sweet rolls and eggs

 there were three stops i made at retailers for the day. the final one was at target, since some stores had already closed for the day by then. i wanted bread with the Christmas dinner, previously i was fine with English muffins. i knew that target has those king's Hawaiian rolls, and i found a dozen there. i also bought some hard-boiled eggs, a two-pack. then when i got home i watched the rest of 'it's a wonderful life' on NBC. i liked the line said when George met his guardian angel- 'go haunt someone else'. once that program was done i went to the Christmas eve service at a nearby church. i still like the feel of melted candle wax on my fingers, since we use candles for singing 'silent night'. not much of a crowd there, including the choir it was about forty. i got the day started earlier than typical, wanting to make another visit to Fridley in hopes of getting those special Charlie Brown and snoopy donuts. an employee said, 'we don't have them' even though the video board said, 'we have them' and i said this when i let the Krispy Kreme donut people know on their Facebook posting about those donuts. who knows if it will lead to anything, but i did say it was false advertising. i also said i likely wasn't going there again anytime soon when gas stations and grocery stores also sell donuts, and those other stores are way closer for me. this time i left without buying anything and still needed breakfast so i went to the nearby McDonald's. i like their egg McMuffin sandwich with hash browns. then i drove over to the park and ride and got on the light rail to work. i got some coffee from caribou in the morning. at work i liked getting caught up on running checks through the machine. i had more than four thousand left over and those were done first. no surprise how it was a low volume day after that. there was a late file for the Oshkosh team that got approved, i had enough time to print it and get it in the UPS box. i was told they had figured out the issues with the repeated check numbers. it was nice hearing some Christmas music while waiting for the light rail in the evening, it was 'Rudolph' played by bells. before going out to target i was trying to find something to watch when 'yule log' was on instead of 'big bang theory' reruns. on the 'movies!' channel i found 'Susannah of the Mounties' with Shirley Temple, but i didn't watch much of it, eventually finding the news on another channel. 

krispy kreme visit

 in the evening i went to the Krispy Kreme donut shop in Fridley, the only one in the state according to their website. i had hoped to get the Charlie Brown and snoopy donuts that were part of a Facebook ad, seen over the weekend, but it was not to be. i said i needed to have something, considering the driving distance there. i got a pink donut with sprinkles, as it reminded me of 'the Simpsons', as well as a strawberry chiller. sounds like the donuts i wanted had sold out by the afternoon so my game plan is to try early in the day, but the promotion will be done soon. at work i sent another check to a different floor late in the day, it was for the manager that likes to do karaoke. when i wasn't sure who would be in the office on Christmas eve, i figured i needed to get it moved same-day. i got the first thing that was close to the 'crisis before the holiday' that I've joked about before. it was a dude from southern California, according to the business line based in Kansas City, who wanted his check. i had it because it was returned, i said get me an address that UPS will deliver to. first one was Beverly Hills, second was west Hollywood, hard to ignore this demographic of the recipient. we rarely get returned UPS checks. i saw that it was in the box fairly early to increase the odds that it would be picked up same-day. the Oshkosh file finally was approved; three days' worth of checks went out in one day. i noticed some checks had repeated check numbers, so i added a note saying so to the envelope. 

venchi candies

 i went to perform in the evening and as usual the show runner brought candies. one of them was by Venchi, not familiar with that one. i had a piece that said it was tiramisu, it tasted fine. this was up front where i was offered one. i also had some on a counter in the back, including Reese's peanut butter, which i am much more familiar with. i did stories about my day off, the bank, the Wendy's meal, the organist, and the 'star trek' show. there is still not a lot of performers at this 'variety mic' and not sure why. i just want stage time so it's not too big of a deal to me. actually, i was double-booked for events this evening, as i went to a meetup event first. no food truck so it was a good thing i had some pizza from a speedway gas station before i made it there. then i got a sandwich from a holiday gas station after it, on the way to performing. this event was at a micro-brewery that is in the lineup fairly often. i did chat with a few people, only one i knew from previous events. it was the dude that once lived in Austin. at work, the tax specialist kept asking about Canadian checks and then sent an email where my boss was copied. i found out it was two checks that printed on my day off, so vacation replacement was copied by me. i usually have to say 'it was my day off' to someone, just a question of who and for what for. sounds like those were sent regular mail to the recipients instead of going courier pick-up to the tax specialist. the boss said do not re-print them for this reason. 

star trek show, mounds theater

 in the afternoon i went to see the 'star trek'- inspired show in St. Paul at the Mounds theater. it was called 'it's an honorable life' as it was largely inspired by the movie 'it's a wonderful life'. i think i knew one of the cast members in it, but not that well. i definitely knew one of the patrons, that i saw at intermission when i went to get some popcorn. i had seen how the retired postal worker pressed 'interested' on this show on Facebook and i liked the premise. this show also referenced two classic animated specials- 'Charlie Brown Christmas' and 'the grinch'. it was likely making fun of both, but i didn't mind that much. i am aware of the old saying how 'imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. i haven't seen 'star trek' much but i feel like that not much was lost on me because of this. although i have said that i don't get every joke on 'big bang theory' because of it. one weapon used in this play reminded me of a 'big bang' episode where penny kicks a nerd in the groin. i knew full well that i wasn't going to confuse this show with something at, say, the Guthrie, Ordway, or Orpheum. it still could have been more professional though. it started more than ten minutes late, for one thing. all lines were subtitled, not just the Klingon but also the English. this is where i knew that sometimes the actors got their lines wrong. despite this, it was still better than some shows i had seen this year. i like intelligent humor and there was plenty of it. i didn't do much after getting home from the show. i watched some pro football, steelers-lions was on. steelers won a close one, plenty of points scored in the fourth quarter. i tuned in to the Rob Reiner documentary in prime time on CBS. it was a reminder of some of the Reiner-directed movies i had seen- 'stand by me', 'princess bride', 'harry met sally', and 'few good men'. also liked seeing clips from his role on 'all in the family'. 

christmas music at northrop

 the main thing on the docket for the day was a program at the university of Minnesota, inside Northrop auditorium. it was Christmas music, some of it classical and some of it modern. i was familiar with some of it but not all. two selections were from the Charlie Brown Christmas special, another was from the movie 'home alone'. audience members were invited onto the stage during the final number, and i went up there as i am a performer and think of it as valuable stage time. most of the music was on an organ, but the organist did have some guest musicians. sometimes there was a drummer, and there was also a singer for a boys' choir. the program last for a little over an hour, i would have preferred the organist stick to the music. there was a lot of talking between numbers and the dude was trying too hard to be funny. there were some chores and errand running that i got done before i got on to the light rail over to the university. there was a stop at the post office, two orders picked up. and i went to cub foods to pick up dinners for Christmas. i would have done it the night before, but it was cold and decided that one visit to a grocery store last night was enough. and i got a sandwich at Jersey Mike's for lunch. after the event, i had the evening meal and went to Aldi for groceries. there was a pro football game on, bears-packers from Chicago. i was stunned that the bears found a way to win in overtime, after trailing by ten points just before the two-minute warning. 

paying for overnights

 and yet another weird question from instant messaging at work. this one was about who pays for the fees to overnight checks. i said it likely went back to the cost center for the department i am in since i am the one that creates the labels. this is from a business line where i am emailed a list of checks to overnight each day, and about a year ago the business line was offshored to Poland. a toner cartridge arrived, but it was laser jet and i am unable to use it for check printing. i see an 800 number on the box and will call when i have the time to do so. the backlog on the Fargo checks went down, aided by fewer ones being printed for the day. i sent out four regular mail tubs and there is under four thousand remaining. there was an email that said 'respond with a one' sent by the bank, so i did. later on, i saw how it was sent to my phone as well, as a text message. something about the emergency response team and updating my personal information when needed. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for my weekly grocery order. i found two Charlie Brown items in the candy section, one was little candy canes, and the other was suckers. i also found a 'Christmas Vacation' themed candy bar in the same section. i am a big believer in 'get while the getting is good' as who knows what will remain if i wait a week as it would be after Christmas by then. i watched 'Boston Blue' when i got back and said, 'what are you doing?' when a young cop tried to take matters into his own hands, wanting revenge for who had killed his dad. 

postage on checks

 sometimes i get weird instant messages at work. case in point. i got one where i was asked about the postage on a check file from Jacksonville. i said i don't know what cost center it goes to but i do send them out and one of our 'anchor' mailrooms actually applies the postage. at first i said 'talk to my boss about it' as it sounded like it was above my pay grade. the dude seemed to be satisfied with i answers i had given and spoke of contacting accounting about the ones i was unable to answer. there was another food event sponsored by the building manager, in the afternoon. it was the annual holiday party, first one i had attended since my job was moved downtown. i spent something like ten minutes just waiting in line to get in, and i didn't stay for long after that. long enough to get food and drink and then it was back to work as i had too much to do. i got a wrap sandwich and a small pulled pork sandwich and a cupcake. the boss was in the shop for the first half of the day and said there was an appointment upon leaving. about thirty minutes later, there was a visitor that was inspecting the HVAC equipment. this visitor didn't stay long, about fifteen minutes. i sent out four regular mail tubs, but the backlog didn't go down that much. it is still at over seven thousand. i had a can of voodoo ranger with the evening meal and got a can of plank road icehouse at the nearby liquor store, so there still are four beers waiting. 

