be a mermaid, make waves

 before throwing out an empty heart-shaped candy box, i wanted a picture of it. this one said 'be a mermaid and make waves'. there is one valentine candy box left, with a similar theme. it says 'call my shell' and has a cartoon mermaid on it. the part about 'make waves' resonates with me as a performer. when i was attending the renaissance festival i recall them having mermaids there. 

this was a day where i decided to hook up the VHS player to watch two baseball tapes. and an older, smaller TV as well. it was the st. louis cardinals centennial from 1992, and the sporting news covering baseball in the 1980s. i bought them together at a resale shop many years ago. after i finished the first tape, i had lunch. then i watched the second, and took a walk around the neighborhood. i was back just a few minutes before the start of a basketball game I wanted to see on CBS. actually the ending of the earlier one, michigan state at maryland, was on when i tuned in. then they got to the one i wanted to see, iowa at ohio state. iowa won 73-57. i did another walk after the game was over, then it was time for dinner as well as evening programming. there was '60 minutes' as well as 'the simpsons'. the latter was a parody of the movie 'caddyshack', where bart was sucking up to rich people as a golf caddy to get tips. i like the song 'i'm all right' in it. then after some 'big bang theory' reruns, i did my third walk of the day, and was back in time for the 10pm news. these walks yielded 1 dollar 31 cents, so i have already reached my next goal of beer money for fish fry dinners, much earlier than expected. i also sent some messages on facebook, one of them was to brawler. others were to my niece, who said her schooling for photography hasn't started yet. and the third was to a writer friend in texas. 

crown vic movie

 i watched a DVD movie this afternoon, a redbox rental, 'crown vic'. as the name suggests, it is taken from the name of cars often used by police officers. it was a 'day in the life' story of a cop in los angeles, with a rookie on his first shift, an overnight shift. many incidents are shown, including encounters with some plainclothes officers. hard to say what the weirdest one that was depicted, although memorable was somebody puking in the car. i recognized bridget moynahan in it, who had a small role as a junkie. i watch the closing credits as well, and it listed alec baldwin as a producer. this is also where i found out the movie was filmed in buffalo, new york. it was long, nearly 2 hours. there were 2 kinds of scenes throughout- the ones in the car and the ones outside of it. the veteran cop even spoke of this difference. also memorable was the rookie cop being constantly called by his pregnant wife. 

this was also an errand running day, and the first order of business was to go to the liquor store. i got two more bottles of sam adams for the fish fry dinner next weekend. then it was off to the post office. one e-bay order was there, and then it was off to the gas station to get lunch. after i got back and had lunch i watched the movie. then i watched the 6pm news and went to aldi for groceries. i made it back in time for the start of boxing on fox. the main event was an odd one, ending in a split decision draw, a 12-round fight in the super middleweight class. one fight was in progress when the program began, but it ended with a knockout shortly thereafter. during my walks i found 78 cents. so i am well on my way to reaching the next goal of having beer money for another fish fry dinner. after boxing was done i switched over to the 'movies!' channel and 'network' was on, but it was near the end of the movie. so it was well after the anchorman's famous 'mad as hell' rant. 

dunkin' mocha latte cereal

 i finished a box of cereal this morning, the first of two that was flavored by dunkin' donuts coffee. it was mocha latte. i also have a box of caramel macchiato. i could no dobut smell the coffee when opening the box. on the back of this box there was various facts about coffee or the company, such as the number of cups taste tested every day. and how national espresso day is november 23. and the word espresso means 'forced out' in italian. the back of the caramel box has a timeline of the company's history. dating back to 1948. it includes how their most successful slogan, 'america runs on dunkin', started in 2006. and the last entry is how these cereals were launched in 2020. it nice to try different cereals from hy-vee. and this is yet another example of products found at the grocery store without having to go to the restaurant, such as seeing cheesecake factory pudding at aldi. 

i redeemed points this morning at work for another amazon gift card code. i also made calls for toner cartridges for the copier, and about the parts ordered for the envelope stuffer. i was told the technician is waiting for more parts to arrive, some have been delayed due to the weather in texas. after that i found out the toner cartridges sent for the check printer were the wrong ones. the checks won't print with a laser jet. so i was trying to find out who could help with ordering the right ones, and reached some dead ends. hopeful that somebody in charge of supplies is available on monday. it didn't occur to me that they were the wrong ones until i had to replace one in the afternoon. after work i went to green mill to pick up a fish fry order. i recognized the name on the bag, although the spelling was different. in the evening i went to the hy-vee in eagan and got a boston creme delight, it looked like a ball. it is being refrigerated until it is eaten this weekend. i tried finding the bavarian creme donuts i saw at target express over the weekend but they weren't there tonight. so i still was interested in having something like it. looks like what i have for valentine candy is it for the season. one box was eaten tonight with dinner and there is one left. i went to a walgreen just before my stop at hy-vee and there was nothing left. during my walks i found 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends had a bowling outing, including wil wheaton. it was followed by the one where professor proton died, and sheldon wouldn't go to the funeral. then arthur appears and tells sheldon to let his friends know he appreciates them. 

