picture day

 at work there were plenty of postings around the building, including the elevators, about picture day. i got it done after a 'team huddle' as i figured it was the best time to do so before returning to the shop. it didn't take long, just had to go to the main floor and i go there to transfer elevators anyway. i am told i will be sent a link to add the photo to my profile in the employee directory, but not sure when. even though i have a photo on my ID badge there isn't one currently in the directory. the bank is paying for the pictures, which made it easier to do. i did another re-boot on the inserter machine as i was seeing issues about a blank screen. this time i looked at the cord and shoved it in a little farther, so hopefully that takes care of things for a while. wondering if vibrating of the machine was causing it. overnight volume was a little higher, over thirty, but i was able to get most of the labels created before the afternoon run of the inserter machine. it is nice to get out close to the normal leave time, although i knew i had to get to the gas station first so i knew my priorities. it meant not seeing a full 'young Sheldon' rerun. in the morning i saw how people prepare differently for the weather as it is still rainy. some had umbrellas and trench coats, but i also saw one dude with no coat on at all. my rain jacket with a hood, given by a former employer, works fine except it is kind of short, barely going below the waist. i did some searching online and it looks like there are some affordable trench coats at various stores, i would want one that at least goes to the knee. i have bought coats at resale shops, so it doesn't have to be bought new. during my walks i found 3 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon ended 'fun with flags', then brought it back, opening a champagne bottle. it was followed by the one where Wil Wheaton breaks up Leonard and penny to win a bowling match. 

gift card, phone tag

 i was checking my phone during lunch and found out i was a prize winner from the credit union event last week. it is a gift card. voicemail said it could be mailed to me or i can pick it up from a branch, i prefer the latter. i left a voicemail about an hour after hearing it, when i had a little downtime at work, so i guess we are playing phone tag about it. at work i liked how the overnight volume stayed fairly low, just under thirty. it was aided by having none in the second i-pay file. one odd thing was the screen on the inserter machine going dark in the morning, but it was still running so i left it alone until all of the checks were run through. then i switched off the power source in the back and turned it back on, hopefully the reboot works for a while. i didn't have another problem with it for the rest of the day. vacation replacement heard about it and wondered if it was caused by a loose cord somewhere. i continued the search for two checks that was a carryover from late Friday, neither one was found. based on the given check numbers, i didn't expect to find them either, even with payee names given. then my boss responded and said those weren't going to be there, so I'm not sure why i had been added to the thread. in the evening i went to perform. i spoke of going to doors open, winning a gift card, a bank story, and a show i attended. i even started off with a reference to a folk singer who went before me, saying it almost sounded like he'd be playing a song by america, 'lonely people'. it was a rainy night. during my walks i found 53 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard got surgery to end his snoring, and sheldon said 'take me to leonard'. it was followed by the one where sheldon got an award and gave a speech while drunk. 

streetcar museum, lakewood cemetery

 i made it to two more venues on day two of the doors open event. in the morning it was the streetcar museum. riding the streetcar was just $3 and when i stepped off at the end of the ride i said 'worth it!' i bought two postcards as well, being careful on what to get as i knew i had already bought some on a visit to another railroad museum. i liked seeing the vintage ads inside the car, we were told those were actually replicas. there were ads for Hamm's beer as well as grain belt that i got pictures of. we also got a look at the machine shop, and the library. when this was done i went home to have lunch, a pot pie and some TGI Friday's potato skins. i rested a little as well, then ventured out again for the fourth and final venue on my list. this was the Lakewood cemetery. i went to the welcome center first and i liked having some cookies and water. i got a flyer at the front desk, later noticing it was from last year but not a big deal. then i took a walk and during it i first found where politician Hubert Humphrey is buried. then i walked some more and found the chapel, where the doors open volunteers- and the people counter-were. the chapel is on the national register of historic places. then i saw the ribbon tree near it, as well as two mausoleums. there were some stained-glass windows with bible verses on them in one of these. then i drove to uptown and got some ice cream at the McDonald's and walked past the lagoon movie theater. it was hard to find showtimes for this theater online, some mention of renovation, but when i walked past there were some people inside and movie posters up and times given. although there was nothing of interest to me showing at this time. then i went home and had the evening meal, a pizza. 'The Simpsons' was about Bart and Lisa watching the cartoon 'itchy and scratchy' as well as homer being rescued from Florida. during my walks i found 63 cents. 