hot cocoa bar

 i was careful about what days off to take for this month, not wanting to be off on days when i had already signed up for events sponsored by the building manager. one of them was the 'hot cocoa bar', which was this afternoon. i liked getting a green mug from this event, even though i already have one with the bank's logo on it that i claimed over a year ago. for now, i guess i can keep the green mug in the shop, as the other mug was sent home well before the move downtown. i got some whipped topping and marshmallows with the cocoa, and there were plenty of other toppings available that seemed more appropriate for ice cream. there was a check copy that vacation replacement wanted scanned, and i sent it in the morning. there was another item on the printer before it, about twenty pages and it was called 'woodland stewardship plan'. not sure how that got printed there. the lady that places supply orders brought in treats, including homemade candy bars. it was a long day in terms of check printing though, as ten thousand checks were printed. less than half of these went out same day as i was getting the 'hot product error' on the Fargo checks. it meant more than eight thousand checks were left over at the end of the day. i will do my best to get the backlog down the next morning. in the evening i was double-booked on events. the first one was a meetup event at a micro-brewery in downtown St. Paul. i was there for about an hour and left when i knew my meter was expiring. then it was on to new hope where the retired postal worker was having a party. it was odd seeing a door dash-delivered Wendy's meal near the front door of the building. i looked at the receipt and the time stamp said it had been there for a full day. i got three pictures while there. one was an oversized Sam Adams Oktoberfest stein; one was the bathroom sign that said 'beware' and the other was the door to the unit saying '1958'. this was the theme for the music being played, either that or of course Christmas music. i did have some food at this potluck- some chili, cookies, crackers, and potato chips. when i was driving home from this event i liked one of the songs i heard on the car radio, it was 'waitress song' by first aid kit. i have the CD it is on but haven't listened to the disc lately. 

usa hockey puck, sticker

 it was a day off for me and i went to Mall of America. first stop was A and W for lunch, then for a scoop of ice cream at Great American Cookies as i wanted some airline miles. after this it was for merchandise. i went to a pop-up store related to the upcoming hockey tournament and bought two items. it was a USA hockey puck, and sticker. the puck says, 'who do you play for?' and there is a really small logo on it saying, 'miracle on ice, lake placid'. i also liked going to a photo booth where the theme was the movie 'inside out 2'. i chose 'anger' for the theme on my photo strip as Lewis Black voices Riley's anger. it wasn't the only place where i got an idea from visiting the mall the previous week. also made it to the shop that is just called 'toys' and bought two Charlie brown items. one was a 'snoopy in space' figurine in a little pouch and the other was some trading cards. the final stop was five below, where i got a snoopy keychain that said, 'feeling free', showing snoopy driving a car. the other was a coloring book; theme was the movie 'inside out 2'. i was pleased to get the coloring book for only a dollar. i made it home in time to watch 'jeopardy'. hard to say if i will be taking another day off this month, will have to ask the team lead what days would still be available as we have to think about coverage on all of our duties. 

back for a day

 returned from a three-day weekend and was back at work for a day. the account closure envelopes box was on my desk when i arrived and i saw an email saying the payroll envelopes were on the way. plenty of checks from the Cincinnati file and i made it to the end of the day with one that had no label. i scanned it and was surprised to see a label right away so it went into the box before i left. i don't want questions about the returned checks piling up so i have been doing as many as i can between days off instead of waiting a week to do them. it is all about finding the time to do so. first is using the letter opener, then attaching the yellow label, then getting them in the correct pile. finally, sending them inter-office if not part of our internal file. I've said it about some other things, how it doesn't take long once one gets started on it. i just don't see it as high priority- the most important thing is getting live checks out. in the evening i went to perform and the fancy comic was on after me, near the end of the night. i did stories about the nametags at meetup, what i saw after a day off, a Trylon movie, seeing the holiday lights, and a sign in the window of a business. 

wicked for good movie

 the weather advisory expired mid-morning, and i was more willing to run my car when it wasn't as cold. it started up just fine. first stop was the gas station, for gas as well as food and drink for me. then it was on to see a movie. at midday i saw 'wicked for good' at the highland park theater in St. Paul. i also got a bag of popcorn and ate about half of it while there. i liked this movie, i found it to be well-written. it helped that there was some social commentary in it, especially from the wizard. i like mention of 'people believe what they want' because i know how true this is. i recall a history instructor saying the 'oz' stories- written by L. Frank Baum- was a satire of 1890s populist politics. for this reason, it fits that the wizard still talks like a politician in this 'new' version. i haven't seen the first one in this 'wicked' movie franchise, but when reading about it I'm not sure if i was missing much. i knew the second would have Dorothy and her pals in it, but the story is told from the point of view of the witches. what got me to see this movie was how it had been promoted a lot. i had bought the cereal, and snack cakes, promoting it. matter of fact, the snack cakes aren't finished just yet. one of the boxes is still unopened. when i got home i watched some pro football. the bears-browns game was on; bears were way ahead by then and went on to win it. i watched some of the second game, packers-broncos, but not a lot. evening game was Vikings-cowboys, but the 'Simpsons' episode was of greater interest to me. it was about marge being a hypocrite with Lisa about womanhood. 

doubled up socks, pants

 good thing i moved up some of my chores and errand running as it was really cold, subzero weather. i went to get groceries at Aldi in the mid-afternoon. i had a ticket for the holiday light display at the Saints baseball stadium and i saw an email in advance saying the venue was still open but there was an option to transfer the ticket to another night. i am not big on re-scheduling things, unless i have no choice such as a rained-out baseball game. i am a big believer in 'putting the odds in my favor' and 'thinking through my strategy and decided it was best to take the bus there instead of driving my car. and the other thing was dressing even warmer, so i doubled up on socks as well as pants. this meant sweatpants were on under my pants. i had it timed well so i wasn't waiting for long for the bus, because i had studied the schedule. no surprise how there wasn't much of a crowd. i did get food and drink while there, first it was apple cider and two holiday cookies. later on, it was hot chocolate and cheese curds. sounded like they were out of corn dogs, but cheese curds worked fine for me. my hands were cold whenever i took off a glove to take a picture, but i knew well enough to take a break when needed. there were multiple trips inside 'Blitzen's lounge' beyond the outfield wall, as well as a bathroom on the first base side. the video board at field level had a simulated fireplace on it. i liked seeing both the Twins, and Saints, mascots. there was a carousel but not one was riding it. i visited Santa, and much like before i said i was thankful for having a good job and my health. i was there for just over an hour, then made it over to union depot to take the bus home. before groceries and the event, i found things to do at home. i got out a 'Simpsons' DVD with Christmas episodes on it and watched two of them. one was the first, where they get the dog, and the other was with Gary Coleman as guest star. i also watched a little of the army-navy football game, the end of it. 

dick van dyke documentary

 it was another day off for me, and i had lunch at the Ikea. i had printed a page from their website, and i saw mention of the 'as-is' section of the store. i got a look at some of the bookcases in that section but didn't buy one just yet. still a question of how i would get them home. but i liked the lunch there, the Swedish meatballs dish. it was my fifth stop of the day. two of them were normal Friday stops. i liked how i got plenty crossed off my list. i wanted a St. Paul winter carnival button, but the customer service counter at cub foods was closed. i went to a nearby credit union and bought the button there. four styles are issued each year, but i make it count and choose the one that i like the most. this year it was of the state capitol. then i went to a Walgreen, got the paper, string cheese, and some juice. then it was to hobby lobby, picked up a poster frame. after that i went for my weekly grocery order at Hy-Vee. i was reminded of why i usually go in the evening as it was midday and there was more of a crowd than what i am used to. it was another small order, just eight items. in many ways it was a good thing that the grocery trip was moved up as it freed up my evening for the Dick Van Dyke documentary on public TV, in honor of his 100th birthday. it does cover the highlights of his career, and it answered some questions that were long-dormant about my schooling. two songs from 'Mary Poppins', a movie dick starred in, we sang in music class. it was 'step in time' as well as 'supercali'. i had seen 'dick van dyke show' reruns on WGN when i was in high school, and i had seen some 'diagnosis murder' episodes as well. no surprise how there was mention of dick's costar from the sitcom, Mary Tyler Moore, getting her own show. left out of this doc was mention of his brother, jerry, also an actor. no mention of an Iowa-filmed movie either, 'cold turkey', where dick played the preacher. i liked seeing interviews with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Jim Carrey as those three performers were influenced by him. 

shoes on subaru bag

 it was back at work for one day, before another day off. i noticed my vacation replacement left something behind. in one corner of the check shop, in the office i use, i saw shoes on top of a Subaru drawstring bag. i sent an instant message mentioning it. i know there was the recent snowstorm so this may have had something to do with it. looks like plenty of the supply orders arrived on my day off. i know the big envelope orders did, as well as the courier envelopes for the tax checks. another order arrived that i brought into the shop with the empty mail tubs, it was the cable or zip ties. it leaves just one box of envelopes to arrive, for a lower-volume business line. i did partake of the goodies i was seeing. there were some cookies in a box left in the breakroom so i had one. when i went to another floor to get some small rolls of tape, i saw some coloring pages for the season near that floor's breakroom. i claimed two of them. the dry erase board next to it spoke of juice in a refrigerator, although it was juice that didn't appeal to me. but the metal pan next to it had some scrambled eggs and bacon, and i heated up some of that. i was wearing my Snoopy Christmas sweater at work as i was planning on attending the holiday show at the Trylon cinema in the evening. i did participate in the sweater contest, it meant going to the front of the theater and the crowd clapped and cheered for their favorite one. a lady with a tree-themed sweater won. i had some popcorn and cider, paid for with quarters, six dollars in all. there were some cartoons before the feature, which was a hallmark movie and the storyline included time travel. there were some classic commercials in between, one of them was for a 900 number. we were given a bingo card and marker and i turned in the marker when i left. i already have another ticket for a movie at this venue, in a little over two weeks from now. 

