' before, which can have some of the same items. the other thing on my list was to get a charlie brown calendar from the barnes and noble, and i did. usually, i don't get it this early, but i knew what i wanted, so why not? i also signed up for their loyalty program, something i refused to do when it was a paid membership, but now it is free to join. so it meant i was given a card, made of cardboard. just before midday i did a haircut at great clips, still works to go there. i drove to another place first, but it was still closed, at least on the day i wanted to go. there was a little bit of a wait, due to the number of people who checked in online. i like how i move up the list quickly, though, by being there in person. after getting back from the mall, i watched 'jeopardy', something i enjoy doing on a day off. in the evening i went to perform, found out i was moved down on the list by the show runner, guess i was not alone on this happening. i did bank stories and mention of ridiculous commercials on TV. during my walks i found 12 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard's mom visits and ends up analyzing penny and singing with sheldon. it was followed by the one where raj goes to see dermatologist emily, while having claire call to say she was also available. 

swan lake movie, imax

 in the afternoon i went to another movie at an AMC theater, this time it was 'swan lake', in Roseville. guess that one of their auditoriums is IMAX. i was trying to find out in advance if it was going to be subtitled, as i knew it was a production of the paris ballet. found out it didn't have to be, as they don't sing, they just dance. so it was like when i saw a belly dance version of 'wizard of oz', at the minnesota fringe festival a few years back. after a little while, i caught on with what has happening with the story despite no words. when most stories are driven by two or three characters, one would see how those onstage the most were the two that had fallen in love, and the villain. i managed to stay awake, despite being tired and in a darkened room. it helped that i switched positions every so often in my seat. there was a decent sized crowd for this screening, likely aided by it being a limited-release film. it was only scheduled for three days in theaters, and a limited number of screenings on those three days as well. this was the only one scheduled in Roseville for the day, and the last of the three days. after the movie i stopped at the nearby target store and bought two CDs. this was lady gaga's 'harlequin', and eminem's 'death of slim shady'. in the morning i did laundry. i didn't do all that much after getting home from the movie. i watched some of the pro football games, eagles beat the cowboys. then some of '60 minutes', some stories were about the election, then about the war in ukraine, and a man who is covering the war. then 'the simpsons', although it was a weird one with vignettes about various people, including the lunch lady. then some of sunday night football, lions playing the texans, but i fell asleep near the end. when i was on facebook i saw a posting about an episode of 'mr. belvedere' which had baseball hall of famers in it. i knew this show as the one bob uecker was on but hadn't seen that episode. i found it on youtube so i got a good idea of what the episode was about. during my walks i found 37 cents. 

fighting spirit movie

 in the afternoon i went to see a movie, 'fighting spirit', in edina at southdale mall. it was a documentary about military chaplains. i liked how there was some hope in it, as the main interviewee for it traveled to kansas to witness the burial of a chaplain from the korean war. i learned some things as well, which is what i had hoped for, as a history major. there was mention of 'four chaplains', from the second world war, and the chapel of the same name. i had my college roommate in mind when seeing it, the one that lives in farmington. this is who i sent a text message to shortly after i got out of the movie. i was asked about it and this was basically what i said. along with how it would be more relatable to those who had done military service. no surprise how it was released this weekend, as it is veterans day weekend. i am familiar with how documentaries usually don't get big crowds, and no one else showed up for the screening i attended. this has happened before. i arrived early for the movie and looked around the mall quite a bit before going inside the theater. i was pleased with what i got done before the movie. it was a day of chores and errand running, as usual. it meant going to the post office, three orders were picked up. also dropped off recycle near the capitol. i got groceries at aldi around midday, then went to get a sandwich at jersey mike's. this was one reason why i was early at the mall for the movie, as i didn't go home at all after the sandwich. after the movie i went home and checked email, found out i was added from the waiting list on a meetup event. it was a group i had just been added to. i let them know i would make it as soon as i could. i had to check directions online, and then it was on to the venue. it was a bowling alley in apple valley. i bowled two games, neither one did i reach the century mark, but the second game was better. i had a surly beer and a coney dog and fries while there. later on, after getting home i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 37 cents. notable songs from the day that i heard were 'roam' by the b-52's, at the bowling alley. and 'two princes', by the spin doctors, at cub foods after bowling. it was one of three places where i had stopped for cereal. first was target, near the jersey mike's, got two christmas-themed cereals despite them being out of the chex boxes with charlie brown characters on them. one of the two bought at cub was a chex box, the other was pumpkin spice mini wheats. then it was hy-vee, where i got the other three chex boxes. and now i have a receipt to submit to get the tin being offered by chex for the holiday season. seven boxes of cereal in one day, i think i am good on cereal for a little while. 