shaving cream, dingaling songs

 i was listening to the radio on the drive home from work and there was back-to-back songs with innuendo in them. the first was 'shaving cream', i had heard it before but it had been a while. according to wikipedia it has been around since the 1940s. the other was 'ding-a-ling', the version by chuck berry. not sure if i had heard the latter before, aside from being referenced on an episode of 'the simpsons'. this is the radio station from new prague. i stayed in my car until the second song was done, which doesn't happen too often. later on in the evening i ventured out to get gas for the car. and i drove over to a drop box for my state income tax forms. it meant paying for parking and then walking the rest of the way, a half mile from downtown st. paul, but i didn't mind. the parking fee was less than a dollar, and i needed the exercise. during my walks i picked up 66 cents, so i have reached my goal for beer money for next weekend. i have placed my order online for the fish fry dinner for friday. an advance order was needed. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon had stage fright when needing to make a speech at an awards ceremony, then got drunk. it was followed by the one where bernadette and amy and leonard lied to sheldon and penny as those three were tired of hearing about changing sciences and filming the movie. at work i got points from my boss for finishing the special project for payroll, so now i probably have enough for an amazon gift card again. i also notified that some boxes of envelopes still haven't arrived, and we will be running out soon, likely sometime next week. so hopefully the shipment will be expedited. 

rand mcnally coloring adventures

 another item i found recently was a book from rand mcnally, the mapmaking people. it is coloring adventures, 'festivals of the world'. i have heard of some of them, and attended variations of such. this would include oktoberfest, but not munich, and tulip time, but not holland, michigan. one that i have heard of for the first time is a pumpkin festival in new hampshire. i have written about this before, how i like to attend various festivals, although it is harder to do during a pandemic. they have plenty of food, drink, and music. it is still a question of if i actually want to do any coloring on these pages. it cost just a dollar at walgreen, so hard to beat the price. 

at work it was nice to finish the special project for payroll, sending out tax forms for oregon. i did this after eliminating the backlog of checks from the previous day. i got an e-card for the special project but still no points to put towards a gift card apparently. some might say a job well done is its own reward. in the evening i tuned in to a book launch on facebook. it was for a book about the minneapolis comedy scene. the 'panelists' included not just the author, who has interviewed me for an article, but also comics from the early days in the 1970s. the event ran over, and i was paying less attention once it ran past the 1-hour mark as i wanted to watch 'the conners'. at some point i may want to buy the book. i also went on a walk and found 31 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends were fighting over a ring. it was followed by the one where sheldon drunk-dials hawking when he is considering changing what scientific specialty to work in. 

3 meetings, 1 check file

 there was four call-in meetings today at work, three were about a check file being diverted to another office as a test. i don't enjoy meetings that much, and some of them were done because of the findings once i sent the file to the town of marshall, minnesota. some mention of needing to open a ticket due to the account numbers not looking right on the check. i said it looked like the digits were 'in captivity'. i chose a file with 16 checks in it, as we just needed a small one for testing purposes. i ended up re-printing the file and their copies were shredded. it was a struggle with the envelope stuffer as well, it was stopping a lot. coupled with the more than usual meetings, it meant nearly a thousand checks were not run through by the end of the day. but as expected, it shouldn't take long to get caught up in the morning. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 6 cents. so there is more that has been set aside for beer for fish fry dinners. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when stan lee was a guest star. it was followed by the one where wil wheaton and penny are in the same movie. sheldon can't decide on what electronics to buy. i read through the instructions on filing state income taxes and completed the forms, sort of. i can make copies in the morning. it said do not use cents or decimals so it means entering the figures onto a new form. not a big deal, the first draft will be what i keep for my records. 

brighter than the sun, colbie caillat

 this morning when driving to work i heard a catchy song, found out it was 'brighter than the sun' by colbie caillat. the key lyrics to me were 'peanuts and paydays, marley and reggae'. i understood it to be a love song, nothing wrong with celebrating that. i also liked the question 'but who am i to tell fate where it is supposed to go?' i have said that before, 'fate intervened'. i liked how the video had contrast in it, having some indoor scenes-people dancing- as well as outdoor ones- with sunflowers and sod. but i get it, this is a metaphor about 'growing' the relationship. i do like a good metaphor. 

as for work, the machine was acting up, stopping a lot near the end of the day. it was a struggle to get all of the checks through the envelope stuffer, but i found a way. some things will wait until morning, but i understand priorities by now. my boss called in the early afternoon, it was a performance evaluation and i am getting a raise and bonus soon. so it was worth it to delay lunch by about 10 minutes. after work i went to get gas, then checked a walgreen for discounted valentine candy but they were sold out. this one i had visited a week earlier and it was already kind of picked over by then. i also did a virtual open-mic and the two guitar players performed together. part of my set was the stories about the man with a dog at the grocery store, and me showing off the R2-D2 candy dispenser. during my walks i found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard takes raj to switzerland because sheldon and penny were sick. it was followed by the one where howard and sheldon are still in texas, and sheldon visits his mom, and his told to go to his room when he confronts her about the man that was there with her. raj does a murder mystery, a whodunit about stuart's death. 

R2-D2 candy dispenser

 well sometimes the search yields something different than expected, but still good. i walked to a target, and then a nearby walgreen, and found a cool item at the latter. i got some chocolate milk and some of those hawaiian dinner rolls at the former. i was looking for discounted valentine candy, but it must have been sold out already at this one. when i saw an R2-D2 candy dispenser, i said i like that. in the 'star wars' movies i always liked the droids and chewy the most. the candy is pellets, and it was in a plastic bag inside the unit. so of course it meant taking it out of the bag. and one presses the button to hear the beeps from R2 and to dispense the candy. i also saw a yoda for sale, but right now one is enough. i shortly after leaving the walgreen i found a place to eat and drink, a nearby bus stop with a bench. this is where i drank the milk and had two of the four rolls. it was snowing a little during this walk. 

i was pleased with what i got done today. it started with watching a DVD, a PBS documentary about actor-comedian robin williams. he is in my favorite movie, 'good will hunting'. then it was time to do laundry. the laundromat is under new ownership, explains why they were repainting. i also saw a woman working on the lint traps for the dryers. i asked what was the weirdest thing found in these traps, she said a rubber band and some coins. i claimed a dime from one of them. during my walks i found 1 dollar 74 cents, and this includes a folded up dollar bill in an otherwise empty cart there. when i see something like this i don't ask how it got there, i just take. it was enough to get beer at a nearby liquor store, for the fish fry meal for friday. i chose a bottle of sam adams from the mix and match cart. i went there after having lunch, as it was time to eat by the time i got back from the laundromat. then i decided to lay down for a little while before taking the long walk to the walgreen. 'the simpsons' brought back edna. 

