bowl game then hockey

 went to a sports bar and watched Iowa in their bowl game from Tampa, Iowa Hawkeyes won. they did enough of the right things to beat Vanderbilt. of course, this meant i was ordering food and drink, i waited until halftime to order food as it was close to midday by then. i first ordered a beer, a grain belt, and a second one shortly after the food arrived. i did get dessert later on, and a Pepsi. a few dessert items on the menu were not available, but i was fine with having bread pudding as it reminded me of visiting New Orleans. i liked how it was served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as well. before the game i went to cub foods and bought some egg nog, a quart, as well as three boxes of Chex cereal. i also went to a nearby copy store and printed a receipt on an event ticket that i had just ordered. it was nice having a little time at home to rest up after the game. in the evening i went to a hockey game in the world junior tournament, team USA is in this one but lost to Sweden, 6-3. it was close at the end of the first period, 1-0, but team USA never led in this one. no penalties in that period, which is rare. good crowd on hand though, but i am aware that the games the Americans are playing are getting the best attendance. went to the ticket office as the preferred app wasn't working for me, so the ticket was sent to me through a text message. good thing i had the printed receipt to show as this made it easier to find my ticket. i was in the upper deck of the arena, and had a 'drink rail' seat, but i had a good view of the action. during the first intermission i found the three Charlie Brown statues on that level, walking around the entire concourse. during the second intermission, i got in line early and bought some pizza and bottled water. when one knows the lines can get long, it is a good idea to get in line early if one wants to be seated again before the action begins. i liked chatting with the couple next to me, mostly it was with the dude, who said he had played some hockey. i was given their extra towel near the end of the game, these were given out when fans entered the arena and fans were waving them after each goal. 

secure printing email

 i was sent a weird email about secure printing and forwarded it to my boss, who said respond and ask for more information. looks like check printing routing might be changing soon. not sure how, but the follow-up as i copied my boss on it was that vacation replacement would be shown how and i would be as well. i did get one answer from who sent it, which was how long we had to switch over. sounds like it would be as long as a month, definitely a least a week or two. going by the existing system on check printing for a day or two shouldn't be too big of a deal then. the boss sent me a performance evaluation, moved it up a little. i didn't mind that as the original meeting invite was in the afternoon, when i am usually trying to get caught up on creating overnight labels. i was asked to help with a UPS return on a label i didn't create. this was by instant message, the colleague who places the supply orders was asking. then the question was who had created it and i wasn't sure of that. i did say it was slated to be returned to our office as of last night so i didn't know how to stop that. and i haven't tried rerouting a package that is already in transit. i usually don't know it was returned until i physically have it anyway, and most of them are delivered so it tells me that we are usually given an address that is good. a ticket from October is back, except no one has contacted me yet about it. this was the one where the boss wanted it re-opened about the overflow pages on some check files, although it is not a big deal to me on living with the current solution when we don't have that many overflow pages to begin with. 

late but small file

 Fargo files were late but low volume so i was still able to get them all printed and sent out the door same day due to running check printers simultaneously. it wasn't easy to find ways to stay busy when it is the largest volume check files that i get each day. most important thing was staying ahead on the overnight volume, as that usually dictates how close to the normal leave time that i end up departing from work. went to perform in the evening as well. i did stories about penicillin, donut shops, rerouting an overnighted check, and a file with duplicated check numbers. others were about Christmas eve, Christmas day, a hockey game, and attending a movie. i parked in a ramp instead of on the street as i knew the snow ordinance was going into effect and i wanted to avoid tickets and such. 

taking off movie

 in the early evening i went to a movie at the Trylon cinema, it was 'taking off'. i liked how i recognized some of the actors in it. this included Bentley from 'the Jeffersons' and Mrs. Roper from 'threes company'. even a young Kathy Bates was in it. but credited as 'bobo bates'. it served as a reminder of what my dad once said when i was watching a movie with him and knew the actor by the voice before seeing a face. usually, the one thing that doesn't change is a person's voice. the voices of those two actors that i knew from sitcoms were still familiar to me. a big part of the storyline was the parents of runaway teenagers sampling youth culture, as a 'support group'. this led to a 'strip poker' scene. this was my 17th visit to this non-profit cinema for the calendar year. when i picked up my ticket i was told there is a patron who visits more often than i do, apparently one who is there every weekend. i had some popcorn and a can of 7-up, using up some quarters, five dollars in all. after being home for a little while after the movie, i ordered another ticket so i will be back at this cinema next month. it was the only thing on the docket for the day, and it was just as well due to the snowstorm. sounds like there was a winter storm warning in effect, 'travel not advised' is what i kept hearing on the radio, but getting around in town wasn't too big of a deal. on the open road, that probably would have been a different story, as i could see some blowing snow on the pavement. in the early afternoon i did venture out a little, needed gas so i went to a speedway gas station. then i dropped off some recycle near the capitol. i tried to watch the Sunday night football game when i got back from the movie, bears-49ers, but i fell asleep. the bears lost. i also did the dishes. 

