johnny horizon

 i had to look up johnny horizon after seeing a 'charlie brown and snoopy' cartoon in an online article that mentioned this character. i found an article from the american historical association, an organization that i happen to be a member of, and it spoke of an 'environmental test kit' made by parker brothers, the famous board-game makers. and mention was made of burl ives, who was in the christmas special 'rudolph' being a spokesman on an ad campaign. but what caught my eye, without a doubt, was one of the links in the article being about snoopy being signed on as well. the 'collect peanuts' site was the link, and i saw promotional materials and giveaways such as a 'pounce on pollution' bookmark and an 'environmental honor roll' poster. another article did say that fictional character johnny horizon, a mascot for the government's 'bureau of land management', looked a lot like the marlboro man. i hadn't heard of this kind of public service announcement before. the wikipedia article said the copyright protection was not renewed in 1982, so this explains why it faded into obscurity. i am familiar with smokey bear, as well as woodsy owl, though. in fact, i recently picked up a smokey bear postcard when i was at the science center to see a movie. the article was from 2023, and it was under the 'everything has a history' section in 'perspectives'. at work i was asked to find more foreign ACH-PDF statements, but from more than a week earlier. i went by the payees listed in the thread and i found some that i scanned. i was also told that techs would be arriving in the afternoon to work on the HVAC equipment, except no one did and i reported this back on the thread. the two check files handled in poland did not send anything, so fewer overnights to do. there were just fifteen overnights, until the second i-pay which had eleven more in it. in the morning, it was odd that someone rang the doorbell to the shop and asked about picking up a package. i got out into the hall and pointed out where the mailroom is. for the second straight day, i had a slice of pizza from the refrigerator in the breakroom. i had it a little earlier than my typical lunchtime as i knew i would have less competition for it then. in the evening i went to get groceries at the hy-vee in eagan, and i picked up three boxes of cereal. one of them had caitlin clark on the box, a hy-vee exclusive. i started off the visit by going to the nearby liquor store and got another can of bell IPA, so there are four beers waiting. when i got home from grocery shopping i watched the end of a UFL game. the st. louis battlehawks were leading, 9-0, in the third quarter and went on to beat arlington, 12-6. during my walks i found 1 dollar 68 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends celebrated May 4, 'Star Wars Day', it was also when bob newhart was a guest star as professor proton had just passed. it was followed by the one where the friends fly kites, and leonard tries to watch football with penny's friends but decides to go back to kite flying at halftime. 

flyer for rapper found

 when i was taking the light rail home after work i saw flyers left on the seats, and i claimed one. it was about a local rapper. QR codes are given for his site on YouTube. i do like finding music on that platform, but this seems to be an odd way to advertise the music. at work the boss dropped in to the shop and asked about the ACH-PDF statements going to foreign lands. i said we don't have that many, and i was asked to find some. all were in the foreign mail pile by then, and the boss decided to send a copy by fax to who was handling trying to move them to the top. it is not a big deal to me to flip through once in sealed envelopes as it doesn't take long to find all of them. another notable thing about the day was the file carried over from the previous day was the only one from that business line, and a smaller one than typical as well. i got those overnights out of the way in the morning before more checks were ready to print. there were some delays, but i did make it to the monthly popcorn social at the skyway level. this time i saw someone i knew, it was a senior leader. it led to me sending an i.m. to the branch manager at the building i was assigned to until December. i said this is a standout for me in terms of how things are different now that i am assigned to a downtown office. i was also spotted by someone who recognized me from performing, it was the first time i had spoken about stand-up at work and i preferred that. i have been there just under five years and i know it works well to keep those two things separate. i drank the can of Budweiser with the evening meal so now there are three beers waiting. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny and Sheldon see a psychic. it was followed by the one where we meet Bernadette, who was fixed up with Howard. 

muppet special magazine

 recently i bought a Muppet special magazine, and i have enjoyed reading it. when the movie and TV franchise known as 'Muppets' has been extensive, i sometimes still think of it as separate from sesame street. but i do recall sesame street characters such as Oscar the grouch appearing in Muppet movies, such as 'Muppet caper'. or big bird in the first 'Muppet movie'. i don't think i have much of the merchandise mentioned in it, but i liked mention of all of the guest stars over the years. one of these was Lady Gaga. and there is an 'a to z' of the characters. when i bought it i saw how there weren't many copies left, so as the saying goes, 'get while the getting is good'. i had seen it for sale in more than one store, at Hy-Vee as well as Walgreen, for a few weeks by the time i decided to buy it. as we all know, i have plenty of these special magazines. these are often made to profile various famous people, or something historic. when i am a history major, the historic ones are no doubt good reads. i got caught up on work again, sort of. more than a thousand checks were run through in the morning, then late in the day a small file with plenty of overnights got approved. it was late enough that i knew there was not enough time to complete it same day so i decided to let it be carry-over to the next morning. i still sent nearly forty overnight envelopes to the UPS box at the end of the day, including one pulled from the Oshkosh file. during my walks i found 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon drunk dials Steve Hawking, and Howard is revealed as 'clog-zilla'. it was followed by the one where raj works with and for Sheldon and a rare song is played in these scenes, 'eye of the tiger', part of it anyway. 

