netflix button on remote

 i knew that step one on using the bluray player i just bought was to take it out of the box that i put it in to get it home on a rainy night. i did, and i noticed that there was a netflix button on the remote control. along with one for bluetooth, and i don't use either. not too big of a deal to get it hooked up, i used the HDMI cord from my DVD player. i put it in the recent purchase from amazon, 'i used to be funny', and watched part of it, satisfied that this player works. i can watch the movie in full this weekend. i still wanted to do other things such as take a walk, since it was still raining in the morning. at work there was two meetings. the first one was about the tax checks once i move downtown, sounds like there won't be phones there so we had to exchange cellphone numbers. the other one i said i would not attend as there was no dial-in option. later on, i got the slide show version of the meeting, and if it was like most quarterly meetings i probably didn't miss much. recent orders were picked up from the branch, the UPS envelopes as well as the toner cartridge. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went to las vegas and hired a hooker for howard. it was followed by the one where leonard's dad and sheldon's mom met and spent the night together. penny loved it, sheldon and leonard hated it. 

wandering leaf brewing

i went to a meetup event, through the micro-brewery group, at wandering leaf in st. paul. i knew that it was in what was a family dollar. i moved around a little while there, saw the dude in the cowboy hat that spoke about living in austin, texas, for a while. there was also a young lady in scrubs who said she was a pharmacist at a group home, and lives in woodbury. a dog named jupiter was getting passed around and at one point somebody tried to put a nametag on its head. as usual, when i arrived i wanted to find the event coordinator. i said i was thankful that the group finally made it to this place, it had been on my list for a while. another lady spoke of how she likes blue cheese in her food. i stayed for a little over an hour, then knew i needed to get going to the next event. this of course was performing at an open mic. not too many in this edition though, don't know if the rain kept some people away. i did some bank stories, along with ones about the grinch as well as attending a meetup hike. at work an envelope box was picked up from the branch near the end of the day. the boss had a question about a check but it looked nothing like one that i print, this was when i had just returned from lunch. i picked up a used bluray player nearby just before midday. during my walks i found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when stuart went on a date with penny, then leonard went with howard and raj to a bar to try to meet women. it was followed by the one where stuart was hired to wait in line for sheldon at a movie, and to go shopping with amy. 

man ray, return to reason

 in the afternoon i went to see 'return to reason' at the trylon cinema. it was four short films, a total of 70 minutes. it was subtitled as it was in french, but silent films as it was from the 1920s. i liked when they were in motion, in a car going somewhere. i am aware that man ray was a leader in the dada and surreal movement, it was why these films were being shown. when some of the music was playing i was stomping a foot to the beat of it as it sounded good. i had some popcorn and 7-up at the movie, more affordable there as it is non-profit. i liked how i didn't have much to do for the day until then, stayed in shorts as i was inside for a while.i watched most of the bears-packers game but had to leave to get to the movie. bears were leading at the time but found out they lost. after the movie i printed two event tickets. i didn't do much else after the movie, watched some of the chiefs-bills game, chiefs lost. 'the simpsons' was about bart becoming attached to a brain in a jar. during my walks i found 25 cents. 

pacific northwest timber country

 in the morning i went to a lecture at the minnesota history center in st. paul. it was about the pacific northwest timber country. the speaker was a professor from the u. of oregon, and had a book for sale. the book was called 'strong winds and widow makers', during 'q and a', it was revealed this was inspired by a song of the same name. as usual, i liked how i learned something from being there. in this case it was about the labor union known as the IWA, the international woodworkers of america. i liked how there was mention of how those who work in that industry understand it best and are aware of the balance needed between the need for wood but also preserving forests for recreation. i got a look around at the souvenir shop after the lecture, and it gave me some ideas for what to buy on my next visit. there is a limited run exhibit called 'girlhood' that will run until early june, so i still have some time to see it. better to go on a weekend where i have less planned. i got a pic of a sign near the front door about a DAR meeting onsite, it had wrapped up before the lecture did. the lady near the sign spoke of 'evacuation day' in new york after the american revolution ended, hadn't heard of it before. then it was on to a pizza place down the hill near the xcel center. i had a big slice of sausage pizza and some tiramisu, along with some sparkling water. then i went home and got groceries at aldi, and laid down for a little while. when i got up again it was time to go to a meetup walk at a nature center in bloomington. i had done this walk before, but first time since april. i roasted a hot dog at the campfire after the walk. in the morning, before the lecture, i went to the post office and picked up one order. i paid for my box fee, for six months. i didn't do much after the walk, when i got home i watched the news. during my walks i found 57 cents. 