the vanished movie

 i watched a DVD movie this afternoon, a redbox rental, 'the vanished'. i recognized anne heche in it. it was a thriller about a missing girl. and after the girl goes missing, it goes from bad to worse for the couple. they end up killing people while trying to search for who abducted their daughter. it was filmed in alabama- tuscaloosa, the college town. it was distributed by saban films, but it has nothing to do with the football coach. pure coincidence i guess. peter facinelli not only directed it, but also wrote it and had a role in it as a deputy sheriff. there were times when it was a little predictable, such as the groundskeeper- a drug addict- trying to throw away the paraphernalia and then going back to reclaim it eventually. the movie was kind of long, nearly two hours. not everything- or everybody- is what it seems to be, and this is revealed in the end. and this is why one is less sympathetic to the couple. 

this of course was a day of errand running, although the first order of business was done at home. this was filing my income taxes. at least the federal return was filed, online through h and r block. there were too many fees being requested, so i think i will do the state tax return manually. due to one tax credit, for contributing to a 401-k, i got a refund. it was surprising how this made a difference this year, when the credit was under $100. although it was convoluted as i at first wanted to pay the fee with the refund, but it would have meant getting a much smaller refund. so i paid the fee with my debit card. once this was done i went to the post office and there were two e-bay orders to pick up. then i went to the fedex office in eagan where i printed my income tax return, 9 pages. i also printed a few other things, including some baseball schedules and a 'comedy souvenir'- an email saying i won tickets, which  led to me requesting stage time at the same club. since a walgreen was nearby i walked over there and got some more valentine candy, now 70 percent off. i bought six items. last stop was the gas station, to get lunch- a pretzel dog and some cheese. also thrilled to see a little godfather's pizza there, so i got one. 

after having lunch i watched the movie, and got the movie returned just before 6pm. then after watching the news it was time to go to aldi for the weekly grocery order. while there i saw a man with a dog that was wearing an army coat. the dog sniffed the cart a little, and this led to a conversation with the man. i had dinner after getting back from the grocery store, and then watched part of a batman movie on TV, one with katie holmes in it. along with one starring sidney poitier as a teacher in london. i fell asleep while watching the late local news but when i woke up i felt the urge to go walking again. it was my first evening walk in 2 weeks. due to the subzero weather we had been having, i didn't feel like going out for a while. i was pleased to have found 88 cents throughout the day. also found was a canadian penny from 1984, and i think this will be set aside for a wishing well. 

dairystar sour cream

 i went to a fish fry at a church after work and i said i was fine with getting whatever the ten dollars would get me in the meal. one of these was a pack of dairystar sour cream, for the baked potato wrapped in foil. it was the first time doing takeout at a fish fry as in-person dining is not offered during the pandemic. i needed to scout things out upon arrival and i got out of my car first. one of the car lines to place an order went into the street, so i went to the other one. it didn't take long to get food once the order was placed. i asked for the combo meal, some fried as well as baked fish. there was also lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and cole slaw. along with a roll and an brownie. i sometimes see food as art so i got a picture of it on top of my microwave oven while still in the styrofoam container, next to a can of foster's beer. this was the first friday in lent, and i like trying various fish fries. i have a list from the st. paul paper, as well as from the knights of columbus. there are two more that interest me coming up, based on cost and proximity. i will likely want to get to a mcdonald's as well. 

at work i was able to finish another leg in the special project for payroll, this time illinois. so there is not much left now, just oregon, with windowless envelopes. at midday i went to a nearby dental office to drop off some mail that the bank received, first time in a while. not a big deal, as it was in the adjacent strip mall. i even said i walk farther than this when going to the walgreen. after i finished the fish dinner i went to the hy-vee in eagan. it was a lighter order than typical, just 8 items, but i also needed less. during my walks i found 30 cents. i also found a canadian quarter, and it was placed in the bag with other coins from this nation for whenever i visit canada again. i am now up to 13 dollars, first time i had added to this fund since april. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard chased sheldon in a ball pit. it was followed by the one where sheldon flew to texas with howard and toured the space center. i don't think i had seen the latter episode, i know i had seen the former. 

the bandit, kings of leon

 i was bummed that i recently didn't write down lyrics from a catchy song. well i lucked out and i heard it again when driving home from work in the evening. 'walking around, head in cloud' was what i wrote down. after some searching, i found out it wasn't a husker du song, sounded nothing like what i had heard. and it wasn't pearl jam, it was my first guess. but it is a newer song, 'the bandit' by kings of leon. i guess it would be considered the same genre as pearl jam, alternative. i don't know much about this band but wikipedia said they are based in nashville. in fact it was such a big deal to try to find it that i did this search before i even did my regular checking of email from my hotmail account. for those who know me, this is no surprise at all. music keeps me focused on things well. 

at work i was able to get caught up again on getting checks through the envelope stuffer, it helped that the volume of the two largest files was lower. the overnight package volume was also lower compared to the previous day, nearly half as much. sounds like there are no other tax letters that i will be getting to send out, so hopefully i can finish up what i already have real soon. at lunchtime i went to walgreen and got some more discounted valentine candy, 10 items including two more little boxes of candies with charlie brown and snoopy characters on them. during my walks i found 31 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and leonard's apartment was burglarized, and sheldon tried putting up a new alarm system that said 'intruder alert'. it was followed by 'who was manipulating who?' related to leonard wanting a new table, and sheldon tried to break up with amy but amy said it was leonard that was manipulating. howard also was called to go back to space but was reminded of how he hated being there. 

