tax survey

 i do online surveys for the airline miles. tonight, i did one that was largely about taxes. i answered 'don't know' to many of them as i don't know much about taxes. i pay whatever i am told to pay and it is hard to answer what the tax rates should be for small businesses when i don't own one. i completed the survey and got the full allotment of points, so i can't complain too much about it. on many surveys i do not qualify and get booted early, getting only the minimum allowed as a 'thank you for your time'. i fell asleep when watching the news and when i woke up, '48 hours' was on. i was in the other room so i could only hear it but i knew it was about a Georgia cop who got life in prison for the murder of his wife. i probably should have gotten up a lot earlier in the program to turn it off but i was too comfortable in the laying down position. i got up to shut it off at the end of the program though. at work i was asked to print test checks during the first hour of the day, and it led to a meeting about it to be canceled which didn't bother me any. the fewer meetings, the better. still a day behind on the Fargo checks being sent to us, so a backlog of just over a thousand will be run through the next morning as it was a high-volume day. i sent out three mail tubs so i sent out as much as i could while balancing things such as the time needed to do the overnight labels. it was nice to get all of the overnights in the box a little early, as it meant i could leave close to my scheduled leave time for the day. during my walks i found 83 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and raj tried a mining simulation and it didn't last long. it was followed by the one where leonard goes to switzerland on valentines day but takes raj as penny is ill.  

urban growler brewery

after work i went to an event at urban growler brewery in St. Paul, first time there. not that easy to find as it was in the warehouse district and the MapQuest directions weren't good enough. when i arrived i cared a lot about getting food as there was some available. i liked the meatballs as well as the fries and tater tots. i had a small ham sandwich as well. i liked how the event's sponsor, the credit union that i am a member of, gave me a drink ticket. i had a passport to complete and it went into a box for drawings. one of the prizes is St. Paul Saints baseball tickets. i picked up a chip clip as well as a beer cozy. both of these items has the credit union's logo on it. i spoke of attending events at various micro breweries due to a meetup group i am in, not sure why i hadn't been there before. when i see the event coordinator again i will see if this one is on the radar. i know there may not be enough parking but the 'barrel room' we were in is likely big enough for our crowd. i didn't do much after the event. at work i was asked to log into the test check printing system by an I.T. rep to see if a password worked that i was given, and it did. guess i will be using it the next day during a meeting. most of the overnight envelopes were in the box before pick-up time, a few more were sent there when i left for the day. i got a bounce-back on a check copy request, was told it was an encoding error that led to a future date being on the check. i did a search by payee name and let the requestor know that no other checks had been issued, so far just the two that were requested earlier. during my walks i found 51 cents.

not my pepsi bottle

 when i went to perform in the evening, i saw a nearly full bottle of Pepsi on the bar and when i ordered my drink i said 'it wasn't my Pepsi'. as usual i got a beer. i did jokes about a posting on a Facebook singles site, my visit to a Walgreen, the bank's breakroom, a three-movie weekend, and a meetup event. i also gave my take on a line in a story from an earlier performer, reminding me of family. i was tired and left for home shortly before the show ended. at work i was surprised to see vacation replacement, as an email said my colleague would be working from home for the day. but then, upon arrival, i am told that his family is going to Wisconsin to see 'house on the rock' and working from home would be moved back a day. also, something about the family using his SUV, I've heard about that happening before. some Fargo check files arrived, but only one day's worth so still a day behind. i knew this because of the dates on the checks. in the afternoon i saw an email from the team lead in customer service about a check, and it was in the second i-pay file for the day. looked like this colleague was already out for the day by then so i said i would go to that floor to deliver it the next morning. during my walks i found 1 dollar, all in quarters. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends talked about investing in Stuart's comic bookstore, after visiting another store. it was followed by the one where we hear 'intruder alert' after an anti-burglar device is activated on Sheldon and Sheldon then tries to move to Montana. 

king of kings movie

 it was a two-movie day and i got started kind of early, went to see 'king of kings' in Lakeville. i am not that religious but i noticed who was in the voice cast and said it is worth seeing. this included Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, and Pierce Brosnan. it was more than just a story about Christ as it was also about the storyteller, author Charles Dickens. the author was telling the story to his young son. i wiped away a tear during the scene depicting 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone'. why, i don't know. i think this movie was produced or distributed by the same company as the one i saw on super bowl Sunday, about the teenager that was adopted by his teacher. i say this because both asked for donations in the closing credits 'in order to increase the reach of the movie'. after it was done i found a quick lunch at the speedway gas station nearby. then i drove to the cracker barrel store, four miles north on I-35. i bought a patriotic shirt to replace the one that I've had for over a decade. this one has one big flag on it instead of plenty of small ones and has text from the declaration of independence as well. then i drove the rest of the way home. in the evening i went to the Trylon and saw 'hardcore', starring George c. Scott. it was part of the Peter Boyle series. shortly after it had finished i said it was 'sobering, to say the least'. because it was about a private eye, played by Boyle, hired to find a missing girl, and she was discovered in a porn film. then her religious dad tries to find her, and it shows quite a bit of the sex industry along the way. there was a promo before the feature presentation about another series coming up, 'bleak week', in June. i will have to see if there are any in that series that interest me. during my walks i found 51 cents. 