solar bobblehead

 i went to hy-vee in eagan for groceries as usual tonight. another thing i did before i got there was go to the five below store in the same complex. i found the charlie brown and snoopy socks i was looking for. the other item i bought wasn't the jigsaw puzzle that was on my list, will have to research some more to see what location has those. saw everything but snoopy in the puzzle section. i also bought a solar bobblehead. there was two of interest to me, besides snoopy i also saw homer simpson. so at some point if i feel the need i can get homer as well. i liked seeing a metallic grinch balloon at hy-vee, plenty of christmas decorations are up. at work there was a dial-in meeting, just before midday. it was the one about moving the check shop, and it looks like this is just a month away. i let the tax specialist know, and it sounds like there will be another dial-in about the tax checks. the backlog of checks to send out went down some more, likely will be eliminated on monday. i try to send out no more than three mail tubs each day, and not a big deal if some of the fargo checks are sent out a day behind. i am still doing planning for the holiday season, and more event tickets will be ordered soon. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 74 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon played d and d with bernadette, who was unable to go drinking with the friends as she is pregnant. zack was at the bar, and raj brought claire. 

salad days, music documentary

 i went to a movie after work tonight, it was 'salad days', a documentary about the music scene in washington, dc, in the 1980s. it was part of the 'sound unseen' film festival, just my second visit to this festival, and first time in seven years. the screening was at bryant lake bowl in uptown minneapolis. what made this movie for me was interviews with musicians i had heard of- henry rollins, and dave grohl. i often said 'yep' or nodded in agreement with what was said in the interviews. this included when there was mention of releasing music on your own record label- the 'do it yourself' concept. it even got a laugh out of me when there was a comparison made to the 'island of misfit toys'. understanding what the nation's capital was like during that time helped, especially mention of the neighborhoods these music venues were in such as georgetown university. during my weeklong vacation in the town, i stayed in foggy bottom, close to george washington u, just blocks from the white house. i think the only mention of a big venue would have been the national mall, in reference to 'revolution summer' in 1985. i had to go to the bathroom once during the screening, waited as long as i could, but i know i didn't take long, just a minute or two. this wasn't the most ideal venue for a movie screening, as the door to the showroom was opening and closing a lot. i ordered a can of grain belt beer before the movie started, it was orange, in reference to 'pheasants forever'. i knew about this due to attending oktoberfest in new ulm. and i had a meal at the speedway gas station across the street before going inside, two slices of pizza and some peanut butter cookies. i sat on a nearby bench while eating and said to a passer-by how 'i heard that one, but didn't see it'. as i heard a 'crunch' and then 'damn!' about a block down. a car crash maybe? in that part of town, who knows? i don't know why it took me secen years to get back to this festival. there are others that i have attended more often, in st. louis park, and at st. anthony main. i did press 'like' on all three of their facebook pages, it will increase the odds that those film festivals will stay relevant to me when they happen again. at work i found out the cake from the previous day was for the birthday of a bank employee, that moves around a lot at various branches. there was a dial in meeting in the afternoon, moved up my lunch for it. but much of it was i.t. related so i was told it was fine to leave the meeting, and i did. there were other things i could get done such as overnight labels. i picked up a snoopy and woodstock 'pom hat' at walgreen during lunch, replacing the minnesota wild winter hat that i have had for twelve years. during my morning commute i said 'what the?' when i saw smoke off in the distance. i got closer and saw a car on fire, a nissan, but on the other side of the divided highway than me. then a little behind the burning car was two people hugging, possibly those who had escaped the car. during my walks i found 50 cents. 

anyone order a cake?

 near the end of my workday i was taking the overnights to the UPS box. on the table next to it, i saw a cake, from 'nothing but cake'. did not recognize the name on the receipt but i read it hadn't been there for long, about 30 minutes. i let the branch manager know, and was told it was a branch employee that i hadn't heard of. and the branch manager went to claim it. just plain weird that it wasn't brought into the branch by the courier. the boss was in and left after a half day. the two fargo files were late, approved when i was at lunch. i was able to get one of them printed and out the door by the end of the day, but not the larger one. so i guess i will run that one through the machine, more than two thousand checks, the next morning. i put in two vacation day requests for early december, still have some days left to use besides those two. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the friends went to a cabin and played 'never have i ever'. raj brought an oversized teddy bear to howard and bernadette.