belfine belgian chocolate

 the next box of chocolate from this week's purchase was belfine belgian chocolate. it says 'one for you, one for me' and 'decorated belgian chocolate from the chocolate country'. this one cost more than the others, and it was the one i hadn't heard of before. there was three praline filled hearts, and a milk chocolate bear holding a red heart. it tasted fine. i guess that anything imported does tend to cost more, as one must factor in the cost of shipping it to market. it was five dollars, when discounted to half-off. i would like to think there is still some discounted valentine candy left at walgreen and other stores. as the saying goes, 'selection varies by store'. i plan on making my weekly visit to the one near my workplace on thursday and will see what they have there. i do recall what looked like a wine bottle full of bite-sized candies from monday, but didn't buy it. 

at work there was plenty of checks to print, one file had about two thousand and another over five thousand. i got as much as possible run through the stuffer, but there is still more than two thousand as carryover. i was able to get nearly one thousand on the special project for payroll run through before there was more check files to print. there is not much left for illinois now, which is part two. there was also thirty UPS overnight packages to do, including one that is going to cincinnati, a 're-route' of one that arrived inter-office in an overnight package. in the evening i went to the liquor store and this time the man at the sample table spoke to me. there was four different things to sample as i recall, including bourbon. i decided to try the white wine, but as expected only got beer, which was my plan all along. it was two cans of foster's from the discount cart. the prices did go up a little, so at least i am aware of it. still cheaper than drinking at the performance venues. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon wore the hulk hands on a date. it was followed by the one where the friends took a train to napa valley, and sheldon met another 'railroad weirdo' and kisses amy. 

avengers milk chocolate hearts

 i am steadily having more of the valentine candy that i recently bought at walgreen. today it was the marvel avengers milk chocolate hearts. there was 6 pieces inside. i looked at the receipt and it rang up a little cheaper than the two charlie brown candy boxes, even though there was more pieces of candy on this one. the charlie brown candies have three pieces in a box. i don't recognize all of the characters on the box, looks like there are six in all. i know the hulk, and captain america, are two of them. and these characters have been around for a while. it reminded me of brawler, who often spoke of these comic book super-heroes in his comedy sets. 

at work there was more dropped off for the special project for payroll, and no new ones went out. but i am hopeful there is a window of opportunity soon. i wanted to get caught up on incoming mail, it was why it had to wait for another day. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard was jealous that bernadette was interested in what leonard did for his science work. it was followed by the one where james earl jones was a guest star. i like this one because it also has carrie fisher, who said 'it's not funny anymore, james!' and comes out of her house armed with a baseball bat. 

jc penney auction

 i saw an email about upcoming auctions, and one was for jc penney. they are moving their home office and over 800 items were listed. for me, notables included some framed art. there was one from jc penney night at dodger stadium in 1978, manager tommy lasorda is in it. another was from 2002, the company's centennial. it included a signed letter from then-president bush, and mention of sounding the opening bell at the new york stock exchange that day. i don't plan on bidding on anything as the items are in spring valley, minnesota, southern part of the state near the iowa line. might be hard to get anything when it is out of town. and in addition, i am trying to cut back on spending. i already have plenty of art for my home. some other notables i recall now, come to think of it, were newspaper headlines. one was from st. louis in 1927, about the lindbergh flight. and another was from a philippine paper saying hitler was dead. there were plenty of store-related items as well, such as clothing and mannequins. and plaques from sesame street from the 1980s. i think most items have at least one bid on them. 

it was presidents day, a day off as it is a bank holiday. i still wanted to stay active though. i took out the trash, and sewed a button back onto my winter coat. then i ventured out and went to take recycle to a place near the capitol. this time was different, as there was a man nearby. i think he was out to have a smoke. i dumped three weeks worth in the bin, without saying a word to anyone, and then it was on to the next stop. this was walgreen, to see what they had for discounted valentine candy. it is half-off now. i bought seven items, one of those was actually a small bag of potato chips. two of the candies, and the chips, have already been eaten. i had lunch before i ventured out. when i got home i watched some of the charlie brown specials i have. this was the new year's day special, as well as two valentine specials. during my walks i picked up 3 cents. later on in the evening i did a virtual open-mic. i started off with saying i researched online the song 'i am my own grandpa', sang by the show runner tonight. ray stevens has a version of it, but my research yielded that the song goes back to the 1940s. after the show officially ended, the younger guitar player spoke about being bullied in school.  the 'big bang theory' reruns were when kripke pranked sheldon when he was on the radio. it was followed by the one where howard serenades bernadette at the cheesecake factory. 

who killed the electric car? movie

i watched a DVD movie just before midday, a purchase from a while back, 'who killed the electric car?' it was a documentary, narrated by martin sheen. i had seen it at the theater, probably at an arthouse theater like the lagoon. it seemed relevant again as i recall a super bowl ad from general motors last week about electric cars. some other famous people were in it, showing interviews with phyllis diller, footage of ed begley jr. at a 'car funeral' stand out, as well as mel gibson as he was an electric car owner. naturally documentaries will show politicians as well, there was one of (then) governor arnold schwarzenegger in an SUV as well as some presidents when it was relevant. this movie was from 2006, and if electric cars are more common now, then this is proof of how things have changed since this movie was made. i know i have seen some charging stations for these kinds of cars at various places, such as library parking lots. 