wicked wort microbrewery

 i did a meetup event in the evening, it was at wicked wort in Robbinsdale, a micro-brewery. it was the second event i had attended since joining this group in the spring. i was pleased that the retired postal worker was there, who arrived after i did. first visit since the state fair. i said to the dude that i see him more often than my real family. this was the sixth time this year, including two movies early in the year at the Trylon cinema. i started my drive to the venue after watching 'jeopardy' as it was a day off for me, and i ate at the nearby McDonald's. i went to the Walgreen after the event and got some Reese's peanut butter and a greeting card. there was a deejay moderating a music-themed bingo game, called 'Singo'. i hadn't heard of such a game before. i would have preferred hearing whole songs though. besides beer i got some popcorn as well. i stayed for about two hours and then i left. there was one man at this event that was trying too hard to be funny, and i wasn't impressed with him at all. case in point, giving fake names on his two nametags. then making jokes about restraining orders. i stayed busy despite it being a day off. i did another annual viewing of a Christmas DVD, it was 'the grinch'. this leaves three Christmas discs to watch, four if you count a 'Simpsons' disc i probably have but haven't viewed in a while. and a simple way to stay occupied is to go to the Mall of America. i had lunch at home, but i still went there to get socks and boxers at American eagle. i had heard there is a 'grinch' meal at McDonald's that includes socks, but it has sold out in some areas. i had some 'gimmick' fast food meals already this year, it is hit or miss. when i did go to McDonald's in the evening, i got a quarter pounder instead of the big mac or chicken nugget 'grinch' meal. i got 'grinch' boxers and shorts at American eagle, then went to get some coffee at caribou. there are multiple locations for caribou at the mall. after this i looked around the mall some more as a 'fact finding mission'. it gave me ideas for stops to make on a day off next week. one of those is a photo booth, plenty of them there. also found a postcard about the Vatican exhibit that begins next month. 

greetings from ireland

 there was another dial-in meeting but i did tune in this time. it was a year-end celebration. it included teams from foreign lands, such as Poland, and Ireland. i had to look up the town name for where the Irish team is based, it is a commuting suburb of Dublin. this was in the morning. late in the day, i saw an instant message about the court file. i had to say that i can only help once the file has been approved to print, and it wasn't on my dashboard. i saw how it finally got approved, but it was after i had sent the regular mail tubs to the mailroom. it will just roll over to the next day, and my vacation replacement will handle it, as i will be having another day off. the first supply order arrived; it was the check stock. this was just after i handed off checks to the tax specialist. i stayed late to see that all of the overnights were caught up. there was more from the Cincinnati file than typical, it was fifteen. i care a lot about getting it done right, so i needed a few minutes to see that i was matching up the check with the correct UPS label. the payee, amount, or both must match, and for some it is harder to tell than others. it looked like i didn't make it in time for when the driver picked up from the box as i know they've been there earlier than posted fairly often lately. 

another check, more pie

 i delivered another check to a higher floor than mine, i sent it to the team lead as i couldn't find the manager. then i noticed the pumpkin pie from late last week was still there so i had another slice. a colleague that places supply orders for me sent an email to a supplier saying this is the purchase order, so the supply order must have finally been approved by a senior leader over the weekend. there was a dial-in staff meeting but i was too busy with my normal duties to tune in. the Fargo check volume was higher than typical for a Monday. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about the bank, a popup store, a lady at Walgreen, and the drag brunch. i also did one about miracle whip, and the show runner seemed to take offense to that one. why, i don't know. i went to the bar area to reflect after my set, as i normally do, and i got sidetracked by two dudes who spoke of college football bowl games. it was about Notre Dame pouting after it wasn't invited to the playoff, then declining a bowl game. i know bowl game history fairly well so i couldn't ignore that one. but after a while, it was too much of a challenge as the conversation moved to things like theft in local stores. it was a thin lineup much like many other recent weeks, and when i went back into the showroom i saw they were doing the closing song so i had missed the rest of the show. 

winter carnival play

 in the afternoon i went to the play at history theater in downtown St. Paul, it was about the St. Paul winter carnival. i didn't enjoy the play that much. it was a hodgepodge of history that didn't work. a big theme was covering how the architect of the highland park water tower also did ice castles at the carnival. i would have liked it more had they chosen just one theme, such as bio about this architect. gnomes gave out historical facts; one actress spoke in Dakota language. the only character i really liked was the louis hill character, son of the railroad baron James j. Hill, but sadly he was portrayed as a villain in this play. i have chosen just one play per season at this venue, but i think it will be a while before i attend one again. i also didn't enjoy the one i saw there in May. i hate wasted time, and money. i haven't been to all that much live theater in recent years, aside from the fringe festival. attending movies is a better game plan, those tend to be cheaper as well. in the morning i did another annual viewing of a Christmas show, it was 'Muppet Christmas Carol'. it was the third of the year, and there are five more on the list. after the play i went to target and picked up a few things. there were some cookies, a Dolly Parton book, captain crunch cereal, egg nog, and cheese. i tried to watch some of the football games as well. the bears-packers game was nearly over by the time i got home, bears lost a close one. also tried to watch the Sunday night game but fell asleep. when i woke up i found out the chiefs lost to the Texans. 

drag brunch, elf theme

 around midday i attended a drag brunch in downtown Minneapolis, theme was the movie 'elf'. it was the third for me this year. i had a seat at the bar and besides having a burger and fries, i had two beers, both Schell's. this was likely why i had to go to the bathroom twice during the show, and i saw performers up close when i did. the main thing taken from the theme was audio clips of the movie. some songs were of the season, some were not. the ending song was Taylor Swift's 'welcome to New York', but it fits because this was the setting for the movie. another notable was Lizzo's 'truth hurts', of course this song goes over well with a Minnesota crowd. a curious one was a Christmas version of 'girls just want to have fun', i hadn't heard that one before. one patron kept wanting to dance with the performers. i said to the lady next to me at the bar that she looks like a handful, the lady made a gesture saying she was crazy. a little later, near the end of the show, the crazy lady made it over by me and slapped me on the back. i said i didn't like that and she left me alone, which is what i wanted. usually, a Saturday morning is more leisurely for me, but i wanted to be on time for the event. there was just one thing to do before i made it over to the venue, it was getting to the post office. no orders to pick up but i did send out two Christmas cards, the first of the season. there wasn't much to do after the event. i got groceries at Aldi, then i got a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. and i did another annual viewing of a Christmas show, it was the 'Rudolph' movie with john goodman and Bob Newhart. 

reject fax, pumpkin pie

 i have to pick up the reject fax from another floor once a week and while there i saw some pumpkin pie on a table, so i got myself a slice of it and ate it while still on that floor. there is another check to deliver to that floor, but it must wait until Monday since that floor is mostly deserted late in the week. this manager said 'boo' when i said i hadn't done karaoke much lately, then i asked for some venue recommendations. in the afternoon i saw an instant message asking me to have a check 'returned to business line' but then i didn't hear which one. eventually i said 'i need to know soon' or otherwise it will go regular mail. i guessed it was a check i don't see too often, going to Cincinnati. i was able to out two and two together once i checked the employee directory and saw where this colleague is based. in the evening i did my weekly grocery order at the Hy-Vee in Eagan. it was another small order, seven items, eight if you count the can of Coors i bought from their liquor store. now there are four beers waiting. i picked up two more holiday cereals, elf on shelf and Rice Krispies. now i have four and this leaves one on my list, captain crunch. when i got home i watched another episode of 'Boston Blue', the spinoff of 'blue bloods'. i do like this show, and i am getting used to the main characters in it. 

photo with the grinch

 i went to the skyway level close to midday and got some popcorn, as i like to do once a month. there were two dudes that wanted to sit with me, i was fine with that. i said i hadn't been to their floor of the building yet. it was the first time i had really chatted with anyone at this popcorn event. then i got a look at the pop-up stores nearby and got a photo with the grinch. it was put in a red and green striped frame. there was some merchandise available as well, but only the photo appealed to me. this serves as a good way of marking the time working for the bank, especially at this location as it has been nearly a year since i moved there. i let vacation replacement know about it, who spoke of the 'grinch' movie with Jim Carrey. i said i did speak of it while there, saying i didn't like how Cindy Lou kept bothering the grinch. i still like the original animated special the most. late in the day there was a check to send to another floor, i got it to the manager that likes karaoke. couldn't find her at the cubicle near the rat statue, so i was a good guesser and tried a conference room. she was doing a dial-in meeting there and said, 'thank you' and then i left. in the evening i bought items at two different vending machines. it was subzero weather in the morning so i left my car at home, and it meant doing a transfer at the airport. while waiting for the bus to get home i went to a machine there and got double salami sticks, by 'trail's best'. this was one of two meat items there and it was the cheaper of the two, it was three dollars. once i got home i eventually went out for a walk and got some chili cheese corn chips from a machine at a laundromat. when i got off the bus in the evening i saw a box at the bus stop, there was TV dinners inside. i claimed two of them as well as two cookies. i heated up one of those dinners for my evening meal. good thing i claimed some when i did as when i went out for the aforementioned walk later on, the box was gone. but being near a bus stop, it can easily get picked up by anyone and go anywhere. there were nine dinners remaining in the box, i would like to think that all of them will be eaten. 

