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.
Friday, December 5, 2025
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.