i didn't go outside at all today, as it is still cold, subzero weather. there was still things that i was able to get done inside, since i can go online. i had a card from a finance company about two of my 401-k accounts, and it said they didn't have a current email account on file. so i added one as well as my phone number when prompted. hopefully this means there will be less postal mail sent to me, as i was getting handbooks from them all the time. i didn't read them but i was still keeping them. i checked that i wanted things sent electronically. i watched some of a college basketball game that was on after the movie was done, michigan at wisconsin. then i had lunch and slept for a while, it was evening by then so i tuned into '60 minutes'. there was more about computer security. i tried to watch 'the simpsons' on fox but the daytona 500 race was on, there had been a weather delay. so i switched over to some reruns of 'big bang theory'.

 i also watched some youtube videos, where i finally had one question answered that had been bothering me for a while. i recalled one year where there was a patch on the uniforms of the LA Dodgers baseball team, it was during the strike-marred 1981 season. found out it was honoring the bi-centennial of the city of los angeles. although this is a reminder of how the history books can be written, where some anniversaries are not the whole story. wikipedia does say that the city was recognized as a 'pueblo' settlement in 1781, when the area was still under spanish rule. but the city wasn't incorporated until 1850, after the area was acquired by the USA due to the war with Mexico. another thing i did was join the 'web creators community' on twitter. i had seen a message when logging into this blog about it. while there i did clean house a little on what sites or people i follow. i added one and dropped six, a net loss of five. i am still a big believer in 'stressing quality'. i also did some more research about fish fries as lent is starting soon. most of them are carryout this year, no surprise there due to the pandemic. hard to say how many i will attend, but i think i will want to stress proximity as i do prefer those close to where i live and work. there was articles found online from the knights of columbus, as well as the st. paul paper, about who will have them this year. 

the quarry movie

 just before midday i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'the quarry'. i did not recognize any of the actors in it, but not a big deal. i am more interested in the story. it was about a drifter that murdered a traveling preacher, then assumes his identity, arriving in a small town in west texas. at first there is a language barrier for some, but a translator is found for those who only speak spanish. a baptism in a river is depicted. the church building is also where the court of law takes place. a thief, a cousin of the lady where the man boards, is accused of the murder that the man committed. and nobody listens to the accused when it is claimed that he is a liar as the man is the preacher. and the local cop has a relationship with the lady from the boarding house. somehow this became a compelling story. 

this was also a day of errand running. it started early as i wanted to get my car into the shop. found out why the tires were always low. i was told it was due to a bead leak. two were under warranty so it was under a hundred dollars to correct it. i watched 3 reruns of 'family ties' while waiting. some of those episodes i recalled better than others. the first one where alex is on a date with a lady that didn't fit his typical description of what he goes for, in a restaurant where the servers were dressed like candy stripers and their server was a bimbo. the second was where his dad's friend is going through a divorce and doesn't want his son being moved across the country. and when the dad talks with him in a bar, there was a gag about buster keaton. the third i recalled best, when alex was on amphetamines to study more for exams. i picked up one order at the post office and went home to watch the movie. i tried to log into the annual meeting for spire credit union, held virtually this year, but it must have just concluded although it was just 40 minutes into the 60-minute allotment. normally they give $25 to attendees but not this year, so no big loss. i knew there was a chance i would miss it due to my car being worked on, but i knew the car was more important. there was mention of how the meeting will be available on facebook and youtube later on if i want to see it. 

then i returned the movie at the gas station and got lunch there, the typical pretzel dog and a stick of cheese. i got a haircut in at sport clips as i had a coupon that was expiring soon, in a week. i figured that my college roommate would say i looked like a hippie if i didn't have it cut. when i got home the basketball game in fox was just getting started, the iowa hawkeyes were playing at michigan state. iowa won by 30. and there was more about luka garza going farther into the record books for the hawkeyes. there was one graphic during the game saying he is closing in on passing roy marble as the school's all-time leading scorer. according to the stats i found online, he is less than 50 points away so it will be soon. no mention yet of when or if the postponed game against nebraska will be made up, but it looks like that is not the only game the huskers have postponed due to the pandemic. notable about this game was how the network cut away from the game at halftime, to show the senate voting on the impeachment article against mr. trump. it was 57-43 in favor, but they needed two-thirds so it fell short. after the vote concluded, they went back to the game, and there was 5 minutes gone in the second half by then. i moved up the weekly visit to aldi for groceries as i had plans for the evening. during my walks for the day i found 25 cents. 

i went to farmington to see my college roommate. we had dinner and it was good, there was pasta and mushrooms in the dish. his lady friend was also there, i had sat next to her at a pro hockey game a few years back, on a night when i wanted to see my friend. the two started dating after both got divorced.  we played a card game called 5 crowns, hadn't seen it before. it was called this as there was 5 suits, the fifth being a yellow star. i had one beer from the six-pack i brought, a rolling rock, as well as one he offered me, it was called galactic cowboy. i enjoyed the banter during the game as i hadn't done anything like that in a while. in fact i showed up with a mask on as i was used to having to go anywhere now with it. a little trouble finding the place when i got close as it was weird suburban townhouse streets. and at times it was hard to see the signs to know where to turn. i found a better route when i headed home. hopefully another event like this will be done soon. it sounded like some others had to cancel out for various reasons, one of them being a brother, another a friend from college that i probably hadn't seen since my former roommate's wedding of 20 years ago. 

water fountain closed

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight for my weekly grocery order. i went to find a bathroom to run water on my fingertips after being out in the subzero weather and saw a water fountain near the bathroom. i took a glove off briefly to use the air station to get more air into two car tires. there was a sign up saying the fountain was closed due to covid. sign of the times i guess. it was a smaller order as i needed less, aided by of course finding the ten meals nearly a week ago. there is one left as i had the last of the four pancake meals this morning. at work i was able to get caught up again on getting checks through the envelope stuffer. also ran through two things for payroll- the pay stubs as well as some of the tax forms for illinois residents, the second special project. during my walks for the day i found 10 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends get high in the woods, while sheldon helps penny after she gets injured in the shower. it was followed by the one where penny had a scene on NCIS but it was cut, and sheldon was studying joke telling. according to the local news, there was a new structure of triple-A baseball leagues announced. there are two, but no longer known as the 'international' or 'pacific coast' leagues. just 'east' and 'west'. 20 teams in the east and 10 in the west. 