big checks, penny difference

 i overnighted a nine-figure check recently to a district court in California, and the business line said it was too big; the recipient couldn't cash it. i knew i could expect to see the replacement sometime soon. as expected, it meant cutting it in half and sending two checks instead of one. in this case, one check was for a penny more than the other. i pointed out one thing to the business line, when those checks were approved and on the dashboard. we can't have identical check numbers. a third check was created and i knew that one of them had to be set aside and i was told it was fine to put it in the shredder. also notable about the workday was hearing about a check from last week where i sent it regular mail. nothing unusual there, except it was from the Cincinnati file. i sent it that way as i waited a day and got no response when asking for an overnight label. i told them that i can't afford to hold onto checks for long. usually i wait one day and then it goes out. this is what i do for an overnight request, but a PO box is on the check. i ask for a physical address. i was told the recipient hadn't received it yet and even re-sent the original message that proves i had asked for the label. i saw the address on the check, it was headed to Phoenix. but i also noticed the postal abbreviation wasn't for Arizona, but Arkansas. not sure what the postal service does when the zip code doesn't match the postal abbreviation, but i said the odds were higher that it would be 'returned to sender'. i haven't seen it back yet though. 

tech cleaned machine

 first day back at work after the day off, and i had my work cut out for me. i had seen a text from vacation replacement, so i knew to expect a tech to be servicing the envelope stuffing machine. i saw the tech in the lobby when i arrived, and then we got to it on being signed in. this is the Iowa native, and we usually talk some about that. but it was mainly about the work. i said i didn't watch the Hawkeye football game last week as i had to work that day. it didn't take long on the machine; we ran three hundred checks through to test it. i was told it mainly needed a cleaning, and i pointed out some of the things i had been dealing with. my boss was in the shop at times for the day but was disappointed that the tech wasn't there for long. i said i know my boss and knows he likes having answers so i do my best to have them. there were plenty of checks left over from the previous day, but i got them all run through the machine and out the door. there was still a backlog at the end of the day though, more than three thousand from the Fargo file. i did point out one thing to vacation replacement about what was left over from my day off. i said if i don't have an overnight label for one of their checks, i send an email with a check copy to the shared box given on the check. most of the time i really need one as most of the time there is no address given on the check. 

cycling museum

 i had the day off for a dental appointment, and it was in downtown St. Paul. dental office is in the same building that i once worked in. for lunch i went to the skyway grill, and when i got home i was pleased to find out that i was getting airline miles from the visit. i ordered a Reuben sandwich and tater tots. i did look around a little after the appointment, which was in the early afternoon. one thing i found in the skyway was a cycling museum. it said it wasn't open yet, but it would be soon. i saw some bicycles through the glass and got a picture of the sign. i also ended up near the hockey arena, where i saw a mannequin on the roof of a hotel with a hockey jersey on, of course it was a Minnesota Wild jersey. i made it home and then went to print an event ticket at a copy store that i had ordered in the morning. i made it home in time to watch jeopardy, where the final jeopardy clue was the St. Lawrence seaway. i made the time off count, as i got some chores and errand running done in the morning. there was going to the post office and getting a sheet of stamps. when i said president carter it wasn't recognized by the clerk, then i said jimmy carter. i also went to a Walgreen and picked up two items, one of them being a Charlie Brown card with a thanksgiving theme. good time to get it as it is just past that holiday and likely would be taken down soon. 

usual suspects movie

 in the afternoon i went to see the movie 'usual suspects' at the Trylon. upon arrival a sign on the door said, 'do not park on a certain street' and when i asked about that i found out that a snow emergency was declared but it hadn't taken effect just yet. this led to the sign being taken down. thankful that i didn't have to move my car. good cast in this movie, probably hadn't seen Steve Baldwin roles too often before. the story was told in flashback, and it was mainly about the Kevin Spacey character and his interrogation. a few things in it seemed ridiculous, such as a cop wanting to ask a hospital patient some questions who had just woken up and then had to call in a translator. i bought a poster as well, it was of the Hitchcock festival from a year ago, i had seen two movies in that series. now it means getting a frame for it soon.  i had the evening meal at Arby's after the movie and then went to perform. in the morning i got the laundry done. 

sentimental value movie

 saw the Norwegian movie 'sentimental value' in Eagan in the afternoon. not a big deal to get over there during a snowstorm, just leave a little earlier and don't drive like a maniac. i had bought an advance ticket two days prior. a drawing card for me was knowing the professor from 'good will hunting', my favorite movie, would be in it. 'hunting' won two Oscars, i would like to think that 'value' is an Oscar contender as well. it did answer one long-dormant question for me, from a 'facts of life' episode. Tootie does a soliloquy and i had no idea what she meant about debating if she was an actress or a seagull. there was mention of 'the seagull' in this movie, and i found out this was a Chekhov play. i liked how the main character spoke about performing. 'Nowhere to hide, easier to be someone else than it is to be myself'. i can relate to that. i guess i did get one callback to 'hunting' in it as i heard that actor say 'failure' and it reminded me of what my dad once said how 'a person's voice usually doesn't change'. when i got home in the evening i worked some more on the jigsaw puzzle that i started on turkey day and finished it. three days is pretty decent when i was working on it by myself. it took longer than last year's, but it was a larger one even though it was the same number of pieces, five hundred. 

small pizza didn't scan

 in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for my weekly grocery order. i got one item for free, a small pizza, as the barcode didn't scan. i knew this private label pizza is just a dollar, it is why i like getting them. but no complaint about getting it for free. also picked up a can opener. i use it twice a week at work on the tuna can, but lately i had to wash it before each use and it still wasn't cutting that well. there were plenty of hand-held can openers to choose from, i chose the simplest, lightest, and cheapest. i went to Walgreen in the morning for tea and cookies and sent a fed-ex envelope to a nearby box on that walk. i saw how the box said there was an earlier pick-up on the day after turkey day and i didn't want to forget about this outlier. i was getting impatient with the long line on the lower level of the store so i went to the skyway level, no line there. also picked up a 75th anniversary Charlie Brown puzzle book, or 'word seek', it had been advertised on Facebook lately. it was a low volume day on check printing, all of the regular mail checks fit into one tub. there weren't many overnights for UPS either, under twenty. half of them were from the newer Cincinnati file where the labels are created for me. there were two files with some overnights in them, but both were listed as 'awaiting approval' and no one approved them by the end of the day. i even notified them and the evidence is in the shared box. an employee from the home office showed up to pick up a check, in the morning. i wanted to order an event ticket but got a recording that mentioned Labor Day. it was at a university venue. i called their athletic ticket office and got a more recent recording that mentioned being open at venues and this told me they are still on holiday, just try again on Monday. i also checked our team's calendar to get ideas on when to use more vacation days in December. i chose three days when no one was listed as 'off', a big believer in the path of least resistance. vacation replacement also said avoid any days where one colleague in particular is off. i also decided to avoid two days where i had already signed up for food events sponsored by the building manager, on consecutive days in the middle of the month. 

charlie brown space puzzle

 much like on thanksgiving a year ago, i decided to do a Charlie Brown jigsaw puzzle. except i found out this one was larger even though it was also 500 pieces. it is a space theme, bought at five below. in many ways it dovetails well with visiting Dubuque, Iowa, for the exhibit this month. no surprise, i got more done with it once i shut off the TV. i watched the first two games of the day, packers beat the lions and cowboys beat the chiefs. i had two turkey dinners that were heated up in the microwave oven, along with an English muffin and blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. i got a text from Yemen native and sent one to a classmate in Iowa. in the morning i ordered a movie ticket for the weekend. and i watched my DVD copy of 'planes trains and automobiles', my annual viewing of it. figured it was a good way to fill in the time before the first football game started. the Charlie Brown thanksgiving disc also had its annual viewing, the night before. hard to say how long it will take to finish the puzzle, but it has taken shape. 

fiji no-go

 no, not a vacation in Fiji. there was a request to overnight three checks to that island nation and when i tried to create the label i saw how UPS said, 'not available'. i let the business line know. first time i had seen this happen, although i don't see overnight requests for international locations that often. most of the time, it would be going to Canada or Great Britain. i overnighted what i could for that business line, thankful there wasn't much from them, likely aided by being just before the holiday. i did a quick dial-in meeting with the boss in the morning, the kind where i share my screen. i was asked to look up a check, and we found out the amount and payee name did not match. the checks for the tax specialist were picked up later than usual, just before i started running checks in the mid-afternoon. usually, it is picked up before midday. the weather may have had something to do with it. an internal customer from the home office kept asking about a check to be picked up, i said it wasn't approved yet. this was somebody that i had been overnighting checks to recently. there was some mention of it needing to be available soon as well as picking it up the day after the holiday. i said i would be in the office that day. 

horseradish on sushi

 i didn't bring lunch to work for the day as i had signed up for a sushi event that the building manager was having. i don't have sushi that often, this was on the main floor. i made it midway through the one-hour time allotment and was told there was just two options, veggie and crab, so i chose some crab sushi. there was some soy sauce that i used, not a big deal. a packet of horseradish was included as well, and it was potent. the boss was in the check shop for the day and seemed worried about the expected snowstorm for the next day, although it was predicted to be just two inches of snow. i said i can make it to work as long as the light rail is running. there were two emails about this week's holiday, one was from the CEO, and the other was from the senior leader of the group that i am in. i was watching a YouTube video about the Charlie Brown special in the evening after the news was done and it reminded me that it would be a good idea to have bread as part of the thanksgiving dinner. i made it with just a few minutes to spare at the Aldi and picked up some cheese, English muffins, and a quart of egg-nog. did not get nog at Hy-Vee as there were no small bottles in my most recent visit. i can think of the quart as taking care of two weeks' worth. 

