poor little fool, rick nelson

 the afternoon dance party on the new prague radio station does plenty of older songs that i am not too familiar with. this included one called 'poor little fool' by rick nelson. the lyrics i recalled best while hearing it on my car radio were 'gave my heart away, i was a fool'. i was more familiar with other songs by this performer, especially 'garden party' and 'mary lou'. the video found on youtube likely was clips from 'ozzie and harriet' as all were in black and white. 

at work i saw emails about toner cartridges for the check printer. when given a tracking number it states it is in indianapolis, still not sure when it is arriving but i don't like being down to one printer. there was also an issue with the positive pay function, which was not available for most of the day. i let i.t. know about it more than once, and it was fixed at the end of the day. it happened when i printed a file by mistake, meaning to hit 'print selected' but hit 'print all'. the dates on the check file were wrong, showing the year as 1933. i also got an answer about what to do with checks with no account number. one was sent back to milwaukee and the other may be a refund check. this was prompted by sending two similar looking checks- that had account numbers on them- to the branch. in the evening i went on a walk and found 90 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny asked leonard to fake a relationship for her dad. it was followed by the one where billy bob thornton was a guest star, a doctor to the stars. 'the conners' included darlene's beau arguing with dan about the hardware store. and becky lying about being successful to an old friend from school. 

aha caffeine sparkling water

 i ended up at the target in roseville after work as i was looking for cable ties, and i wanted some food and drink as well to tide me over until i got home. so i got some hawaiian sweet bread, and a can of aha caffeine sparkling water. it is mango and black tea flavored. it is canned under the authority of coca-cola. i saw the man from the customer service counter that had helped me when i was in the self-checkout line, and he spoke of the volume of revenue at this store per day, something like over a quarter million. he said it was one of the busiest in the system. i said it must be due in part in being target number one. it was probably my first visit there since late january when i got a lady gaga CD. they have a little bit of everything there. 

at work i was asked to send old dominion freight line invoices to irvine, california, to a furniture company. there were 17 of them. it meant finding an empty check stock box to put them in. there was some kind of employee appreciation event but it didn't last long, hard to follow what kind of event it was. but there is another one later in the week. in the evening i went on a walk and found 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the ladies went out of town and bernadette and amy have fun, while penny studies. then the script is flipped as the two are hung over. the dudes try to work on a project but get off-topic, and try to handle it with ripping off arm hair with duct tape. it leads to them watching a clip from 'ghostbusters'. 

overwhelmed, royal and the serpent

 there are many songs i hear on my car radio, but some stand out more than others. this is still true of one i heard a while back, 'overwhelmed' by royal and the serpent. the hook was 'my anxiety creeps inside of me'. the video i found on youtube has a 1970s living room look to it, including a zenith console TV. the singer is a scantily clad woman on a couch. by the end of the video the room is trashed, and the singer lights a cigarette. and at times the action is displayed on the TV. there are others in the video, but they are fully clothed. 

things hummed right along at work, but there was another big check file from a business line that normally sends very little. it was nearly two thousand today, and last week more than three thousand, all checks for small amounts. there was some 'personal and confidential' items that arrived in the mail, once it was finally sorted in the mailroom, for two colleagues of mine. i was asked to overnight them. after getting home and having dinner i went to get things printed at a fedex office. this included the two st. paul saints baseball tickets. i watched some of the two college basketball tournament games but not a lot. houston and baylor won to reach the final four. i also went on a walk and found 52 cents. so i have enough for another bag of chips from the vending machine at work, got one earlier today. these are the ones saved for weekend meals. i did a virtual open-mic and the flautist, who did not perform, spoke of living in irving, texas, when she was little. and meeting actor john ritter. this was after i mentioned seeing the movie 'vfw' as a redbox rental. i placed another DVD order with amazon, replacing the VHS copy of  REM music videos. a different disc was found at cheapo this weekend that i didn't buy and i think i will pass on that one. i still have a reason to go back and get a CD in the dollar section sometime soon but i am trying to think of what else i would like to get. i usually get at least two items on each visit. i got the idea to do the true 'replacement' during the morning commute. the order used up the remaining amount of gift card money, and i only had to pay for shipping. i usually just order once a month for this reason- as gift cards make it cheaper. 