geico TV commercial- bagpipes

 every so often lately i am seeing a TV commercial from Geico with bagpipes in it. i like it because it reminds me of hearing bagpipes at canadian days in little canada. there are other themes that this company has had with their ads, but i like this one the most. others are of aunts, the band ratt, and neighbors in the act of fencing. not sure what songs are being played on the bagpipes, tried searching online and no answer was found. at work the expansion tray is on, a technician installed it and hauled away the other one. some check files arrived late and there wasn't enough time to get them out the door so it still means carryover to the next day. one file that normally sends us 20 per day, or sometimes nothing, sent nearly two thousand. i got the lion's share out but just under 400 are left. another file i got the overnights out but the other 500 had to wait. in the evening i got more air for the tires, hopefully the appointment this weekend will eliminate the need for having to keep going to an air station. also made it to the liquor store and have some beer for dinner with my college roommate this weekend. during my walks for the day i found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny argued and it drove sheldon to the comic book store. he said he should have asked for more than a robot and a comic book. it was followed by the one where sheldon retracted a finding. and raj was kicked out as a houseguest because howard and bernadette were fine 'half-assing' their marriage until he came along trying to make it better. 

expansion tray arrived

 around midday i got a call about a delivery of a 'computer', which didn't make sense. found out it was the expansion tray for the check printer. as usual, the truck went to the branch and i said i would go find them. it was on a pallet, and i decided to cut it off the pallet as this would make it easier to get inside. there was a small box that i also claimed, but otherwise the delivery man kept the wrappings. i used a hand truck, or appliance cart, to get it inside. now it means waiting for a technician to install it, looks like this may be happening on thursday. a technician was in the check shop to look at the envelope stuffer and there are more parts to be ordered. it runs well enough at this point to get things done so i can still handle my normal duties. since it would take a while for installation, i was asked what days are the lower volume days. it meant more than a thousand checks did not go out today, but hopefully it won't take long in the morning to get caught up again. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went out to fly kites, and leonard tried to watch football with penny's friends. it was followed by the one where leonard wears an itchy read sweater at the behest of sheldon related to an unreturned DVD. 

door passcode changed

 for the first time since i started just over 8 months ago, the door passcode to the check shop changed. i am told the codes are usually changed every 6 months, but due to the pandemic they are changed less often as there are fewer people onsite. somebody from facilities showed up, and it surprised me a little as i didn't hear anyone pressing buttons, so much less of an 'advance notice' on it. the new code was given to me for both doors, i said i am used to them being assigned. at first it sounded like i would be choosing the code. it was around midday, so what is typical for me when there are visitors who are doing an 'installation' i did lunch a little later as i wanted to be there in case they wanted me test anything. it was a busy day for me, trying to get caught up from the previous day and the typical high volume tuesday. i didn't quite eliminate the backlog but it is lower than it was, under two hundred checks to run. the first phase of the special project for payroll was completed as well in the morning, just over five hundred documents were run. then near the end of the day i was given more, for a different state, illinois. but this one is much lower volume. the one i did first was california. after work i got an appointment scheduled to have the tires on my car looked at as i am going to air stations way too often lately to fill them. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard is fixed up with bernadette. it was followed by the one where bob newhart makes a second guest appearance, this time sheldon and amy spot him at the pharmacy. bill nye the science guy also guest stars. 

re-program the folding machine

 the technician arrived in the afternoon to work on the envelope stuffer, or 'folding machine'. the parts were out on but before the tech arrived, there was another thing that happened. i was trying to re-boot it and then got an error. then it looks like the machine needed to be re-programmed. it is running slower than before, and still jamming, but i was able to get most of the checks out by the end of the day. there were still two files that could wait until the next day, and the special project as well. i didn't like having it unavailable for more than half of the day, but not much could be done about it. the tech this time was the younger dude that reminds me of the patrons i would see when i was going to concerts regularly. i was also asked for a phone number on instant messaging for a shipment, although i asked why. with a delivery usually they just show up and don't ask for a phone number. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and raj tried to pick up ladies in a goth bar. i like this one because one of them, sarah, liked to say 'not that anyone cares'. it was followed by the one where bernadette is in quarantine after a raccoon virus scare and the friends go there to sing to her. part of howard's song to her mentions he'd still be living with his mom without her. i also did a virtual open-mic in the evening, i think the one that got the most attention was the one about cities that started out as military forts. since one performer spoke of considering doing the song 'istanbul' by they might be giants. one of those cities mentioned was new york. the flautist was interested in how des moines is a french name. and she performed 'titanium', i like that one. 

home alone 2 movie

 i watched a DVD movie in the afternoon, 'home alone 2', a recent purchase from e-bay. i don't think i had seen it before, but i know i had seen the original at theaters when i was still in high school. there had been plenty of attention to this movie lately due to mr. trump having a cameo in it, this is why i finally decided to watch it. the storyline was familiar, a lot like the original. a little boy is left alone by his big family by accident, and tangles with thieves and is able to keep them at bay with cartoonish stunts. of course the main difference here is the setting, being in new york city instead of suburban chicago. i recognized tim curry, rob schneider, and dana ivey in it- they were all hotel employees. i didn't like 'buzz' in it, the big brother, but i think you're not supposed to like him. he pranks kevin in an early scene when he is singing at a school pageant. what i like about watching at home is being able to pause and rewind a little at times. i recall doing this when i wanted to see what the laundry equipment was, and it did appear to be a maytag. 