peanut bags

 i got a closer look at the conference room and storage room i had discovered the previous day at work. there was a box of peanut bags inside the toys for tots box. i ended up claiming some copy paper that was on the desk, as i can use it for printing not only the overnight labels but also the paystubs. there was a dial-in meeting in the morning, about the payroll tax forms sent to employees in various states early each calendar year. still trying to figure out the logistics with not being in the same building as the others. in the evening i went to the hy-vee in eagan for groceries and noticed some LED santas on display. a little surprised how some halloween candy was still available, i bought some more reese's peanut butter. a magazine which mentioned air fryers caught my eye and made me think of a friend from meetup groups that likes her air fryer. i heard from this friend, who sent a text message saying she has covid and likely won't be at the next micro-brewery event. during my walks i found 35 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns both had kripke in them. first was when sheldon tried to make a friend and the two go to a rock-climbing wall. then it was when adam west was a guest star at sheldon's birthday party. i liked the part when penny decided she'd be the one to give a pep-talk to sheldon after leonard and amy were arguing who was best to do so. after getting back from grocery shopping, i watched some of the college football game on fox, iowa playing at UCLA. iowa trailed at the half, i laid down and fell asleep and missed all of the second half but found out iowa still lost. 

misty, lesley gore

 i like having my car radio on at 89.3, the current, as i learned some more when driving home from work tonight. when 'misty' by lesley gore was played, the deejay said it was another song made popular again by tiktok. i guess this has happened before, although it is usually songs more recent than this one. i did find the song on youtube as well. and i did some research. there was a movie called 'play misty for me', starring clint eastwood. a different version of the same song was in the movie. and i recall an episode of 'cheers' where cliff sings it. i was more familiar with other songs by this artist. the boss was in the check shop and noticed the two monitors i was asked to set aside haven't been picked up yet. i said i hadn't heard 'word one' from either colleague that wants them. i also copied the boss on an email where it was confirmed about the outsourcing of two of the check files we service. those files have not been on time much lately. when walking past an open door to a small conference room i decided to go inside, nobody was there. a room attached to it had a desk in it and some shelves used for storage. what caught my eye the most was a box that said, 'toys for tots'. i am still discovering things about this building and have been there for a few years. it is a small room and i think this is why the department i am in didn't use it for meetings. when i went to walgreen for a snack at the end of my lunch, including a bottle of dunkin donuts coffee, i noticed plenty of charlie brown in terms on display in the seasonal section. the big box was actually a split, with harry potter items on the other half. i bought one item, a four-piece metal pin set. there was two sets available, i chose the one which includes charlie brown. the other did not, and i am a big believer in how there was more to the comic strip than just snoopy. i might pick up a few more items from this display but i prefer to pace myself, starting off with one is a good idea. i had the can of hamm's with the evening meal. then i went to the liquor store and got a can of bent brewstillery, so there still are four beers waiting. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when 'monte' the robot was destroyed by kripke's robot. it was followed by the one where the friends do karaoke after bernadette announces she's having a baby. 

song announcement, the current

 when i was driving home after work in the evening i heard a song announcement from 89.3, the current. i  knew it was 'tide is high' when the deejay said it was the paragons song that later became a big hit for blondie. except i kept wondering if i had missed it, when it was mentioned as i was just getting started. but near the end of my commute i said, 'there it is!' and i liked hearing it. although of course i am more familiar with blondie's version, like most people. i recall finding the courage to introduce myself to someone after hearing it, not wanting to end up hating the song. also notable after work was adding another meetup event to my list, although it was 'one for one'. i chose a brewery event with closer proximity and dropped my rsvp from another one. i saw mention of a bowling event in a group that i haven't joined yet and asked to be added to the group. this will likely also be 'one for one'. this would be in terms of the number of groups i am in, as there is one group i am ready to drop due to the lack of available events. at work, the check shop doorbell rang early in the day. it was the branch manager, asking how i enter the building. i said i use a keycard, or badge. i guess that security wants to change it to key access. when also considering the couriers who pick up the mail tubs at the end of the day, it is likely a better idea to wait on any changes until i am moved to a downtown office. another check file wasn't ready to print by the end of the day. i had to respond to the email which had the checks 'to be overnighted' to let them know. during my walks i found 10 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard said 'we're not living together' about dr. stephanie. it was followed by the one where sheldon had a valentines day edition of 'fun with flags'. while leonard and penny tried to act young by throwing confetti. 