gung ho movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a recent purchase, 'gung ho'. i recognized michael keaton and george wendt in it. i know i hadn't seen it in a while, and i do recall how there was a TV show based on this movie but it didn't last long. the story was still familiar to me, how a car plant was re-opened after the main character persuades a japanese company to do so. early in the movie when he is in japan i said it made sense when he went to a mcdonald's to eat as he was familiar with that food. and i recalled the 'capsule hotel' as well. much of the movie centers around the culture clash between who runs the plant and the workers on the line. some things i did notice that i hadn't before, such as seeing stroh's beer being drank in more than one scene. and in the closing credits, how stevie ray vaughan supplied music to it. i think it was just instrumental in some scenes. i liked how 'don't get me wrong' by the pretenders is one of the songs in it. 'tuff enuff' by the fabulous thunderbirds is another, and a brother of stevie ray's is in that band. there were multiple fight scenes as well, one of them in a grocery store. 

after the movie was done it was time to do laundry. then it was off to walgreen to get girl scout cookies. there was peanut butter sandwich and patty, so i got one of each. those went to my car right away and then i went inside the store to get some more things. this included a home run inn pizza, sausage. aldi had cheese pizza, but i need more than this on pizza. i also liked seeing a book of word finds with a charlie brown theme so i bought that as well. when i got home i did some research about st. paul saints baseball tickets, and ordered for two games. one is in may and the other in june. i try not to order things too far ahead but i also knew it was hard to find single tickets. i liked seeing a segment on '60 minutes' about sportswriter dave kindred. 'the simpsons' had a storyline including chief wiggum's wife, who we didn't see too often. i went on a walk in the evening and found 55 cents. i watched some of the college basketball tournament, but not too closely. i knew gonzaga beat creighton and michigan beat florida state. another e-bay order was placed, as i was the only bidder on a postcard and i had to wait for the auction to end. 

vfw movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'vfw'. the premise was protecting the vfw hall from invaders, in this case a drug-addled horde. the opening scenes were alternated with the credits, i am not used to seeing it this way. normally the credits are done in one fell swoop. this was where it was said that the opioid crisis led to a rush for hylophedrine, or 'hype', a fictional drug. i recognized george wendt in it. one character was named walter reed, i caught the reference there as this is the name of a military hospital. there were 2 actors named williamson, but according to wikipedia research there is no relation. the action in it was steady, which i liked. the invaders were at the nearby abandoned movie theater complex. there of course was a high body count, no surprise as it is considered to be a 'horror thriller'. i was wondering where it was filmed, and the closing credits do mention the residence inn in dallas, as well as a goodwill store in fort worth. and there is a vfw post 2494 in irving, texas, so it does appear it was filmed in the dallas-fort worth metro area. 

after the movie was done it was time for errand running. there were four stops to make. first was to dump the movie at the gas station, and i got gas for my car as well. along with some trail mix and chili lime peanuts. then it was to the post office, and all three e-bay orders of postcards were there. next was the cheapo records store, where i got a CD- maroon 5 to replace the one stuck in the car's CD player- as well as a DVD movie- 'gung ho'. this is also a replacement, of the VHS copy. finally it was to IKEA to use a birthday coupon expiring at the end of the month. it was for frozen yogurt, it meant a small ice cream cone. i also got some swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. when i got home it was time for lunch, and i watched some of the college basketball tournament. oregon state beat loyola in the first game on CBS, and i fell asleep during the second one, baylor beat villanova. i placed some more e-bay and amazon orders, 2 DVD movies and 2 postcards. a third postcard is up for auction, so it meant placing a bid for it. there was light rain when i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. in the evening i went on a walk and found 63 cents. i did some online research and found out where girl scout cookies are being sold, so now i have more to do sunday. i can go to a nearby walgreen for the cookies, as well as do laundry. this was prompted by seeing an electronic billboard while errand running that mentioned the cookies being available through cub foods. i don't recall getting any cookies last year due to the pandemic. i know some of the fish fry venues have them, but i made it to just two before things were getting shut down. i like the peanut butter kind, so there are two kinds that i normally get. 