do not overnight or shred

 there was an unusual request from the Cincinnati file at work. there was one check where i asked not to overnight it or to shred it. this check was picked up, and after trading instant messages about it i was told it was by the same lady who had sent me federal express envelopes. this was after i had asked if she knew how to get to the check shop. in the evening i went to perform. there were stories about lady gaga songs, the bank, more about the science teacher, and seeing two movies. i arrived after the show began, as i laid down after work and fell asleep. when we got to the end we sang as usual, but some wanted to sing more than just the first verse. there still isn't that many performers in the lineup at this open mic. what was notable was seeing the wild guitar player for the first time in a while, who likely was in town to see family for the holiday. i was listening to the stories he was telling, some were about a fellow performer. 

three on a match movie

 in the early afternoon i went to see a movie at the Trylon in south Minneapolis, which shows classics. it was 'three on a match', from 1932. there was a lady from an organization called 'cult film collective' if i am not mistaken who did an intro and spoke of this film being the first appearance of Humphrey Bogart as a gangster. i had to look up one thing when i got home, as some scenes were going through newspaper headlines from the 1920s. there was a headline about 'the Shenandoah' from 1925, found out this was an airship, and it exploded that year. this means the Americans had airships, and this was something not in the history books that i read. i was mainly familiar with the German airship the Hindenburg, which exploded more than a decade later. there were some twists in the storyline, and a kidnapping was a part of the story. I got a look at my tickets and i knew i liked visiting this non-profit cinema but still amazed as to how often. this was my 14th visit this year. this movie was kind of short, running time was just over an hour, but i didn't mind. it meant i had enough time to drive home and see the ending of a pro football game, bears at home against the steelers. the bears won a close game. then there was some bonus coverage, chiefs beat the colts in overtime. i watched some of the next game, eagles at cowboys, but eventually i decided to lay down as i was tired and fell asleep for over an hour. before leaving for the movie i watched a DVD, an order that i had just picked up this weekend, 'elf'. i likely hadn't seen it since i saw it at the theater, but i still liked it. what helps was having Bob Newhart in it. 'The Simpsons' was about Bart scalping tickets. i called my dad as i figured it was a good idea to connect since it was just days before thanksgiving. dad spoke of wanting to go to the casino in Osceola, Iowa. 

jay kelly movie

 in the afternoon i went to see a movie, it was 'Jay Kelly', at St. Anthony main in Minneapolis. this was George Clooney kind of playing himself, an actor. i liked the Adam Sandler character the most, playing his manager. it was nice seeing a comedian playing a serious role. the Laura Dern character, the publicist, i didn't like, as she called her client 'an infant'. there was a scene showing clips from Clooney movies, i liked how two of them were from 'up in the air', one of my favorite movies. Stacy Keach played his dad, although i recall how his real-life dad, nick, was in 'monuments men'. much of the storyline takes place in Italy, including the scene with the movie clips where his character is being honored. it was time to have the evening meal when the movie was done, and i stopped at Bobby and Steve's and picked up a little Godfather's pizza. i ate half of it in my car and the other half was taken home and will be eaten the next day. when i got home i went to Aldi to get groceries. i usually go a little earlier in the day, i made it there during the final hour that they were open for the day. i did plenty before the movie. around midday i made it to the post office, two orders were picked up. then i went to the copy store and printed some event tickets. then it was time for lunch so i went to Jersey Mike's for a sandwich. 

elevator ride to bathroom

 in the morning at work i was going to another floor and saw flowing water in one elevator shaft and said i guess we aren't using that one. this was to go pick up the reject fax and then scan it and forward it by email. then a little later on we saw emails and text messages saying the bathrooms in the building were unavailable, eventually told it was due to a water main break. it meant going to use the bathroom on the main floor and taking the elevator to get there. based on what i saw, this one is normally not used that much. i saw the badge scan by the door and the door was open, telling me this door isn't open usually. i went there three times, it wasn't too big of a deal to me. i got a sandwich and Pringles chips from the convenience store on the main floor for lunch, instead of having a can of soup as it sounded like the water in the breakroom was also turned off. i like washing out the container after having soup. near the end of the day, i had a quick call about the nine-figure check that i overnighted last week. i guess it was too big as the recipient was unable to cash it. this was from a lawsuit, as it went to a district court in California. i gave the names of two managers that may be able to help with the technical aspects of it, one of them was already known by the caller. in the evening i went to cub foods and picked up thanksgiving dinner for next week, actually two dinners and a half-pie, blueberry. i tried going to the copy store to print some event tickets but it was already closed for the night. it means trying again the next morning. then i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for my normal weekly visit. not a lot in this order, just seven items, eight if you count the can of beer that i bought at the adjacent liquor store that Hy-Vee owns, it was an IPA. now there are five beers waiting. 

review template asistance

 there was a dial-in meeting in the morning, the manager that likes to do karaoke was a part of it. this was about reviewing template assistance. i did not speak at all during this meeting, not the first time that this has happened. it left me wondering why i was invited to it, but what i like about dial-ins is that i can still get some of my normal duties done during that time. the issue was tabled as the moderator wasn't familiar enough with everything. from what i understood, it was about our written procedures. time was running out on registering for health insurance benefits, end of the week is the deadline. i took care of it in the morning, didn't take long. basically elected what i have had before- medical, dental and vision, and for just me. then i printed the confirmation as i like having a hard copy as proof of having registered. i drank the bottle of Stella Artois with the evening meal and got a can of Hamm's from the nearby liquor store so i still have four beers waiting. i also got two event tickets ordered for events happening next month. one is a play, and the other is a hockey game. i will get those printed this weekend. 

biblical sense, beyond repentance

 for some reason i had a song stuck in my head at work, i was humming it when lunching and couldn't figure it out for a while. then i realized it was Lady Gaga's 'judas'. and the line was 'in the most biblical sense, i am beyond repentance'. i also liked the line, 'vomits her mind' as i have said that before in a Facebook posting. i said something was a little off in my performing, then i took a walk and decided to vomit my thoughts in the posting. as for the 'beyond repentance' line it sounded familiar, a similar sentiment was found in a smashing pumpkins song, 'bullet with butterfly wings'. 'i still believe that i cannot be saved'. I've noticed how a lot of things for me end up becoming a 'love letter' to performing. as for my work duties, it started off with an instant message from the previous night. it was asking about an overnighted check, sent to Canada. i checked the tracking number and it had already been delivered. there were five check copy requests, i am not used to seeing that many. i did them all at once, let them pile up a little. a newer employee in our department asked me to do an overnight label for the refund checks, as vacation replacement was out of the office. the check backlog fell to just under a thousand by the end of the day. most of the Fargo envelopes were backordered for this month but arrived in the morning. 

join call? too busy

 it was a high-volume day on check printing, and i saw an instant message asking me to join a call, or what i call a 'dial-in meeting'. except i was busy tending to the envelope stuffing machine and didn't see the request in time. it appears to be about more printing of test checks, as that is what i ended up doing. except it was a different business line this time, court orders. as usual, i say i want to be caught up on live check printing before i switch over to a different system or database. i was asked to positive pay the file after i had printed it, normally i don't do that for test checks. when i did i got a pop-up, and i was prevented from doing so. i reported it to the i.t. rep who asked me to print the checks. due to the high volume on the Fargo checks, there was a backlog again, just under two thousand. it was a struggle to do as many as i did as i was getting the 'hot product error' fairly often after a while. i know this doesn't happen in the afternoon, or if i let the checks sit overnight and run them through the next morning. despite this, i still sent out two full regular mail tubs at the end of the day. in the evening, i was riding the light rail home. i saw how transit police were dealing with a rider that apparently was bothering others and hadn't paid his fare. we were delayed a few minutes, but this man saluted a cop that had arrived to escort him off of the train. 

music outside window

 not sure if it was construction workers or window washers, but at lunch i saw some ropes from the window in the breakroom. when i went back to my office on the other side of the floor, in the afternoon i was hearing music near the window. it was pearl jam's 'last kiss'. the backlog was eliminated on the Fargo checks in the morning, aided by a low volume of what had arrived for the day. an i.t. rep asked me to print some more test checks from the account closure file, based in Kansas City. much like before, my boss was copied when i forwarded it. i also saw an instant message about a check i had overnighted to Canada, i had to say it hadn't been picked up yet. it was picked up later in the day, i said usually UPS picks up just once a day and it can be earlier than the given time on the box. in the evening i went to perform, and it was a small lineup. when i arrived it hadn't started yet, and another performer said the show runner was waiting for a fourth performer to arrive, and that was me, i guess. i did stories about graphs, insurance company commercials, mall stores, and more about the bank. 

wine jail?

 in the evening i watched two episodes of 'the Simpsons'. the first was about smithers and marge landing in wine jail, for wine forgery. it wasn't lost on me when someone playing Frank Coppola saying 'i bid nothing' at the auction due to 'the godfather' director running into financial problems. leave it to this show to have a weird storyline like this one. according to what i found on Wikipedia, it actually aired nearly a year ago, but i didn't see it then. the second episode was about Mayor Quimby's son running for office at Bart and Lisa's school. this episode is also known for killing off the church organist. this was a rather leisurely day for me, not much that i had planned at all. there was watching two pro football games, the Bears beat the Vikings on a last-second field goal. i fell asleep near the end of the first half and then found out the score had changed during that time. then the second game i watched was when the broncos beat the chiefs. for some it is hard to believe that the bears now have a better record than the chiefs, since the bears have a new coach and this would suggest a rebuilding season. and of course, the chiefs are the defending champion in their conference. the difference seems to be winning the close games. i also shredded some junk mail, first time in about two months. later in the evening, i did the dishes. 

