dolly parton, special magazine

 we all know how i like those special magazines about famous people or historic events. i bought one this morning at Walgreen, about Dolly Parton. there were two available, at the same price. i chose the one published by rolling stone. it appears the other one, from people magazine, was just recycled articles and covers from over the years. i liked being able to compare before choosing, as i am aware that not all choices are the same, no matter what the product is. i saw an email in the morning that arrived after i had left for the day that was about a check from the newer Cincinnati file. i said what i could do, since it had already been approved, is to print it and send it to the shred bin. near my lunchtime i saw an instant message from the mailroom, asking me to pick up the empty mail tubs and the boxes of UPS envelopes that had just arrived. i said normally these were brought to the shop, but i was told that they were behind on things since some deliveries had arrived late. not a big deal, i am no stranger to using carts to get things moved. and if i don't have the mail tubs by the end of my lunch, i go there to pick them up anyway. there was a request to overnight a check to a different address in Canada. the one in the email was already on the check, though. but a different city in the province of Ontario than where the first check was sent. the boss called in the afternoon, offering me a ticket to the Minnesota Twins baseball game this weekend. i accepted. this would be just the second game that i have seen in the bank's suite. there was a dial-in meeting in the morning, i was barely paying attention to it. as i recall, it was mostly about AI. at one point the moderator spoke of 'hallucinogens'. in the evening i went to get groceries at the Hy-Vee in Eagan. the employee that asks about my weekend plans was my cashier, and i was impressed by the memory of hearing that one of the previous plans was a hockey game. i also got a can of jack and coke at the adjacent liquor store, before going to the grocery part. 

follies movie

 in the evening i went to a movie in Edina in a film festival, called 'follies'. it was a subtitled French-Canadian film. the director, who also stars in it, was scheduled to appear but was ill. a statement was read by a rep of the film festival. i like this satellite venue, as there is a free parking ramp next to the theater. easy in and easy out. i left fairly early as i wanted to be on time for the movie and get the evening meal handled near the venue. i picked up a sandwich from a holiday gas station, two blocks over. we were given ballots when entering the auditorium, where we tear to give our rating, range between one to five stars. i gave it a three. the movie had its moments, no doubt. but parts of it left a lot to be desired. it was about a married couple with two daughters deciding to have an open relationship. there were various 'acts' or chapters of the attempts made at this goal, to become happier. some worked better than others. but in the end, it didn't seem like the end result was realistic in terms of what one would have expected to happen. there was one scene inspired by the movie 'eyes wide shut'. i have seen it but not in a while. after the movie i walked around a little before getting back in my car and heading home. i stopped at a nearby Walgreen and picked up a few items. all happened to be ones that i haven't had before. this included a can of Celsius, mango lemonade flavor. along with a sponge bob-themed popsicle. i consumed both of those right away and was pleased with the choice. the third item was discounted easter candy, two pieces of Dunkin donuts eggs. i will have those soon enough. at work there was inquiry from a senior leader about a Fargo check. i recognized what business line it was from and copied the contacts for it. i also saw a weird error message on the inserter machine, it said 'motor stalled'. i re-booted it and was able to run some more checks through, then shut it off for lunch. i didn't get that error for the rest of the day. i called the remote help line to ask for advice about it. the tech responded on my laptop phone and said if it is up and running again, then we could wait to see how it performs in the near future. 

rare check overnighted

there was a request to overnight a rare check, actually 'return to business line', in this case Cincinnati. there is a 'companion' file that we see on the daily. this one in particular we don't see most days, and when we do it is just one. i checked and since New Year's Day this is just the third check i had printed for this business line. i was informed of this plan before seeing the check and i said it is best to email me as i can more easily send back the tracking number when it is available. this was the first day of the special project, a file that is normally just twenty checks a day recently said there would be a spike in volume, in the thousands. the business line is based in Jacksonville. the boss had previously said that when this happens, we will do two thousand checks a day. and we have to bill it to their cost center due to having to order enough check stock and envelopes to cover the volume. we saw these checks in the afternoon, and not all of them went out the same day. but i will send out as many as i can each day. sounds like the final volume expected will be just over half of what we were told at the outset. i know this has happened before as well. 

