courier did not return

 sometimes the checks for the tax specialist are courier pick-up, especially later in the week when the dude is working from home. i finally decided to ask the name of the courier who has been picking them up since we were moved downtown over a year ago. i spoke of the previous one, saying we did chat a little and how we'd be moved once he got back from Africa to visit family. the courier said he did not return. it did remind me of how this man spoke of being on WhatsApp with a lady, apparently divorced but interested in getting remarried. we even exchanged waves. this leads me to think the trip was to see more than just family and deciding to stay in Africa due to a better offer- for love. the boss said to hold off on searching for the reject fax on another floor until further notice. i reported how i search for it once a week, on a day when most are working from home, and hadn't found it in three weeks. fine with me. two checks for payroll were printed, in the afternoon. i pointed out to the boss about a low volume check file still had the old signature on it. this led to it being changed, but I.T. has to change it. in the evening i went to the Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. it was a small order, seven items. but i try to buy what i need, no more no less. i watched some of the UFL football game on TV, Dallas at st. louis. Dallas won a close one, aided by penalties. i tried to watch a fellow comic, Yemen native, on 'comics unleashed' but fell asleep during the 10pm news and missed the start of the show. i was familiar with two of the three jokes i heard, those still work for me. 

former boss responded

 i had spoken of what i did over the Memorial Day weekend to vacation replacement, and it led to me sending a message to a former coworker, who was briefly my boss at a former job. i got a response in the morning, the day after sending the message. but i kind of expected a delay as there is often a red dot to indicate his status, meaning 'in a meeting'. due to the employee directory, i found out we work in the same building now. had to catch up a little on how we both are doing, but soon i hope to ask if it is possible to go lunching as it can be boring to be lunching by myself all of the time. i was invited to the facility manager meeting, a dial-in, but it was brief, just over ten minutes. vacation replacement dropped off some outgoing mail, near the end of my lunch. i was on the main floor as i wanted a snack. there was also a mention a 'kudo board' being created by a colleague in another office. 

grease movie

 in the evening i went to see the movie 'grease', in Eagan. it was part of the 'flashback cinema' series. it added to my point total with the loyalty account but still not there yet on the reward level. i had been getting plenty of emails about it. i had seen the movie a few times before, but it had been a while. i recall singing in the chorus and one concert was songs from this movie, especially 'summer nights'. had to get past the scenes where people are bullied or pranked, but i am aware of how art imitates life. my parents even had the movie soundtrack on an 8-track tape. this movie is still fun to watch. i figured it was a good warmup to attending a drag brunch soon where this movie is the theme. i ate at the nearby taco bell, then went in to purchase the movie ticket. i did order some food and drink inside the theater, bottled water and some fries, but i ended up taking most of the water home as i wanted to increase the odds of needing a bathroom break during the movie. the fries were brought to my seat in the auditorium i was in. i still like the opening scene a lot, as it is animated. same reason why i like the scene at the drive-in theater as one can see animation in the background, advertising the food and drink. then there's hearing the song 'la Bamba' at the diner, a reminder of a biopic i still enjoy watching. along with the line 'blanche, stop blubbering'. that scene included mention of famous people, had to ask my parents who Rosemary Clooney was as her nephew, George, wasn't famous yet. i drove straight from the park and ride to the theater complex as i wanted to be on time. at work, there was a check sent to another floor, in the afternoon. the second i-pay file was nearly 1800 checks, and those did not go out same day except for a check to be overnighted and i was emailed about that one. the toner cartridge for one of the check printers was swapped out late in the day. 

unmonitored shared box?

at work i had a question from a colleague about a check file that i print. i said it was low volume, few and far between. just seven checks for the month, just over 40 for the year. something about a caller had questions on a payment. the file has a return address in Memphis, although the only contact we have is a shared box and no one responded when i sent a message there. i got a 'thumbs up' when i spoke of it. one clue from a check that was returned said forwarding time expired and seemed to say the business line moved to the suburbs of Kansas City. but it doesn't seem like a high enough priority to pursue further. i saw a text message and i was asked to confirm a dental appointment, in a week from now. two payroll checks were picked up, in the morning. i said 'you win a cookie' to the tax specialist, in reference to the movie 'Kelly's heroes'- about being the first visitor of the day to pick up checks.  

there was a tavern

 i went to perform in the evening, it was the final edition of this variety open mic, at least with this show runner. there was a page passed around near the end, it had the lyrics of what we'd be singing, 'those were the days'. a lyric from early in the song is 'there was a tavern'. sometimes i call a bar a 'tavern' as my old man sometimes used that term. i don't know much about what the show will be like going forward, and this includes being unaware of who is taking over as show runner. some pizza was ordered and i did have some of it, besides the typical bags of candy that somebody usually brings. I've seen plenty of shows I've performed at close over the years, so this isn't new to me. although this show means more when it is the main one i perform at after cutting back due to the pandemic. the venue does have another show I've performed at, on a different night of the week. if need be, i will just go to that alternate show more often. besides my testimonial of what the show means to me, and many others gave one besides me, i did my typical set. i did stories about the hike, the movie, the baseball game, how two TV shows are essentially the same, and the bank. for lunch i had hoped to go to a bar which serves a famous sandwich, but it was closed for the holiday. i had recently picked up some art which is an image of the bar. try again when they are open, i guess. i went to an Arby's instead. i also did a chore in the morning, the dishes. it was moved back one day as i was too tired to do those on my customary day. and i could justify it when i had the day off for the bank holiday. lately i have been doing plenty of study online, with articles and YouTube videos, about converted or repurposed buildings. in the twin cities, i have seen some just before closure and expected conversion, some after it, some before and after. for the third category, what stands out the most is three grocery stores and a dollar store. the grocery stores switched to another chain, largely due to one chain's star being on the decline such as rainbow, or a Supervalu turned independent store. those three were snapped up by stronger competitors- cub foods, Hy-Vee, and Aldi. and the dollar store became a microbrewery. but i know that all kinds of buildings have been converted, including houses of worship. sometimes the houses of worship can switch to another faith like the grocery stores did. when i was doing all of this study, including why not just buildings but also people convert to another faith- it reminded me of some college classes. i really liked the western civilization class, and it was one reason why i decided to major in history. i still very much have a love of learning. 

talk of the town movie

 just before midday i went to a movie in Columbia Heights, it was 'talk of the town', part of their Cary Grant series. although the character i ended up liking the most in the movie wasn't him, it was the law school instructor that later defended him. i liked his speech near the end about the rule of law. it reminded me of the final speech in Charlie Chaplin's 'great dictator', which is from the same era. i got some popcorn and bottled water while there. i saw a promo for another movie, it is a documentary about bitcoin. while there i liked listening to public radio in my car, there was a segment about ultimate fighting and a prominent man in this sport is friends with the president. there was a mention of its history, including senator John McCain once calling it 'human cockfighting' which was a catalyst in getting more regulation of it. after the movie i found a trivia book, art and science, in a nearby little free library. then i got in my car and drove to a gas station. i was low on gas and got a sandwich as well. i spent some time at home, but not too long as i wanted to get to the St. Paul Saints baseball game. the saints lost to Omaha, 5-3. as usual, there was some of the long ball in the game. during my walks around the stadium, it was cool to be recognized by school bouncer. i was introduced to his family. not too many get this same gleeful greeting that i gave to this dude. since it was Memorial Day weekend, there was food trucks after the game and then a fireworks show. i ordered from the converted ambulance again, 'dine 1 1'. i found a Filipino food truck there as well, but only after i already had some food. it reminds me of a former coworker who is Filipino. during the game and fireworks show it was cool to hear music, as usual. standouts were a movie song, 'everybody's talking', from 'midnight cowboy', then 'party in the USA' by Miley Cyrus. i sent some text messages as well, the one i sent to Yemen native, i hit send just as the fireworks began. the other was to a classmate from high school, the first one in nearly a year. i had heard from the former much more recently, but it was still three months ago and i said it was time to send another text. 

our birth hospital

 i went on a hike through meetup in the evening. i was on the wait list at first but a spot opened up hours before the event began. i made it to Aldi for groceries and then it was to the park in Bloomington. i stopped to eat at a holiday gas station about a mile away, at the outset not where i planned to stop. but due to construction, i said i need to exit here as i didn't want to wreck my car. it worked out just fine on getting a sandwich there. i liked this hike more as it was more engaging, even though i have been to this venue before. enjoyed the chats i had with two people on the walk. i was introduced to the second by the event organizer. when it was done it was to the campfire, and some of us roasted marshmallows for smores including me. a group event we did was share what hospitals we were born in. this is where i found out there were two other Iowa natives at this event. as i recall, one from Sioux City and the other cedar rapids. i only briefly spoke with both as i was in the parking lot, when i was getting ready to drive home. i did plenty of the typical chores and errand running as well earlier in the day. there was going to the post office, one order was picked up. i framed it when i got home as i was the photo of Rick Monday saving the flag. i had lunch at jersey mikes and used some points to make it a free sandwich. other notable things were hearing an instrumental version of the song 'mad world' on a Facebook posting for grain belt beer. i liked finding versions of the song on YouTube, more familiar with the Gary Jules cover than the tears for fears original. there was also the news story about the end of the line for Schlitz beer. i haven't drank it much, can be hard to find. i have a postcard of the brewery in Milwaukee in my collection. i recall reading how it was the number one beer for a while. then Anheuser-Busch became number one, aided by the brewery buying the st. louis cardinals baseball team and becoming a big sponsor of this sport and others. 