christy movie

 in the evening i went to see a movie, 'Christy', at Southdale mall in Edina. i ordered an advance ticket as i wanted to use some more value from a gift card from a friend of mine. i enjoyed the movie for a while, when it was about her boxing career. but i guess i was made aware of what i had signed up for in advance, as i saw some mention of an attempted murder of the subject of this biopic. this was depicted near the end of the movie, and it was hard to watch. i said the same about the scenes before it with domestic violence, even those where it was implied and offscreen. Sydney Sweeney, who played Christy, had already defended the movie after it did poorly in its first weekend. this was likely why there was only one screening scheduled for the day at this venue, and this seemed to be largely true at other theaters in the area as well. i have seen many biopics before, and this one i am ambivalent about. i liked it when she tells off her unlikable mom, but in the end i didn't enjoy this story enough. it was the second of two movies i had seen at first-run theaters this week, and both weren't enjoyable enough. this might be why i have been going to the Trylon cinema more often lately, as the classics shown there rarely disappoint me. this wasn't the only event i was booked at for the day. in the afternoon there was a speed dating event at a coffee shop in Minneapolis that i hadn't been inside of before. i showed up a little early and was surprised when i saw a little library that included world book yearbooks to read. i let the event coordinator know there was issues with their app, as it said it was not compatible with my android phone. i was still able to do the event though, but in the survey sent to me after the event i said i hesitate to sign up for another event. when i can't even get on their app i find that hard to ignore. in addition, no one wanted to chat with me after it had ended, so i didn't exchange phone numbers with anyone. before this event, i did plenty of my typical chores and errand running. there was getting to the post office to pick up two orders. then i went to the credit union and made a deposit, followed by a stop at a copy store to print two event tickets. it was midday by then, and i ate at Popeye's chicken. i saw a food truck in a nearby parking lot and went there after having chicken. i ordered a brownie with ice cream, it was one i had seen at St. Paul Saints games but i hadn't ordered from it before. 

long light rail delay

 after work i had a long wait to get home as there were issues with the light rail system. i walked to another stop and passed by a stopped train. and i said it was utter chaos after that. i ended up waiting close to an hour to get home. thankful i had nothing booked for the evening. when i was still at work i sent the review that the boss was asking for, but it was brief. there was a spike in volume on the Fargo check files, and the backlog at the end of the day was over two thousand. in the morning i went through the returned checks, and there was the first appearance of the cleaner during the first hour of the day. sweeping and vacuuming was done, but i said i prefer mopping of the floor to happen only after i had left for the day. there was some mention about having to inquire further about what was to be done. i said i was sidetracked by this visitor when i saw an instant message from the team lead asking me to send the reject fax. i hadn't been to another floor to pick it up just yet. i made it to the Walgreen for my weekly visit after the cleaner had left. i went to get groceries at the Hy-Vee in Eagan in the evening and saw the cashier that knows my name and asks about my weekend plans. i named one thing, which was seeing a movie. i made it home in time to see 'Boston blue', the spinoff of 'blue bloods'. it was the first episode i had seen and it was about a murder related to art heist cold case. 

nine figure check

 i kept saying i had seen it all in my time with the bank, but that is not the case. i saw my first nine figure check to send overnight, through the newer Cincinnati file. it was $164 million. when i saw it i had the business line confirm the amount was correct, as it is by far the largest check i had ever seen. it was one of two checks being sent to a district court. the backlog of checks to run through the machine went down, now just a thousand. in the morning i printed four test checks, after i had most of the live checks printed. it was also after a fire drill on my floor. thankfully we stayed inside, reported to a stairwell. i found another thing left over from my day off. a business line said their overnight envelope did not arrive, but only Monday's checks. vacation replacement said it was likely sent to the wrong office, so i was advised to send re-prints. it meant two days of checks was sent to them, i have done it before. a rare thing, but weird and annoying, happened during the printing of one of the Fargo files. the laptop froze, so i re-booted it. then the printer re-started, after the file spit out an error page and stopped printing, possibly due to the frozen laptop. i stopped it fairly early, only about a hundred checks printed that i already had. about half of the file had printed, and i take notes on the error page as to when and where it stopped in terms of which ones i need to hit re-print on. in the evening i went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery, near the Saints baseball stadium. it was my second time to this venue, even though i go to baseball games close to it all the time. some had already left by then, but i had a beer and a little bucket of cheesy popcorn. also saw a dude from an earlier event, we spoke again about concerts attended. i heard some music from the lower level and checked it out but didn't stay long, basically heard just one song and then i went back to the main floor. 

impatient requestor

 my first day back at work after four days off. no surprise, a few things were left over from being out of the office. vacation replacement at first didn't want to send out what was listed as 'canceled' checks, but i print whatever gets approved. email from the business line wanted them sent out, so i said those two would go out at the end of the day. some mention of what i understood to be the 'hot product' error, but i am not calling a tech for that. i don't get it in the afternoon so i just try to run through as much as i can each day. there was also an impatient requestor. i saw an email early in the day, then about fifteen minutes later there was an instant message as well. it was a garden-variety check copy request. i said i had been in the office for under an hour and would get to it shortly. high volume on the Fargo check files, the volume left at day's end was two thousand. i was behind on work far enough that i decided to have a slice of pizza from a place in the skyway, instead of the can of soup in my lunch bag. i would like to think that things will get better by the end of the week, but hard to predict the volume in a week that has a holiday. the boss was in the shop, and there was a question about what business line that i have a good relationship with. i said i am thankful i don't have to contact business lines much. the boss chose the account closure group, something about test checks. 

die my love movie

i had another day off, this time due to the bank holiday. in the afternoon i went to see a movie, 'die my love', starring Jennifer Lawrence. it was a weird movie to say the least. also, in the cast was Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte. i really liked one scene where she tells a cashier at a gas station to stop talking, because the conversation was going nowhere. i saw it at Southdale mall in Edina. i had lunch there, just before the movie, at the panda express. odd how there was no slip of paper in the fortune cookie, though. i watched 'jeopardy' after getting home, but the final jeopardy category was about ancient books. not too familiar with that subject. already trying to plan out the weekend, as there is another movie that i would like to see. but not sure yet about when and where, and i know sometimes i have to wait until the middle of the week for theaters to release the upcoming showtimes for the weekend. i got some more event tickets ordered. i wanted to be careful with logistics, when i didn't want to have two events booked on the same day if at all possible.  

airport movie

 in the afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from goodwill, 'airport'. i had heard it was filmed at the local airport, MSP. i did notice an early scene does show an SA sign, as in the Super-America convenience store. good cast, good story. i laughed during the scene where a priest slaps a man who is going nuts and saying the plane is going to crash. it is not the first time where i had seen the spoof or parody first, though. i had seen 'airplane', which makes fun of the movies in this franchise, many years ago. this was the last of the three discs i had bought last month that i wanted to see. i did plenty for the day before watching it. there was getting a haircut at great clips, then picking up a few things at a Walgreen where i know the photo guy but didn't get any photos this time. for lunch i went to a taco bell, then printed some event tickets at a nearby copy store. actually, the first thing i had to do, after having breakfast, was return the rental car from over the weekend. i watched 'jeopardy' as well, the final jeopardy clue was about Queensland, a political division of Australia. in the evening i went to perform, and i did do some stories about being out of state, along with vending machines. since it was the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the performers gave us copies of the song about it. and we sang it. 

dubuque star brewery

 i began the day in Dubuque, Iowa, at my hotel, the super 8. as usual, there wasn't much on the docket on the final day in town. i had some continental breakfast, i showered, then it was check out of the hotel and get on the road. i made it back over to the part of town called 'port of Dubuque' to find the 'star brewery building' after breakfast and before checking out. i would have done it the previous day but it was dark after touring the museum and it was raining as well. the building is on the national register of historic places, and two movies were filmed there, 'fist' as well as 'take this job and shove it'. i got a picture of it, and it was one of the postcards i bought at the museum's souvenir shop. on the drive home i made the first stop in Decorah, at the same gas station as the previous day, also for lunch. then i made another one in Rochester, as i was getting tired. i made it home mid-afternoon, and it didn't take long to unpack as usual since i travel light. a gym bag was all i needed. i went to get groceries at Aldi and checked email. didn't check it when i was out of state as i knew email could wait. and as expected, not much was important. in the evening i found three boxes of Charlie Brown Chex cereal at Walmart in Eagan. i have two more days off so i can still get some more things done in terms of chores and errand running. 

maid-rite sandwiches

 i went out of state for the weekend, and for the evening meal i went to a maid-rite diner. when i was growing up in Iowa, i had these loose meat sandwiches every so often, but those are not available in the twin cities. it tasted as good as i remembered them. this location was near the mall in Dubuque, about a mile from my hotel. i noticed how their sign wasn't lit up as it was in the final hour of the day that they would be open. i guess it was a way of trying to discourage people from showing up that late. actually, what i had was a cheese-rite, it was a basket meal, so it included fries. i had a fountain drink as the ice cream machine was already shut down for the night. i made it there shortly after checking into my hotel. then when i was done with the meal i made it over to a high school hockey game a few miles away. the arena was on an island in the Mississippi river. both teams were 'co-op' programs. Dubuque's team had players from four different high schools, and on Sioux City's it was more than that. Dubuque won, 4-1. it was 3-0 at the end of the first, 4-0 at the end of the second. the fourth goal was scored near the end of the period. Sioux City's lone goal was scored during 'garbage time', just over three minutes left, on a power play. a Sioux City player left the game after being down on the ice for a few minutes, and a Dubuque player was hit with a major penalty and game misconduct for 'charging'. i was paying attention to the music being played there, it included not just an Eminem song but also 'the saints are coming'. made sense when Dubuque's team is called 'saints'. i didn't do much after getting back to the hotel, watched some TV including the 'family guy/Simpsons' crossover. and of course, writing about the day while having a beer. i was in town mainly to see a Charlie Brown exhibit at a museum/aquarium near the river. i picked up the rental car in the morning, and after picking up four orders from the post office, i was on the road. i made one stop along the way, in Decorah at a gas station around midday. i made it to the museum with two hours left in the day, enough time to see the exhibit about snoopy becoming a mascot for the space program. the Iowa Hawkeye football game vs. Oregon had just started, i was listening to it on the radio. also saw a display in the museum about smokey bear that included an LP record. 

