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.