paper found on train

 i didn't have to buy the paper as i found a copy of the Minneapolis edition, all four sections, on the light rail that i take to work. i still made it over to Walgreen though, and picked up some tea, cookies, and cheese. at work, the manager of a business line said the Poland team was still going to be working on Monday, the Labor Day holiday. this business line gives us a list of what checks to overnight. i said it shouldn't affect the file much, we print the checks whenever we get them. i let my boss know about the inquiry as i don't get a question like that too often. i found out what i had said was accurate, good enough. at first i was thinking i had another check for the tax specialist as it said 'ad hoc' but it wasn't. sometimes the Marshall business line has a file marked as 'ad hoc' too. it helps to pay attention to what the check looks like before it gets moved on to anyone. there are still two checks to be picked up. i completed another online class at work in the morning. there was three due at the end of the month, and i do one per day early in the month it is due and they don't take long. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan, 12 items were in my order. 

oktoberfest ad, liquor store

 in the evening i went to the liquor store near me and got a can of natural light from the discount cart. it was the first time there in a while. i drank the can of Coors light with the evening meal, and there still are three beers waiting. i saw an ad or a sweepstakes with an Oktoberfest theme next to the cases of Schell's beer on display. i will be getting to Oktoberfest in New Ulm soon enough. i had been doing plenty of weeknight events lately and this meant i was less likely to have the customary beer with a meal at home once a week. i like drinking Gatorade or sparkling water with meals at home and still wanted to see that those were used up. and i figured that beer has a fairly long shelf life as long as it is refrigerated. at work, the tax specialist said hold all checks until Tuesday, so after the holiday. i would expect to see plenty of out of office replies when sending emails, more likely on Fridays especially right before a holiday weekend. 

look at both printers

 the tech from HP arrived to look at the check printer in the morning. we got it squared away on the communication issues. the previous day i was called on the laptop phone but i couldn't hear it as i was in the other room. i said call me on my personal cell phone, and a time was set up for the later day as the tech had already left the vicinity. as expected, the printer works just fine now after the maintenance kit was swapped out. i asked that both printers be looked at. a plastic part on the other one in the lower tray was hanging a little low and was making a snapping sound whenever i put the tray back in after filling it with check stock. it just needed to be moved up a little, and now no issues there. i am told the kit on the main one is at about thirty percent so it might need to be swapped out soon enough. but i think we can delay that a little by being able to switch between these two printers each day. vacation replacement wanted me to ask the Marshall business line in the afternoon if there were any UPS labels to print for the first file. there was, but not the second. i think the delay was due to the main contact being absent and there was a fill-in handling it. there was an ad-hoc check for our tax specialist in the afternoon, first time in a while. 

branch employee, phoenix area

 i heard from a branch employee in the phoenix area. i had overnighted a check there, per the request on the check itself. the spelling of the recipient's name was a little off, i went by what i was given by the business line. this did make it harder to find him in the employee directory. then we found out this colleague mostly works from home. i had to re-add the branch employee to the thread when we were trying to figure it out and let them know it had already been delivered to the branch. there were refund checks to pick up, for vacation replacement. i also got the supply order in for the month. i like having it in the last day of the month in case there are any delays due to needing approval from a senior leader. but i had a hard time getting it done that day, so it had to be done the first of the month. 

special project completed

 this was the sixth and final day of the special project. we were sending out two thousand checks per day, and this day's file was a little under that amount. as usual, i like it when special projects are done as it tends to be a lower volume of checks to print and send out. three mail tubs were sent out, and the backlog of Fargo checks went down, just a thousand. any carryover is run through first the next day. i did hear from the manager that likes karaoke, who attended the same baseball game as i did over the weekend. she had a fun time, but i did not see her there. we ended up having two checks for payroll to pick up, payee on those two were the same, state of Delaware. 

guthrie theater open house

 the lid-lifter for the day was the open house at the Guthrie theater. i shared a photo booth picture from the event on Facebook. i was mindful of how much time i should spend there as i had another event to attend just down the road. it was the Minnesota Twins baseball game. the twins beat the white sox, 5-1. it was the third Twins game for me this season, and likely the last as the season's ending is about a month away. i go see the St. Paul Saints more often as well. i saw that i arrived early enough to pick up the Charlie Brown jersey i had ordered, it was a special themed ticket. it looks like his black and yellow shirt. the Twins pitcher, Zebby Matthews, i had likely seen pitch for the Saints. it was a good outing, had a perfect game into the sixth inning. the crowd cheered when he went to the mound when the ninth began. then the crowd booed when the manager pulled him. i had no problem with it, though. up by 5, two on, one out. winning the game is more important than a complete game. the relief pitcher did fine. only one run scored and that made no difference at all. odd that the attendance was not announced or even put on the big video board. it was also odd that a dude sat next to me in the eighth. that is a really late arrival for a game. the dude said i looked like someone famous, i wrote the name down on my scorecard. songs from the day included Lady Gaga's 'just dance' at the Twins game. a different Gaga song was played as my 'walking up' song when i was performing in the evening. another was 'choosing Texas' by Ella Langley. a big deal to hear it on a radio station that normally doesn't play country music. then later on in the evening i called my dad. 

bob uecker documentary

 in the late afternoon i drove over to Hudson, Wisconsin, and saw the documentary movie about baseball personality Bob Uecker. some of the clips from his performing career were familiar, including the movie 'major league', the sitcom 'Mr. belvedere', and the miller lite beer commercials. i was most familiar with 'the front row', but that wasn't the only one in it. this did lead to the term 'Uecker seat' being coined. another one had john goodman in it, who later on was the dad on 'Roseanne'. i made it just in time for the movie as i made a stop along the way to find a catholic church that had been converted into a Muslim Mosque. i got a few pictures and then i left, this was on the east side of St. Paul. it had likely been a while since i had driven that far to see a movie. i did that all the time growing up in central Iowa though, to see movies in Des Moines. besides interviews with Uecker himself, it was nice to see Bob Costas, as well as Joe Torre, and Bud Selig in it. after the movie i stayed in town and ate at a culver's, first time at one. the food tasted fine, but i am not used to having to specify what i wanted on the burger. or in the ice cream treat. lunch was at Jersey Mike's. songs from the day were from the car radio on the way to the movie. there was 'I'm the only one' by Melissa Etheridge, and 'bang' by AJR, i know it as the 'here we go' song. 

file won't open

 near the end of the day i was sent a UPS label but the file wouldn't open so i let them know. even if i could have printed it, there wasn't going to be much time to send it out same day. same colleague was asking for a check copy when i was out of office. i found out vacation replacement did handle it, though. the ticket opened on one of the check printers is still open, no one has arrived yet to look at it. i let them know that my manager has been notified about the delays. and now the printer is jamming in the maintenance kit area, so we definitely have a need for a tech visit. vacation replacement did the picture that was shared with others. payroll department had two people asking about checks to pick up, but there is just one to pick up currently. i said i don't know who the approvers are but i know i am most likely to get out of office replies on a Friday. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries and it looks like based on the nametag that the cashier helping me in express lane was in HR. 

dolly parton postcard, newspaper museum

 i had a day off and went to the Minnesota state fair. an early stop for me was the newspaper museum, i had picked up postcards from there before. this year there was one honoring entertainer dolly parton, who just died this week. when i sang karaoke i heard two of her songs being performed, 'Jolene', and '9 to 5'. when i sang it was 'today' by smashing pumpkins, and the song after me was hole's 'malibu'. lunch was at the Hamline dining hall, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. the evening meal was in the food, and garden building where sang karaoke, a steak poor boy sandwich. i had some ice cream from the place next to the carpet slide, and when i went down the slide i screamed like lt. dan from 'Forrest Gump' in the hurricane. many of the places i visited were familiar. there was the milk booth, all you can drink for three dollars. and the St. Paul Saints section of fan zone, where i bought a scarf and a sticker. i picked up a free magnet, a round one, at the 4-h building. and i liked doing the scavenger hunt where the prize was a magnet, it's called the 'history walking tour'. one of the twelve stops mentioned visits by President Theodore Roosevelt. at the fine arts building, my favorite was one depicting a dog, using beer bottlecaps. i went to the oink booth at the pig barn, my only visit at a animal barn. and i saw the Charlie Brown statue at the kemps farm hands exhibit. i watched the 6pm newscast for WCCO, and did a massage chair demo in the marketplace under the grandstand. while waiting my turn at karaoke i went to some nearby places, including the farm bureau building, where i got a mixing bowl utensil. i capped the day at the america-250 Ferris wheel, where i was in the Andrew Jackson gondola. all of them had a president on it. i rode with a special needs kid and his parents. i was a little nervous about being so high up in this ride but managed to do well enough by talking a lot through it. nice view up there, seeing the capitol lit up at night. i picked up three buttons throughout the day, and one of the purchased postcards was a Minnesota version of 'grace', the old man praying over his meal. 

late arrival at picnic

 i went to a picnic in the evening, it was sponsored by one of the organizations that i am a member of. it was in Como Park in St. Paul. i was a late arrival as i wanted to get to cub foods first to pick up another state fair ticket. it was the last day that the discounted advance tickets would be available. this explains why i had to wait in line a little at the customer service counter. retired postal worker spoke of having a scheduling conflict on day one and we decided to reschedule for Labor Day, the final day of the fair. i said i was still going to attend on the first day as i already had the day off from work. there were little sandwiches in a big box, i had four ham or turkey with cheese sandwiches there and took four more home with me for later meals. i didn't know anyone all that well there besides maybe the event coordinator. at work, i sent the refund checks in a UPS envelope for vacation replacement, who spoke of having a mild back injury. the tracking number was sent to a colleague that i don't know as well but she was the one who arrived to drop them off in the shop. i hadn't done these in a while but the boss confirmed the address hadn't changed on where i send them to. 