2 winston churchills

 thanks to garrison keillor's 'writers almanac' i found out there were 2 famous people named winston churchill. there was the british prime minister, and the american writer. i was not aware. the american was born in st. louis. it led me to contacting my 'ohio friend' as it reminded me of a quote by one of them in a book i was given, about writing history. found out in reference to writer jack london, who apparently lived with the american writer for a while. it also reminds me of how i found a book about the civil war for sale at a library and wondering which one wrote it. this means finding it in whatever box it is in. 

at work we got caught up on running checks through the envelope stuffer by midday. the part was installed mid-morning, shortly after it arrived. actually two of them did, at the branch, technician said a second was ordered in case the first didn't arrive. and the tech decided to take the other one when leaving. my colleague left once we were caught up and probably went back to working from home. it was nice to have somebody there for a few days, had some questions more easily answered in person, but i also like it when i can get the work done on my own. so i didn't mind being by myself again for the second half of the day. for this week's fish fry dinner i went to the mcdonald's near my workplace, got a filet-o-fish, fries, and a shamrock shake. the shake was why i went to mcdonald's this week as i know it is there for a limited time and figured that likely means through the end of the month. i have a few ideas for the final place to visit for fish next week for lent. in the evening i went on a walk and found 40 cents. i went to the hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order, after having dinner with a can of coors light, and there was plenty of remodeling happening. some aisles were nearly empty, so it meant i switched one drink i normally get as i could find powerade more easily than sparkling water. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and raj feuded when they worked out of the same office. it was also when howard gets back together with bernadette. it was followed by the one where howard tries to throw out the first ball at an angels baseball game. 

tamarind

 drank tamarind as a snack at midday. it was in jarritos soda in a bottle, at walgreen in the closeout aisle. this soda brand has name recognition as i had drank it at one of the venues i had performed at- the place didn't serve beer. it rang up as just fifty cents. also had oscar mayer lunchables and a twix ice cream candy bar. had to look it up on wikipedia about this fruit, had never heard of it. this is tropical, and can be used as traditional medicine as well as metal polish. the wood can be used for woodworking. it tasted fine. at work there was a temporary solution found on the envelope stuffer. there was two techs that arrived just before midday and re-wired the unit. the part ordered was apparently stuck in memphis, but should still be arriving soon. my colleague ran through something like eight thousand checks by the end of the day and we should be caught up by midday friday. my boss hoped that we would be far enough along that my colleague could go back to working from home but the main variable is the part installation, along with any more checks that are printed friday. i went on a walk in the evening and found 70 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon got cats after things ended with amy, and his mom was called in. sheldon re-started his relationship with amy and got rid of the cats. it was followed by the one where howard takes sheldon's class. thanks to youtube videos i have another bio-pic to look up, 'beyond the sea' about musician bobby darin. john goodman is in it. i recall wanting to see it at theaters many years ago, but i think it was in limited release. looks like it is available on DVD at amazon, and i do have some gift card money to use. 

broken wires found

 the part arrived in the morning for the envelope stuffer, and the tech was in for installation. it went to the pickup and delivery table although i was ready to find out if the branch had it. we had hoped that this was going to be enough, but it wasn't. my colleague was in to help out with manual stuffing and took a picture on his camera phone to email to my boss, it was of broken wires in the back. sounds like a previous tech may have done a temporary fix a while back. so more parts have been ordered, and as expected my boss wasn't thrilled at all about it. but we are doing as much as possible to get checks out the door, although i have to do the special handling- including the UPS envelopes- as well. it stopped raining by the end of the workday, it had been raining a lot lately. in the evening i went on a walk and found 85 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was matched up with amy, and howard said 'good god what have we done?' it was followed by when sheldon called leonard as he was in arizona. amy didn't understand why leonard was called instead of her, but sheldon said he didn't want to admit his sabbatical failed as he had been robbed on the trains. 'the conners' included louise, dan's lady friend, who has tested positive for covid. and jackie had restaurant rivals that she called 'the axis' and confronted one of them with help of her beau, the veterinarian. 

tech arrived before me

 i was going through emails this morning shortly after arriving at work and one of them was from the technician who was sent to look at the envelope stuffer. sounds like he arrived before i did. so i called the number and he was let in to look at the machine. there is a sensor that needs replacement, and the part was ordered but it meant manual stuffing of envelopes for the day. my boss arrived to help out with it, but not many went out. it meant notifying some business lines about what was happening. i did not go out for a walk due to the rain. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard told the story of becoming sheldon's roommate while giving a manicure and pedicure to penny. it was followed by the one where stuart becomes the caregiver for howard's mom after his comic book store burns. 