a new leaf movie

 in the evening i went to the Trylon cinema and saw 'a new leaf'. no surprise how i liked the leading man, Walter Matthau, more than the leading lady, Elaine May. the lady was clumsy, and slapstick doesn't do anything for me. i did recognize Doris Roberts in it, as one of the lady's staff. i noticed Conrad Bain, Mr. Drummond from 'different strokes', in the wedding scene but that actor was un-credited as it was a non-speaking part. the premise wasn't the best one, but i still grew to like the story. a playboy who has no inheritance left and must marry to avoid selling all he owns to pay debts, at the outset doesn't sound appealing. but i had seen other movies starring Matthau and figured it was still worth seeing. and i get it where the title is derived from, as the leading man 'turned over a new leaf' by taking care of his wife. even though the plans at first were to kill her for her money. because he takes over her finances and fired her dishonest staff. along with her being a botanist and discovering a new fern. this was the proverbial 'double entendre'. i didn't do much after the movie, stopping at a Walgreen on the way home. i noticed a Sport clips i have had haircuts from has closed, parked near it. best indicator from a distance was seeing the letters gone from the outside. but i knew it was closed for a while after the pandemic began. i did plenty before the movie, though. in the morning i went to the post office and picked up two orders. one of them was a little golden book about basketball player Caitlin Clark. then it was on to downtown St. Paul and a meetup event at union depot, in a place that doubles as a coffee shop and a bike shop. i not only got coffee, but also a pastry and three postcards. first coffee event in this group mainly known for going to micro-breweries. after sitting down to eat the pastry, i liked chatting with an archaeologist, who i think had just moved here. i pointed out where the bathroom was near the end of the event. then i went down to track level and found the snoopy statue. i had only paid for parking for an hour and a half so i knew it was time to get back to my car and leave. it was past midday, so it was also time to get lunch, and i went to get a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. after it i watched some of a united football league game, Michigan stunned Arlington, scoring the tying touchdown after calling timeout with one second left, then a one-point conversion. then eventually i was off to Aldi for groceries. during my walks i found 4 dollars 77 cents, and three dollars worth of those quarters paid for the cup of popcorn i had at the movie in the evening. 

billboard greeting card

 in the morning i did a walk over to the Walgreen in the skyway and got a bottle of tea and some cookies. i liked seeing a greeting card as well and bought it, too. it depicts a billboard saying, 'you are human, loveable, strong, and enough'. it says the creator spreads a message of hope on billboards in Kansas City and beyond. makes sense when it is a hallmark card, which is based in Kansas City. i let the cashier know i would prefer getting bottles of coffee but didn't see any, don't know why the dude was acting disgusted with me. i moved up this walk as there was a dial-in meeting scheduled about test check printing, guess more will be happening next week. the Fargo check files did not arrive at all, and it didn't hear anything from the business line when asking about it. the PDF checks now have some email verbiage on them, as of the midday i-pay file. i guess it is a way of encouraging payees to switch to something besides checks. in the evening i went to get groceries at Hy-Vee in Eagan. first stop was the liquor store next to it, and i picked up a can of Paulaner so now there are four beers waiting. i listened to some of the Saints baseball game on the radio, but they were way behind, against buffalo. when i got home i watched some of the united football league game on fox, D.C. was playing at San Antonio. i fell asleep during the fourth quarter but later found out D.C. won. during my walks i found 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Howard tried to throw out a first pitch at an Angels baseball game. it was followed by the one where Sheldon gets incredible hulk hands when agreeing to go on a double date with raj. i also found out 'night court', a show i had been watching, has been canceled. guess the ratings just weren't there. i also looked at the venues for the upcoming 'doors open' event, just over a week away, and found four venues of interest to me. two others i can see outside of the event, and there were two that i had to eliminate as tickets were required for the tours and were already sold out. 

comp tickets, short notice

 this week i was sent comp tickets to an event at the u. of Minnesota, a piper performance. except it was on short notice, sent the morning of the event, so i didn't attend as i didn't see them in time. then a day later, i got a survey about the event i didn't attend. when i first saw the tickets, i tried replying saying i preferred hearing about it a week in advance as it would be easier to plan. there is a number to call on the survey's email, so i guess i have another option on seeing that my message gets through to the right people. what i had said was that it must have been when i won a drawing at the screening of a Buster Keaton movie in February. i was able to meet the organist and see the organ close-up and was happy with that. i didn't do all that much in the evening after getting home from work. i did the after-work routine, then much like the previous day i tried to listen to the St. Paul Saints baseball game on the radio, but this time i fell asleep. the opponent this week is Buffalo. i drank the can of two-hearted IPA with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. there are two fish heads on the can. at work there was a high volume again with one of the Fargo files so a little over a thousand checks are left over and will be run through the next morning. there was a little over twenty overnights for the day, and i liked getting all of them in the box just before the pick-up time. there was no second i-pay, which aided in fewer overnight labels to create. i also got a look at the movies on fandango and i could make it a three-movie weekend, which is not typical for me. but i am also a big believer in 'get while the getting is good' and i don't know if one of them will be at a nearby theater if i wait another week to see it. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon tried to teach a class and only Howard signed up. Amy liked being popular as there was a feud between Bernadette and Penny as one helped the other get a job in pharmaceutical sales. it was followed by the one where Sheldon teaches physics to Penny as she wants to understand the work that Leonard does.