janitor visits

 sometimes the janitor visits the check shop, but not too often. i have noticed it is most likely in the morning, and at the end of the week if at all. this was the case for the day, and when i got back from another floor i noticed the floor had been mopped. i was opposed to this, even said so to my boss, as i didn't want to fall and get hurt on a wet floor. it was yet another case of the reject fax, the reason why i leave the floor, was not found. someone must have beat me to it. i am asked to find it and forward it only once a week, a day where most are working from home. i received another pull and shred request, like most of the previous ones it was from the fraud file. and this time it was an email and an instant message. if i see both, especially in the afternoon, more likely i will find it in time as i have deadlines to meet. two checks for payroll were printed, ready for pick-up. hard to say when though, but most likely after the three-day weekend is complete as there is the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. eight items, as usual a small enough order to go through the express lane. i did my customary visit to Walgreen in the morning, and i noticed the cashier didn't ring up the america-250 word find book. were they new? probably. 

use one not the other

 there was a request from the Cincinnati file that said use one check but not the other. this is the file where most checks are overnighted. once i was caught up on check printing, i reviewed what i had in front of me. then i reviewed the email. i said 'got it' on what they wanted. the checks had different amounts, this is likely why a second check was cut as there was something not correct about the first one. for this reason, i wouldn't call it 'duplicated'. another check was sent to the floor where most of my colleagues were on, but to a different employee. this time the team lead, who has fishing tattoos. it was a check from the i-pay file. the second file of this kind from the previous day was late, and i got it moved in the morning. two payroll checks were picked up, i had notified that department two days prior. 

dropoff during lunch

 at the end of my lunch i decided to walk a rare FedEx envelope over to the drop box in another building, walking through the skyway. when i got back i noticed how my vacation replacement had dropped off some returned checks. thankful i still don't get FedEx that often, but when i do i don't mind the exercise i get. during lunch sometimes i don't walk at all, aside from to and from the bathroom and breakroom, and those are on the same floor as me. sometimes i am aware of the sense of urgency from internal customers. case in point, there was a check copy request where i received an email and an instant message about it. it said it was due to needing to be reviewed prior to their response. 

business line move delayed

 notable about the workday was hearing that a business line, based in San Diego, would be moving. but this move has been delayed until august. a check to be set aside for the manager who likes karaoke was sent to that floor just before i went to lunch. more people were added to a thread about the earlier envelope order. a new order was submitted, and the earlier one was canceled. i guess this means we found out better about what kind to order and what was available. still a question on when it might arrive. 

envelope order issues

 at work, there was an envelope order for a business line that we are taking over soon. my boss and the colleague who places the order for me were copied on an email from the supplier, which said it was not available. another email was about a check i had overnighted to Korea that was stuck in customs. i let them know what was inside the package. i had no knowledge of a phone number for the recipient. when a check is going to a foreign land, i have to enter one and i enter my office phone, attached to my laptop. a toner cartridge was picked up from the mailroom, and the ticket was closed. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about art a whirl, the opera, the offspring song, and the bank. 

art a whirl

 i went to a meetup event in the afternoon, it was at art a whirl. i don't think i had been to this event before, in Minneapolis. i studied the logistics and decided to take the light rail and then a bus to get there. the meetup event was in the basement of the 'casket' building. i guess this was the name of a ghost business on the outside of the building. they called this place serving beer a 'speakeasy'. i got a can of beer there and walked around the art displays for sale in this building. i bought one item, a postcard-sized print. it had Paul Bunyan on it next to the grain belt beer sign. i went to one other venue, it meant crossing the railroad tracks to get to the Northrup King building. i liked seeing yet another repurposed building, as i knew this was the name of a seed corn company when i was growing up in Iowa. saw a pregnant mannequin there. and i paused when i heard a radio on, the song was 'gone away' by the offspring. for lunch there was food trucks nearby. i got a meat pie from a British-themed truck, then some ben and jerry's ice cream nearby. 

pagliacci opera

 went to an opera this evening in downtown St. Paul, 'Pagliacci'. i think this was my third opera, and first since seeing 'La Boheme'. i liked the 'show within a show'. but this is done because it was covering how art can imitate life. it resonated with me about the main character, the clown, spoke of needing to go onstage even if not feeling fully up to it as people are expecting a show. seating was good, in the back but the view was pretty decent as i was in the middle of the row and section. one intermission, i walked around for most of it. i played 'tears of a clown' by Smokey Robinson when i got home as i knew this opera was name-checked in the song. for lunchtime i went to burger king in Eagan. wanted the Star Wars-themed meal and got the garlic chicken fries, lower calorie than the whopper. then i got a double scoop at the Baskin Robbins down the road. gold medal ribbon and cookie monster were my choices. i made it to Aldi for groceries before the opera. in the afternoon i did watch some of the UFL football game, but st. louis lost to Houston in a close game. as usual, the observation i have is that most teams have plenty of chances to win, but turnovers doomed st. louis in this one. 

two cartridges arrived

 i was pleased that two toner cartridges were delivered. it was sent by two different couriers though, not sure why. but both are usable for check printing. the boss said the second one had his name on it, in the afternoon. i had hoped to pick it up when i sent the regular mail tubs to the mailroom, but a colleague said it was preferred to be picked up right away. something about how it would throw off their reporting if i didn't. the Cincinnati file sent me a FedEx label, first time since February and just the seventh overall. i saw that it was put in the box much earlier than those going UPS when the box is farther away, in another building but still able to get there via the skyway. a test check was printed for the Cincinnati file. it seemed to be a lot like those that i already print. it is nearly the same address, but a different business line name and mail code. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries as usual. there was a UFL football game on, Orlando at Dallas, but i didn't watch much of it. notable how it was played on a military base, fort hood. i am picking up some more patriotic items. during the Hy-Vee visit it was firecracker Oreo cookies, as well as a coloring book, since it is the year for america-250. 

business cards misdirected

 i had to say i was not in the mailroom, or in that office, when i was sent an email about misdirected business cards. i did see that some colleagues in the mailroom were copied on the response, though. i think some of the confusion arises from my email signature says i am a mail clerk. but i prefer to say that i am a check printer on my income tax returns. the boss was in the shop and noticed some things stacked up near one wall. this was not just empty copy paper boxes, but also two laser jet toner cartridges. i had to say that we were sent those even though i had already told them that we can't use them for check printing. then i was advised to call in a ticket, in this case send an instant message to the help desk. a ticket was open and i am hopeful that we get the correct toner cartridge soon enough. not yet a sense of urgency, when a spare one is ready to go if needed, but hard to predict when i need to swap it out. machines still sometimes send some weird messages. before lunchtime, i noticed how the screen went blank on the inserter machine when i was running checks through. it kept running for a little bit, then stopped. but i am not too worried just yet when rebooting it seemed to correct it. i try not to call techs unless i can't figure it out on my own. 

email thread forwarded

 not too much was notable about work for the day. but i still sometimes get some weird scenarios, ones that i didn't think were possible. case in point. one colleague, from suburban Milwaukee if i am not mistaken, sent an image of a check that i had overnighted and wanted to know what it was for. i had sent checks to that office before, but to other people. i knew that file, the business line is based in Hopkins. the best thing to do in this case was to forward the email thread to show the tracking numbers. then this colleague has others to contact if there are any more questions to be answered. i find it odd that the colleague wasn't copied on the original thread. some mention of the names on the check might not be correct, but of course i just print checks, i don't approve them. 

on again, off again dial-in

 there was a dial-in meeting in the afternoon with the boss, it was with the office in Marshall. but it was on again, off again. the colleague in Marshall was hard to find, and the boss rescheduled for the next day, same time. but once our colleague was found, we did the dial-in. something about another meeting ran long as i recall. there was two payroll checks set aside, different recipient names on them. but i am used to just one person picking all of them up and that is fine with me. i was asked why a check to be overnighted from the Cincinnati file was not picked up yet. if it is like most others, it was due to arriving late in the day, after the listed pick-up time on the box. there was also an inquiry on an earlier overnighted check saying the business name of the recipient was not correct. i send it to wherever i am told to send it to, and that means going by the name on the check or whatever name is on the shipping label. especially if the label was forwarded to me. 

red letter date

 i went performing in the evening and i realized it was a red-letter date for me. some notable anniversaries were happening. things like graduation, then leaving my native state a few years later. other stories told were about the weekend in Iowa to visit family, singing at a karaoke bar, and the bank. at work, there was notable things as well. a pull and shred request on the fraud file arrived, but had to tell them it was late, unable to help them. there were tax checks to be set aside. the mailroom sent me a blue company envelope; another refund check was inside. 

aim found at dollar tree

 i began the day in Ankeny, Iowa, at my hotel, the days inn. i like how there isn't much to do on the final day in town. there is have breakfast, check out of the hotel, and get on the road. it is nice having a continental breakfast at the hotel, one less meal to find each day. i have this in mind when i choose hotels to stay at. i am thankful i didn't hit the road right after breakfast, though. the CBS morning news had a segment about actor-comedian martin short. i mainly knew him as the third of the 'three amigos', not as well-known as the other two. when i made it back to the twin cities in the mid-afternoon, i dropped off some things at home. then i went to Robbinsdale and first stopped at the dollar tree. a previous visit for a meetup event led me to finding out there was aim toothpaste there, it can be hard to find. i bought a tube of it there. then i went to the McDonald's and had some ice cream. i also went to the Aldi near me for groceries. i decided to use the rental car as long as i could and then returned it just minutes before it was due, in the evening. notable from the drive home was the music, as usual. i like having it on when i am in the car. there was a movie song, 'Flashdance, what a feeling'. i liked the line 'take your passion, make it happen'. i often speak of passion, it was absent from my life for a while, then i found it in performing. others i heard were 'angel' by shaggy, and 'memories' by maroon 5. both of those still work for me. 