house of balls, doors open

 this is 'doors open' weekend in Minneapolis. i had an ambitious plan of seeing four venues in two days. i started off with seeing the 'house of balls', next to a light rail stop, this morning. this is an art studio that specializes in turning junk into art. a standout was framed art saying, 'welcome to America' and it was red, white and blue, depicting a flag, made out of shell casings. i also recognized one artwork that was made out of a wringer washer, probably a Maytag. it was round instead of boxy though. once this was done it was midday, and i made my way to Eagan where i ate at Cane's chicken as it was lunchtime. then on to a Baskin Robbins, which shares the building with a Dunkin Donuts. i had some ice cream there, two scoops, first time at this place in a while. i saw it a lot when going to get groceries at the nearby Hy-Vee, first time inside this location. i spoke of going to one in my hometown when i was young. then i made my way back to do more touring. it was a maintenance facility for the public works bureau. it was cool to see all kinds of vehicles on display. one was for the swat team and another for the bomb squad, as well as a fire engine. when i got home i wasn't there for all that long. i had the evening meal, then i got groceries at the Aldi, and then off to see a play at the history theater in downtown St. Paul. it was called 'whoa nellie', it was supposed to be a biography of a lady con artist. it left a lot to be desired, for one thing only revealing she was a child actress at the end. there were microphone problems as well, and i didn't care for the 'presentism' analysis of life in the 19th century. people lived differently back then, we already knew that. show started more than ten minutes late, and there were announcements that included a plea to 'support the arts because it is under attack'. um, you're preaching to the choir. i did see the list of shows for next season and the one about the winter carnival interests me. during my walks i found 36 cents. 

so long, woody guthrie

 when i logged onto YouTube tonight, i saw a Woody Guthrie song, 'so long' (it's been good to know you). not sure why it was there, aside from choosing some Bob Dylan songs recently after seeing the Bob Dylan biopic. this did answer one long-dormant question though. i recall when a Des Moines newspaper published its final edition and this is what was on the headline. i guess we choose things all the time that have resonance, and a popular movie, tv show, or song title will fit this description. another title was 'dusty old dust', i know this was in reference to the 'dust bowl' during the great depression. there is also mention of the library of congress recordings. i know one of his songs, 'this land is your land', was on the soundtrack to a favorite movie of mine, 'up in the air', albeit performed by someone else. at work i did some exploring in the skyway at the end of my lunchtime. i walked down a part of the skyway i don't see much, saw a cookie place but there was no coffee, so i kept walking. i turned to a building i hadn't seen before and stopped at a convenience store. i found a bottle of Dunkin donuts coffee and one of those Smucker's un-crustable peanut butter sandwiches. in the morning there was an instant message sent before i had arrived for the day. it was about scanning and forwarding a reject fax from another floor. i said i like to get the PDF check files printed before i leave the shop. also, how i had been handling it on Fridays for a month now, and no one needs to tell me to send it unless it isn't in the shared box by 9am. i got it done before 9am. in the evening i went to do grocery shopping at the Hy-Vee in Eagan. i saw someone who looked a lot like an old friend from the comedy circuit, the big dog, but i knew it wasn't him. this dude had the 'woodman' (not tin man) look with facial hair and a winter hat. then i liked how i was recognized by the cashier, who had helped me before, and was asked what i was doing for the weekend. when i got home i watched some of the united football league game on fox, Memphis at San Antonio. it was tied at 20 at the end of regulation, i decided to watch the news on another channel, found out Memphis won. still not much of a crowd though. during my walks i found 60 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends had a prom, and it had the same amount of drama as a real prom. it was followed by the one where the friends act out their version of 'lord of the rings' by fighting over a ring. 

go to the stairwell

 there was a tornado warning in the afternoon, and my boss was in the shop doing some meetings when this happened. i said 'does this mean we need to move?' when i heard the siren. we took the elevator to another floor where the rest of my colleagues are and went to the stairwell as there are no windows in there. i said i was taking my phone with me, and the phone did say the tornado warning wouldn't last long, about twenty minutes. i was moved to this building just under five months ago and i think it was the first time i had been in any of the stairwells as i am usually taking the elevators when i need to get somewhere. i said it was a good thing that i had plenty of the overnight labels done by then as the emergency didn't put me all that far behind on my work. i still was back to work in time to get the afternoon checks run through the machine and make the delivery of two mail tubs at the end of the day. not all overnighted checks went out same day as there was just over fifty, but well over half of them were in the box by the pick-up time. in the morning i did my walk to Walgreen and there was more this time in the refrigerated aisle. i got a bottle of Starbucks coffee and some cookies. i am thankful i saw a different cashier this time on the upper level as i likely would have avoided that grouch if he was there this time. i drank the can of Sapporo with the evening meal and got two cans from the nearby liquor store so now five beers are waiting. i bought a surly, and a Michelob. i also saw invites for six picnics through meetup. i was wondering if there was going to be one for Memorial Day but it finally was scheduled. probably not going to all six though, as i like my proximity. right now, i am only signed up for the one on memorial day but will likely sign up for others closer to when they are happening. no need to sign up too early as the others are over a month away, and the final one in the series is labor say. during my walks i found 1 dollar 77 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when billy bob thornton was a guest star, followed by when stan lee was a guest star. 

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.