allergy issues

 no, not me. my boss was in the shop and left just before i went to lunch, complaining of allergy issues and would be working from home for the rest of the day. i did hear from one of those on the thread when i reported what work was done in the shop the previous day. i got a 'thank you' and i would hear more soon. i was asked to help with swapping tables in the office that my boss uses in the shop. near the end of the day i saw the UPS courier as i was waiting for the elevator. the courier accepted the seven remaining envelopes so i didn't have to get those into the box on the main floor. the others were put in the box about twenty minutes earlier. as usual, it was a high-volume day for the two Fargo check files. i sent out as many as i could same-day, but the larger file had some left over, more than a thousand. i will run those through the machine the next morning. when the boss was still in the shop, there was two visitors from payroll, who were picking up a check. those visitors talked to the boss for a few minutes, but once i handed off the envelope that had the check in it i had more that i wanted to get done. some of what they talked about was the building we no longer work in, and the plans for it. in the evening i watched 'night court'. the newly minted lawyer was filling in for dan fielding, who was faking an injury. looks like the season finale is next week and will have 'Howard' from 'big bang' as a guest star. i got out a page and wrote down 'plans for the warmer months', as the month of May is here soon. it is helpful on what i already have booked, from May to October. i have a page just like it from the two previous years. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Amy said to Sheldon, 'please pass the butter' and it led to Sheldon being indecisive in an electronics store. it was followed by the one where Howard and raj went to a goth bar and met two ladies. one of them was Sarah, 'not that anyone cares'. i liked Sarah, because i know what it is like to be the forgotten one. 

humidifier reader

 in the morning there were techs in the shop and i was emailed about it. this meant going to the main floor to meet them. i was told there were tools needed and i let them know what floor and room number to find when ready. i had work to do and this seemed to be the best game plan, not wanting to be waiting around. i wanted to write down as much as possible when the tech was leaving so i could report back to others. one thing i noticed was having a humidifier reader, next to the thermostat. along with how the thermostat was a little lower than before, 69 degrees. the cooler unit in the corner is still there, as i am told the main cooler for the building is not running. his project manager would have to follow up with the building manager. in terms of my normal duties, there was another request to send tax checks for a business line. it was five checks, and i had all of the overnight labels and forms needed. looks like these were all going to Washington state, the largest one was over a million. it was going to Seattle, or king county. in the evening i went to perform, and it looks like the start time was moved back again. there weren't many people who performed, i went on early as i knew i was tired. i did stories about the bank as well as being out of state over the weekend. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj had a murder mystery party. it was followed by the one where Lewis Black was a guest star, as a cricket expert. 

linus jersey, saints game

 i began the day in Ankeny, Iowa, at my hotel, the super-8. as usual i like how there's not much on the docket on the last day in town, or in this case the only one as it was a 'daytrip'. there was breakfast, check out of the hotel, and get on the road. i like doing the 'make your own waffle' at continental breakfasts. and i made fairly good time once i got on the road. first stop was at the Casey's in clear lake again. i got a hash brown, some snack cakes, and a bottle of Starbucks coffee. next stop was in Lakeville, almost home by then. it was at the cracker barrel. i got two snoopy stickers and a magnet. i got a look at the apparel as well, but i will wait a little longer to replace the patriotic shirt i bought from there over a decade ago. at this time i plan on going back to the store a month from now, on Memorial Day weekend, to see what they have in that category. there was a similar shirt to the one i have, it was mostly blue and the one i have is mostly white. time was still of the essence so i didn't want to be there for long. i got gas at the speedway and then finished the drive home, but i wasn't there for long either. basically, just long enough to put my bag inside and get my ticket for the St. Paul Saints baseball game. it started in the afternoon. i got a sandwich at a speedway and then it was on to the stadium. i picked up the Linus jersey and blanket from a booth behind home plate. the saints beat Indianapolis, a Pirates team, 5-3. the video board did run an ad for the souvenir shop having Charlie Brown and Snoopy shirts. i got a look at what they had near the end of the game but i already have plenty of Saints shirts, and Charlie Brown shirts, so i didn't buy either kind available. one had just Charlie on it, the other had Snoopy and Woodstock holding flags. i still had some things to do after the game. i went to Aldi and got groceries, then there was return the rental car to the airport. by then i was tired so i laid down. i got a ticket ordered for another Saints game, on Memorial Day weekend. i liked how it didn't take long to unpack my bag from being out of state. the change inside of it was 1 dollar 46 cents. notable songs from the car radio this weekend included ones by Mary Chapin Carpenter, survivor, b52's, and Chappell Roan. 

princess theme

 i went out of state to attend my niece's birthday party for her daughter, who was turning three. we were told the theme was princess, it explains some of the items in the party favor bag i was given. there was two stickers and a small coloring book, along with goodies such as m and m's, smarties, and a tootsie pop. as usual i got gifts that are usable, a snoopy plate i found on e-bay was one of them. the other two were from amazon, a shirt from the 'cars' movie and a Dr. Seuss book. i got started on the drive in the morning after having cereal for breakfast and packing my bag. i liked how i made good time once i got on the road. i made just one stop on I-35, at the Casey's in clear lake. i got a slice of pizza there, along with some snack cakes and a bottle of Starbucks coffee. the other stop was in Waukee, at another convenience store, found out it was across the road from the park where the event was being held. i got a bottle of apple juice and some chicken tenders there. i parked in a lot next to a covered bridge that was a footbridge. i needed to walk a little and guess where it was at the park. i got target gift cards for the two nieces and nephew, but i was told in advance that we were unsure if the nephew would make it and he didn't. my first niece accepted it for him. once the event was done i drove to newton and did a quick tour of my hometown. i got some ice cream at the dairy queen and walked around the outside of Emerson Hough school. it still serves as an inspiration as a writer. i made it over to the football stadium as well, then it was back to the Des Moines area. i checked into my hotel, and it was evening by then so i started searching for a meal. i chose the jimmy john's and got a sandwich there, and took it back to the hotel. i watched a documentary about actor Burt Reynolds, and part of the movie 'Moneyball'. then the news, plenty of coverage of the drake relays. i got some peanuts and a can of Busch light from a nearby convenience store and then wrote about my travels. during my walks i found 51 cents.