greenbelt park, clive

 in the afternoon was the graduation party i was invited to, at greenbelt park in Clive. it was my cousin's daughter that was the guest of honor, and the first time i had seen my cousin in eight years. i also saw my two siblings, and my dad, as well. the siblings arrived after i did. my brother spoke some of his line of work, at FedEx, and it sounded familiar since i overnight checks at the bank but with a different courier. the graduate was at Des Moines Christian, a small school i knew very little about, but plans to study biochemistry at drake university, also in Des Moines. in the mid-morning i started the drive from my hotel, after watching the local news, to the cracker barrel in Clive. i found the two items i was looking for, it was a patriotic snoopy towel, and an america-250 shirt. then i saw my niece at the dairy queen in Waukee. i did have some ice cream there near the end of the visit. it was the first time seeing the second daughter, who is not quite a year old just yet. the first daughter seemed to enjoy the three gifts i brought her. she fell and hurt her elbow, but i think she will be all right. my niece said i would be tagged in photos on Facebook from this visit. it was midday by then and i spoke of wanting to eat at a maid-rite sandwich shop, loose meat sandwiches, they don't have that in the twin cities. i found one at merle hay mall, although it was tough to see how half of the storefronts in the food court were empty. i know the mall has lost some anchor stores, the opening of Jordan Creek mall didn't help. but i know this one is doing better than two others in the area. Southridge is now a mall in name only, and valley west sank into bankruptcy and might get demolished. after my cousin's event, i did a quick tour of my hometown of newton. i got a pic of Emerson Hough school, then had a meat loaf meal at the Hy-Vee. in the evening i was back at my hotel for a little bit, and there was an interview with the president on one channel. then i had the urge to get moving again and went to sing at a karaoke bar near a mall. i sang 'the door' by teddy swims, it resonates with me as i know what it is like to say that i have had enough. and it sounds like my niece did too and based on what she said about her mom then i don't blame her at all for doing so. 

where is the c?

 i hit the road after work and my stop along the way was at a 'Maverik' gas station. but where is the c? i correctly guessed this used to be the 'Kum and Go' gas station and convenience store. this was just south of the state line as i was headed to see family for the weekend. no surprise how i made it to my destination late, just after midnight. after checking into the hotel, i realized that the refrigerator was rattling too much and was keeping me up so i unplugged it. i wanted to see that some loose ends were tied up before leaving town, and after i had picked up the rental car. this was why i didn't leave as early as i had hoped. i also needed to pack my bag and wrap the box that included the three gifts in it. at work there was two notable things. one was a dial-in meeting, it was a 'global' one for our department as some offices are in other nations. this was mid-morning, then i did my customary visit to Walgreen. i picked up three greeting cards while there, and it took a little longer than typical as i wanted to see that i got the right cards for all three recipients. the shared box mentioned an address change for one of our business lines, taking effect next month. it is based in San Diego. i said it looks like something that needs to be forwarded on, so i.t. and my boss were copied on the response. 

laptop issue resolved

 in the evening i went to the best buy in Eagan and the laptop issue was resolved. i wasn't thrilled about having to wait for a geek squad agent, though. a man kept talking to the employee at the desk and it took a few minutes before i even heard i could sit at a nearby table for an agent. i am demonstrative and said 'that', in terms of the issue i was dealing with. i was told the remote agent had made it too restrictive as most websites use java scripts. i tested it while still in the store, and it worked just fine. i did one quick survey for airline miles, as i know some surveys bounce me early but i still get a small number of miles for my time. i also went to Jersey Mike's for a sandwich before that, as i go there every two weeks but decided to move up my visit by two days. odd how the sandwich maker said i made it in once a week, except i don't make it in that often. there was a check to send to another floor, to the manager that likes karaoke, i did so just after midday. she had just stepped away so a nearby employee accepted on her behalf. there was a weird popup in the morning, saying i needed a restart, shortly after i had logged on for the day. it was popcorn day, i enjoy this event as usual. after this was done i found my way to a branch where i contributed to the memorial fund. i figured this was the best time to do so as i had already stepped away for the popcorn and the branch was close by. the boss spoke of another Cincinnati check file to create. why, i don't know. there are already twenty such files and we've printed checks for just half of them. a payroll check was picked up. i sent 28 overnights to the box, one of them was from the Cincinnati file. there was an instant message saying it needed to go out same day. i said i had already printed the check and just needed to release the label from the secure printer. 

airline surveys blocked

 in the evening i knew something was wrong as i was unable to do the online surveys for airline miles. i tried to handle it on my own, to no avail as it was still blocked. i called the geek squad again but this time the agent said they couldn't handle it and set up an appointment for me to go to a best buy store in person. not thrilled about that but i had no choice. at work the main thing was asking about when the check stock would arrive. the big envelope order for the month arrived two days ago so it was time to ask about the other big order i place each month. lately the colleague who officially places the order for me has to follow up with the supplier and send the purchase order. as i recall, when my boss asked about it, the supplier said it was an i.t. issue on their end as to why it wasn't going through. 

upgrade kicked in

 the boss saw me press the button requesting the laptop upgrade happen near the end of the workday when the popup arrived early in the day. i saw that i was caught up on overnights a little early and decided to stay at the office until i saw the upgrade kick in. it didn't right at 5pm, unless you count one black screen with a few characters on it. then a few minutes later, i saw a message box in the middle of the screen and knew it had fully kicked in. it did some upgrades right away. i was satisfied when i saw it begin and didn't need to stay much longer after that, especially when it was slated to last four hours. i needed a password reset from i.t. before a dial-in meeting, as i was requested to print a check during it. only one though, it reminded me of some Saturday mornings at the previous office where this is all i needed to print. there was mention of a memorial fund for colleagues who were murdered last week. it said, 'please contribute if so moved'. i likely will but prefer to wait until i am caught up with work before leaving the shop if at all possible. when i was paying on my PayPal account in the evening, i must have clicked on the wrong one and then got popups. i called the geek squad and got it corrected but it took a little while on the phone. 

third man movie

 in the evening i went to see a movie at the Trylon, it was 'third man'. it was part of the 'rubble noir' series. i had heard of Joseph Cotten, but don't think i had seen any of his roles previously. i was no doubt familiar with Orson Welles. i kept thinking of a game show, if i am not mistaken, asking contestants if they would want the refrigerator of Richard Simmons or Orson Welles. since of course the latter got fatter later in life. the setting of the movie is Vienna, with occupied zones, just a few years after World War Two ended. Welles plays the character presumed dead, and Cotten plays his friend, who just arrived and is investigating it. Cotten's character is a writer, and some recognize him for his craft. it was pretty good, kept me guessing until the end. the scenes in the sewers and on the Ferris Wheel stood out to me. when i got home i ordered a ticket for another movie at this venue, as part of the 'bleak week' series a month from now. at work i was asked for the shared box by the Fargo file personnel. it was related to tracking for overnighted checks. i said i only send tracking numbers if requested. there were just four returned checks found for our internal business line when going through the returned check file. i pressed 'remind me tomorrow' when a popup arrived about a four-hour laptop upgrade. customer service asked me about a voided UPS label, wanting to know why a check didn't ship. i said i needed to create another one as the address needed to be changed, then shared the alternate tracking number. an odd request as i figured that customer service would have already had it as i set it up to have all tracking numbers going there. 

josie and the pussycats movie

 in the morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from goodwill, 'josie and the pussycats'. this was one i had heard about recently as it was part of the 'bad company' series through the Trylon cinema. i lucked out that i found a copy so quickly after that. i still have the mock timecard from the series, where it is listed. plenty of satire and social commentary in it, which i liked. and it was campy as well. the funniest character had to be melody the drummer, who was cartoonishly dumb. but when this is based on archie comics, it makes sense to stay a little authentic to the source material. then after having lunch at home, i headed to the stadium for another Saints baseball game. this was a closer game, as the Saints won, 8-7, over the Iowa Cubs. there was a 9th inning rally, and the game ended on a swinging strikeout on a full count with the bases loaded. one doesn't see that scenario too often. after the game i walked around the downtown area a little and ended up at Candyland where i got a small box of popcorn. i also saw displays about upcoming shows at a nearby venue that i will want to research. i stayed downtown a little longer as i went to perform. it was nice to see the show runner, who had been absent from some of my recent appearances at this mic. i did stories about the bank, a furniture delivery, and attending two baseball games. 

furniture delivery

plans had to be changed a little, as i knew there would be a furniture delivery in the afternoon. in the morning i made it to the post office. as expected, hadn't ordered anything lately so no orders to pick up. i did pay for my box, the six-month fee, though. then i got pizza at a nearby convenience store. when i got home i watched a united football league game on TV, Dallas at DC. the game was nearly over when i was called that the delivery would be arriving soon. it was earlier than i was originally told, but i didn't mind. it was done fairly quickly, i signed for it, then i was on to the St. Paul Saints baseball game. i missed the first two innings but i like how i still got to see more than half of the game. i bought two small items inside the souvenir shop, a mascot magnet and some decals from their theme nights including Crooks Haven. the saints won big against the Iowa Cubs, 16-2, and fans got to see plenty of the long ball. during the game i heard a song but what i found when searching it at home likely wasn't the same one. the lyric i recalled was 'cry me a river'. the most hits when googling it was a Justin Timberlake song. i still liked what i heard, though. it resonated with me as i once said it to a match from internet dating. i made it to Aldi in the early evening and got groceries, then watched the baseball game on fox. it was dodgers-cardinals in st. louis, and the cardinals won a close one, 3-2. 