world junior hockey

 the two main events of the day were attending a game in the world juniors hockey tournament, and the fan-zone related to it. in the morning i went to the post office, two orders picked up. and i sent off six Christmas cards to friends and family. then i went to the copy store and scanned a register tape for the Charlie Brown tin promotion. i also printed some event tickets. it was midday by then and i headed to Maplewood and had lunch at the golden corral. i changed my seat after noticing it was next to a walkway being used by plenty of patrons and i didn't enjoy that. i found a table that was farther away from this 'thoroughfare'. i had two plates of food there, three if you one slice of pizza, which was the only thing on the third plate. also had some meatloaf, rice, macaroni. best to master the possibilities when at a buffet. and i capped it with some soft-serve ice cream and some pudding. i left when i knew i would feel full if i ate any more. then it was on to rice park in downtown St. Paul where i attended the 'fan zone'. it was nice getting some free souvenirs there, including a beer cozy from Xcel Energy and a soft puck from Tria. the latter was after playing 'whack a mole'. i also got a look around at a related exhibit at the nearby convention center. i bought a small hockey stick there which had the flags of all ten competing nations on it. after a little over two hours, i headed home and then went to get groceries at Aldi. then it was on to the u. of Minnesota for the game. it was the Czech Republic (or Czechia) defeating Denmark, 7-2. Czechs never trailed in this one, up 2-1 at the end of the first period and 5-2 at the end of the second. i got a hot dog and a coke there. my seat was near the boards so i saw some close-ups of the action. there was a dude near me who was using a camera, later noticed a Czech flag patch on his coat. during one intermission i bought another souvenir, it was a three pack of stickers. some things i saw in person reminded me of what i had seen on TV of the Olympic games. there was a flag raising and national anthem playing for the Czechs. during the game there was an announcement of the score of the game being plated across town, team USA had defeated Switzerland. i haven't ruled out attending another game in this tournament, but it would have to include team USA as i would 'have a horse in that race'. i saw the attendance figures for the first eight games of the tournament. the Americans played in front of big crowds for both of their games, but the others, not so much. the arena wasn't even half-full for the game i attended, just over three thousand on hand. 

three gift cards used

 since dad had sent me another Hy-Vee gift card, i decided it was time to use some of those i already had. i used up three cards, but only a partial amount was on two of them that i had used back in June. in the end it paid for most of my order. i got a dollar out of my wallet to pay the balance as that was under a dollar. in the morning i went to Walgreen for my weekly visit. and i did a walk at the end of my lunchtime to see what else was open. plenty of places still closed for the holiday near my workplace. this included the caribou, and the chipotle. although it barely matters to me when i don't go to either all that much. the cookie place is closed until after New Year's Day. i spoke of it to vacation replacement, saying i hadn't been there as apparently, they only sell cookies there and no drinks. a fairly slow day at work, not too surprised about that. i did have to say in one email how it looks like UPS picked up early on Christmas eve, when a colleague wanted to know why there was no activity on their tracking number. in the evening i noticed the new show called 'Boston blue' wasn't on. i went online and found out it will be back in February. i didn't see any egg nog ay Hy-Vee but i did have some this season. i was mostly getting the little bottles from Anderson Erickson, about 12 ounces, instead of a quart carton as i wanted to save some calories. 

starbucks was open?

 i decided to take a walk and see if any place was open on Christmas day. looks like Starbucks was open, but the nearby caribou was not. i did not go in though, already had some coffee the previous day of course. i think Starbucks is open on thanksgiving as well. it was a low-key celebration, and that was fine with me. aside from taking a walk, i stayed in for most of the day and i gave the car the day off. i finished what was on my list, in terms of DVDs to watch. there was 'Charlie Brown Christmas' and on the same disc was a bonus episode, 'it's Christmastime again'. due to watching the 'making of' documentary i searched on YouTube and i did find the clip of how Linus ended up next to a Coca-Cola sign as that was the sponsor of this special. the other one i watched was the movie 'Christmas Vacation'. this was the last of the nine discs i watched all or part of during this holiday season. i had two turkey dinners, much like i did for thanksgiving. i had pumpkin pie as i found it as a half-pie this time. and i got pictures of what it all looked like, including the cans of beer next to the meals. i drank a can of icehouse, and a can of Coors, so now three beers are waiting. didn't watch much TV though when i was switching out a disc from the player i noticed on CBS how the local station had picked up the Vikings-Lions game, which was actually being broadcast on Netflix. i got a few items ordered online late in the evening. 

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.