i also watched a college basketball game, as the iowa hawkeyes were playing at indiana. iowa lost 59-57. this was on at 11am on fox, and i started the movie after the game was done, and after having lunch. one of the ten meals claimed from the previous day was eaten, and it tasted fine. although it was what would be considered a breakfast. after the movie was done i turned on my phone to get things done, one of those was pay a bill. it was the first of two times where i saw my dad calling me. the other time was when i called my college roommate, the one that lives in the area and works at the VA hospital. so i called after both calls were done. it was various subjects, but shorter than typical as the super bowl was about to begin. the teams were just starting to make their way onto the field from the tunnel. tampa beat kansas city 31-9, it was 21-6 at the half. there was the typical super bowl commercials- for cars, beer, and snack foods. another notable one to me was about tax preparation. it said those over age 100 in new mexico don't pay taxes, as a former employee of the life insurance industry, i am aware that their tables only go up to age 100 as so few people reach that age. i did not go outside at all today due to the subzero weather. 

born a champion movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a redbox rental, 'born a champion'. i recognized dennis quaid in it, who played a fight promoter. it was about martial arts, and was told through a flashback. the main character's friend was being interviewed on camera. it does include some footage of a congressional investigation about MMA, including an image of sen. john mc cain. i think he was the one that called it 'human cock fighting'. the sport wasn't sanctioned in many areas for a while because it was so brutal, i even recall a segment on '60 minutes' about it that said rules like 'tapping out' made it more humane and acceptable. the movie does well on covering much of the history of the sport, albeit through a fictional character. but i understand it is often easier to tell a story when all or part of it is fictionalized. it starts with the main character flying to the middle east to teach martial arts, and he meets a woman who eventually becomes his wife on the flight. she finds him at his friend's car repair shop. the friend is a man he meets when defending his honor as a car valet. i laughed when i saw one scene being repeated in this movie, it was when the couple would argue, about his wanting to stay in martial arts or needing to make money as a bar bouncer. then he would have a beer at his friend's place, and she would drive over in her VW ragtop a little later and 'all is forgiven'. one time they 'flipped the script' and she is the one that he picks up there. i understand his wanting to stay in the sport, even if just as an instructor, as he admits it is 'the only thing he knows'. it explains the mindset of many in sports, or entertainment in general. the ending is a little predictable, but i didn't mind as it was kind of the ending that a viewer can, and should, expect. 

this was also an errand running day, there were three stops to make once my car was warmed up as a subzero cold snap is happening. it was to target to get winter shoes, then to the post office. four orders were there, including the baseball book 'my life as a fan', an amazon order. the funny postal employee asked me if it was 'animal farm', a book he said he read while in school. i asked if it was by the same author as '1984', checked later on and found out i was correct. then it was to the gas station to return the movie and get lunch. i slept for a little while after getting home and having lunch. then it was out to get my weekly grocery order at aldi. after getting back from there i claimed some meals left in a box near my home. there was ten in all, 6 for breakfast and 4 for lunch and dinner, so it will serve me for a better part of a week. i figured since it was cold outside that they hadn't spoiled. much like before, i think it is sad when i am witness to food going to waste. i claim what i figure is still edible. in this case i didn't claim the oranges or the pieces of bread. i ate the small packs of peanut butter right away. in the evening i watched some more college hockey, the second game of the weekend between st. cloud state and western michigan. st. cloud led 2-1 at the end of the 1st, then i switched from 'fox plus' to CBS to see a show about super bowl commercials. it was the top 20 of the past 20 years, and one of the hosts was former NFL QB 'boomer' esiason. i liked some of them, four in particular were pretty good. two were for budweiser beer, both using songs. there was '500 miles' about a lost dog in one, and 'landslide' about brotherhood in another. and of course famous people are a staple of super bowl commercials. the other two that caught my eye were john malkovich in one about internet domains, and then-NFL QB eli manning in one that was inspired by the last dance in the movie 'dirty dancing'. i watched part of the show on after it, because it started with the band green day playing some of their popular songs. then it was back to the hockey game. it was tied 3-3 when i returned to it. st. cloud led late, 4-3, but western michigan tied it in the final minute of regulation and won 5-4 in the first minute of overtime. throughout the day i picked up 36 cents during my walks. 

alternate hopper

 i am using the alternate hopper, the smaller one, at work because the main one has been jamming. the parts needed to fix it arrived late in the day, not addressed to me. this is likely why there was a delay. it worked fine to run the payroll special project through the smaller hopper as well, as i am nearly done with it now. i did four separate runs when i had the time and it totaled nearly two thousand for the day. this was my second highest daily total for this project. when the letters are dated for more than a week ago i want to finish it soon, especially when my boss has been asking for daily updates the past two mornings. it will likely be finished on monday, as there are about 500 left. i went to hy-vee in eagan in the evening for my weekly grocery store order, a little earlier than usual. i like watching the news first, but there was an ad saying that st. cloud state hockey would be on. so i wanted to be home earlier to watch more of the game. st. cloud was up 2-0 when i got back, and they added a goal early in the second to go up 3-0. it was the only period of the game that i saw, as i fell asleep. i found out st. cloud went on to beat western michigan 5-1. the box score said both teams scored on a power play in the third. it is becoming less fun to be out walking as i am feeling the snow and sand on my feet. so it is time to replace the shoes. hopefully i can get this done this weekend. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon spoke of what leonard said about his sex life with penny. it was followed by the one where sheldon has the same reactions to stimuli as a monkey that is part of a study that amy is doing. 