soup and oyster crackers

 i did my customary visit to Hy-Vee in Eagan and picked up another close-out item near the checkout lanes. it was a bag of soup and oyster crackers. why not try it when it was for just a dollar? i did see the employee i have chatted with before and spoke of families a little more. i have way fewer cousins. the team lead did a swap on workdays in the office due to furniture delivery the previous day. it meant i didn't have to go to that floor to pick up the reject fax, but i still went there to get some refund checks in a 'blue company envelope' moved. actually, there was two of them as the mailroom did deliver a second envelope, the first was left over from the previous day as vacation replacement didn't show up for it after i notified. i left the second one under a box of Avery address labels, i guess my colleague was at lunch at the time. the screen saver spoke of 'employee banking' but i said i was at a loss for what other services i could get from the bank when i already have my checking account and ATM card there. another check copy was found, per request by the boss, from the Cincinnati file. it was a sub-file that i last printed over a year ago. it was the tenth copy i had sent on, and it means just half of those Cincinnati files have ever had checks for me to print. when the tax specialist sent an instant message and said, 'out of office', and to hold any tax checks i get, i said 'copy that'. there were some in the afternoon. 

facility manager meeting

 in the early afternoon i joined a dial-in meeting, i was invited by the facility manager. the boss asked was unsure why i was invited and said i didn't have to attend. i said i have sent some work orders for the shop, and i find it helpful to follow along. it was slated for thirty minutes but it ended early as there wasn't much to discuss in the Q and A part. i did learn some things from it. facility manager said recycling does happen onsite, and even the paper towels in the bathrooms are composted. i let payroll know just after i returned from lunch how a check had printed and is ready for pick-up. no surprise how it was picked up right away, since it is the last day of the month and likely needed to go out right away. the colleague said the envelope was not needed so i will use it for a later check that is held for pick-up. the boss is handling a request from the shared box as it was a check i am not familiar with, related to unclaimed property. it is apparently found in a system that i don't use. there might be more check copies to find. a rep in i.t. asked about Cincinnati files, and we had already sent nine check samples for that business line. some were set up and may not have had any checks sent to us, though. but we still need to do a sweep of what is found on dashboard to see that we have covered all the kinds of checks that we print. the boss said it was fine to go back 2-3 years, except some of them were created fairly recently. it was already confirmed for i.t. how one business line, based in Kansas City, has four different files. three have the same DDA and the fourth is different as it is a Canadian file. i drank a can of blue moon with the evening meal and got another can of blue moon from the nearby liquor store so there still are four beers waiting. i did more searching about the much-ballyhooed green day movie and it looks like it may finally have a release date. two different articles found online say this would be released in august. one of those is a theater chain and this tells me it includes a release to theaters. i like hearing this as i don't do streaming. earlier this month an article said it had found a distributor and the movie had been retitled. 

one-day file transfer

the boss said early in the day how there was a power outage in another office, and their check files would be transferred to us for the day. both were in the afternoon; these were equipment finance checks. some were overnighted, but some will have to wait to be sent out. the second file arrived just after i have to send the mail tubs to the mailroom. i want to see that things are done right, so not a big deal to have it carried over to the next morning. we were given some forms to match up with some checks. it was under a hundred checks in all, sent PDF to us. i was also asked to pull out a 'zero check'. not a big deal, as i have done 'pull and shred' requests on other check files. a blue company envelope arrived, three refund checks were in it. a colleague that places supply orders for me asked about a contact for a business line in st. louis. i said i was familiar with two, and the name i was given was one i had never heard of. i was sent an excel spreadsheet related to UPS labels i had created. it was something about address corrections. the list went back to January, but it wasn't that many compared to the volume i send out each day. i also said that it is all about the address i am given by the business line.  

least used cart

vacation replacement said a toner cartridge arrived in the mailroom, and i was advised to get a cart for picking it up as the empty mail tubs were there as well. i decided to use the collapsible red cart. it is least used cart since we moved to this site over a year ago. there are four. but i am still thankful to have it as sometimes the others are occupied or don't serve the purpose as well as this one does. i still brought the cartridge back to the shop even though it is laser jet and we can't use it for check printing. the boss was in the shop and asked about the doorbell, i said it was fixed a few weeks ago, but it took a month for the solution. there was a weird email asking about tracking on regular mail, i said there wasn't any. i said that if tracking is being requested, i said the check needs to be overnighted. more payroll checks were picked up; this time it was three. all are for different recipients. i was in contact with one of them this morning to see if it was fine to be lumped together with the other two, and it was. it was confirmed by the business line that the special project is done, i found the thread to respond to and ask about it. 

refund checks finished?

 at work we saw the Jacksonville file return after no checks were sent on Friday. it was just over a hundred for the day, which makes me think we reached the end of the line on this special project of refund checks. fine with me. if that is the case, then we still have a decent number of envelopes left over. one box is not yet opened, and we have a partial as well. the final total was just over fourteen thousand checks in the past two weeks. a payroll check was picked up. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about the bank, refrigerators, a meetup event, a DMV trip, seeing a movie, and making a find at goodwill. there was an announcement by the showrunner at the end of the night how the show might be ending soon. possibly a bombshell, unless someone else takes over. but it won't be me as i don't see myself as a leader. 

furniture order

 i knew it was time to replace some of my furniture so i did an online search recently and decided to go to slumberland, in Eagan. i am familiar with the area that the store is located as i had been to the goodwill store next to it. i got a good look around and laid down on some beds and found one i liked. i placed the order and asked for delivery as well as hauling away the existing one. when i was done i went over to the goodwill and bought four DVDs. when i got home i found out i already had one of them, the baseball story called 'bang the drum slowly'. but it's quite likely that i don't have the other three. i watched one of them later in the day, a documentary about Mt. Rushmore and other tourist attractions in the state. i fell asleep in my easy chair near the end of it, but i knew i was tired. then i had the urge to get moving again, and this meant going to the Mall of America. i found two more Charlie Brown items at the 'Japan store', Ebisu. it was some popcorn as well as some mouthwash. i got a scoop of ice cream at the cookie place as well but still don't have the airline miles from the other visit, earlier this month. i watched some of the united football league game on ABC, Louisville won big on the road against Dallas. a small crowd at this one, and according to the attendance figures i am finding online this is all too common. twenty games played so far, halfway through the regular season, and more than half of them have had crowds below ten thousand. the future of this league? forecast is still 'cloudy', even after an off-season where three of their eight teams were 'relocated'. 

lorne michaels documentary

 in the afternoon i went to see the documentary about Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of 'Saturday night live', at the mall in Eden Prairie. the official title is 'Lorne'. i know full well that docs usually don't have a wide appeal so i said, 'i need to see it now'. only one screening per day at this and other theaters in the area, and i was just one of three attendees, so i made the right choice. i liked it more than the Jason Reitman-directed 'Saturday Night', which was about the first episode of the variety show back in 1975. it helps that the doc covers a much wider timeframe. i liked seeing familiar clips such as 'Wayne's World', and Lorne produced it when this became a movie. also liked seeing how David Spade was part of this doc. i guess it did make sense that Mr. Michaels tried other ventures after that first five-year stint, but i wasn't too familiar with those shows as they didn't last long. i knew that Lorne became SNL producer again after a five-year absence. knowing about his gigs before SNL such as being a writer on 'laugh-in' was a nice discovery. when i was leaving the theater i did hear from the IMAX auditorium a song from the Michael Jackson biopic, but i currently have no plans to see it. i am more of a fan of his sister, Janet, and i found out that Janet wanted nothing to do with the movie. i actually used two loyalty programs while at the mall, and one of those was the movie theater chain, AMC. the other was the Barnes and Noble book shop, and i found a Charlie Brown book in their discount section. and i found a Charlie Brown seat cushion, and stickers, at the Mini-so store before that. when i got home i watched some of the baseball game on fox, cubs-dodgers. then i went to get groceries at Aldi as i wanted to get there before closing time. i missed the big inning when the dodgers went ahead, and they won by a wide margin in this one. there was an interview with Rick Monday, honoring the 50th anniversary of his saving a flag during a game. in the morning i went to the post office and picked up two boxes. one was the amazon orders, a birthday gift for my niece in Iowa. the other was a gift sent by a friend in st. louis. for lunch i had a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. i liked how i found more to do besides just the DMV trip to renew my license plates. i got it done early, arriving shortly after the place had opened for the day. there was light rain but i didn't have to wait outside for long as the line moved along quick enough. i also got a snack and juice at the nearby holiday gas station when i was done. i wanted something light as i already had cereal for breakfast before i hit the road. 

string cheese after copies

 i went to the copy store to print an event ticket in the morning. i was more willing to order event tickets again after waiting a week due to issues with my Hotmail account. for whatever reason, i couldn't get in when trying to log in on my laptop. it meant logging in on my phone, which i don't like near as much since it is a much smaller screen and i am more likely to get kicked off, multiple times. then it was on to Walgreen. i bought string cheese there for the first time in a while as the refrigerated aisle doors are unlocked again. i also got cookies, and a drink. two checks for payroll printed and different employee names on them. i was told it was fine to have them lumped together and these will be held for pick-up on Monday. i got recognized by a colleague, just for sending check copies. it isn't my most favorite duty in my job description, but i still like any recognition for the work that i do. the boss mentioned a toner cartridge was delivered late in the day, except the mailroom didn't have one. i said i can't use it if it is a laser jet, as we use a different kind for check printing. in the evening i first went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery. i chatted the most with a dude who spoke of being a janitor at the mall of America. i spoke of the stores and exhibits and food outlets i go to the most at that mall. then it was off to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries, where i spoke to an employee that my only weekend plans were 'a boring trip to the DMV', sorry to disappoint. 