two inquiries, same check

 i know well enough not to get too loud when i see 'duplication of efforts', but i still don't enjoy seeing when it happens. this was the case for the day. the st. louis file had an overnight from Friday that i found but no one emailed me in advance. the Iowa native first asked about it, and i said it arrived on Monday. then the manager of the same department asked about the check. i said it was no big deal to check the file for special handling even if there is no email as their file is usually low volume, around 25 checks. but i also said it was harder to notify it was overnighted, and share the tracking number, if not emailed. i noticed how the check didn't have to travel far, staying in the metro area, ending up in the east metro. i said my vacation replacement likely wouldn't have searched the file if there was no email, and i had a day off coming up for the state fair. the Iowa native said she hadn't been to Iowa's fair in years, and the same is true for me. maybe once since i moved out of state. 

goth theme at show

 in the evening i went to a comedy show at a venue i had seen before. it looked weird when i was in the parking lot, seeing someone dressed up for Halloween, a skull in their hand. i went in and found out the night's theme was goth. i spoke with the show runner after the show and was advised to send a private message through Facebook for stage time inquiries. the booker i was most recently familiar with had just stepped down from that role. i had most recently performed there in October. a few performers were familiar to me but not too many. memorable was seeing the new paint job for the bathrooms, looking like Popeye and Olive Oyl in the entrances. at work there was a request from the account closure file in Kansas City to add a check to the 'return to business line' overnight envelope. not a big deal, already had 19 in there by the time i saw the request. it was another check going to sin city. vacation replacement asked if anything had been set aside, i said there was three items. a blue company envelope, a FedEx envelope, and an interoffice envelope. 

late fame movie

 in the afternoon i went to see the movie 'late fame' in Columbia heights. i recognized Willem Dafoe in it, who played the main character, the writer. this movie was more 'impactful' than most as i could relate to many aspects of Dafoe's character. living as a recluse, a steady day job, isolated from family, and keeping his artist exploits a secret from those who know him best. i liked the 'gloria' character as well, the actress. she seemed to be a callback to the 'holly' character played by Audrey Hepburn in 'breakfast at tiffany's'. she was fun to be around, secretive about her life, and when the truth was revealed, it was ugly. another reviewer said it was also inspired by the character played by Liza Minnelli in 'cabaret' but i wasn't as familiar with that movie. the lies and 'with-holding information' unraveled near the end of the story, and when this led to arguing i said 'passion'. i like seeing it as long as it is onstage and not in my real life. i also found a scene that was a reminder of how i took charge of my own performing. all too often, i would support friends and i wouldn't see them reciprocate. then i said i mostly show up only if i have stage time, and no surprise i got better as a performer. this was when the main character said to a young man, 'you don't read mine i don't read yours'. and i did perform at a open mic in the evening, the fill-in show runner was there. when i arrived i said i am ready to go, it helped that i had just heard johnny cash's cover of 'hurt' on the car radio. in the morning i did laundry and went to a caribou coffee as well. after the performing i went to have some ice cream at McDonald's. after the movie i was driving home and heard Pink Floyd's 'wish you were here' on the car radio. the line that resonates with me most was 'did you exchange a walk-on part in the war, for a lead role in a cage?' thankful i did the opposite, due to performing. i prefer to be 'in the fight' as refusing to fight got me nowhere. 

hadestown movie/play

 in the evening i went to see a filmed version of the play 'hades-town' in st. louis park. down to one screening a day, so i said i needed to see it now. i read how at the outset that it was expected to be just a five-day run in theaters, but it was 'brought back by popular demand', staying in the top five in the box office for longer than those first five days. the film started its run in theaters a month ago, on the weekend when i was in st. louis, MO, and this was likely why i didn't hear about it at first. i lucked out finding a listing for it on fandango and said this was a better idea than attending another event that i heard about on Facebook as i likely would have had some awkward conversations about why i was no longer at an open mic that i was performing at for a while. the story was good, i knew it was a modernized version of a story from ancient mythology. and i had seen Eva Noblezada from some earlier movies, among these 'yellow rose', and 'easter Sunday'. i liked her character, and the narrator as well, but it was hard to like Eva's love interest. it was a reminder of my former self, as that character wore his heart on his sleeve and was naive. i found a quick meal at the grocery store, cub foods, near the theater before going in. i found some things to do before the movie as well. there was getting a blizzard treat at a dairy queen, then i had lunch at matt's bar in south Minneapolis. i had a 'Jucy Lucy', their famous sandwich. i had a seat at the bar near the door, close to the cook and we chatted a little. i took home half of the fries as even a half order was more than what i usually have, and i drank a grain belt beer with the meal. i didn't do much after getting home from the movie. 'Freeze frame' by the j. Geils band was playing at the bar, and 'Radiohead's 'creep' was playing on the car radio on the way to the movie. 

answered own question

 the Marshall office can be weird. i was contacted by a colleague from there asking if a check had been overnighted. i said i could only research it if i have a check number or a tracking number. then she supplies the tracking number and said it was on the way, so she answered her own question. there were two ad-hoc files for our tax specialist. there was more of an interest in the first one, the Canadian file. sounds like it had to go out same-day. just minutes after i was emailed the file, it was printed. had to wait until a big Fargo file was done printing, but it was nearly finished by then. in the morning i got a ticket in for the check printer that needs a maintenance kit. now it is a question of when the tech is arriving as these are usually marked as 'low priority'. i picked up another Charlie Brown word-find at Walgreen along with some tea, and cookies. in the evening i made it to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. the autumn cereals have arrived, i bought two boxes. one was Count Chocula and the other was pumpkin spice cheerios. i went there after a meetup event at a micro-brewery. saw the dude that wears the cowboy hat. i ordered from the food truck our front, but only fries as they were sold out of sandwiches by then. i was talking to someone on the patio who didn't know a meetup event was happening, but when a dude cut in and she was more interested in talking to him i said 'it's been nice' and moved to another part of the establishment. truly a case of 'reading the room'. 

no second check

 the payroll manager asked me of there was a second check to pick up, i said there wasn't. already had one and she said 'she'd pick it up when back in the office. still wondering when that one check will be picked up but i have a place in the shop to keep it until then. there was a check for the manager that likes karaoke, i found the time to get it there shortly after i was done with lunching. i said an upcoming weekend, at the end of the month, will have a baseball theme. there is a movie, and a game, i want to see that weekend. this was a 'drop and leave' as she was in a conference room doing a dial-in meeting. i asked vacation replacement if he'd eaten at a culver's but hasn't. i don't think i have either. i know it is a burger and fries place and there are plenty of others that I'm more familiar with. i got the idea to eat at one due to finding out that the baseball movie I'd like to see out of town is in a town that has one. i see their ads on TV all the time, and i know there are locations nearby it just hadn't made my list yet. not even during lent when it sounds like they have a fish sandwich. i get one at McDonald's instead, the famous filet-o-fish. 

nimrods movie

 in the evening i went to see the movie 'nimrods', or 'the green day movie', in Eagan. normally i see movies on the weekends but i checked the schedule on fandango and it said there weren't going to be many screenings if i waited that long. i was in a rush to make it there on time where i didn't even go home after work and ended up eating at the theater. i got chicken tenders, fries, and bottled water. i still like it where they deliver to my seat, and of course it means i have to let them know what auditorium i am in. i was the only attendee at this screening, this has happened before. and it seemed to explain why there won't be many screenings this weekend in this area. the music in it was good, recognized plenty of the songs in it but there were some 'deep cuts' as well. the only 'spoiler' i could offer really isn't one at all. the three friends make it to Los Angeles to see green day in concert. it wouldn't be much of a movie if they didn't. i fully expected this to happen. but it was 'the thrill of the chase' that i wanted to see. too. and when it was said that the band would 'appear as themselves' then most people should expect that it would end with a green day concert. i saw on Facebook in advance a posting that said, 'say what band member you are'. i said 'drummer' and i was correct. i was the 'forgotten person in the back' in the jobs in held in school, being a dishwasher and janitor. this helped me identify with drummers. this character was nerdy and more sensible than his friends as well. after the movie i went to a Walgreen and got some string cheese, and an ice cream sandwich. the latter was inspired by the movie i had just seen, as one of the vehicles the friends drove in it was an ice cream truck. while driving home i heard on my car radio a song that had been in the movie, 'time of your life' (good riddance). and i was wearing my green day shirt in honor of the event. at work, vacation replacement asked if there were any checks to forward on in the shop, i said there weren't any refund checks just returned checks. i was also asked if any checks i print start with a 5, i could think of three business lines fitting this description. guess it was a refund check issue. 

copy the shared box

 i let a colleague from the Marshall office know that it is best to copy the shared box when sending overnight labels. she is the vacation replacement, it explains why some were sent on a one-day delay. i had to email them to say we didn't have the labels yet. nothing like the threat of sending it regular mail will get them to send us what we need. i got another overnight request, this time from account closures in Kansas City. this was from the 'loopy lady' and was after i had sent the tracking numbers for the day. normally we only overnight if it is 'return to business line' or if over 10-grand, this was neither. then the manager i am more familiar with, who gets the 'return to business line' checks, contacted me and asked if i saw it. i said i had, two checks going to the same place in sin city. and my standard line is 'will send tracking numbers when available'. this day of the week is usually high volume for check printing due to the two Fargo files, and this was no different. i don't like having checks left over at the end of the day, but any 'carryover' is run through first the next day. and i am trying to avoid the printer that needs a maintenance kit until i find the time to call in a ticket to get a tech to look at it. we all know how i like it when i can use those two printers simultaneously. but i also know those two files have a longer leeway on getting their checks out. 

