there was a tavern

 i went to perform in the evening, it was the final edition of this variety open mic, at least with this show runner. there was a page passed around near the end, it had the lyrics of what we'd be singing, 'those were the days'. a lyric from early in the song is 'there was a tavern'. sometimes i call a bar a 'tavern' as my old man sometimes used that term. i don't know much about what the show will be like going forward, and this includes being unaware of who is taking over as show runner. some pizza was ordered and i did have some of it, besides the typical bags of candy that somebody usually brings. I've seen plenty of shows I've performed at close over the years, so this isn't new to me. although this show means more when it is the main one i perform at after cutting back due to the pandemic. the venue does have another show I've performed at, on a different night of the week. if need be, i will just go to that alternate show more often. besides my testimonial of what the show means to me, and many others gave one besides me, i did my typical set. i did stories about the hike, the movie, the baseball game, how two TV shows are essentially the same, and the bank. for lunch i had hoped to go to a bar which serves a famous sandwich, but it was closed for the holiday. i had recently picked up some art which is an image of the bar. try again when they are open, i guess. i went to an Arby's instead. i also did a chore in the morning, the dishes. it was moved back one day as i was too tired to do those on my customary day. and i could justify it when i had the day off for the bank holiday. lately i have been doing plenty of study online, with articles and YouTube videos, about converted or repurposed buildings. in the twin cities, i have seen some just before closure and expected conversion, some after it, some before and after. for the third category, what stands out the most is three grocery stores and a dollar store. the grocery stores switched to another chain, largely due to one chain's star being on the decline such as rainbow, or a Supervalu turned independent store. those three were snapped up by stronger competitors- cub foods, Hy-Vee, and Aldi. and the dollar store became a microbrewery. but i know that all kinds of buildings have been converted, including houses of worship. sometimes the houses of worship can switch to another faith like the grocery stores did. when i was doing all of this study, including why not just buildings but also people convert to another faith- it reminded me of some college classes. i really liked the western civilization class, and it was one reason why i decided to major in history. i still very much have a love of learning. 

talk of the town movie

 just before midday i went to a movie in Columbia Heights, it was 'talk of the town', part of their Cary Grant series. although the character i ended up liking the most in the movie wasn't him, it was the law school instructor that later defended him. i liked his speech near the end about the rule of law. it reminded me of the final speech in Charlie Chaplin's 'great dictator', which is from the same era. i got some popcorn and bottled water while there. i saw a promo for another movie, it is a documentary about bitcoin. while there i liked listening to public radio in my car, there was a segment about ultimate fighting and a prominent man in this sport is friends with the president. there was a mention of its history, including senator John McCain once calling it 'human cockfighting' which was a catalyst in getting more regulation of it. after the movie i found a trivia book, art and science, in a nearby little free library. then i got in my car and drove to a gas station. i was low on gas and got a sandwich as well. i spent some time at home, but not too long as i wanted to get to the St. Paul Saints baseball game. the saints lost to Omaha, 5-3. as usual, there was some of the long ball in the game. during my walks around the stadium, it was cool to be recognized by school bouncer. i was introduced to his family. not too many get this same gleeful greeting that i gave to this dude. since it was Memorial Day weekend, there was food trucks after the game and then a fireworks show. i ordered from the converted ambulance again, 'dine 1 1'. i found a Filipino food truck there as well, but only after i already had some food. it reminds me of a former coworker who is Filipino. during the game and fireworks show it was cool to hear music, as usual. standouts were a movie song, 'everybody's talking', from 'midnight cowboy', then 'party in the USA' by Miley Cyrus. i sent some text messages as well, the one i sent to Yemen native, i hit send just as the fireworks began. the other was to a classmate from high school, the first one in nearly a year. i had heard from the former much more recently, but it was still three months ago and i said it was time to send another text. 