military fort origins

as a history major, i was quite familiar with how many great american cities started out as military forts. this includes chicago, pittsburgh, and des moines. even the twin cities of minneapolis-st. paul, as there is fort snelling. this explains why some cities still have 'fort' in their name. well i just found out new york city started this way as well. i read writer's almanac from garrison keillor and saw something about new amsterdam, the city's fore-runner, started as a fort. this was on the southern tip of manhattan. this was largely overlooked by the history books i had read. same is true with other things about the early history of new york. i do recall mention of it becoming a british colony because the land was ceded by the dutch. although the british and dutch were at war a lot during the 1600s, and for a brief time it was a dutch city again. this led to looking up bowling green, which is the name of a park- and a commuter train station- on the southern tip of manhattan. i see this name every so often as a city in other areas. so i had to look up the concept. i had always envisioned a big bowling alley ball, but that is not it. lawn bowling is more like 'bocce ball' and the ball is smaller. still sounds weird as a name of a city, but when the capital city of louisiana is named 'baton rouge'- french for 'red post'- it is a reminder of how city or place name origins are as varied as the cities and places themselves. i even found something about a bowling green at mount vernon, washington's home. i want to keep up a love of learning, and this is very much possible since there are opportunities everywhere. 

at work i called for service on the envelope stuffer, i got tired of the 10-page jams. a tech arrived in the afternoon, and said replacement rollers were needed and would be overnighted. i got a little farther on the special project for payroll compared to the previous day, but not a lot. i may just want to use the smaller hopper for it as well, as i am running the checks through it already. in the evening i went on a walk and picked up 84 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends got back from the north pole expedition and sheldon left town for his mom's in texas. it was followed by the one where leonard manipulates penny for sex after penny reads his mom's book in a class. 

plate change on van

 near the end of the workday i had to help with a delivery, it was boxes of check stock. i recognized the courier, it was the husband and wife team with a thick accent. i also noticed the van they were driving had different plates on it compared to the summer. this time it was wisconsin plates, in the summer it was illinois. i decided to take the cart into the check shop myself as i was trying to save some time. i was able to get all of the checks through the envelope stuffer, it helped that i changed the normal order of what was sent through it. when the branch employee rang the bell to tell me i couldn't hide disappointment about the delivery, saying i was trying to 'close out the day'. he apologized but i told him he wasn't the one making the delivery. it really is helpful that i am doing the overnight labels earlier, as i am getting out earlier. i do recall the 'manifesto' one of the trainers gave me that said 'do not fall behind on printing checks' and thinking of this does remind me of the priorities involved with the work. one can easily get caught up if all that is left is running the envelope stuffer, as it goes at a quick pace most of the time. although i ran through less than a hundred letters from the payroll project today. i might want to make a service call soon as i am tired of how one the two hoppers has been jamming a lot. re-booting the machine helps some, but not much. i did clean the sensors, which was recommended by one of the trainers on this week's conference call. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went on an expedition to the north pole. it was followed by the one where the friends were on a scavenger hunt, the one where howard and amy sing karaoke, a neil diamond song. when i saw this one before i really like it, so it is definitely one of my favorites now. although number one still is when howard's mom is in the hospital, the one where bernadette said 'me?' when the doctor said his mom asked for her first. 'the conners' seems to be leading itself towards having jackie becoming a contestant on 'jeopardy' based on tonight's episode as she spoke of auditioning. i would enjoy seeing a storyline where she does. some other shows have had an episode with this game show in it, such as 'mama's family' and 'the simpsons'. 

the cake isn't german

 i watched a 'simpsons' episode and wrote down on thing from it, about german chocolate cake. sure enough, i did the research and found out it is german because that is the creator's name, and he wasn't of german ancestry. kind of like what i once read about another grocery item, saying the only thing french about french's mustard is the name. it is still a good cake to eat, so this won't change what i will likely get at events such as oktoberfest in new ulm. i drank a can of grain belt beer tonight with my dinner, and odd how the can said 'brew' but no mention of beer. writing down a work strategy was helpful, as i did make it out on time, actually just a few minutes after my scheduled leave time. it helped to handle the overnight package labels earlier. this was also in spite of check printer issues, where i stopped the machine briefly, actually shut it off. then i noticed that it started over. i listened to all of the latest lady gaga CD, on previous attempts i had fallen asleep as i was laying down. in the evening i went on a walk and picked up 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard needed help fixing his space toilet. also, stuart asked for dating advice from leonard. it was followed by the one where leonard returns early from the north sea, and sheldon thinks penny is cheating on leonard. 

re-think strategy

 i was nearly finished with work for the day and my boss calls me, telling me i needed to start working on the overnight packages earlier as this is why i was staying late. it was evident when an email was sent. so when i got home i eventually wrote out a strategy in hopes of finishing earlier. it likely means starting on some tasks earlier, although i did say it is hard to multi-task when the envelope stuffer is running as it can get loud. this is especially true lately when doing the special project for payroll, as it has been rattling more. i ran through nearly a thousand letters today for payroll and then had to switch to running checks around midday, my normal duties. looks like nobody sorted the incoming mail that is in the tub, so it rolls over to the next day. i took out what i knew was for the department i am in, an inter-office envelope with a wire transfer clipped to it. the empty red bags were taken out, and put on the counter. after work i watched the news and then went to the liquor store for beer for super bowl week. i got a can of hamm's, and two cans of grain belt, the latter was in the discount cart. i also went on a walk and found 77 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends hired a hooker for howard in las vegas, and sheldon said he understood the concept of 'friends with benefits' better thanks to penny. it was followed by the one where leonard is in the north sea. amy, and bernadette, are at a convention and bad-mouth each other's beau, then reveal they want strangers matching the descriptions of the same kind of dudes.