light rain, postcard sent

 in the morning i decided to send a postcard to my dad about recent travels. it was a card from new ulm, and i spoke of going there for oktoberfest. then i spoke of going to see art museums in rochester and winona over the weekend. while at the post office i picked up a sheet of hank aaron stamps. and i noticed that light rain had started on my way back to work. this rain continued throughout most of the workday. both of the big supply orders arrived, first was the check stock, not long after getting back from the post office. just before midday, the envelopes arrived. i wasn't thrilled about these being delivered when it was raining, wondering if i could refuse the envelopes and ask it be moved back a day when there was no rain in the forecast. but the doorbell to the check shop rang, it was the branch manager, and the UPS delivery man brought the envelope boxes in. one of many times when both big orders arrived on the same day. looks like the two files now handled by poland employees are caught up, as there was five check files for one and two for the other. the overnight volume stayed low, just five checks to be overnighted. voting wasn't too big of a deal, much like in previous years i did the 'what's on my ballot' search online. there was three 'yes or no' votes to do, one was statewide and the other two were just local. i drove to the precinct and made it with just under an hour before the polls closed. and it didn't take long to finish the process once i arrived. i was watching the election returns on tv for much of the night. after a while i did switch channels to see what the other three had. this was shortly after there was a brief interruption for 'the coach's show' with the gopher football coach. it lasted about a minute. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon decided to tag along on dates between leonard and dr. stephanie. it was followed by the one where sheldon's mee-maw visits and she doesn't like amy. 

copy paper, half-box

 the supply orders for the month are starting to trickle in. the two air cans, and the box of copy paper, arrived around midday. i picked them up from the branch. except the copy paper was in a half-box, five reams. i didn't know they made them that small. this should last for a little while, hard to say how long. the number of overnights were kind of low, just under twenty. and there were two check files that did not arrive, actually one was awaiting approval at the end of the day. it meant the ones requested to be overnighted did not go out same-day. it was beyond my control, all i could do was respond to the email about the overnight list and say i could print once approved. the boss said we could work from home on election day, to allow us to vote. of course, the work from home doesn't apply to me, but i vote after work so i still have it covered. due to the morning rain, and being tired after work, i did not do a walk but i hope to be back at it real soon. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we meet dr. stephanie, and howard got the mars rover stuck. it was followed by the one where sheldon was mean to everyone when ill, then went on an apology tour. but it is also one where we see stuart left out again, finding out he wasn't invited on the party bus to las vegas by accident. 

coffee, and bagels

besides returning the rental car in the morning, i had just one thing on the docket for the day. it was getting to the haunted basement to help out with 'strike', or 'tear down', at the end of this season's run. small production this year, not many actors needed, still wanted to be a part of it. when i arrived i recognized this building, or complex that is. this 'haunted house' had been in the former General Mills complex before. i parked near the magazine cover of the governor on a fishing outing from 1973. found out it was in the micro-brewery on the other end of the complex. i was the first one at this place, explaining why i went downstairs and no one answered the doorbell. then a few minutes later, two others arrived, and we got started. midway through my time there, coffee and bagels arrived. eventually i decided to take a break and have some of these items. with the work i did, the first thing was taking down curtains, and then it was breaking down boxes. i am thankful i got a look at what it looked like in both rooms before we got started. one man walked through it, documenting with a video camera. after the boxes were done it was washing fake blood off of the walls. i spent four hours there and felt good about my contribution to the project. besides the food and drink, i was given a button for helping out. later on, after having some frozen pizza heated up in the oven at home, i went to perform at an open-mic. it was delayed until the football game ended, packers lost to the lions. i was given a raffle ticket when i ordered my beer. i did not only bank stories, but also mention of the volunteer work i had done earlier in the day, as well as annoying things i see on facebook. after performing i went to the hy-vee in eagan, picking up three items. i had meant to get some pumpkin pie ice cream two days earlier, still wanted some. also picked up a bag of ore-ida fries, and a little bottle of egg nog. first of the season i've had on the nog, but i have seen it in the dairy aisle for weeks. i guess it is no longer just for the christmas season anymore. when i got home i did the dishes. during my walks i found 77 cents. there was music playing when i was at the haunted house. notables were 'monster mash', and 'don't fear the reaper'. 