abbey road themed jacket

 in the evening i went to a karaoke bar and went up to sing two songs. notable was a lady who asked me at the bar if i had been on the 'comics unleashed' show. i said i wasn't but some of my friends have been. she was wearing a Charlie Brown jacket that looks like the Beatles crossing the street, so an 'abbey road' theme. she had sung 'landslide'. another lady did a smashing pumpkins song, '1979'. the songs i did were inspired from where i was over the weekend. there was 'drive' by incubus, and 'kids aren't alright' by offspring. the stories i get from karaoke bars are good for my comedy sets. i think this is why i missed going there on a regular basis. but now i am averaging once a month, which is easier than once a week. at work, the lady that places supply orders for me asked for a check to be overnighted. she said the business line was bugging her about it. i said i would send a tracking number when it is available. 

wet hot american summer movie

 before midday i went to see a movie in Eden Prairie, 'wet hot American summer', 25th anniversary edition. the screening started so early that the mall's food court wasn't open yet. but it was open after the movie was done so i still ate there, hat a gyro sandwich from the Greek place. as for the movie, saw it as i recognized some of the actors in the cast, especially Janeane Garofalo and Molly Shannon, both SNL alums. i had seen some movies about summer camp before, most notably 'poison ivy' with mike fox. much of the story was ridiculous and unlikely, so one would call it a 'farce'. memorable was the camp director and the science teacher trying hard to impress each other when they started a dating relationship. this was after the teacher first said 'no' when asked to teach some of the campers. it was another reminder of how the movies depict the kind of summer camp that i didn't experience. for one thing, it depicts most kids getting to and from camp on buses. i was used to parents getting us to camp. i went to three kinds of camps, two of them were church-related, and didn't enjoy any of them all that much. my cousin once contacted me about the first of two church camps, saying she had good times there. except she didn't recall the camp's name or even the camp's executive. well, she didn't have the same experiences as i did. on the way to the movie, i heard 'sweet dreams' by Eurythmics again, still a reminder of a trip to San Francisco where i bought their greatest hits CD. besides a gyro, after the movie i also had a blizzard treat from dairy queen. and i picked up some Charlie Brown stickers from the Miniso store. along with a history book from Barnes and Noble. then it was to the cub foods in Eagan where i got some cereal and a pair of socks that look like piano keys. in the evening i did not go to perform as i went to the 'nitro circus' at the Saints baseball stadium. it was moved back one day, even though there was little or no rain on Saturday. i hadn't seen an event like this before, in person at least. maybe on TV. this was plenty of BMX and dirtbike stunts. notable for songs played there was 'kids aren't alright' by offspring. it was kind of loud there, it was why the information booth if any patrons wanted or needed them. 

popsicle then labelmaker

 this was another day at the fringe festival. one stop was at Bobby and Steve's nearby for lunch, having a little godfather's pizza much like a week before. this was after i had been at Rarig for volunteer appreciation day, and i got a popsicle there. then it was on to two shows in another neighborhood. first was at the storytelling school near the walker art museum. i parked in the ramp at the museum and made it just in time for the show, which was about etymology and linguistics. i guessed the one about a 'hippo' being a 'river horse', but i still learned from the show as expected. then i walked down the road to the phoenix theater in uptown Minneapolis and saw the 'label maker' show. it was the sixth and final show that i saw during this 11-day festival. it was the one where i was given a show card for. i wiped away a tear when the storyteller, a one-woman show, spoke about being spanked by her mom. it sounded familiar, using fear and shame to keep a kid in line. notable was the songs used in the show, too. this included 'drive' by incubus in this segment. then i walked back to my car and saw a puppet theater that reminded me of my meetup friend, the retired postal worker. i sent a text about it. when i got home i made it just in time to get groceries at Aldi. i watched some of the baseball game on fox, brewers-dodgers. the brewers won. 

was it bad breath?

 in the morning i got a breakfast sandwich from McDonald's, an Egg McMuffin, then i got on the bus. normally i have cereal but i was out of milk. i realized after the fact that when i changed seats how my timing was a little off. it was just after someone had boarded, who was a row behind me. i was asked if it was due to bad breath, and i said no. i liked the view better on where i had moved to. the dude wasn't on for long, got off before i did. at work there was two visitors. early on it was the janitor, and during this time i also went to another floor to get the reject fax. the other was an unexpected shipment of envelopes. i guess it was due to a backorder, but the full order was sent instead of just the backorder. we will just order less of that kind next month. i cut open one of the boxes to confirm what kind it was and then said to the courier that the code was covered up by the tape. during my visit to Walgreen in the morning i got more than just the customary cookies and a drink, also a travel magazine that mentioned the centennial of route 66 on the cover. in the evening i went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery near the Saints baseball stadium. i did chat with the cowboy hat guy that i knew from previous events, but later on i listened to a dude that works for the airlines. some of what was said made sense, though. it was in reference to a 'buddy pass'. if one wants to ensure that they are getting on a flight, then buy a ticket. then i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. 

voices in my head, anyma

 in the evening i went to a fringe show at the Barker center at the U of M, it was a dance show called 'noise'. plenty of music was used for this show, some was piano tunes but also some that would be found in nightclubs. notable for me was hearing 'voices in my head', found it on YouTube after i got home, it was by Anyma. another one in this show was by Abba, 'thank you for the music', near the end. there were seven dancers, sometimes all were onstage, sometimes only one, sometimes a number in between. i had seen some dance shows at fringe in years past and was pleased with what i saw and this is why i attended this one. my only complaint was how it ran short. as i was leaving i checked the time on my phone and said they could have done ten minutes more and i would have been fine with that. it was the 10pm slot so i didn't do much after the show. i went back to my car, parked in a nearby ramp, and went home. at work, there was a request in the shared box that i didn't know if i could handle it, for an escheatment. when i let the boss know, i noticed it was forwarded to customer service. when i sent the mail tubs to the mailroom near the end of the day i picked up empty tubs and there was an interoffice envelope as well, a refund check was in it. the Marshall file wanted a check overnighted to Ford credit, and i did but i noticed two labels were sent. i used the first one as it had a form to go along with the check. 

tax credit auction

 late in the day i asked the tax specialist if he had done a tax credit auction, the answer was no. it was in reference to a check i overnighted to the bank's office in st. louis, for over $3 million. i know i do send tax checks to others from time to time. this same tax specialist asked to be notified right away when his tax checks were ready in the afternoon, as those needed to go out right away. this meant these weren't held for courier pick-up the next day, which is the customary thing done. someone from the Cincinnati business line asked if a check would be going out. i let them know that it arrived late Tuesday, after i had left for the day. i said it would be going out as i had the UPS label that i needed. 

red blanket on windshield

 i saw a weird thing when i went to my car in the evening. there was a red fleece blanket on the windshield. i took it off and everything else looked fine to me. i got in and went to vote, as it was the day of the primary election. i went there after having the evening meal and watching 'big bang theory' reruns, making it just under an hour before the polls closed. after i submitted my ballot i got a bag of microwave popcorn from a vending machine on one end of the actual voting area. i did not keep the blanket, got plenty of those already. at work i dropped off returned checks on another floor, given to the team lead, as vacation replacement was absent, due to illness. 

rafferty and the gold dust twins movie

 in the evening i went to the Trylon cinema and saw the movie 'Rafferty and the gold dust twins', from 1975. this is the first one i am seeing from their summer 'road movie' series. i wasn't too familiar with Alan Arkin, but i had seen some shows that Sally Kellerman and Mackenzie Phillips had been in. i do like road movies, although this one fell short on the ending. at the outset, the ladies said they wanted a ride to New Orleans, except we don't see much of that city. we see plenty of Las Vegas, as well as Tucson. since i had recently seen 'American Graffiti' i noticed two actors in that one was in this one- besides Mackenzie, also Charles Martin Smith. i liked seeing some familiar things in it, such as one scene early in their road trip where they stop at a dairy queen. we see Dennis the menace in the background and i knew this cartoon character had been a part of their ad campaign for a while. i plan on seeing two more movies in this series, but that is all for this month. the other two will be in September. after the movie i stopped at a Walgreen on the way home and picked up some drain opener for the bathroom sink, which was draining slowly. at work, i sent some refund checks to another floor even though vacation replacement was not in. a colleague locked them up for me. the boss asked me to do a MICR ruler test on a check, and it looked fine to me. 

just a dream, nelly

 i went to the St. Paul Saints baseball game and after it i was walking past a restaurant and heard a song that sounded good. i decided to do the 'talk into mic' on my phone and found out it was 'just a dream' by nelly. must have been a popular song as i found out it is in the 'one billion club' on YouTube. probably haven't heard it that often before. the Saints lost to Louisville, 11-3. there was plenty of the long ball in this game. i showed up early as it was their art day, and that meant there was a giveaway- the team card set. i like getting this set. after the game i walked around downtown quite a bit and got a sandwich from the gas station near the stadium. another stop was Candyland for some popcorn. then i ended up performing at the open mic. i plan on being back at the stadium in a week to see the 'nitro circus' show. not a big deal to take a day off from the fringe festival, but i still need to figure out my schedule for the rest of this 11-day event. there are three more shows that i would like to see. it likely means seeing one of them on a weeknight. 

i played the fool, song

 i made a nice discovery on 89.3, the current, a local nonprofit radio station. when i was driving home after fringe shows i heard a song introduced as a TV theme song, it was 'i played the fool', performed by REM's frontman, Michael Stipe, with Andrew Watt. sounded good to me, made plenty of references to stand-up comedy. haven't seen the HBO-TV show, 'rooster', though, it's apparently the theme song for that show. it was an active day. there was some errand running i wanted to do early, including getting a check deposited at the credit union. it was a rebate check from the insurance company. then it was on to fringe, where i picked up a little godfather's pizza from Bobby and Steve's for lunch before my ushering shift at U of M, Rarig. it was on the lower floor. after this was done, i went to a show at the barker center, 'hell on wheels', a 1930s labor union story. then i went home and did some more errand running. i got groceries at Aldi, and in the evening i went to see two more fringe shows in uptown Minneapolis. the first was at Bryant Lake Bowl, called 'road trip'. it was an 'improv' show, two dudes from Alabama, where the crowd helped with ideas on each stop. then i had a beer in the bar area and walked over to the phoenix for the next show. this was 'when i was afraid'. it was a storytelling show, although not realistic in terms of what one might see at a 'moth' storytelling show. i spotted a performer in the crowd that i was familiar with and was given two show cards for the shows she is doing. i said one of them i am more likely to attend based on my upcoming schedule, as there has been just one performance so far. then i got some snacks at the nearby Walgreen and drove home. 