third tech visit

 this morning we had the third tech visit of the week. hopefully it is the final one for a while. much like the previous two, it was in the morning. much like the most recent one, it was to swap out belts. this time the boss was in the shop and had questions, as expected. i did say to the boss how i reported it early but we couldn't find much at first. the backlog went down after spiking a little, now it is one thousand four hundred. this is no doubt more manageable. there was a weird message in the shared box. i saw a tracking number for checks i had overnighted two weeks ago. the question was if the checks were cut and sent out, and the tracking number said it was already delivered. it seemed to be the main research that i could do and asked what else could be done. i said i had done my part. when vacation replacement heard about it, the response was that some people have no common sense. i had the craft brew from Decorah with my evening meal, then got another can of beer at the liquor store. this time it was a Hamm's, and now there still are four beers waiting. i often pay attention to music where i am, and in the store a rap song was playing. i found it was called 'snap yo fingers', by lil jon. the most memorable lyric was 'you can do it all by yourself'. 

this time a rachel

 we had another department luncheon; this time it was for the boss's birthday. we went to the same place as last month, it was D-Brian's. i decided to get a different sandwich though, a Rachel instead of a Reuben. i found out the main difference was the meat in it. a Reuben has corned beef, and a Rachel has turkey. it still tasted good, so it works for me. there was a town hall dial-in meeting just before it. i was called by my boss, asking if i was attending the luncheon. i said i was waiting for the elevator, one of three waiting. good thing i got on the first one when the door opened, even though it was going up and i needed to go down, to the main floor. it did not stop on my floor on the way down, so it paid off to take the scenic route. it must be a busy time of day for the elevators due to lunch. i wouldn't know as i am usually staying on the same floor and having lunch in the breakroom, a can of soup. only one who skipped it was vacation replacement. in the morning i went to another floor as the team lead said there was donuts brought in from Krispy Kreme, and i got one. the checks for the tax specialist were late. i was busy with various things and did not see the request to send the checks to the Brooklyns due to working from home. i saw it right before i left for the luncheon. there was a small volume of returned checks to forward on, and the mailroom sent me a 'blue company envelope'. the boss wanted check copies or four different business lines, although some of them we hardly ever print for. these were found on three different tabs in the system i print from. 

special project update

 at work i had to ask about the special project, doing refund checks for the Jacksonville file. this was the first day since it started where the volume was under two thousand for the day. we were told that it was due to some checks rejecting. and the remaining volume is just over four thousand, so it should all be done at the end of the week. due to the high volume from it and the Fargo file, not all checks were sent out same day. the total left over was three thousand five hundred. i do my best to see that any carryover is done first the next day, though. in accounting i know this was called 'first in, first out'. the boss said the business line still hasn't sent us their cost center for the supply order to cover the volume. the machine stalled again and i let the tech know and there will be another tech visit the next morning. 

client freaking out

 at work i hear all kinds of things. one thing in particular was from an instant message, saying 'the client is freaking out'. it was about an overnighted check that i got into the UPS box but still wasn't picked up yet. i didn't like how it was related to something i have no control over. same is true with when i get a check to print. it is not my fault if the business line claims it was sent to me late, which makes it sound like it can't be late when i get it. i say it all the time, how it is up to UPS to pick up and deliver once i get it in the box. a payroll check was picked up. the mailroom sent me refund checks from Fargo. a tech arrived for the inserter machine, in the morning, but nothing was found. the unit still stalled around midday, but so far turning it off and turning it back on after a few minutes has allowed us to run more checks through. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about the milkshake blender, seeing a documentary, a last-minute ticket offer, and the bank. 

american dream movie

 just before midday i went to see a movie in the MSP film festival, it was 'American dream'. it was a documentary about the strike at the Hormel plant in Austin, Minnesota, in the 1980s. it was originally released in 1990, if i am not mistaken. every so often i said 'yep' in a muted voice, as what was being depicted was sad but true. i was annoyed with the grandstanding that a retired college professor was doing during the Q and A. i had a question answered in the lobby after this was done, by two members in blue jackets that said, 'press corps', who had covered the strike for the star tribune paper. one of them showed the book written about it and said it was available at amazon. this was the final day of the 12-day event. i didn't like the parking in the area, again. tried paying at a meter, street parking, it kept canceling my purchase. then i went to a ramp, and it was all QR codes. i found free street parking, blocks away. i missed some of the presenters but made it before the movie started. i went to Bobby and Steve's for a sandwich and milkshake after the movie. the blender wasn't working that well, only speed working was 'less thick'.  the attendant said a tech was called but arrival would be the next day. in the morning i did the laundry and had some coffee at a nearby caribou. 

no food order for suite

 i went to the Minnesota Twins baseball game in the afternoon, a free ticket offered by my employer. except i found out upon arrival that there was no food order for the suite. and the refrigerator, full of beer, was locked up. it was still the first inning, so i went to another level and found my lunch. i got a 'big dog' hot dog, chips, and a can of root beer. the twins led for most of the game, but Cincinnati chipped away in the late innings and the twins lost, 5-4. I'm not going to complain at all as i got in free. i knew no one in the suite. there was a bag of popcorn in the suite and i did eat some of it. after the game, i liked finding the framed commemorative baseball jersey in honor of the green day concert at this stadium from over a year ago. this was a show that i had attended. in the morning i went to the post office, except there were no orders to pick up. i was trading text messages with my niece and said i placed an order for her elder daughter's birthday through the amazon gift list. i wanted to get it done before any more time passed as it is less than a month away. i moved up going to get groceries at Aldi, going around midday. i liked how it still gave me enough time to take the light rail to the game. the last-minute change in the schedule meant that i did not attend the two meetup events i had signed up for. i knew full well that i would have neither the time, nor the energy, to attend those events after being at the game. i had the evening meal at home and watched a baseball game on fox. matchup was braves vs. Phillies and the braves won. 

dolly parton, special magazine

 we all know how i like those special magazines about famous people or historic events. i bought one this morning at Walgreen, about Dolly Parton. there were two available, at the same price. i chose the one published by rolling stone. it appears the other one, from people magazine, was just recycled articles and covers from over the years. i liked being able to compare before choosing, as i am aware that not all choices are the same, no matter what the product is. i saw an email in the morning that arrived after i had left for the day that was about a check from the newer Cincinnati file. i said what i could do, since it had already been approved, is to print it and send it to the shred bin. near my lunchtime i saw an instant message from the mailroom, asking me to pick up the empty mail tubs and the boxes of UPS envelopes that had just arrived. i said normally these were brought to the shop, but i was told that they were behind on things since some deliveries had arrived late. not a big deal, i am no stranger to using carts to get things moved. and if i don't have the mail tubs by the end of my lunch, i go there to pick them up anyway. there was a request to overnight a check to a different address in Canada. the one in the email was already on the check, though. but a different city in the province of Ontario than where the first check was sent. the boss called in the afternoon, offering me a ticket to the Minnesota Twins baseball game this weekend. i accepted. this would be just the second game that i have seen in the bank's suite. there was a dial-in meeting in the morning, i was barely paying attention to it. as i recall, it was mostly about AI. at one point the moderator spoke of 'hallucinogens'. in the evening i went to get groceries at the Hy-Vee in Eagan. the employee that asks about my weekend plans was my cashier, and i was impressed by the memory of hearing that one of the previous plans was a hockey game. i also got a can of jack and coke at the adjacent liquor store, before going to the grocery part. 

follies movie

 in the evening i went to a movie in Edina in a film festival, called 'follies'. it was a subtitled French-Canadian film. the director, who also stars in it, was scheduled to appear but was ill. a statement was read by a rep of the film festival. i like this satellite venue, as there is a free parking ramp next to the theater. easy in and easy out. i left fairly early as i wanted to be on time for the movie and get the evening meal handled near the venue. i picked up a sandwich from a holiday gas station, two blocks over. we were given ballots when entering the auditorium, where we tear to give our rating, range between one to five stars. i gave it a three. the movie had its moments, no doubt. but parts of it left a lot to be desired. it was about a married couple with two daughters deciding to have an open relationship. there were various 'acts' or chapters of the attempts made at this goal, to become happier. some worked better than others. but in the end, it didn't seem like the end result was realistic in terms of what one would have expected to happen. there was one scene inspired by the movie 'eyes wide shut'. i have seen it but not in a while. after the movie i walked around a little before getting back in my car and heading home. i stopped at a nearby Walgreen and picked up a few items. all happened to be ones that i haven't had before. this included a can of Celsius, mango lemonade flavor. along with a sponge bob-themed popsicle. i consumed both of those right away and was pleased with the choice. the third item was discounted easter candy, two pieces of Dunkin donuts eggs. i will have those soon enough. at work there was inquiry from a senior leader about a Fargo check. i recognized what business line it was from and copied the contacts for it. i also saw a weird error message on the inserter machine, it said 'motor stalled'. i re-booted it and was able to run some more checks through, then shut it off for lunch. i didn't get that error for the rest of the day. i called the remote help line to ask for advice about it. the tech responded on my laptop phone and said if it is up and running again, then we could wait to see how it performs in the near future. 

