string cheese after copies

 i went to the copy store to print an event ticket in the morning. i was more willing to order event tickets again after waiting a week due to issues with my Hotmail account. for whatever reason, i couldn't get in when trying to log in on my laptop. it meant logging in on my phone, which i don't like near as much since it is a much smaller screen and i am more likely to get kicked off, multiple times. then it was on to Walgreen. i bought string cheese there for the first time in a while as the refrigerated aisle doors are unlocked again. i also got cookies, and a drink. two checks for payroll printed and different employee names on them. i was told it was fine to have them lumped together and these will be held for pick-up on Monday. i got recognized by a colleague, just for sending check copies. it isn't my most favorite duty in my job description, but i still like any recognition for the work that i do. the boss mentioned a toner cartridge was delivered late in the day, except the mailroom didn't have one. i said i can't use it if it is a laser jet, as we use a different kind for check printing. in the evening i first went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery. i chatted the most with a dude who spoke of being a janitor at the mall of America. i spoke of the stores and exhibits and food outlets i go to the most at that mall. then it was off to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries, where i spoke to an employee that my only weekend plans were 'a boring trip to the DMV', sorry to disappoint. 

third tech visit

 this morning we had the third tech visit of the week. hopefully it is the final one for a while. much like the previous two, it was in the morning. much like the most recent one, it was to swap out belts. this time the boss was in the shop and had questions, as expected. i did say to the boss how i reported it early but we couldn't find much at first. the backlog went down after spiking a little, now it is one thousand four hundred. this is no doubt more manageable. there was a weird message in the shared box. i saw a tracking number for checks i had overnighted two weeks ago. the question was if the checks were cut and sent out, and the tracking number said it was already delivered. it seemed to be the main research that i could do and asked what else could be done. i said i had done my part. when vacation replacement heard about it, the response was that some people have no common sense. i had the craft brew from Decorah with my evening meal, then got another can of beer at the liquor store. this time it was a Hamm's, and now there still are four beers waiting. i often pay attention to music where i am, and in the store a rap song was playing. i found it was called 'snap yo fingers', by lil jon. the most memorable lyric was 'you can do it all by yourself'. 

this time a rachel

 we had another department luncheon; this time it was for the boss's birthday. we went to the same place as last month, it was D-Brian's. i decided to get a different sandwich though, a Rachel instead of a Reuben. i found out the main difference was the meat in it. a Reuben has corned beef, and a Rachel has turkey. it still tasted good, so it works for me. there was a town hall dial-in meeting just before it. i was called by my boss, asking if i was attending the luncheon. i said i was waiting for the elevator, one of three waiting. good thing i got on the first one when the door opened, even though it was going up and i needed to go down, to the main floor. it did not stop on my floor on the way down, so it paid off to take the scenic route. it must be a busy time of day for the elevators due to lunch. i wouldn't know as i am usually staying on the same floor and having lunch in the breakroom, a can of soup. only one who skipped it was vacation replacement. in the morning i went to another floor as the team lead said there was donuts brought in from Krispy Kreme, and i got one. the checks for the tax specialist were late. i was busy with various things and did not see the request to send the checks to the Brooklyns due to working from home. i saw it right before i left for the luncheon. there was a small volume of returned checks to forward on, and the mailroom sent me a 'blue company envelope'. the boss wanted check copies or four different business lines, although some of them we hardly ever print for. these were found on three different tabs in the system i print from. 

special project update

 at work i had to ask about the special project, doing refund checks for the Jacksonville file. this was the first day since it started where the volume was under two thousand for the day. we were told that it was due to some checks rejecting. and the remaining volume is just over four thousand, so it should all be done at the end of the week. due to the high volume from it and the Fargo file, not all checks were sent out same day. the total left over was three thousand five hundred. i do my best to see that any carryover is done first the next day, though. in accounting i know this was called 'first in, first out'. the boss said the business line still hasn't sent us their cost center for the supply order to cover the volume. the machine stalled again and i let the tech know and there will be another tech visit the next morning. 

client freaking out

 at work i hear all kinds of things. one thing in particular was from an instant message, saying 'the client is freaking out'. it was about an overnighted check that i got into the UPS box but still wasn't picked up yet. i didn't like how it was related to something i have no control over. same is true with when i get a check to print. it is not my fault if the business line claims it was sent to me late, which makes it sound like it can't be late when i get it. i say it all the time, how it is up to UPS to pick up and deliver once i get it in the box. a payroll check was picked up. the mailroom sent me refund checks from Fargo. a tech arrived for the inserter machine, in the morning, but nothing was found. the unit still stalled around midday, but so far turning it off and turning it back on after a few minutes has allowed us to run more checks through. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about the milkshake blender, seeing a documentary, a last-minute ticket offer, and the bank. 

american dream movie

 just before midday i went to see a movie in the MSP film festival, it was 'American dream'. it was a documentary about the strike at the Hormel plant in Austin, Minnesota, in the 1980s. it was originally released in 1990, if i am not mistaken. every so often i said 'yep' in a muted voice, as what was being depicted was sad but true. i was annoyed with the grandstanding that a retired college professor was doing during the Q and A. i had a question answered in the lobby after this was done, by two members in blue jackets that said, 'press corps', who had covered the strike for the star tribune paper. one of them showed the book written about it and said it was available at amazon. this was the final day of the 12-day event. i didn't like the parking in the area, again. tried paying at a meter, street parking, it kept canceling my purchase. then i went to a ramp, and it was all QR codes. i found free street parking, blocks away. i missed some of the presenters but made it before the movie started. i went to Bobby and Steve's for a sandwich and milkshake after the movie. the blender wasn't working that well, only speed working was 'less thick'.  the attendant said a tech was called but arrival would be the next day. in the morning i did the laundry and had some coffee at a nearby caribou. 

no food order for suite

 i went to the Minnesota Twins baseball game in the afternoon, a free ticket offered by my employer. except i found out upon arrival that there was no food order for the suite. and the refrigerator, full of beer, was locked up. it was still the first inning, so i went to another level and found my lunch. i got a 'big dog' hot dog, chips, and a can of root beer. the twins led for most of the game, but Cincinnati chipped away in the late innings and the twins lost, 5-4. I'm not going to complain at all as i got in free. i knew no one in the suite. there was a bag of popcorn in the suite and i did eat some of it. after the game, i liked finding the framed commemorative baseball jersey in honor of the green day concert at this stadium from over a year ago. this was a show that i had attended. in the morning i went to the post office, except there were no orders to pick up. i was trading text messages with my niece and said i placed an order for her elder daughter's birthday through the amazon gift list. i wanted to get it done before any more time passed as it is less than a month away. i moved up going to get groceries at Aldi, going around midday. i liked how it still gave me enough time to take the light rail to the game. the last-minute change in the schedule meant that i did not attend the two meetup events i had signed up for. i knew full well that i would have neither the time, nor the energy, to attend those events after being at the game. i had the evening meal at home and watched a baseball game on fox. matchup was braves vs. Phillies and the braves won.