bing bing chocolate cones

 i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan in the evening and sometimes i buy items in the discount cart. this time it was a box of chocolate cones called 'Bing Bing' and it tasted like sugary wafers. also notable was getting a single serving slice of spam. i made a morning visit to Walgreen near work as well. when i got back from the grocery store i continued to watch the baseball game on TV, the St. Paul Saints were playing Louisville and the saints won. i will be attending a game there this weekend. at work i swapped out a toner cartridge from one of the check printers in the morning. i don't get the same warning message from it like i do from the one near the main door, though. with that one it is a case of having to swap it before i can print again. but for the one farther in the shop, i knew it was time as there was too much 'residue' building up on the checks. the message board did say 'very low' for a while but i usually don't care as long as i can print. 

video call testing

 the boss asked about calling me to test the video calling. i saw multiple images. first were purple mountains, then a field of white flowers, then a loft apartment. eventually i saw him superimposed on the loft apartment scene. something about needing to test it for calls over to India. vacation replacement said it was likely a background filter. it was popcorn day around midday and as usual i like doing this event. i wasn't there for long, eat the snack and then back to my floor. i also sent returned checks to another floor, i don't leave the shop that often to go there but i wanted those moved by the end of the week. and i heard a weird conversation in an elevator, a man on a cellphone who was oblivious to the fact that i was there. in the evening i went to the u of Minnesota, west bank, for the first day of the fringe festival. i did two ushering shifts, in the Rarig building. i saw some show cards already on the table on the main floor and picked two up. but i would expect more in the coming days at this venue and others. there was a dust-up about picking up my credentials, but it was worked out. i was sent to two different places in the building, neither one had my shirt or volunteer card. then i went to the lower level and someone at the information booth said it was found at the main floor table. i was given a shirt by her, and it worked out as i had the card by the end of the night. probably won't see the two shows i ushered at, as i picked out what interested me before this 11-day event began. i liked the second shift more than the first as i had more to do. i was taking tokens as patrons entered the venue and let them know we were ready to admit when the tech gave the green light. it was the same volunteer usher i was paired with on both shifts. i have one more shift to do, this weekend. i prefer seeing shows after all of the ushering is done that i signed up for. i got some juice, cheese, and ice cream at Bobby and Steve's at the end of the night, then drove home. 

dairy queen hats

i let the manager that likes karaoke know that i saw an email from the Twins ticket office saying there were still tickets available for their Charlie Brown theme night. i responded to it and said i had already ordered my ticket for that event. she spoke of already having plenty of shirts and jerseys as giveaways from baseball games. i said i had plenty of hats, shirts and jerseys as well. this explains her ordering tickets right away but was fine with no themed item, claiming it wasn't on the app it was ordered from. i spoke of how i had no Twins hats when i moved to Minnesota, and at one point had four but now i am down to two as i donated two of them to goodwill. some of those were sponsored by dairy queen and hat coupons attached to them. payroll was notified about two checks that are ready for pick-up.  

pen found on bus

still riding the bus to and from work while the light rail is unavailable. in the evening i saw some discarded items near me. i kept one of them, a pen promoting a credit union. there was a smiley face on the clicking end of it. most of the rest of what i found was trash, including two empty beer cans, and was tossed in bins when i got out at the hockey arena. i heard from the Marshall office, asking if i got all of the UPS labels for their checks and i did. this was due to the man being at a medical appointment. there were three in all. two checks were sent to the manager that likes karaoke near the end of the day. i spoke of how 'yeah' can have different meanings. for this colleague, i knew it meant 'great to have what i need'. with my niece i know it means 'understood'.  

i want your sex movie

in the evening i went to see a movie in Edina at the mall, 'i want your sex'. this was the title of a song by George Michael, but the song wasn't in the movie. i was trying to figure out how to get it in my schedule, and weekends were pretty much already booked for a little while. this was why i made a weeknight available. the movie storyline is mostly told through flashback to police officers who are questioning one of the main characters. then eventually we get back to the scene it started with, the reason why police got involved. i liked the movie until it got to the ending as some things about it just didn't make sense to me. i was familiar with some of the actors in it. this included Cooper Hoffman, Johnny Knoxville, and Margaret Cho. this was about cooper's character working in an art studio, being hired to be a sexual muse, hence the title. at work i did a recalibration of the sensors on the inserter machine and it works better now. i figured it was better to try it early in the day as i had more time available. 

pancakes and basketball

 in the morning i went to have coffee at caribou and a lemon loaf as i knew the pancake breakfast through the alumni chapter was later than when i usually eat breakfast. it was at a bar where they have game watches during the football season. much less crowded for this event though, and fine with me as i usually won't go for the football games. we did a group picture before leaving for the basketball game. the local team, the Minnesota lynx, was playing the Indiana fever, and Iowa alum Caitlin Clark plays for the fever. the game stayed fairly close throughout, the margin wasn't any higher than 13 points as i recall. the lynx won, 108-100. since it was a close game i feel that i got my money's worth. there was a dust-up about seating, i had to ask someone to move as they were in my seat. she claimed to be confused, being off by a row, but i check the row before i go in. i got a hot dog and bottled water at halftime. later in the day i went to perform at an open mic, i was on near the end as usual. i heard from my niece and the gift of toy cars was enjoyed, i liked hearing that. a picture was even shared with me. i had previously heard, a few days prior, about the other gift i had sent, the book. these were sent in the same box. 

american graffiti movie

 went to Canadian days in little Canada in the morning, for the pancake breakfast. i was able to pick up a festival button at that time to get into this event. i noticed the buttons didn't say 'thunder bay' like before, their sister city, and the schedule of events didn't list a performance of the bagpipe band either. who knows for sure why? once i was done eating i did get a good look at the car show. one of the pictures i shared from my camera phone was of a Packard clipper, owner said it was a 1955 model. i sent it to the meetup friend, the retired postal worker. it was in the back of my mind about a request to share photos from an earlier car show and wasn't sure how. then i told myself it was easier to share if it was taken on my phone instead of my more customary camera. another one shared was with cul-de-sac, as i saw a Hamm's beer bear in the back of a chevy pick up next to an old Milwaukee sign. i guess it was simulated tappers. i also saw a Rolls Royce there, you don't see those too often. and when i saw a smashed penny machine i needed some time to justify another visit at this event. i said i usually make two visits and didn't make it the night before. the other was that i could have some ice cream when i returned. i found the necessary two quarters and a penny at home. i returned only after all of the errand running was crossed off of my list, which included getting to the post office to pick up an e-bay order. i also had lunch, a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. along with getting groceries at Aldi. it was the first smashed penny i had acquired in a while. no surprise when i looked at the collection, as the most were from st. louis. this was ten in all, a city i visit annually. next highest appeared to be from mall of America, along with one of two albums. the other album was from mt. Rushmore. after this i noticed a decent number from the Minnesota state fair, mostly from the KARE-11 booth, the local NBC-TV affiliate. in the evening i went to a screening of the movie 'American graffiti' at a place near the former Schmidt brewery on west 7th in St. Paul. i hadn't seen it in a while. last time likely was when i saw it on VHS during my year and a half of living in West Des Moines after i had finished college. 

conflicting dial-ins

i had two dial-in meetings this morning at work, scheduled for the same time. the way i handled the conflict was to do the one with my boss first, as it was about the midyear evaluation. it was scheduled on short notice, but it didn't take long, about seven minutes. then it was on to the other one, with facilities management. we now have an interim director. i said i liked attending the events where an app is not needed to register for it, such as the popcorn event most months. going through an app started this calendar year, and it is not compatible with my phone, so i said i had to 'bow out' of many events. the boss asked me about the contact for one of the fraud files, there are three. i said it would be the same contact for all of them. one of those files usually has a higher volume than the other two by far. i entered a vacation day request as well, a day off for the state fair next month. the supply order was also submitted. when i know that it usually needs approval from a senior leader, i prefer to avoid any delays on my end. in the evening i went to eat at cane's chicken in Eagan, then went to get groceries at the nearby Hy-Vee. there is plenty that i have planned for the weekend, and i shared some of that when asked by the cashier that recognizes me.  this included Canadian days in little Canada, but i did not make it there tonight. i was at work later than typical, in order to get things caught up, and i was tired and it had rained some. it meant skipping the corn on the cob feed, but i know it is easier to attend events on days when i am not working. 

korea coin

 in the morning i was between buses on getting to work, on layover in downtown St. Paul near the hockey arena. on my way to the next bus stop i passed by a pay station and saw coins on the pavement. i picked up all four and noticed two were American dimes. those went into my change bank when i got home. the other two were foreign coins, one i could tell right away was from Ecuador. the other had Asian characters on it. i googled it on my phone once the bus ride began and found it. i entered Chinese 100 coin and found out it was a Korean 100-won coin. both of these foreign coins were about the size of an American quarter. i keep seeing online how the exchange rate for the Korean coin would value it as being a little less than one of the dimes. but i like having it, and this is how i get most of the foreign coins i have- dumb luck. seeing them while out and about.  at work, i let the manager that likes karaoke know about my trip to st. louis over the weekend. i also spoke of how i have ordered a ticket for a Twins baseball game, it is a month from now. sometimes i am asked to pull checks from the fraud file. i was asked near the end of the day if i had, and i did. i will if i see it in time as i can print the email request and put it on the pile to remind me to look for it before i send those checks through the machine. in this case, i understood more of the urgency about it when it was for over a million. a little bit later, after seeing the instant message, i made the official response on the email thread. 