the clean team

 there was a little convention in the afternoon in the shop. some officials from facilities were there for an overview of the space, and it sounds like we will have a cleaner once a week or every two weeks real soon. i said we don't have that many visitors, so it really isn't that dirty, even after nearly a year. my boss even showed up for it and normally works from home for all of Friday. i moved up my lunch so i could be ready for it. i saw three people i didn't know that well from that group, one of them had a shirt on with the name of the building management company. then a few minutes later, one of them returned with another man i didn't know and i guess that man will be the cleaner. the lady appeared to be his interpreter. in both cases, the meetings didn't last long. i stayed late, as usual, since i wanted to be caught up on the overnights before leaving. also, due to having a day off on Monday. there have been some earlier pick-up times for the overnights, according to selected tracking numbers, this week so i might have missed the only pick-up of the day. there was also another case of the newer Cincinnati business line sending me an overnight label and asking for status, even though the tracking number is on the label. i looked it up and it was delivered already. i took the light rail back to my car after work but didn't go home right away like i normally do. i had a sandwich at jersey mike's and used some points to make it a free sandwich. i still had to pay for the chips and drink and cookie, of course. then i went to the nearby target and got a box of cereal, 'the grinch'. looks like the Christmas-themed cereals are already out and i haven't finished the Halloween cereals just yet. it will likely take me the entire month to do so. 

mail code team

 at work i got an instant message from a lady that is based in suburban st. louis, according to the employee directory. she said she was with the 'mail code team' and asked me to confirm my location. i said i had been in the same place for nearly a year. i recognized the name of her boss, who coordinates the UPS classes. i had to take it as a new hire as i handle plenty of overnights for the bank. another notable thing about the workday was checking the floor for stairwells, as there was mention of a fire drill scheduled for next week where we report to a stairwell instead of going outside. there was two, one of them beeped when opening or closing the door. the other did not. i also checked other doors to see if they would open, and most would not. there was one that did, though. it was vacant, aside from a coat hanger, nine paperclips, and some false ceiling. i claimed the coat hanger and paperclips, as i can find use for those items. i drank the can of miller with the evening meal and got a can of voodoo ranger from the nearby liquor store, so there still are four beers waiting. i also saw an email about an event i enjoy attending every so often, matter of fact already twice this year. another theme of interest to me was presented and i ordered a ticket for a month from now. 

fed-ex envelopes

 in the morning at work, the shipment of copy paper arrived. it was ten boxes, and it means i won't have to go to another floor for that item for a while. it was the first time since moving to this office nearly a year ago when i had to order it. i hadn't been there for long, as it was in the first hour of the day. i was delayed due to a breakdown on the light rail. it meant waiting at one of the stops for the next train. i sent a text to vacation replacement when we had to get out, and then when i was on another train, about ten minutes after that. i don't mind that much if it happens after work, and i am thankful it hasn't happened much yet. it was just the second time in the past year, in the morning anyway. the day was also notable due to the first time sending a check with FedEx. the Cincinnati business line sent me the label, i then said i didn't have any of those kinds of envelopes and didn't know where the closest drop box was. this is due to using only UPS for overnighting checks. mailroom found me an envelope, and then a colleague showed up with five more when i was getting back from the breakroom. i had just heated up my soup in the microwave oven. i dropped it off at a FedEx office a few blocks away near the end of my workday. there was an email in the morning about the likely delays on UPS shipments due to a recent plane crash at their hub in Louisville. another shipment that arrived later in the day was some payroll envelopes, although it wasn't that many. and it took about a week to get a response to my request as i said i was getting low in supply. 

voting precinct vending machines

 it was election day, not much on the ballot but i still went to vote in the evening. i made it during the final hour that the polls were open. i like having the evening meal after getting off work, and watching 'big bang theory' reruns, before i get there, explaining why i make it near the end of the time allotment. the precinct has changed a few times over the years, and now it is in a housing complex. i had been seeing vending machines when i go vote, and this time i brought quarters. after i put my ballot in the machine and got my sticker i bought two items from one of these vending machines. one of them i ate right away, a bag of potato skins. the other was a bag of microwave popcorn. i liked knowing how these items were a dollar cheaper than at work. we got the official notification from a business line in Kansas City how their office just moved, again. i found out a day earlier, when a 'return to business line' check was returned and i decided to go to the employee directory to find out where that contact had moved to. when we need to order their envelopes again, we can have this updated address on them. at one point it was getting crowded in the shop, as not only the boss was there for much of the day. i also saw vacation replacement, and the newest member of the team. those two were going through the returned checks. 

oh nuts, no visitors

 at work, i sent an instant message to the tax specialist just before midday. i said 'oh nuts, it dawned on me that i hadn't seen any visitors yet'. i asked if he still wanted a tax check sent to his home, and eventually i did get a response. then it was picked up by the courier in the afternoon. another thing of note was hearing how four boxes of copy paper that were ordered last week had arrived, on another floor. i said the check shop would need some more, so more was ordered. some online classes are due at the end of the month, i did one of them, i like how they don't take long to do. this is definitely true if passing the pre-test, which is just five minutes, but the standard is missing only one question out of ten. i have one more class to complete. vacation replacement was in the shop and showed me a high school prom picture, it was a big group in this photo. since it is just days after Halloween, there was some candy left in the breakroom. i claimed some of the Reese's peanut butter cups. i will likely need two weeks to finish what was claimed, as i plan on only having one or two pieces per day. 

city slickers movie

 in the morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from goodwill, 'city slickers'. i think an instructor back at college in Iowa City had it in mind when movie cowboys were being discussed, thinking of Jack Palance in this one. the main character, played by Billy Crystal, has two friends. one of them is a pervert, reminds me of Howard from 'big bang theory' for the way he often talked. the main part of the storyline was the three friends leaving behind New York City for two weeks and going on a cattle drive in the American southwest. there are the typical clashes of personality with some of the other attendees of the cattle drive, two of them were ben and jerry ice cream knockoffs. one of them had a cellphone, which wasn't too common when the movie was filmed. there were twists and turns along the way, but it is largely a happy ending. i did a little cleanup as well around the home, a few magnets were tossed in the trash. they just didn't make the cut when i wanted to stress quality. i watched some of the pro football games on TV, the second half of the bears-ravens game. it had a wild ending, but the bears won. then i watched some of the next game as well, chiefs-bills, at home and then at the bar as i went to perform at an open mic. chiefs lost a close one. i told stories about the bank, as well as what i see on the light rail or close to it when i get to my destination. after laying down for a while once i got back from the bar, i did the dishes. 

christmas sweater acquired

 i had nothing of note booked for this weekend, but there were the typical chores and errand running to do. went to the post office, one order picked up. also paid for my box, the six-month fee. it was midday by the time i made it to the burger king in Eagan near a Cub Foods, i had lunch there. i had a whopper junior meal as it is lower calorie but still got a sundae for dessert. the monster version was not available, i said just get me whatever is close enough. i bought a Charlie Brown greeting card at Kohl's, which had a button attached to it. i had hoped to find a Christmas sweater as well, but not many with a Charlie Brown theme there. but i found one at Walmart, and it was cheaper. it has snoopy on his doghouse. now that the sweater is acquired, i have the appropriate outfit for a holiday party that i already have a ticket for. when i got home i laid down for a while, and when i got up i had the evening meal and went to get groceries at Aldi. then it was time for the world series, game seven. the bluejays led for much of it but the dodgers tied it, and it went into extra innings. the dodgers won 5-4 in 11 innings to take the series, 4-3. 

fries from food truck

 i went to a meetup event in the evening, after i had a meal at home. usually, i don't get any food when i go to a micro-brewery, but i saw a food truck outside of it and saw their menu listed fries, among other things. i was inside for over an hour, after getting a beer, and chatted with various people. then i went outside after i had finished my beer and ordered some waffle fries. i also got some bottled water. i liked how the fries were in a round container. i used some of the BBQ sauce but not a lot. i walked over to my car about two blocks away and started eating the fries while in my car, and i was done before i drove all of the way home. when i got inside my home i looked at what was in the bottom of the bag. not just some black napkins, but also a piece of orbit chewing gum, a nice touch. the world series, game six, was on at the venue, but i didn't watch much of it. i saw the score, how the dodgers were leading the bluejays, 3-1. i watched the last few innings at home and this score held up, so there will be a game seven the next day. i was wearing the only Halloween costume that i have ever owned, the slasher from the 'scream' movies, i have had it for decades and i like how it still fits well. i don't wear the mask though, as it is too hard to see when i have it on. at work it was a low volume day for check printing, but there was a mortgage file. thankful it was just thirteen checks, as we know it has been way more than that before. i noticed one thing after i sent all of the envelopes to the UPS drop box. one of the payees was listed twice and i wasn't sure which tracking number was correct. i have seen the system spit out two tracking numbers before, but thankfully not too often. i entered both into the tracking system and as of the next business day, i can let them know which one was picked up as that one will have some activity on it and the other won't. when i discovered this happening before, if able i void the one that i know isn't being used. there was a dial-in meeting, it was a town hall and one of the speakers was the CEO. no surprise how one of the questions was about possible layoffs, i have seen this happen before. 