rochester art center

 this was a 'road trip day'. i visited two museums outside of the metro area, first one was the rochester art center. it was inside their civic center building. i had been there before to see the blue man group, but that was over a decade ago. first time at this museum. i wanted to see a limited-run exhibit of celebrity photos that will be closing in a month. naturally i mostly recognized the ones of actors, such as steve martin. his photo was part of the article i found online about the exhibit. others included james earl jones, barbra streisand, and jane fonda. when i first arrived in town i stopped at a caribou coffee. the pumpkin spice coffee arrived right away but the lemon loaf was delayed. after the art museum i had lunch at the taco bell just north of downtown. then it was on to the next museum on my list, the marine art museum in winona, about 50 miles away. i already knew the famous painting, 'washington crossing the delaware', has been gone for more than two years, it was on loan by the then-owner and was sold. it looks like many of the paintings on display were on loan. there were some by ed moran, who did a series of paintings on american history, on loan from the naval academy museum. one of them was about explorer hernando desoto, except one of two captions said his name was 'ferdinand', odd how nobody had caught that one. obviously, one is not correct. there were some ceramic artworks, including of mermaids. the painting i liked most was 'stolen moment', showing a woman with a cap on and her eyes closed. i bought three greeting cards with art on them in rochester, and three postcards in winona. i stayed at the winona museum until just minutes before closing time. then i started my drive home. when i made a stop, it was at a holiday gas station in inver grove heights, for a quick dinner, some chicken sticks. i had been driving for two hours by then so it was time for a break. shortly after i got home i went to get groceries at aldi, then i started watching a football game on NBC. the iowa hawkeyes were home, against wisconsin. it was just before halftime, iowa was up 14-3. the hawkeyes went on to win, 42-10. during my walks i found 3 dollars 74 cents. i was in the car a lot for the day and it meant having the radio on. notable songs i had heard were 'when smokey sings' by abc, and 'nasty' by janet jackson. 

cheeseball discount

 i was getting groceries at the hy-vee in eagan and decided to get some of the discounted halloween candy. this also included cheeseballs. when i was at self-checkout it rang up with a high price, that an attendant changed for me. i got some reese's peanut butter, as well as hershey kisses, the latter having a harry potter theme. haven't read any of the books or seen any of the movies but don't feel like that is a requirement for buying the candy. i bought two pieces of reese's peanut butter during my weekly walgreen visit a day earlier, and a good chance that is it with what i buy for this 'candy holiday'. at work i placed the monthly supply order, first time having to order copy paper as most of my colleagues left the building in july. i discovered stairs that led down one floor, because that door was open. there was a water fountain and a janitor closet beyonf that door as well, and the stairs also lead to the roof. a senior leader's phone said there was fifty-one missed calls. during my walks i found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon went to texas with leonard to meet george at his tire shop. it was followed by the one where howard went as sheldon for halloween, while sheldon and amy responded by dressing up as howard and bernadette. 

beer can translation

 i drank the can of lift bridge with the evening meal, deciding to finish the one labeled 'oktoberfest' before the month was out. i wanted to know what it said on the can so i went to google translate. not the first time i have been to that site. 'prost' is cheers, 'bier' is beer in german. but the bottom of the can had even more. it said 'erhohen sie den moment mit das perfekten paarung'. it means 'elevate the moment with the perfect pairing'. which fits well with what a beer can do. later on i went to the liquor store and got a pryes, so there still are four beers waiting. at work the notable thing was more checks to be pulled out of the oshkosh file and sent directly to the payee. there was four. at first i only saw three, and two were lumped together as they were going to the same place. and it meant i used just one of the two overnight labels given to me as there was one emailed for each of the four checks. when i said there was no check for the fourth form, going to seattle, when i hit 'reply to all' i was told the other would be ordered the next day. then it was said that the check needed to go out same-day, like the others. so a 'special edition' check file was done near the end of the day, it was for one check, and for jsut over $2 million. but i don't bat an eye anymore about printing and sending a check for that amount, i do this all the time. later on i went on a walk and found 37 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was about penny signing autographs and leonard was the 'change daddy'. and meanwhile, sheldon and amy have a dinner party but it slips that it was a practice round and it upset stuart. this is one time where i could relate to stuart, sadly. where he speaks of being left out and forgotten by people he considers to be friends.