taxidermy stories

 i went to perform at an open mic tonight, first time in a while at this venue, although at one point i frequented it. there were some wild card slots but i didn't know that many people besides the MC, magic man. got a fist bump from the show closer, who i guess will be a performer at shows for the rest of the week. notable about the show was one of these wild card performers, or replacement for a no-show, did stories about taxidermy. we spoke after the show, enjoyed each other's sets. when i spoke of being an Iowa native, she said she was too, from Clinton, in eastern Iowa. it felt great being onstage there again, and much like after being in st. louis i didn't want the night to end. it was likely why i stopped at a nearby holiday gas station before going home to get a juice drink, some cheese, and two hash browns. at work, i was asked how many envelopes to a box, it was related to the order for the special project. i said it was 2300, based on the label on those oblong boxes. a file that does 'make-up' or 'replacement' checks sent me a file where many were to be overnighted. i checked the address and contact name and noticed it was actually 'return to business line' with the Kansas City file. i recognized the contact's name as well, not someone who i have met in person but based on electronic communications i would describe this colleague as a little 'loopy'. i had one of their checks that UPS was unable to deliver. for this reason, it was lumped together and it meant eight checks went to Kansas City instead of seven. i also noticed on emails that there was some 'duplication of efforts' on returned UPS checks. i don't enjoy it at all when this happens, having to answer a question twice. i guess somebody wasn't copied the first time. 

security cashiering

 at work i went through the returned checks and there was some refund checks sent to me by the mailroom as well. two were marked as such, and two others as 'security cashiering'. when vacation replacement was notified, all four were moved on. there were donuts on another floor for my boss and another member of our team. when i went to get one i noticed how no one said anything, i figured i would have been recognized, especially by the team lead as the donuts were on a table next to her cube. there were a thousand checks from the Jacksonville file, normally their daily volume is 20 so i had to ask the business line if it was a 'one-off' and copied my boss on it. in the response, it sounded like it was. had to ask as we had enough envelopes to cover it but not if it was a larger 'special project'. the colleague that places supply orders for me asked about the envelopes to order. this was for a special project and i deferred to the boss, who said it was our 'home' or 'catchall' envelopes but the response was delayed. 

consecutive rental returns

 i checked the voicemail on my phone and found out my car was ready so i went over to the dealer to pick it up in the evening. i turned in the rental or loaner car as well, and it meant consecutive days where i had turned one in since i was out of town over the weekend. i went to have ice cream in my neighborhood after i got home. at work, i was asked to hold off on printing the Fargo files, the largest ones of the day. i needed to wait for a 'green light' from someone in I.T. this arrived late in the day, so most of them were not printed the same day. before this happened, i scanned some check copies. i found out i had to cover up the credit card numbers at the top in order to have the scans to go through. i used the same post it to get this done, on about twenty of them. a second check for payroll was printed, and i let that colleague know about it. same one that had a check on Friday when i was out of town. 

headphones, flying home

 i began the day in St. Ann, Missouri, at my hotel, the Wingate. it was nice having another continental breakfast there. as usual, i liked how there wasn't much planned for the final day in town after i had eaten. i showered and then packed up and checked out of the hotel, then it was on to returning the rental car. i made it to the airport with plenty of time to check in for the flight home. i was smart enough to ask for headphones this time, found out i needed them to listen to the music available from the seat-back. there were plenty of genres available, i mostly listened to the two that were marked as alternative. notable to me was finding a song i wasn't familiar with, it was Paramore's 'misery business'. the title caught my eye. it was loud and fast, but sometimes i am in the mood for that. my friends were out of town, but after i landed at MSP i saw a photo from their safari in Africa, it was a cheetah. first order of business was getting lunch as it was midday, from panda express. i saw a photo booth near a snoopy statue and got a photo as there was an america-250 background for it. it was the second photo booth of the weekend, the first being at the city museum. and i bought two Charlie Brown items at another place, one was a candy bar with peppermint patty and Marcie on the wrapper. at first i didn't want to leave as i didn't want the trip to end, but i told myself i needed to get on the bus and go home as the longer i stay the more money i spend. i had chores and errand running to do at home. there were stops at three different grocery stores. first was Aldi, then after performing at a friend's open-mic i went to Hy-Vee and a Cub Foods. in the rush to get in and out of Aldi, i didn't get everything i needed. but the item count was lower at the other two, four and two items respectively. and as for cub, i wanted a state fair ticket but the customer service counter was closed for the night. i still bought two boxes of Chex cereal there as they still had a few boxes remaining with Charlie Brown and snoopy characters on them. i called my dad in the evening and i spoke of the trip, and i was asked if i had visited the brewery but i did not. i said i did recall a trip to that city when i was a teenager when Dad spoke of getting a weird call in the middle of the night. 

old capitol, st. charles

 i made it to two museums for the day. the second stop was in the afternoon, the old capitol in St. Charles. it didn't look much like a capitol building, no dome on it, but it served as a capitol for just five years. the part of town reminded me of the antique shops in Stillwater, or even historic sections of New Orleans or Charleston, SC. i did a tour after picking up some lunch at a gas station a few blocks away, including some small white castle burgers. i parked blocks away near the Lewis and Clark museum close to the river, as this was the closest available parking i was aware of. after having continental breakfast at the hotel, including a 'make your own waffle', i went to pick up the rental car. this made it much easier to see two museums, especially when neither one was served by public transport. the first stop was the red cedar inn, on the former route 66 in a town called pacific. both properties are listed on the national register of historic places, and i bought some postcards at both. i knew i needed to get back on the road after the second museum, drive back to the hotel so i could take the light rail from the airport to the stadium. the cardinals won, blanking Cincinnati, 7-0. and i noticed more music while out and about. there were two songs in the rental car, there was 'two princes' by spin doctors, and 'under pressure' by David Bowie and queen. at the stadium it was Paul Simon's 'call me al'. and it was another night of drinking a can of beer while back at my hotel, while writing about what i did for the day. both were Anheuser products, no problem finding them when it is near where they are brewed. it was a Budweiser select, then a Busch light. i liked finding both at the gas station near the hotel. but i didn't need to get peanuts the second night, after claiming a big bag at the stadium. 

city museum, st. louis

 in the morning i got on a plane and flew to st. louis for my annual visit for baseball games. i arrived before midday and wanted to fill in some time before i could check into my hotel near the airport. i went downtown, first stop was a BBQ place, i had been there before, sugar-fire. then it was on to the city museum. thankful that a ticket seller spoke of having lockers available for rent, as i used one for my travel bag. i might be cheap, but i am also practical, and i knew the fee wasn't all that much and i would feel more comfortable not having to carry the bag while touring this place. much of it was for kids, such as the slides. i went on a few but not too many. there was a carousel as well. i liked finding a section about architecture on an upper floor, including a profile about Louis Sullivan. and there was mention of a Montgomery Ward building, a former employer of mine. and there was music everywhere, at the BBQ place i liked hearing U2's 'with or without you'. it was a reminder of seeing this band in concert in this city at the hockey arena many years ago. at the museum i liked hearing Chappell Roan's 'pink pony club'. i wasn't at the hotel for long after checking in, wanted to get on the road again back to the airport for the game. cardinals were playing Cincinnati, and the cardinals lost 4-2. i liked getting a beer during happy hour at the stadium. much like when the twins have it, this is only available from gates open until first pitch and on 12-ounce cans. 

sia, nostalgic for the present

 in the evening i went to see a movie in Eagan, it was Sia's 'nostalgic for the present', also the name of one of her concert tours. haven't seen this musician in concert, and this movie will have to do. there are limited screenings, explaining why i was there on a weeknight. the dance choreography, acting out the songs, was really good. i was the only attendee for this screening, and now i have enough points for a reward with the loyalty program for this theater chain. i kept getting emails for weeks telling me how close i was. the songs captured the 'fragility of the human condition' well. i didn't know every song, but most of them in it. no surprise how many were from the 'this is acting' album, the most recent release as of the time that this was filmed. the song that made me take notice of this musician was likely 'elastic heart' which was in the movie. another notable one, 'guts over fear' with Eminem, was not. while watching the movie i was covering one ear to hear the songs better, i have done this before. it was what i really needed after a 'challenging' day at work to say the least. there was a meeting with a senior leader that i don't hear from that often. i didn't have a good feeling about it and was right. there were layoff notices, but i was in the group that is staying. probably know some of the people who are not. there was mention of it being due to outsourcing to India, i know another employer had done this years ago. while at the theater i did see a poster for 'nimrods', the green day movie, another music movie i am looking forward to. after the movie i drove to a Walgreen and dropped off a FedEx envelope, just minutes before closing time. i also picked up some things for myself, including two die-cast model cars. one was Charlie Brown and friends in space suits and the other was america-250. and i got some fruit punch, an ice cream bar, and cheese sticks. at work there was a dial-in meeting moderated by the CEO, and the backorder of check stock arrived. 

out to lunch reply

 i saw an odd 'out of office' reply in the shared box, it said 'out to lunch'. i am not used to seeing such a reply, usually it is being unavailable for the rest of the day or the full day. i went through the returned checks and notified vacation replacement about it. the case was closed on the check printer, after another tech arrived with parts. looks like the issue was some plastic from the check stock was sucked into the fan near the output tray and this is what was causing the 'hissing' sound. at least it has been handled. this was discovered after swapping maintenance kits on the two printers and there seemed to be no difference in the performance or sound of either unit. i let the manager that likes karaoke know about attending last night's Saints baseball game and the upcoming weekend in st. louis. the car went into the shop into the evening with the dealer, and i let the boss know that the recommended mechanic did not respond at all. even showed the text message to prove it. 

what envelopes do we use?