small business checks

 every so often, i get a special request from a colleague about certain checks. this one was to pull it from the PDF file, and i did. i was correct to do just that at first and then wait to hear more. sometimes it is just to send it to the shred bin, but not this time. it was to overnight it to San Diego. i recognized the business line, it does small business checks. it meant i didn't have to create a separate label for it as i am sending them checks on the daily most of the time. i prefer to lump together checks whenever possible, as it saves on overnight labels and envelopes. when i found this out i sent the tracking number and got a thank you. vacation replacement was not in, mention of being ill. it means that returned checks for our internal business line can stay in the shop a little longer. not a big deal as the volume is low. 

defunct check file?

 at work, the boss called me about four check files in particular. three of them i print regularly, but i had to say that the fourth is one that i haven't seen at all in my time with the bank. vacation replacement said it was a file once printed in our shop, but not even during his tenure. i am aware that the boss has more questions about check files since the main system that we print from will be going away later this year. there was also a late email saying the boss would be out of the office until the end of the week. in the morning i went to a copy store and printed an event ticket. this works out just fine because i don't need to log into my email and spend more to do so. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about a Facebook photo from years ago still getting reactions, the supermom, the bank, an america-250 weekend, and going to the Julia Child exhibit. 

rear window movie

 just before midday i went to see a movie in Columbia heights, it was 'rear window' as part of this year's Hitchcock film festival. i like Jimmy Stewart and this one had me guessing until the end. i knew this movie as being parodied on 'the Simpsons' and name-checked in a Lady Gaga song. this was 'bad romance'. it was my second visit to this theater, and while there i got an idea for another visit. there is a Cary Grant series starting soon, seven movies in all. i prefer to make it count and will likely just see one of them. when i already have 'affair to remember' on DVD, then of course that one is out. there was a good crowd for this screening, the second of two at this venue. i still know it as the sister theater to the trylon, which i get to more often. after the movie it was time for lunch and i went to a buffet in a plaza, one block over. probably a good thing that i don't go to buffets much as there is always a temptation to overeat. i stopped before i felt full, though. i liked how there was soft-serve ice cream there, so i had some. i tried to watch a united football league game when i got home, but i was tired. the St. Louis Battlehawks were home against the Birmingham Stallions. i decided to lay down at halftime and when i woke up it was near the end of the game, but St. Louis went on to win it. i had the evening meal and then near the end of the night i did the dishes. 

great awakening movie

 in the evening i went to see the movie 'great awakening', in Woodbury. it had been a minute since i had seen a movie in this theater, as i like my loyalty programs. this one isn't a part of the AMC or Emagine chains. i figured it would be a good idea to sit up front, but not in this theater. one is way too close to the screen in the first row. when the movie began, i moved back two rows, and it was a much better view. i did not recognize any of the actors in it, but i cared more about the story. even though i majored in history, the preacher in it, George Whitefield, wasn't in any of the history books i had read. this was ben franklin's friend. there was a hymn in it that i recognized from easter services, a Wesley hymn as Whitefield knew the Wesleys. this was 'love divine'. it did have the feel of many other biopics i had seen, where some but not all of franklin's accomplishments were mentioned. and i knew full well to expect the discovery of electricity with the kite and key as it was in the previews. i liked how it ended on a high note, as franklin didn't love all that long after the constitutional convention. nothing in his life was depicted after that. little or nothing was depicted from the American revolutionary war as i recall, it was more about events before and after it. i have been to franklin's home in London, which still stands, unlike the one in Philadelphia, and i have been to that city too. there were things to do before this event, though. i went to a lecture at the Minnesota history center just before midday, it was about John Adams. then i had lunch in the restaurant district just down the road near the hockey arena, at a pizza place. after lunch i returned to the museum and toured the Julia Child exhibit. i was there until just before closing time, but i wanted to get a good look around. i found out Julia was spoofed on 'Saturday night live' and 'sesame street'. it is proof that one is famous if one has been spoofed. it made me feel old when i saw VHS tapes on display as a museum artifact as i still have some of those. then i made it to Aldi for groceries before i went to the movie.