our birth hospital

 i went on a hike through meetup in the evening. i was on the wait list at first but a spot opened up hours before the event began. i made it to Aldi for groceries and then it was to the park in Bloomington. i stopped to eat at a holiday gas station about a mile away, at the outset not where i planned to stop. but due to construction, i said i need to exit here as i didn't want to wreck my car. it worked out just fine on getting a sandwich there. i liked this hike more as it was more engaging, even though i have been to this venue before. enjoyed the chats i had with two people on the walk. i was introduced to the second by the event organizer. when it was done it was to the campfire, and some of us roasted marshmallows for smores including me. a group event we did was share what hospitals we were born in. this is where i found out there were two other Iowa natives at this event. as i recall, one from Sioux City and the other cedar rapids. i only briefly spoke with both as i was in the parking lot, when i was getting ready to drive home. i did plenty of the typical chores and errand running as well earlier in the day. there was going to the post office, one order was picked up. i framed it when i got home as i was the photo of Rick Monday saving the flag. i had lunch at jersey mikes and used some points to make it a free sandwich. other notable things were hearing an instrumental version of the song 'mad world' on a Facebook posting for grain belt beer. i liked finding versions of the song on YouTube, more familiar with the Gary Jules cover than the tears for fears original. there was also the news story about the end of the line for Schlitz beer. i haven't drank it much, can be hard to find. i have a postcard of the brewery in Milwaukee in my collection. i recall reading how it was the number one beer for a while. then Anheuser-Busch became number one, aided by the brewery buying the st. louis cardinals baseball team and becoming a big sponsor of this sport and others. 

janitor visits

 sometimes the janitor visits the check shop, but not too often. i have noticed it is most likely in the morning, and at the end of the week if at all. this was the case for the day, and when i got back from another floor i noticed the floor had been mopped. i was opposed to this, even said so to my boss, as i didn't want to fall and get hurt on a wet floor. it was yet another case of the reject fax, the reason why i leave the floor, was not found. someone must have beat me to it. i am asked to find it and forward it only once a week, a day where most are working from home. i received another pull and shred request, like most of the previous ones it was from the fraud file. and this time it was an email and an instant message. if i see both, especially in the afternoon, more likely i will find it in time as i have deadlines to meet. two checks for payroll were printed, ready for pick-up. hard to say when though, but most likely after the three-day weekend is complete as there is the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. eight items, as usual a small enough order to go through the express lane. i did my customary visit to Walgreen in the morning, and i noticed the cashier didn't ring up the america-250 word find book. were they new? probably. 

use one not the other

 there was a request from the Cincinnati file that said use one check but not the other. this is the file where most checks are overnighted. once i was caught up on check printing, i reviewed what i had in front of me. then i reviewed the email. i said 'got it' on what they wanted. the checks had different amounts, this is likely why a second check was cut as there was something not correct about the first one. for this reason, i wouldn't call it 'duplicated'. another check was sent to the floor where most of my colleagues were on, but to a different employee. this time the team lead, who has fishing tattoos. it was a check from the i-pay file. the second file of this kind from the previous day was late, and i got it moved in the morning. two payroll checks were picked up, i had notified that department two days prior. 

dropoff during lunch

 at the end of my lunch i decided to walk a rare FedEx envelope over to the drop box in another building, walking through the skyway. when i got back i noticed how my vacation replacement had dropped off some returned checks. thankful i still don't get FedEx that often, but when i do i don't mind the exercise i get. during lunch sometimes i don't walk at all, aside from to and from the bathroom and breakroom, and those are on the same floor as me. sometimes i am aware of the sense of urgency from internal customers. case in point, there was a check copy request where i received an email and an instant message about it. it said it was due to needing to be reviewed prior to their response. 

business line move delayed

 notable about the workday was hearing that a business line, based in San Diego, would be moving. but this move has been delayed until august. a check to be set aside for the manager who likes karaoke was sent to that floor just before i went to lunch. more people were added to a thread about the earlier envelope order. a new order was submitted, and the earlier one was canceled. i guess this means we found out better about what kind to order and what was available. still a question on when it might arrive.