 i had a question from personnel in the Marshall office, it was 'what envelopes do we use?' for their checks. i said it was plain envelopes, no bank logo on them, just a return address. the boss asked about the court file, i said usually there aren't any special handling to pull out from it. a payroll check was picked up by the manager as the main contact was out of the office. the team lead was still trying to help me with logging in some volunteer hours, but i am just not getting to the screen i need to be on, and one big issue was a 'passkey'. a colleague in st. louis had asked if i had overnighted a check despite not being emailed to pull it, i said it was overnighted and i shared the tracking number. it was dropped in the box late in the day so it would likely be picked up soon enough. found out she is from Iowa like me, but from a different town, Ottumwa. there was mention of attending a bible camp in my hometown. except i had never heard of it and couldn't tell you where it was. a text was sent to a classmate about it and i was told it likely was a place where i had once seen a postcard for it online, and it would have been outside of the city limits, past the airport that i hardly ever went to. i should try to find it on my next visit, but lately those Iowa visits have been annual and i was already there in May. found all of it out due to mention of heading to st. louis soon for some baseball games. in the evening i went to the St. Paul Saints baseball game, saints lost to Columbus, 13-2. it was credit union night, and the CEO sang with the karaoke guy, the song was 'take the money and run'. nice that the beer at the sample table was Schell's, i am familiar with it from my visits to New Ulm for Oktoberfest. i also claimed a 'nacho bowl' as i was leaving the stadium, a plastic batting helmet, just needed to wash it out when i got home. 

delay on getting tech

 i was getting annoyed at work after creating a ticket for one of the check printers, because i had to keep justifying asking for a technician to look at it, and i was tired of all of the arguing. but then i said my boss has been notified about the delays, and not too long after that i was sent the form i needed to request one. then a tech arrived late in the workday, parts have been ordered. customer service asked for 46 check copies, this kind of volume is not typical. it was from the colleague that places supply orders for me. i liked seeing, based on check numbers, how most of them were in the same file. this made it easier to find them. 

midnight movie

 in the afternoon i went to see a movie at the Trylon, it was 'midnight'. it was a film from the 1930s with a setting in France. i am used to how movies tend to get to the choice of title, and in this case, it was a 'Cinderella' reference. this would be considered a 'screwball' comedy. i saw the cub foods dude, who likes to sit up front like i do. when this screening was over, i left and he got back in line for the next movie. i wanted to get to a performance venue, and like many times before i closed the show. i spoke of many of the typical things, including the bank stories. on Facebook i usually don't look at 'memories' that much but in the past week, i have. there have been plenty about my trip to Toronto to see the pan-am games many years ago. i haven't done an international trip since then but i am considering another one in the next year or two. i am still trying to figure out the 'logistics'- the when and where. affordability is another consideration as well, want the car loan and some furniture paid off first. 

wingman event

 i went to the st. Paul Saints baseball game, actually a double header. Saints won both games, 11-3 and 7-0, against Louisville, but i didn't see much of the 'lid lifter'. i was attending a 'wingman' event in the cub foods section of the stadium. there was a memorial service for sister Roz as well and i saw part of that before heading to the cub foods section. there were people pitching their friends, five in all as i recall. i chatted a little with a dude who said his friend was on his way, and they met at meetup events, in a group i often do events in. i said i was doing meetup again next month. there was a picnic-type meal there. i have learned to have expectations in line with reality so i don't expect to find a romantic partner due to this event. i did hear about more events this group is doing, away from the stadium. i like knowing it is free admission, makes it easier to attend. i still saw it as worth it to sign up as it meant a meal was included, and of course baseball. i did see nearly all of the nightcap. before heading to the stadium i had a sandwich at Jersey Mike's, but a different location than typical. then i did a haircut nearby at a place i hadn't been to in a while. i was the last client of the day, i noticed the shop owner changed the sign to 'closed' shortly after i left. even though i noticed the sign said he'd be open for another hour, but i didn't care since i got what i was looking for. i got a picture of a Charlie Brown calendar on the way out of the shop. 

follow-up to hi

 i decided to follow up with a colleague that places supply orders for me. on the previous day i had heard a hi when i went to find the team lead and drop off a check. it was a crazy-busy day and i felt bad that i didn't say much. the response i received was 'i can tell how busy you are by the way you walk'. after getting a flyer from the Guthrie theater about their upcoming season, i asked the manager that likes karaoke if she's seen any shows there lately. we had both seen 'little shop of horrors' but not the same performance, and that has already 'been a minute'. response was no, but she once was a frequent visitor. i said there are two shows of interest to me, and i am fine with going to that venue as i prefer a 'tried and true' show when we all have limited time and money available. the boss made a recommendation of someone in the service industry. i spoke of who sent me when i tried to contact, but i got voice mail. i also sent a text message, and both communications went unanswered. i found some 'Shrek' stickers when i made a visit to Walgreen. i stayed in and watched the St. Paul Saints baseball game, the Saints beat Louisville in a low- scoring game, 3-1. i was getting bored with hearing the announcer 'going up on a soapbox' about the double header scheduled for the next day. it includes a rainout makeup from the other city, and it means the Saints bat first in one of those games. this happens all the time when a game is moved, it is not a big deal to me. i had seen it when a game was moved from Fargo during the pandemic, knowing the crowd size would be larger in the alternate venue. there was an interview with 'fan number ten million' as the team reached that milestone in attendance in this game, in year 34 of the franchise's history. 

hissing from printer

 i was trying to find the time to call in a ticket on a check printer but was busy and i will have to try again the next day. it just doesn't sound right when printing, as i am hearing 'hissing' instead of 'whirring'. since there are two check printers, i decided to avoid using it until a tech arrives. when i spoke of it to the tax specialist, i said 'trouble with the droids', in reference to a line from a 'Star Wars' movie. i was trying to explain why i didn't have the checks ready for courier pick-up on time. i let vacation replacement know there was a refund check addressed to someone in another department, it had arrived in an inter-office envelope. i was told to send it to the team lead, so it meant going to another floor. we chatted for a few minutes and some of it was about my day off coming soon. this was another day of driving into work, parking in a ramp. i had fringe festival training after work. it is nice to be recognized by the event coordinator upon arrival. i was pleased that i was able to attend the in-person training session after one person moved to the online version. we will have to wait for the shirts we will be wearing as those aren't available yet. but the festival is still three weeks away. the stored-value cards usable to get in free to shows have the same status but an example was passed around. looks like i can pick both up on the first night at a venue i will be ushering in. 

sharing too much?

 the team lead spoke of being willing to help with the issue i was having with trying to log my volunteer hours from special Olympics. except i kept going around in circles after trying to use the link i was given. then i think she shared too much in an instant message, as my response was 'what?' something about hating to use public bathrooms and 'her foot in my stall'. i notified vacation replacement that three refund checks had arrived. sometimes i see them in the empty mail tubs in the mailroom when i drop off the regular mail for the day since the mailroom knows it's still the same department but different floor than me. i let the manager that likes karaoke know i was doing a saints baseball game this weekend, as i was sent mention of a 'wingman event'. i also had two checks to drop off for this same manager. 

quick to close cases

 no, not Sherlock Holmes or 'monk'. but there is someone at the office that is quick to close cases. or we sometimes call them 'tickets' when i need service on the machines i use for check printing and such. my boss heard about us getting three toner cartridges in a little over a week and said call in a ticket. i forwarded it and then a few hours later, the case was closed with an explanation about it. i said we had more than we needed, as now we have five. vacation replacement heard about it and said it was better than not having enough, which is true. there are times when we got one just before one ran out. i said it was all double talk. i let my boss know of there is any interest on escalating it. i let vacation replacement know about going through the returned checks, there was seven from our internal file and an eighth is Canadian. i drove into work and found a ramp to park in a few blocks away, as i had two events to attend after work. one of them was bastille day at the French alliance, my first stop. i bought two postcards there. i also got a ham and cheese 'crepe'. there was an actress dressed as Marie Antoinette and i got a photo with her. i have done this event before but it had been a few years. it has been at various venues before, this time in the parking lot of their 'home building'. the second event was a meetup at a micro-brewery in st. Paul. it was nice to see a lady there that is willing to advise me about a possible trip to Europe, except i found out more about her and said i am only interested in friendship, nothing more. three red flags, two of them were verbalized without me having to ask. the third was obvious in terms of actions observed. she spoke of getting divorced, so not divorced yet, along with being unemployed. and she's not lacking for attention at these events and i don't care to compete. 

dishes, a day late

i don't have many dishes to do at home, so i do them once a week. this time it was a day late. not too big of a deal, but i should try harder to find the energy to do them on the more customary day. but i know all too well how it can be more inviting to lay down when tired and how hard it can be to get up when comfortable. i knew i couldn't afford to delay it another day, so added motivation to get it done. at work, the day started off with the boss asking about the time sheet. i said i had already submitted it and based on the light blue color of the button on that page, i would be unable to submit it again. a colleague from the Marshall file asked about the regular mail deadline, related to pulling a check. sounded like there was some interest in having a check overnighted. then i was told that the employee was unable to provide the overnight label.  

young washington movie

 just before midday i went to see the movie 'young Washington', at the Grandview theater in St. Paul. liked seeing Kelsey Grammer- from 'Cheers' and 'Frasier'- in it, albeit in a small role. i am used to the disclaimer that was in the closing credits, which said 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. when the storyline got to fort Duquesne, now known as Pittsburgh, it reminded me of a fellow comic, brawler, who is from that city. i was the only one in the theater for this screening, this has happened before. i had lunch at the subway sandwich shop nearby after the movie. it was nice hearing Sia's 'cheap thrills' there. when i was getting a sandwich there i noticed one employee was holding an infant, but not the one that served me. after this was done i went to have an oil change done for my car. then later on i went to perform at an open mic. one performer said it was the best set he'd heard from me. it likely helped that it included a rant about my ex-boss, who i spotted at an event the previous day but thankfully i just kept moving before i was recognized and called out to. in the morning i did laundry, although i was tired in the evening and didn't get around to doing the dishes. i guess i will have to do them the next day. 