rare check overnighted

there was a request to overnight a rare check, actually 'return to business line', in this case Cincinnati. there is a 'companion' file that we see on the daily. this one in particular we don't see most days, and when we do it is just one. i checked and since New Year's Day this is just the third check i had printed for this business line. i was informed of this plan before seeing the check and i said it is best to email me as i can more easily send back the tracking number when it is available. this was the first day of the special project, a file that is normally just twenty checks a day recently said there would be a spike in volume, in the thousands. the business line is based in Jacksonville. the boss had previously said that when this happens, we will do two thousand checks a day. and we have to bill it to their cost center due to having to order enough check stock and envelopes to cover the volume. we saw these checks in the afternoon, and not all of them went out the same day. but i will send out as many as i can each day. sounds like the final volume expected will be just over half of what we were told at the outset. i know this has happened before as well. 

small business checks

 every so often, i get a special request from a colleague about certain checks. this one was to pull it from the PDF file, and i did. i was correct to do just that at first and then wait to hear more. sometimes it is just to send it to the shred bin, but not this time. it was to overnight it to San Diego. i recognized the business line, it does small business checks. it meant i didn't have to create a separate label for it as i am sending them checks on the daily most of the time. i prefer to lump together checks whenever possible, as it saves on overnight labels and envelopes. when i found this out i sent the tracking number and got a thank you. vacation replacement was not in, mention of being ill. it means that returned checks for our internal business line can stay in the shop a little longer. not a big deal as the volume is low. 

defunct check file?

 at work, the boss called me about four check files in particular. three of them i print regularly, but i had to say that the fourth is one that i haven't seen at all in my time with the bank. vacation replacement said it was a file once printed in our shop, but not even during his tenure. i am aware that the boss has more questions about check files since the main system that we print from will be going away later this year. there was also a late email saying the boss would be out of the office until the end of the week. in the morning i went to a copy store and printed an event ticket. this works out just fine because i don't need to log into my email and spend more to do so. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about a Facebook photo from years ago still getting reactions, the supermom, the bank, an america-250 weekend, and going to the Julia Child exhibit. 

rear window movie

 just before midday i went to see a movie in Columbia heights, it was 'rear window' as part of this year's Hitchcock film festival. i like Jimmy Stewart and this one had me guessing until the end. i knew this movie as being parodied on 'the Simpsons' and name-checked in a Lady Gaga song. this was 'bad romance'. it was my second visit to this theater, and while there i got an idea for another visit. there is a Cary Grant series starting soon, seven movies in all. i prefer to make it count and will likely just see one of them. when i already have 'affair to remember' on DVD, then of course that one is out. there was a good crowd for this screening, the second of two at this venue. i still know it as the sister theater to the trylon, which i get to more often. after the movie it was time for lunch and i went to a buffet in a plaza, one block over. probably a good thing that i don't go to buffets much as there is always a temptation to overeat. i stopped before i felt full, though. i liked how there was soft-serve ice cream there, so i had some. i tried to watch a united football league game when i got home, but i was tired. the St. Louis Battlehawks were home against the Birmingham Stallions. i decided to lay down at halftime and when i woke up it was near the end of the game, but St. Louis went on to win it. i had the evening meal and then near the end of the night i did the dishes. 

great awakening movie

 in the evening i went to see the movie 'great awakening', in Woodbury. it had been a minute since i had seen a movie in this theater, as i like my loyalty programs. this one isn't a part of the AMC or Emagine chains. i figured it would be a good idea to sit up front, but not in this theater. one is way too close to the screen in the first row. when the movie began, i moved back two rows, and it was a much better view. i did not recognize any of the actors in it, but i cared more about the story. even though i majored in history, the preacher in it, George Whitefield, wasn't in any of the history books i had read. this was ben franklin's friend. there was a hymn in it that i recognized from easter services, a Wesley hymn as Whitefield knew the Wesleys. this was 'love divine'. it did have the feel of many other biopics i had seen, where some but not all of franklin's accomplishments were mentioned. and i knew full well to expect the discovery of electricity with the kite and key as it was in the previews. i liked how it ended on a high note, as franklin didn't love all that long after the constitutional convention. nothing in his life was depicted after that. little or nothing was depicted from the American revolutionary war as i recall, it was more about events before and after it. i have been to franklin's home in London, which still stands, unlike the one in Philadelphia, and i have been to that city too. there were things to do before this event, though. i went to a lecture at the Minnesota history center just before midday, it was about John Adams. then i had lunch in the restaurant district just down the road near the hockey arena, at a pizza place. after lunch i returned to the museum and toured the Julia Child exhibit. i was there until just before closing time, but i wanted to get a good look around. i found out Julia was spoofed on 'Saturday night live' and 'sesame street'. it is proof that one is famous if one has been spoofed. it made me feel old when i saw VHS tapes on display as a museum artifact as i still have some of those. then i made it to Aldi for groceries before i went to the movie. 

patriotic rubber ducks

 in the morning i made it to Walgreen and bought more than just cookies and a drink. in the seasonal aisle i saw some patriotic rubber ducks and bought two of them. one looks like Uncle Sam and the other looks like the statue of liberty. both were a buck-fifty so i could justify that amount easily, so two more america-250 items have been acquired. in the evening i went to the Dunkin donuts in Eagan and got coffee and a donut, then headed to the Hy-Vee. saw the cashier that often recognizes me. i chatted with another employee before checking out, picking up some Oreos. although i was bored with hearing about her life as a supermom and paralegal. she couldn't get her facts straight about famous people, either. at work i added a day off to our team's calendar, in early June. i got a rare call on my laptop phone, the courier needed help with finding the building. this was the delivery of the check stock order. there was mention of a wallpaper and screen saver change as well. this might explain why the team lead spoke at the huddle about our website where we log into payroll, since it has changed too, showing us palm trees. don't know how this affects me though, as i leave for the day after logging out and finally seeing a 'blue screen' with the time on it. 

dead battery was culprit

 the doorbell to the check shop was finally fixed in the afternoon, after a month of waiting. the tech arrived just as i was about to leave for lunch, but it was handled fairly quickly. i decided to eat my lunch in the shop, on an alternate table from where i do most of my work. the tech said the culprit was dead batteries, and those were swapped out. i helped with testing it, and that is what i said when the second work order was created. i wanted techs to show up when i am there so i could help with testing. i was told the first visit, the one before my start time for the day, was likely from building management and not his company. a check for payroll was picked up in the morning, and another in the afternoon, not long after the doorbell was up and running again. payroll is now in the same building, but on floor 13. i guess this building does not skip that floor, but some do. two boxes of envelopes arrived, but there are still two others that i am waiting for. i let my colleague know and found out the courier envelopes hadn't been ordered yet. i liked how another thing was finally handled, a check that was on dashboard for two weeks that was awaiting approval. it was the proverbial 'get off the pot'. i let I.T. know this time, as letting the business line know yielded no response. found out the check was no longer needed, so the line item was removed. a check for the manager that likes karaoke was sent to another floor late in the afternoon, after i had sent the regular mail tubs to the mailroom. i stopped on main floor to send UPS envelopes to the box, then i was on my way. it was a 'drop and leave' as the manager was in a conference room waiting for a dial-in meeting to begin. in the evening i drank the can of miller lite with my meal and now there are three beers waiting. 

table about tech conference

 when i was on my way back to the shop after the rescheduled team huddle, i was on the main floor and decided to ask what the table near the turnstiles was about. it was an upcoming technology conference if i am not mistaken, but i don't know how i could make my role more efficient. and it sounds like these are long sessions and i have just one vacation replacement. i did pick up a plastic cup with the bank's logo on it, after playing their 'Plinko' game. there were 11 boxes of check stock just outside the door of the shop when i made it back. sometimes i have to leave the floor, it can't be helped. i got out a cart and brought them in, making two trips to complete it. i was asked to hold a payroll check until the next day, not a big deal. the team huddle did speak of the survey that is due soon, i said i would do it once i got another reminder. the boss asked for the cost center from the business line related to the special project, as we've ordered the supplies already to cover the demand. i was asked for a tracking number on the Cincinnati file, even though this business line sends them to me. it was related to me saying i was using just one label after noticing three checks were going to the same address in NYC. once i checked the tracking, i found out delivery had been delayed, something about the incorrect suite number. good chance it gets sent back to Oregon. 

early arrival, tax specialist

 i saw an instant message from the tax specialist asking about a Canadian check. i said it wasn't printed yet but i could get it done soon, just needed to swap out the check stock for the Canadian kind. it was afternoon and i had just printed the main ad-hoc file of tax checks, 18 in all. normally these would all be picked up the next morning, but i was told the Canadian check needed to go out same day to avoid fines. i was asked where the UPS box is, as this dude is new to the building. i said it was on the main floor between two food outlets, in the hall. the boss was ill, so our team huddle didn't happen. i was given a PO box address for a PDF check that had no address on it. this is a rare occurrence. the big envelope order arrived, then i asked when the check stock order would be arriving. looks like the supplier still needed the purchase order, and a colleague sent it on my behalf. 

yellow bird tops

 in the evening i went to a Walgreen to see what easter candy was available since it would be discounted. i chose two tubes of Reese's peanut butter mini-cups, and these had yellow bird tops on them. while there i responded to a text message from my niece, who said there would be no birthday party for her elder daughter, but a wish list would be available on Facebook. i also got some cheese sticks and a Charlie Brown gift box. at work it was largely uneventful. there was a check for the manager that likes karaoke, it was in the second i-pay file of the day. i was asked to hold it until the next day as she was working from home. before i made it to Walgreen i went to the copy store and printed an event ticket, an upcoming history lecture. 