iowa cubs batboy

 i made it home earlier than typical and when i turned on the TV it was still on CBS from trying to watch the late local news from the night before. it meant seeing the start of the national news and there were previews for the segments to be covered. this included one about the batboy for the Iowa Cubs, a minor league baseball team that i grew up watching. since it was an off day in the world series, this served as the baseball news of the day. u guess his jersey will be on display at the hall of fame soon. in the evening i went to Eagan and made a second visit to hobby lobby, then went for groceries at the nearby Hy-Vee. i bought three Charlie Brown items at the former, making it there in the final hour of the night. this was some coasters, air fresheners, and a Christmas block. i bought ten items when i was at the grocery store, this week's visit was moved up one day as i am already booked on Halloween. at work there was a team huddle, i joined it remotely even though the boss was in the office next to me. many others were working from home. i let vacation replacement know about an oddity from this newer 'Cincinnati check file'. i said i largely like it, where i don't have to create any overnight labels, just print them as the business line creates them for me. except one lady was asking when the funds would be debited, which prompted me to check the tracking number. i found out it is still in transit; there was a flight delay and now it is due to be delivered a day late. this same lady sent me the overnight label and could have checked the tracking number herself. i also had to say that i just overnight it and it is up to the recipient as to what is done with it once delivered. one thing i didn't say, but I've seen it happen before, is that the package is refused by the recipient. not sure why when this happens, do they know that a check is inside? 

pumpkins at skyway level

just after midday at work i went to see the pumpkins that were decorated for the season on the skyway level. there were thirteen of them, and two of them stood out to me. one looked like the plant from 'little shop of horrors' and the other was snoopy on his doghouse. i had just visited another floor to get a small bag of treats for the season. while looking at the pumpkins i also picked up a cookie. i also picked up some copy paper when on that floor. there was a check copy request that i was unable to find, this is rare. i said there was nothing found under that check number or payee name. i said i don't have access to checks printed by a branch. in the evening i watched game five of the world series, the blue jays beat the dodgers to go ahead 3-2. actually, i was listening to it on the radio when it began as i was on my way to the French alliance. the blue jays hit back-to-back solo home runs to start the game. i was under the impression that there would be a party on the 50th anniversary of the organization's incorporation as a nonprofit. there was some mention of it on the website, and it said 'more information coming soon' but it didn't give a start time and there were no details later on despite it saying there would be. i parked and tried both doors, both were locked, so i left. i picked up a 50th anniversary shirt on a visit there this summer to the art gallery as i had attended enough events there over the years that it meant enough to me. good thing i decided to 'get while the getting is good' as i still saw some there over the weekend but not that many. on the way home i stopped at a holiday gas station and got some string cheese, hash browns, and hard-boiled eggs. i wanted to use up some of the salt and pepper packets i had saved from plastic spoons. now i am noticing these eggs do have some salt and pepper included, i know this was not always the case. i was pleased that there were some hash browns at that time of day when i am used to seeing them mostly for the breakfast part of the day. i listened to the first three innings on the radio and then saw the rest of the game on TV at home. i don't mind listening to a game on the radio as i feel the announcers usually describe the action well enough that i still know what is happening. 

brothers deli

 we had a birthday luncheon at work. it was at Brothers Deli, and we walked over there in the skyway system. it was my first time eating there. had a California Reuben sandwich as i know what i am getting with a Reuben. notable while there was seeing an autographed photo on the wall of actor Walter Matthau. this was when i was waiting for my sandwich after ordering it. i said it was one of my dad's favorite actors. the boss spent part of the day in the check shop and showed me an email about following up with a building manager about getting janitorial staff in there to do cleaning. in the evening i watched game four of the world series. the blue jays won to even the series. local boy Louie Varland was pitching for the blue jays near the end of the game. it is a reminder of how i once was attending high school football games in North St. Paul. 

coat on statue

 i got a picture of the Humphrey statue outside of the government center in downtown Minneapolis as i noticed that someone decided to put a coat on it. i have seen things added to statues before. at work i sent three mail tubs to the mailroom at the end of the day. usually, the volume is not that high for a Monday but i know it is all dependent on what we get from the two Fargo files. i had a craving for popcorn at work and got some cheesy popcorn out of the vending machine. in the evening i went to perform at an open mic. i was on near the end of the night as i fell asleep after work, while watching the world series. a piano player was on after me. i did stories about the Czech dinner, a klondike bar, a museum visit, and a bank story about a fall-themed event. i watched some of the world series at the bar, it was game three. it was the only thing on after the Monday night football game had ended, chiefs beat the commanders. i watched some more of the world series after getting home from the bar but decided to retire for the night when it was still tied at the end of the 13th inning. i figured i could find out in the morning as to who won. it was just as well as the game lasted five more innings, and the dodgers won it with a home run. 

lauer flats

 i went to a dinner at the Czech and Slovak building in St. Paul for lunchtime. i bought the ticket a month earlier at their festival. when i was going back to my car after it was done i noticed a building that had a national register of historic places plate on it. this was the Lauer flats, some residential townhouses that was listed on the national register in the 1970s. i found the Wikipedia article about the building and it said the Lauer brothers also did some work on the state capitol, as well as some churches in the area, and the former Schmidt brewery complex. i had attended this dinner before, it was a celebration of a Czech national holiday. i was at a table where all of the other attendees appeared to be related. a young lady there went up front to sing the American, as well as the Czech, national anthems as she has been an ambassador for the organization. a man seated next to me was trying too hard to be funny and said the door prize in the drawing was for a month-long trip to the Czech Republic. i even called his bluff and said that vacations are usually not that long. the door prize was for a glass pumpkin. i was given a shout-out by one of the speakers as i was one of seven who paid for the event at the festival. it was the only event that i had booked for the day, which is typical for a Sunday. before i went to the event i watched a DVD, it was one of three i had recently bought from a goodwill store. this was '42nd street', from the 1930s, ginger rogers was one of the actors in it. after getting home from the event i watched another DVD, called 'rockabilly legends'. it was inside a book i had bought at a silent auction many years ago. i finally got the disc into its own case after watching it. i had seen it once before, not long after acquiring it. i also bought some Halloween-themed cookies at target as well as a six-pack of klondike bars as i had a craving for ice cream. 

cedar riverside documentary

 i stayed active as usual even though it is the weekend. first order of business was the post office; one order was picked up. then it was on to drop off recycle near the capitol. there road was blocked off due to construction and this meant parking one block over and walking the rest of the way. not a big deal to me as i have done it before. then i made a stop at the French alliance to see a display in the art gallery. it was a retrospective of the past fifty years since the organization was officially registered as a non-profit. when i was done it was midday by then so i went to have a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. i wasn't home for long after lunch as i wanted to get to a lecture at the Minnesota history center about the cedar-riverside area of Minneapolis. it was a free event that included a screening of a short documentary. i had been to that part of town many times before as this is the general area for many of the venues for the fringe festival. and i have performed at a venue that was profiled in the documentary, riverside cafe, now known as Acadia. notable was how it included a clip from the TV show 'Mary Tyler Moore' as it was about the construction of the high-rise housing complex and the clip was from that time period. when i got home i watched a college football game, Iowa was playing Minnesota in Iowa City. it was halftime when i turned on the TV and Iowa was up 31-0 and went on to win it, 41-3. after having the evening meal i went to get groceries at the Aldi, then watched game two of the world series. the dodgers won to even the series. first two games were in Toronto and the next three will be in Los Angeles. 

lanyard at hobby lobby

 i was looking online for what stores sold poster frames and one of those was hobby lobby. i found the size i was looking for and bought two Charlie Brown items as well. one of them was a lanyard with a sticker attached and the other was a metal container that held hot chocolate mix. i knew i had to get started kind of early due to their listed closing time, so after watching 'big bang theory' reruns i was on my way. it included the final episode, part two. then i went to groceries at Hy-Vee in Eagan as it is in the same complex. i also figured that the earlier i got started, the earlier i would be home again, thinking of how the world series was starting. i was unable to find it on my car radio, but on my way home i heard what possibly was a song i hadn't heard in a while, 'informer' by snow. at least that was my best guess. once the song was done i knew it was a Spanish language radio station once i heard the deejay speaking. when i found the song on YouTube i also found the 'Jim Carrey version', due to the comments on the song. this was a parody on the show 'in living color'. the blue jays beat the dodgers in the opener of the world series by a wide margin. at work it was a low volume day for check printing, i was able to fit all of it into just one mail tub. 

vet on the light rail

 when i was riding home after work on the light rail, i was asked by a man if he could sit next to me. i said we weren't strangers, just friends that haven't met. we chatted for a while, the man said he's a vet. i also heard a joke from him, it was about a doctor appointment. at work i was asked in two separate emails about overnighted checks. i was able to send a tracking number for the first one, it was from this month. it was 'returned to business line', in St. Louis. the other i found out was a day off for me, when i was at the state fair in august. vacation replacement was able to supply that one, and it was delivered as well. we did our jobs, so it was up to the recipient once it is delivered as to what happens to it. a payroll rep showed up in the afternoon to pick up two checks, i am told there might be more soon but it is all about when a check is approved. much like for our tax specialist, i know it is best to have the checks in an envelope. the backlog of checks was eliminated, as usual as the week wears on it usually drops in volume. after work, i didn't go home right away. i went to target first, as i wanted to pick up another box of Halloween cereal. i found what i wanted there. it was fruity pebbles. i also got a pack of cheese slices while there. i went to the nearby liquor store after i had the evening meal and picked up two beers. it was a bottle of Stella Artois, and a can of a craft brew from Michigan. i drank the can of blue moon with the evening meal, so now there are five beers waiting. i also went online and paid my membership fee to the historical association. i pay annually and it was due to expire in a little over a week.