mary oliver movie

 in the afternoon i went to see the documentary movie about poet Mary Oliver, at st. Anthony main in Minneapolis. i still haven't found a better view in the twin cities than the one i see just outside of this theater, looking straight across the river to the skyline. i hadn't heard of this writer, but since it was about a writer it intrigued me enough to go. i found it when scanning fandango this week so it was a late add to my schedule. there were some interviews with celebrities, but some worked for me better than others. i liked the one with journalist Maria Shriver, who interviewed her and clips of the interview are shown. what makes you feel different? not belonging. that statement really resonated with me, as it would with many who are in the arts. the ones with two talk show hosts, Steve Colbert and Oprah Winfrey, didn't do much for me. besides reading her poems, they seemed to offer little beyond being 'fans' who happened to be famous. it was nice to hear Edith Piaf's 'la vie en rose' in the lobby, a good 'walking out song'. i made it to whiz-bang days in Robbinsdale before the movie and bought the festival button i was looking for. i briefly stopped in the branch, but it was basically just a hi and bye as not many were in there. i was recognized by one employee though, who said it was basically an entirely new crew since i was moved to another office. a deejay played nirvana's 'teen spirit' as part of the block party. and i had lunch at the McDonald's. i went to the car show as well, nice seeing a Shelby cobra there. and there was a pink Edsel. although it made me feel old to see an 83 cutlass there. went to the Walgreen and bought a six pack of Coca-Cola in bottles, since it had the america-250 logo on it. in the evening i went to see 'cosmic ball' at the Saints stadium. a friend in st. louis said he hadn't heard of it. shortly after the event ended, i sent a text and described it well. the showmanship reminded me of the Harlem globetrotters, pro wrestling, and a 3-ring circus. there was music throughout, which i liked. this included Elton John's 'I'm still standing' and Djo's 'end of beginning'. at one point, a player sat down next to me and i said 'there is a lot going on'. the dude was wearing a jersey with '3:16' on the back. if anything didn't land with me, it was the blow-up doll version of a cow, a recurring gag. if it was meant to be their version of a 'rubber chicken', then that wouldn't have landed with me either. 

letters not practical

 i joined a dial-in meeting with the boss, it was about a big ask on checks. the expected volume is fifteen thousand, and legal department asked us to send out letters with it as well. but this is not practical when the volume is that high. sounds like the request might have went as high as one level below the CEO. the boss said it would make more sense to have legal send out those letters in advance, instead of with the checks. whatever happens, i won't see these refund checks right away. there will likely be more meetings about it, but i won't necessarily be on the later ones. the boss went home a little early, spoke of the gout acting up and needing to take meds for it. there was one check for the tax specialist, the first of this month. it will likely be picked up in person the next business day. i decided to respond on the email thread about the supply orders, where i said we have had cartons of check stock put on backorder before. i see it when the packing list arrives, and we are not told in advance when that happens. this seemed to be one reason why the order was held up, along with the main contact being on vacation. i said i was fine with being sent whatever they currently have in stock, and this seemed to be enough to break the logjam. in the evening i went to get groceries at Hy-Vee in Eagan and saw the employee i sometimes chat with. songs i heard there included 'closing time', although it wasn't all that close to closing time when i was there. the other was 'X's and O's' by Elle King. i bought some more america-250 items, this time it was discounted napkins. 

docking station request

 vacation replacement was working from home and i was asked to look inside a little box. i did find a docking station in it, something about his no longer works. guess it will be picked up next week. there were some cords in it as well. i checked and i have a little box just like it, from when my laptop arrived. i am thankful i haven't needed much from it yet. i think i let a tech look in the box though when the second check printer was set up and a cord was used from it. the supply order for the month has not arrived yet and i have reported it. and it sounds like i am dealing with the typical summer issue at the bank and the supplier- vacations. the help desk app closed the second ticket; the one opened for requesting a maintenance kit for a check printer. i let vacation replacement know that i did find an event for a rare weekend this summer where i hadn't booked anything yet. this was for august, and a movie i would like to see would be in theaters by then. i spoke of how i tend to go the second weekend instead of the first, and it reminded me of a former coworker. the dude seemed upset with me when i said i wouldn't watch a 'Star Wars' movie on opening weekend. why, i don't know. i didn't refuse to see it entirely. i just prefer waiting a little when the crowds tend to be smaller. the music of the day included one i heard at the convenience store on the main floor, it was 'pink pony club'. then there was 'what's up' by 4 non-blondes, when i was riding the bus home. also notable was seeing a movie outdoors, 'sing', in the evening. i had seen both it and the sequel, but it had been a minute. i saw both as Redbox rentals four years ago. 

hold for documents

 the Marshall file sometimes has checks where we are emailed and it says, 'hold for documents'. these are sent inter-office and arrive a few days later. thankful that a UPS envelope and label are included, and these usually have titles in them as well. we had two of those to pull out of the file for the day. at the start of the week, the boss spoke of being in the office for three days near the end of the week. but this was not to be, as we got an email this morning where the boss spoke of being ill, and would not be in. and as usual, call the cell if necessary. we started off the week with a big backlog of checks from the Fargo file, but it is slowly going down. it was five thousand, then four, and now two. i send out as many as i can each day, but no more than four regular mail tubs. it also makes a difference as to when we get those files, and lately they have been arriving later than typical. 

no set lunchtime

 i did hear from a former coworker and was told that this dude doesn't have a set lunchtime. it sounds a lot like me, often snacking or just having small lunches. i had asked about lunching together, guess i could still find another way for us to chat in person sometime soon. it would be nice to see some more familiar faces. there aren't many coworkers i miss from a former job, but this is one of them. a payroll check was picked up. vacation replacement was helping out with the Marshall file, and one check we were asked to set aside and match up with a form was in the second file of the day. i think it was for a traffic ticket as it was for a hundred dollars, and those are often sent to a PO box instead of being overnighted. 

envious, why?

 at work i spoke of the weekend to the manager that likes karaoke, and the response was 'envious'. but why? i am single, i said, and the choices are to go solo or not at all. something about her cleaning out a former apartment in order to turn in the keys. the advice was that when you stop looking, the perfect person is right there. i let someone know that i preferred a ticket be left open until the correct toner cartridge arrives. but i am used to this colleague wanting to close the case right away. and i still had questions about how to send back the wrong kind, but it sounded like i was on my own there. and i got an odd message about issues on a check upload, had to ask them what business line as i didn't recognize their name. then i found out it is the one based in st. louis and it meant we weren't getting a file for the day from them. not a big deal, it is usually a small file. in the evening i went to sing at a karaoke bar, as i still wanted stage time after the previous day's show didn't happen. i sang twice, it was 'alive' by Sia, and 'wake me up when September ends' by green day. i was thinking those were the best two as i am looking forward to seeing movies about both in the next month or so. after i did the first song, i went back to the bar with my drink and the lady after me did 'I'll fly away'. it was a reminder of me singing it at my aunt's funeral. 

george washington impersonator

 i was back at the church for another event, after hearing about a George Washington impersonator, an event held after the day's worship services, which i did not attend. it was mainly about Washington's farewell address, and highlights of it. the presenter said it is about 23 pages, so definitely nothing like Lincoln's Gettysburg address in terms of brevity. i had seen some presidential impersonators before, so this was right up my alley. i asked a question near the end of Q and A about movies, and the answer was there were many more about Lincoln, and i guess he hadn't seen many about Washington. i had lunch at Jersey Mike's, then went to mall of America and saw the america-250 exhibit in the rotunda. good thing i had went to the comedy show two days prior, as this is how i found out about it. there was a fashion show, and i liked reading the displays there. one of them was about the bicentennial celebration of 1976, and two artifacts were on display. one was a lunchbox, the other was a beer can from Schell's. i had seen this brewery do commemorative cans before, celebrating the St. Paul winter carnival. i had some pizza at home, then went to a performance venue but found out no show for the day. it led to me contacting the show runner, and i said it was time to give out my phone number as i am fine with text messages. i check my phone more than Facebook anyway. i said i don't give it out much, but this is somebody i trust. there was another 'a to z' series on a local radio station, 89.3 the current. i liked hearing some songs from first aid kit, the two sisters from Sweden. same series where i discovered this band two years ago, the song was 'fireworks'. this time it was 'out of my head' and 'tender offerings'. 

carillon bell concert

there were three events booked for the day. the first was a picnic through meetup, in south Minneapolis. the venue looked familiar, and i think we had a picnic at the same park a year earlier. i did see my friend there eventually, the retired postal worker. sent a text after i had eaten and i heard 'on the way'. we drank beer together, both of us had a miller genuine draft as he had some in the back of his car. i stayed longer than expected for this reason, as it was the first in-person visit with this dude this calendar year after some cancellations. there was one dude, who had a shaved head, that i enjoyed chatting with before my friend showed up. i brought a box of twinkies. i had to stop at an ATM on the way so i could pay the fee to attend. there are five picnics in the series this year, only one i have attended so far. and good chance it will stay that way. next one is in Stillwater, not going to that one. and the one on Labor Day weekend doesn't have a venue yet. next event was the carillon bell concert, at a presbyterian church on summit avenue in St. Paul. i heard about that event due to searching online. i got out my lawn chair, in the back of my car. i don't use it much. i decided to move fairly early on as a young lady was playing some Taylor Swift songs on some kind of device and it was harder to hear the carillon for that reason. i ended up moving across the street, closer to the church. two songs i recognized were 'wonderful world' by Louis Armstrong, and 'over the rainbow' from 'wizard of oz'. the church had run out of programs by the time i got there, so i did not have a song list. then it was on to the St. Paul Saints baseball game, my sixth of the season. saints beat buffalo, 6-5, and as usual there was plenty of the long ball. there was a rain delay, then the game was called about 30 minutes later. minimum is five innings to be declared an 'official game', and six innings were played, so it met that standard. there were fireworks, after the rain tapered off. two notable songs during the show were 'America the beautiful'- the patriotic song- as well as 'ragged old flag' by johnny cash. don't know what version i had heard of the former, but it is likely that a ton of performers have done it. many of the songs played were familiar from earlier fireworks shows that the team had done, but i don't think i had heard cash's song done that often before. 