bunny cookies

 i went to the Easter Sunday service at a church in downtown St. Paul. there was an Easter egg hunt after the service for the kids, so they wanted us adults to leave the sanctuary right away. it meant going to the fellowship hall, where i had some cheese, juice, and a bunny cookie. when i got home it was time for lunch, and another day of frying up some Spam and boiling some ramen noodles. now there is just one noodle packet that remains from the February purchase. i watched some Charlie Brown DVDs, i was a little behind on that. there was the 'Easter beagle', then the first Valentines special. i went to mall of America in the early evening for a blizzard treat at dairy queen. i also wanted to have pizza there, but i noticed some of the food outlets were closed. either closed all day due to the holiday or had closed early. since this was true of my preferred choices, i didn't eat there. i got a sandwich and some juice at a speedway gas station. then i went to a bar, but found out there was no open-mic, also likely due to the holiday. i did chat a little with a bar patron that had recognized me from performing, though. in the evening i called my dad, who said he'd received the event invite from my cousin. then after the call i did the dishes. 

thief movie

 in the evening i went to see a movie at the trylon, it was 'thief', starring James Caan. also in it was Willie Nelson, but in a small role. Jim Belushi had more screen time than Willie did. this was about a safe cracker that wanted to do one last job, and the setting was Chicago. i laughed at times as James proved to be witty, or just plain dour. a reminder of the setting was seeing a bag from the jewel grocery store, which is common in the Chicago metro area. i will likely get to another movie at this venue next month. the day was also about errand running. in the morning i went to the post office, but no orders to be picked up. i moved up going to Aldi for groceries, going there just after lunch was done. i did some cooking, frying up some spam and boiling some ramen noodles. before lunch i went to have some change counted at the credit union. there was a sign up that said pennies would no longer be accepted later in the month, but then a teller said that was no longer true and said it was being taken down. over four dollars in change went into my savings account. after i went to Aldi, i went to see the St. Paul Saints baseball game, my first of the season. the weather report didn't look good, but a full nine-inning game was played. i chose this day as i wanted the magnet schedule. the saints lost to Worcester, the Red Sox team, 5-3. there were some snow flurries during the game. there was plenty of the long ball, but i am used to this by now. with triple-a baseball, those players have to be good hitters just to make it this far. since i ate before i made it to the stadium, i didn't need as much when i was there. it was just as well, as there was a small crowd due to the chilly weather and not every concession stand was open. i got some hot chocolate, then later on some cheese curds. i chatted with an usher for a while during the game. i bought two souvenirs. there was the license plate magnet, and a Softee baseball. i did have a brief interlude at home, then i went to have a sandwich at a holiday gas station before heading to the movie. i didn't do much after the movie. 

clorets chewing gum

 in the evening i went to eat at mall of America, at A and W. i had a fish sandwich, and this rounded out my fish fry tour for the Lenten season. then i went to get some ice cream at a cookie place as i wanted some airline miles. and after that it was to the Japan store as i call it, 'Ebisu'. i bought two more Charlie Brown items there. one of them was Clorets chewing gum, the other was Snoopy popcorn that was produced by Frito-Lay. good thing i got the gum this time as there weren't many containers left compared to my most recent visit about six weeks ago. then it was on to Hy-Vee in Eagan, for a nine-item order that included a can of Spam. i still have some ramen noodle packets remaining and the Spam will help with using up the noodles. at work, i let a business line know that a check has been stuck in 'awaiting approval' for over a week. it was time to say something, but who knows when this shared box will respond? when two checks for our tax specialist were picked up by the courier, i looked at one of them and noticed it went to another office first. this led to me saying i had no idea there were other tax specialists, i found out his team has fifteen people on it. this means it is a larger team than the one i am on. in the morning, i saw the manager that likes karaoke when i was picking up the reject fax. i wasn't expecting to see anyone on the floor as usually it is deserted on a Friday. there was mention of how 'easter Monday' is a holiday in Ireland, and the bank has offices there. i also saw a senior leader before leaving the floor and we chatted a little before his dial-in meeting began. 

no twin labels

i had a question from a colleague based in the Marshall office, it was about the UPS overnight labels i print. i said i print just one per envelope. sounds like their office prints two per envelope and one of them goes inside. i said usually i am asked to send a check and nothing else. when i was shown how to do the overnighting no one said i needed to print each label twice. and it would be hard to justify doing so when i do a high volume of overnights. the previous day, i did forty. i got a closer look at the invite that my cousin sent me and it looks like no day off is needed for me to attend it. this makes the logistics easier for me. i still need to make reservations such as for the hotel, though. it was popcorn day, i like doing this event, on the skyway level. i made a point of saying this to one of the people handling the popcorn table. i am aware of how the higher headcount in this building is likely why there are more events for employees at the current location than the previous one. the boss was in the shop and saw the email about a special project for the Jacksonville file soon. i responded to it when i saw it and said we don't have enough envelopes and check stock to cover the volume; we would need to order it. this is a file where we get just twenty checks on most days, but there have been times where the volume will spike into the thousands. in the evening i drank the can of a mixed drink. it was called 'cold brooze', whiskey and coffee, and was produced in Texas. i went to the liquor store and got a can of blue moon so there still are four beers waiting.  

train delay, lawsuit threat

i know one thing i don't miss from no longer doing call center work is what i called 'the daily lawsuit threat'. i heard one of these in the morning. there was a delay on the train taking me to work, actually two. the second one was longer. we had to get off the train and wait for the next one. and once we had re-boarded there was a dude near me who said he'd be suing. for what? far as i know, there were no injuries or fatalities. this was the first time i had sent a text to vacation replacement once i was given the current number. it was the typical 'train is late' then 'i am back on' and these texts were about seven minutes apart. there still are riders that end up arguing with the fare enforcement team when unable to produce a paid fare. one of them spoke about a birthday in the family. i had a request from the Kansas City business line to add four more checks to the 'return to business line' envelope. at the outset it was only going to be two. after finding three of the four, i was told the fourth was already slated to be overnighted to the address on the check. then i found it. when vacation replacement arrived in the shop, i handed off the returned checks for our group, it was just five. near the end of the day, the boss was in the shop and sent two scanned checks to an I.T. rep and now the MICR line is fine. we found out there was some confusion about which one i was asking to have moved down, as there were two files but one of these, we don't see near as often and has a much lower volume as well when we do see it. 

team kudo board

an employee in another office, in Marshall, shared a plan to start a 'team kudo board'. it was in relation to being recognized by our colleagues. hard to say if i will participate, though. i do get these and sometimes my boss responds when i get them but i just want to get my work done. there was a response to a year-old email in the morning, saw it when i arrived for the day. then i was told to disregard it, okay. i did a quick dial-in meeting with the boss, who was working remotely. there was a question about the contact for the court file, i said it likely was someone in Arizona who has a cowboy hat on in his photo. a big shipment of envelopes arrived just minutes after a check was picked up. it was the full 27-box order instead of just the 14-box backorder. since it is the end of the month, i decided to order fewer boxes for April. all about ordering what i need, no more no less. an instant message from commercial customer service after i had left for the day, i responded on arrival. it was asking about payee names on checks. i said i had seen some long names and it should be fine to continue onto the second line. then i got the acknowledgement of my answer later in the day. i spoke to the manager that likes karaoke about alternate plans as i see the weather report for this week's St. Paul Saints baseball games. if a game is postponed, i would still like to see a game in the same series, if at all possible. near the end of the day, vacation replacement showed up to pick up some returned checks. i did hear the reason for being absent the previous day. something about how his cousin is getting divorced and wanting to advise him about it. getting an attorney is good advice. other things were related to finance, due to working in finance. seeing things like the other party cleaning out a joint account. in the evening i got an event invite through Facebook from a cousin. now i would like to figure out the logistics of attending.  

self-slap meme

at work there was an instant message asking me to disregard a check that been approved in the Cincinnati file. i said i could print it and just send it to the shred bin, and i did. i noticed there was a meme after this, and it was a yellow face slapping itself. it reminded me of a beer commercial from Amstel light, with a deadpan delivery. as a man in a lab coat at the brewery slapped himself. 'Sorry, we're from Amsterdam, we didn't know light beer was supposed to suck'. the commercial is still really funny to me and i like viewing it on YouTube. another payroll check was picked up. i decided to add myself to an email thread about sending returned checks to st. louis, but by the end of the day there was no response, even though i said 'please advise'. i also said the two main options were regular mail, or inter-office. i did a dial-in meeting mid-morning about work orders and it was mainly facility managers. i spoke of the unfinished work order i had created and was told i was the main contact for the department i am in. this is likely due to being the main employee in the check shop. it reminded me a little of an old sitcom. in the evening i went to perform. it did stories about the bank, attending a fish fry, seeing a play, seeing a movie, and two times i said i wasn't tech-savvy. 

scream 7 movie

 in the early afternoon i went to see 'scream 7', in Edina, at Southdale mall. i know i hadn't seen all of the previous movies in this franchise, i can only recall seeing 1,2, and 5. it is a reminder of how the movie industry has changed in the past 30 years. i have one of them on DVD, it is in a blockbuster case. and i saw '5' as a Redbox rental. both of those companies have ceased to exist as we know it. i watched my DVD copy of '1' in the morning, then went to have lunch at McDonald's. after lunch i headed to the movie. it was a good thing i re-watched that disc as movie franchises often copy things from earlier installments. it is what the fans expect, and often want, as it is familiar. i laughed a decent amount while watching it, so i enjoyed my time there. my only Halloween costume is the 'Ghostface' costume inspired by these movies, but i wasn't wearing it at this screening. it does remind me of where i was living when i saw '1' and '2', though, which was West Des Moines, Iowa. i paid my rent down the block in a costume shop and that shop sold the costume, but i didn't buy it there. i bought it after i had moved to suburban Chicago. some of the previews were of other horror movies, but the 'scream' franchise seems to be the only one i really like from that genre. after the movie i went to print two years of tax returns at a FedEx office. it worked just fine on printing with a release code as it was self-service. i found out the St. Paul Saints ticket i had ordered can be sent to google wallet, so one less thing that i needed to print. i had used that app just once so far, for the world junior hockey tournament. when i attend plenty of Saints games each season, this saves me some trips to the copy store to print those tickets out. after the copy store i got gas at a nearby speedway gas station and went inside for some snacks as well. i was getting annoyed with the clerk, though. he was flirting with the lady in front of me and then wanted to lecture me about still using the loyalty card and said i should be using the app. i didn't do much after getting home. i did the dishes, then hooked up my phone to recharge the battery. 

