patriotic rubber ducks

 in the morning i made it to Walgreen and bought more than just cookies and a drink. in the seasonal aisle i saw some patriotic rubber ducks and bought two of them. one looks like Uncle Sam and the other looks like the statue of liberty. both were a buck-fifty so i could justify that amount easily, so two more america-250 items have been acquired. in the evening i went to the Dunkin donuts in Eagan and got coffee and a donut, then headed to the Hy-Vee. saw the cashier that often recognizes me. i chatted with another employee before checking out, picking up some Oreos. although i was bored with hearing about her life as a supermom and paralegal. she couldn't get her facts straight about famous people, either. at work i added a day off to our team's calendar, in early June. i got a rare call on my laptop phone, the courier needed help with finding the building. this was the delivery of the check stock order. there was mention of a wallpaper and screen saver change as well. this might explain why the team lead spoke at the huddle about our website where we log into payroll, since it has changed too, showing us palm trees. don't know how this affects me though, as i leave for the day after logging out and finally seeing a 'blue screen' with the time on it. 

dead battery was culprit

 the doorbell to the check shop was finally fixed in the afternoon, after a month of waiting. the tech arrived just as i was about to leave for lunch, but it was handled fairly quickly. i decided to eat my lunch in the shop, on an alternate table from where i do most of my work. the tech said the culprit was dead batteries, and those were swapped out. i helped with testing it, and that is what i said when the second work order was created. i wanted techs to show up when i am there so i could help with testing. i was told the first visit, the one before my start time for the day, was likely from building management and not his company. a check for payroll was picked up in the morning, and another in the afternoon, not long after the doorbell was up and running again. payroll is now in the same building, but on floor 13. i guess this building does not skip that floor, but some do. two boxes of envelopes arrived, but there are still two others that i am waiting for. i let my colleague know and found out the courier envelopes hadn't been ordered yet. i liked how another thing was finally handled, a check that was on dashboard for two weeks that was awaiting approval. it was the proverbial 'get off the pot'. i let I.T. know this time, as letting the business line know yielded no response. found out the check was no longer needed, so the line item was removed. a check for the manager that likes karaoke was sent to another floor late in the afternoon, after i had sent the regular mail tubs to the mailroom. i stopped on main floor to send UPS envelopes to the box, then i was on my way. it was a 'drop and leave' as the manager was in a conference room waiting for a dial-in meeting to begin. in the evening i drank the can of miller lite with my meal and now there are three beers waiting. 

table about tech conference

 when i was on my way back to the shop after the rescheduled team huddle, i was on the main floor and decided to ask what the table near the turnstiles was about. it was an upcoming technology conference if i am not mistaken, but i don't know how i could make my role more efficient. and it sounds like these are long sessions and i have just one vacation replacement. i did pick up a plastic cup with the bank's logo on it, after playing their 'Plinko' game. there were 11 boxes of check stock just outside the door of the shop when i made it back. sometimes i have to leave the floor, it can't be helped. i got out a cart and brought them in, making two trips to complete it. i was asked to hold a payroll check until the next day, not a big deal. the team huddle did speak of the survey that is due soon, i said i would do it once i got another reminder. the boss asked for the cost center from the business line related to the special project, as we've ordered the supplies already to cover the demand. i was asked for a tracking number on the Cincinnati file, even though this business line sends them to me. it was related to me saying i was using just one label after noticing three checks were going to the same address in NYC. once i checked the tracking, i found out delivery had been delayed, something about the incorrect suite number. good chance it gets sent back to Oregon. 

early arrival, tax specialist

 i saw an instant message from the tax specialist asking about a Canadian check. i said it wasn't printed yet but i could get it done soon, just needed to swap out the check stock for the Canadian kind. it was afternoon and i had just printed the main ad-hoc file of tax checks, 18 in all. normally these would all be picked up the next morning, but i was told the Canadian check needed to go out same day to avoid fines. i was asked where the UPS box is, as this dude is new to the building. i said it was on the main floor between two food outlets, in the hall. the boss was ill, so our team huddle didn't happen. i was given a PO box address for a PDF check that had no address on it. this is a rare occurrence. the big envelope order arrived, then i asked when the check stock order would be arriving. looks like the supplier still needed the purchase order, and a colleague sent it on my behalf. 

yellow bird tops

 in the evening i went to a Walgreen to see what easter candy was available since it would be discounted. i chose two tubes of Reese's peanut butter mini-cups, and these had yellow bird tops on them. while there i responded to a text message from my niece, who said there would be no birthday party for her elder daughter, but a wish list would be available on Facebook. i also got some cheese sticks and a Charlie Brown gift box. at work it was largely uneventful. there was a check for the manager that likes karaoke, it was in the second i-pay file of the day. i was asked to hold it until the next day as she was working from home. before i made it to Walgreen i went to the copy store and printed an event ticket, an upcoming history lecture. 

bunny cookies

 i went to the Easter Sunday service at a church in downtown St. Paul. there was an Easter egg hunt after the service for the kids, so they wanted us adults to leave the sanctuary right away. it meant going to the fellowship hall, where i had some cheese, juice, and a bunny cookie. when i got home it was time for lunch, and another day of frying up some Spam and boiling some ramen noodles. now there is just one noodle packet that remains from the February purchase. i watched some Charlie Brown DVDs, i was a little behind on that. there was the 'Easter beagle', then the first Valentines special. i went to mall of America in the early evening for a blizzard treat at dairy queen. i also wanted to have pizza there, but i noticed some of the food outlets were closed. either closed all day due to the holiday or had closed early. since this was true of my preferred choices, i didn't eat there. i got a sandwich and some juice at a speedway gas station. then i went to a bar, but found out there was no open-mic, also likely due to the holiday. i did chat a little with a bar patron that had recognized me from performing, though. in the evening i called my dad, who said he'd received the event invite from my cousin. then after the call i did the dishes. 

thief movie

 in the evening i went to see a movie at the trylon, it was 'thief', starring James Caan. also in it was Willie Nelson, but in a small role. Jim Belushi had more screen time than Willie did. this was about a safe cracker that wanted to do one last job, and the setting was Chicago. i laughed at times as James proved to be witty, or just plain dour. a reminder of the setting was seeing a bag from the jewel grocery store, which is common in the Chicago metro area. i will likely get to another movie at this venue next month. the day was also about errand running. in the morning i went to the post office, but no orders to be picked up. i moved up going to Aldi for groceries, going there just after lunch was done. i did some cooking, frying up some spam and boiling some ramen noodles. before lunch i went to have some change counted at the credit union. there was a sign up that said pennies would no longer be accepted later in the month, but then a teller said that was no longer true and said it was being taken down. over four dollars in change went into my savings account. after i went to Aldi, i went to see the St. Paul Saints baseball game, my first of the season. the weather report didn't look good, but a full nine-inning game was played. i chose this day as i wanted the magnet schedule. the saints lost to Worcester, the Red Sox team, 5-3. there were some snow flurries during the game. there was plenty of the long ball, but i am used to this by now. with triple-a baseball, those players have to be good hitters just to make it this far. since i ate before i made it to the stadium, i didn't need as much when i was there. it was just as well, as there was a small crowd due to the chilly weather and not every concession stand was open. i got some hot chocolate, then later on some cheese curds. i chatted with an usher for a while during the game. i bought two souvenirs. there was the license plate magnet, and a Softee baseball. i did have a brief interlude at home, then i went to have a sandwich at a holiday gas station before heading to the movie. i didn't do much after the movie.