groceries after show

 i had heard about a friend doing a comedy show this evening, and at first i balked at attending. my first reaction was that it was my grocery shopping night. i am thankful i changed my mind because i had a great time at the show. it was cul-de-sac and mason city performing, the latter being the headliner. i didn't know who the MC was. i got in free and when i was leaving i found out my food and drink was comped as well. i laughed a lot, some of the stories i had heard before but not all of them. i said i was inspired to go back to performing more than once a week. i hadn't seen either one in a while, added motivation to go there. then i went grocery shopping after the show, good thing some stores are open late. i picked up another magazine with the america-250 theme, this one by people. at work i had two tickets opened. one was for a maintenance kit on a printer, the other was about getting the wrong kind of toner cartridge for a printer. since it was kind of a slow day, i had more time to get it done. i also submitted the mid-year evaluation, which was due soon. the tax specialist spoke of holiday plans, a BBQ at his mom's house. there was just one Marshall file, nothing late in the day. i made it to Walgreen in the morning, that store was open. while walking through the skyway i noticed many others were not. i got some pictures of the closed signs. i did send another instant message to a former coworker, it had been a little over a month since the most recent one. this time i did ask about lunching sometime soon as it can get boring to be lunching by myself on most days. this led to me saying to vacation replacement how there aren't many people that i am comfortable with opening up to at work. some are on the same team as me, but not all of them. i can think of just five where i have shared much of anything about my personal life. 

except i did

 i needed to do a rebuttal at work in reference to the manager in Marshall claiming i didn't notify the shared box if something went into the UPS box after pick-up time. except i did, and i shared a screen snip in my response. i also said that no shared boxes were in the original message, so why should i be the one that has to add it? i definitely didn't care for two senior leaders being copied on the response. all the more reason to send my rebuttal. i said if i need to copy five people each time, then i will. i didn't want to be convicted in a kangaroo court. i let the manager that likes karaoke know that i got the reservations done, and she spoke of needing to go on a trip soon. i spoke of how i have cut spending across the board, and i take fewer trips now. i heard from the same colleague as the previous day, but thankful it was before crunch time. it meant i had more time to do the researching. i had the name of who had sent the UPS label a week earlier and this made it easier to find in the deleted items in the shared box. it was five checks going to a judge's office in St. Paul. a payroll check was picked up, and i closed the door kind of quickly as it was late in the day, just as i was hearing 'have a good weekend'. not thrilled with how the popcorn event was canceled this month, but this happened a year ago as well, too close to the holiday. 

supply order must wait

 i found the time to place the supply order for the month, got a little too busy the previous day. then i saw an out of office reply from the colleague who handles it for me, so it must wait. hard to say how long, but with it being close to a holiday it might be a few days. there were two checks for the manager that likes karaoke, but not in the same i-pay file. i spoke of needing to make some travel reservations and this helped me get it done in the evening. i also spoke of the lady i had met at a meetup event where i sang karaoke, and so did she, but not the same song. a colleague asked me to do some researching in the afternoon during 'crunch time', from the Cincinnati file. wanted to see where some checks were sent. because i was busier compared to other times of the day, i had to admit that and the colleague spoke of needing to do some more research. i also put some test checks in the MICR ruler for the boss, four in all. they seemed to fit just fine to me. 

leading zeroes on checks

 the lady that places supply orders for me sent a message asking about a check. i said i would like to see a copy to see if it was one that i print. when i saw some leading zeroes on the check number, i am thinking it is not likely. i do print some of those, but not many. it is one file in particular, and the number of zeroes is three instead of the two given by my colleague. the boss is working remotely this week and called me. i saw a screen snip and said that it's a Fargo check. something about being unable to find the contacts for that business line, then said, 'never mind' and found them. in the morning there was a facility manager meeting, but it was a brief one, about ten minutes. there was a question about how many people would be in the office on Friday, as it is just before the holiday, i said i would be. something about the facility manager office would be closed that day. i had questions about overnighting a check to Great Britain. i said if anyone wants a check overnighted, then email me which one so i can respond with the tracking number when it is available. there was a one-check file, 'return to business line', but it was awaiting approval for a while. i said i could print it once approved, then i was asked about it. i said i don't know who the approvers are. something about their boss being out of the office for the day. it got approved though, and i was able to get it in the UPS box just before pick-up time. 

paris, texas, movie

 in the evening i went to a movie in Edina, a special screening of 'Paris, Texas'. i recognized Dean Stockwell in it. i liked what i had read about the movie in advance, how it had influenced some musicians. this included U2's album, 'Joshua Tree', as well as the name of the band 'Travis'. i have seen both in concert. since it was about two brothers traveling by car across the desert, it did leave me wondering if it inspired a later movie, 'rain man'. this was a bittersweet story, but i am thankful i saw it. i got a small popcorn there and a bottle of vitamin water, and the bottle was still half full when i took it home with me. i saw a chalkboard when i was leaving and wrote on it. i said i was thankful this venue was showing it before the Trylon, which has it this summer as part of their 'road movie' series. now i don't have to wait two months to see it. i liked the feeling i had when driving home, much like after other movies i have seen. it was a combination of factors, including how it was the evening. seeing a sign on the road saying, 'you're not a firework, don't drive while lit' along with the Leonard Cohen song, 'everybody knows', on the radio. there's another screening of a classic at this venue that interests me, in a month from now. at work, i am trying to get used to alternate plans on getting to work as the blue line is unavailable. i am taking two buses to get there. the tax specialist changed plans, wanted checks sent by courier, but the courier was even later than on Friday. there was an inquiry about a Canadian check for just over 2 million, i said i had it and it was picked up in person by a lady i hadn't seen before. i did tell the manager that likes karaoke about what i did over the weekend and it led me to researching 'animal clubs' some more. i found out there were some Eagles clubs in Iowa, my native state, just not in my hometown. i let vacation replacement know about going through returned checks, 22 of them are PDF so those were set aside. an ACH request from payroll was in the shared box, i let my colleague handle it. kind of funny what i saw in response to it, quick statements such as 'that's old' and 'screw it, i will print it'. after i got home from the movie, i did the dishes. it was time as it was a day later than typical. too tired from what i was doing on Sunday that i fell asleep and i should have known that would happen. 

blithe spirit

 there were four events slated for the day. the most notable was seeing a play, 'blithe spirit', written by noel coward, at the round theater in Minneapolis. it had been two years since i had seen a play at this venue, outside of the fringe festival anyway. good show all around, made me laugh at times. i had seen a movie written by this man at the Trylon cinema, 'brief encounter'. next season, this venue has two shows that are of interest to me. there is 'Great Gatsby', and then the Charlie Brown play, 'you're a good man'. i have seen the latter before, but being a big Charlie Brown fan i  can say it has been a while so not a big deal on seeing it again. i wasn't home for long after the play, had a meal there and then it was off to go performing. as usual, i went on near the end of the mic. there was a question from the performer after me, i didn't think it was too hard to understand what i was saying about going to a department luncheon where we celebrate birthdays. the show runner played a lady gaga song after i left the stage, and after the show i said it was the same one i had sang when doing karaoke two days prior. in the morning, i went to the pancake breakfast at Kaposia days in South St. Paul, just needed to buy the festival button. i saw a former coworker there, the same one who had once told me about this festival. then it was on to the walker art museum, where i used a free ticket i was given from a camera event in the past year. it was expiring at the end of the month. i still like seeing the ed hopper painting there, although i am aware that his most famous one, 'nighthawks', is in Chicago. there was also art about those who are deaf, and i liked the insight given about their lives. it reminded me of taking a class on the history of disability, and the instructor had studied at Gallaudet in the nation's capital. i bought some souvenirs as well, including a small Charlie Brown book and some postcards. then i went to have lunch, getting a fish sandwich and a drink at bobby and Steve's, within walking distance of the venue where i saw the play. 

holman field

 i had another volunteer shift with special Olympics. in the morning i did some errand running, including going to the post office. one order was picked up. i also did groceries at Aldi and went to the gas station. i wanted things all caught up before i headed there as i was expecting to be there until early evening. this time it was at Holman field in St. Paul, first time there. after i parked i got on a golf cart to where we would be helping out. it was more of the same, unloading bags from buses, but not as many as a week ago. there was just four this time. this didn't surprise me much as i would expect most athletes, if flying, to go to MSP. i did get a sandwich after finding out where the volunteer room was. and i kept my vest at the end of the day, probably can find some kind of use for it. we were done around three hours early. i got a good look round at the building that included a restaurant, close to where i had parked. i was pleased how it fed my need for history. it was a WPA project during the depression. it sounds like the place has the typical bar/restaurant type food on their menu, so i am considering making a return visit to have a meal there. it goes without saying how i took plenty of pictures while there. when i was leaving there was some construction and the lane i ended up in wasn't preferred, so i didn't go home right away. i went to an old neighborhood, wanted some ice cream. except the dairy queen was closed, empty building surrounded by a fence. went to the nearby McDonald's instead, which no longer has indoor seating. the Walgreen was closed, repurposed as an Asian grocery store and deli. the site of what once was an Arby's is now a housing complex. it proves the old adage how 'you can't go home again'. i had been in all four of those businesses when i was living nearby. in the evening i watched a DVD, the order that i had picked up earlier in the day. it was 'Detroit rock city'. storyline was ridiculous, but the music was good. it had echoes of 'rock and roll high school' as there was some Ramones songs in it. although the band this time was kiss. the part when the four friends arrive in Detroit was entertaining. the part before it, not so much.