mrs. parker, mr. porter play

 in the evening i went to a play inside the loft literary center building in Minneapolis, called 'Mrs. parker, Mr. porter'. it was about writer Dorothy Parker, and musician Cole Porter. the staging reminded me of the round theater, just down the street a little. first time i recall being there for something that wasn't a loft event, an organization that i am a member of. there was plenty of music in it, and plenty of Dorothy quips. one of them was familiar from the movie i had seen where Jennifer Jason Leigh played her, the one ending with 'you might as well live'. at one point i could tell what happened likely wasn't in the script, it was when an actor had sat down in a chair at the edge of the 'stage' and a drink was spilled. good show, thankful i attended it. the card said it was a world premiere, through 'stage north'. i had seen it promoted at a venue i perform in. i did plenty of chores and errand running before heading to the play. there was going to the post office to mail two letters to family. while there i picked up a sheet of stamps of American revolution battlefields. i tried to print some things at FedEx office but it just wasn't happening, unable to get logged into Hotmail on one of their computers. i didn't like how an employee wasn't helpful at all, claiming it was due to 'caps lock' when it wasn't. i was able to get logged in at home, so i know it had nothing to do with the password i was typing in. i had lunch at Jersey Mike's and got groceries at Aldi. i tried another FedEx and was told, as expected, the issue was too much security that prevented me from getting logged in. i liked how an alternate idea was given- if PDF then send it to one of our printers and make a note of the code emailed to you when it is sent to get it released. after this i went to eat at chick-fil-a. it does remind me of what i have said before- 'don't get frustrated, get smarter' when i am trying to figure out technology issues. 

a different bridge traveled

 i went to another fish fry in the evening and this is a venue i had been to before. this time a different bridge was used to get there. i was going by the directions given by MapQuest, and it worked out just fine. it meant i wasn't going uphill to get to the church. this was St. Matt's in St. Paul. i liked not just the view of the river while on the bridge, but also of the skyline. there was music, and i decided to sit closer this time. but it also helped that i didn't have a cup of beer to carry on my food tray. my food was brought to me. recognized just one song played, it was 'pop goes the weasel'. now there is one more fish fry to attend during this season. then it was on to the Hy-Vee in Eagan. i did see the employee i sometimes chat with and was asked about weekend plans, i said it was to see a movie. at work i was sent some recognition for the check copy requests that i handle. near the end of the day i did acknowledge and respond to it, saying thank you. i asked vacation replacement about doing these and the response was the PDF files are not as fun to search as the other ones. i said i don't enjoy doing those as my understood marching orders are to get the live checks out. but i will admit it is nice to hear some appreciation from anyone for what i do. i also asked the supplier when the backorder on the envelopes would be arriving for the Fargo files. just half of the order had arrived this month. sounds like the rest of it should be delivered early next week. 

no color logos

 at work i was asked if there are any colors on the checks i print, and i said no. another issue on getting started in the morning, this time i saw weird characters on the checks instead of DDA digits. looks like we just had to wait until all of the software updates took place, even though i figured this would have happened overnight. another check was sent to the manager that likes karaoke, in the afternoon. this was a 'drop and leave' as she was in a meeting and i had other things i needed to get done. another check was printed for payroll, when i notified that department i was told to hold it until Monday. day four of the food events was donuts from cardigan again, this time i got an actual donut instead of donut holes. in the evening i had a can of natural ice with my meal. i also went to the nearby liquor store and got a can of toppling goliath, brewed in Decorah, Iowa. i still have four beers waiting. 

genuine legal tender bill

 i was surprised by what i received near the end of the workday. vacation replacement spoke of a gift, figured it was a joke in reference to being sent mail to be sent out. but it wasn't. it was a two-dollar bill, commemorative related to my 'animal year' with the Chinese New Year. i did say thank you and asked if there was anything i could do in return. day three of the food events was sandwiches from Jimmy John's. i had two small sandwiches, although i think one had no bread at all and was just wrapped in lettuce. notable about the morning was how long it took to get logged in. i knew something wasn't right as all i saw was a 'globe icon'. this means the wi-fi isn't working. i know things are fine if i see a 'fountain icon' as it means the wi-fi is up and running. eventually i asked for help by going to another floor and was advised to choose my own wi-fi system, something that i didn't have to do before. i was also on an email thread related to a check from the PDF file. i said it wasn't overnighted as i didn't see this word in the comment section. with another check, the newer Cincinnati file, there was too many questions after i said two checks going to the same place would go in the same envelope and which label wasn't being used. i say this as a courtesy in case there is questions about why there is no activity on one of the labels. it meant not only forwarding back one of the labels. but also sending a 'screen snip' to prove who the other requestor was. 

eraser found

 in the evening i went on a walk and one place i went into i had hoped to find some coins on the floor. instead, i found an eraser, looks like a perfectly good one to me, so i claimed it. day two on food events at work was bagels. i chose one with what i understood was strawberry spread but i think it was plain spread when i tasted it. there were more 'pull and shred' requests on the fraud file than typical. one requestor sent four, but i found only one. another requestor i am familiar with from discussing st. louis sent one a little late. i heard the instant message ping, sent after the email, this helped with having enough time to find it. there was the department, or team, luncheon, at d-Brian's, a place i chose as it is my birthday month. i ordered a Reuben sandwich, most places have one and can't go too far wrong with it. 

printed, why not forwarded?

 near the end of the workday i send the mail tubs to the mailroom. one of those employees decided to give me a printed email about retuned checks i send to st. louis, which goes through digital mail. i said it was better to just forward me the email thread so i can ask more questions there. and i say i like being able to copy someone on an email to keep them in the loop. a check was picked up by the payroll department. there was some surprise that the doorbell still wasn't fixed yet. i sent another check to a different floor. it was for the manager that likes karaoke, but i was told to leave it with the team lead. and while there, i did the first of the food events for employee appreciation week. it was donuts from cardigan, i chose some donut holes. there was some confusion on a check i had scanned. i said it needs an overnight label, as there was no address on it. on my response when there were questions, i said if it is intended to go regular mail then i need to know where. eventually i was sent an overnight label. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about an open house, a meetup event, a movie conversation, drink tickets, and the bank. 

matewan movie

 in the evening i went to the trylon and saw the movie 'Matewan'. i wanted to see it as James Earl Jones is in it. i also ended up liking another character, it was the teenage preacher. the music in it was good. notable was the song 'gathering storm' by hazel dickens. this was during a funeral scene. after i had seen the movie i found out she performed some other songs for this same movie. this was about trying to establish a labor union in a coal mining town. it was the second movie i have seen in the 'bad company'- or evil corporation- series being done at this theater. i had some popcorn while there. and before the movie, i chatted a little more with the cub foods dude that i saw at the screening of 'Soylent green' a little over two weeks ago. the dude was surprised that i had seen 'goat' but i did say the music in it helped. something about not expecting me to like animated movies. there are some more movies that i would like to see at this venue real soon, but i am still trying to figure out the logistics. my guess is i will continue to average at least one movie a month there, based on what is scheduled for the next few months. i made it to Aldi for groceries just before midday and had breakfast at McDonald's. the college basketball tournament is ongoing, i watched some of the games on CBS. i know Iowa stunned Florida to make it to the regionals.  i was following the score a little before leaving for the movie. i watched st. john's beat Kansas. 

rochester dude, meetup event

 i went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery in Robbinsdale in the mid-afternoon. notable about being there was meeting a dude that drove up from Rochester and spoke of working in i.t. at mayo clinic. surprised me that someone would travel that far for an event. i had one beer and some popcorn and stayed until the end of the time allotment. actually, a little past that. i said i needed to get the evening meal, and i went to the nearby McDonald's. i wanted a shamrock shake with my meal and got one. when i was eating my meal i noticed some young people nearby. a dude was badgering a lady and eventually backed off. after i was done i went to the gas station at Hy-Vee down the road. before the event i went to the dollar tree and got a bottle of dish soap. a little weird going back to this area as it was familiar from working nearby, but the move was already over a year ago. in the morning i went to the post office, one e-bay order was picked up. it was a postcard from New Ulm. i had lunch at home as i wanted to finish up a few things. i spent enough time out of town that the visit to Aldi will have to wait until the next day. not a big deal, though. a little bummed that a friend, the retired postal worker, was unable to attend but i still had a good time. there was mention of being on a board of directors for a theater organization, there was a scheduling conflict. also in the afternoon, i went to the French alliance for an open house and to see the art exhibit, it was called 'theater du silence'. i bought a coffee and pastry in their cafe and picked up a flyer about the upcoming MSP film festival. it listed francophone films. i usually see one, maybe two, at these festivals as the tickets cost more than outside of it. i was getting annoyed with a dude that kept 'bogarting' a lady at the table where i picked up the flyer. at another table, it was also annoying when the conversation devolved into favorite sports teams. these tables were in the same room as the art.