follow you follow me, polka version

 i was listening to the radio when driving to work this morning and it was on the new prague radio station. i was thinking one polka song being played sounded familiar. and it was! it happened to be 'follow you follow me', best known by genesis. i do prefer hearing music over talk but i know morning shows for radio stations are often talk. it was a long day at work as i didn't get caught up as i had hoped. the machine stopped again with the same error message before midday. service was called but the technician didn't make it, had other calls before it. i got out as many checks as i could, and notified my boss about it. not much else i could do. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 48 cents. after work i bought 2 more cans of beer from the closeout section, a bud ice and a miller, and drank a bud ice with dinner. so i have 4 cans waiting to be drank. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when howard and bernadette hired home health care for his mom, who was injured. i did a virtual open-mic as well, notable was mention of seeing a fellow member of the community as well as the plush bear. 

clint eastwood, gorillaz

 this weekend i heard a catchy song on my car radio while out errand running. found out it was 'clint eastwood' by gorillaz. the lyrics i wrote down were 'sunshine in a bag' and 'future is coming on'. oddly enough, the only place where eastwood is mentioned is in the title. wikipedia article said it was given the title due to it sounding like the spaghetti western 'good bad and ugly', at least the opening part did. another line i liked was 'time for me is nothing cuz i'm counting no age'. this is a 'virtual' english band, explains why the video is animated. one of the vocalists wears a shirt saying 'virus'. 

i did not watch a DVD this morning, but i did watch a charlie brown special on youtube, it was 'snoopy the musical'. it had all of the best known characters in it, but was told from the point of view of snoopy. so there are two more left to watch out of four in this forum as i haven't bought any of these lesser-known ones on DVD. i also watched some of the college basketball tournament, along with getting some postcards ready to family that sent me birthday cards. there are four cards that will be sent. saw a blurb in the minneapolis paper about a benefit show that brawler is in. found out on facebook that he is not in town for long, but is expected to be back later this year. i had to be honest that it is hard for me to attend a show where i have to pay for tickets- and not perform- and this was understood. i also went on a long walk and found 82 cents. during the walk somebody in a red SUV called my name, i think it is a fellow performer. sure surprised me how i was recognized. 

adverse movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'adverse'. i recognized mickey rourke, lou diamond phillips, and sean astin in it. while watching the special features, which included a music video and the trailer, i also found out penelope ann miller was nicole, the main character's mom. this is a crime thriller, and i do like thrillers. it is about an uber driver that finds out his sister, who he is guardian for, is in debt to a crime syndicate. eventually the main character is working for the crime syndicate. memorable is that one of the henchmen has a speech problem. and the crime boss, played by rourke, reveals that he had played minor league baseball. at times it is hard to understand what his character is saying. in one scene where the sister is on the run from the henchmen, i said 'of course it is easier to outrun somebody with a limp'. also notable is the main character's neighbor, who we see whenever he goes out for a smoke. and when he is an uber driver, some ladies are drinking in his car and say they won't throw up in it, but they do. 

after the movie was done it was time to get on the road to get errands done, first thing was to go to the post office. all four orders of postcards were there. then it was on to drop off recycle, and then to the gas station to return the movie and get lunch. i moved up going to aldi for my weekly grocery order, as i had expected to see the iowa hawkeye game in the college basketball tournament on CBS. but it wasn't, it was on cable. iowa won, saw some of the highlights. i was interested in what venues were being used, as the NCAA wanted to keep it in indianapolis due to the pandemic. there were six, including two outside the city in west lafayette and bloomington. first time i had heard about the venues at butler university and at the state fairgrounds. i had heard of the NBA and NFL venues, rounding out the four in the hub city. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 37 cents. 

plush bear greets you

 after work i went to pick up a fish fry dinner this evening in mendota heights. it was cool to see a plush bear in a chair with a sign greeting visitors. it said stop here and pay here. so i got a picture of it. then it meant moving to the next station where they brought out the food. i know there was more food in this one compared to the other ones i have done this season, as i felt full near the end of the meal. besides the fish, there was also green beans, rice, fried cabbage, flat bread, and some carrot cake. it was likely all of the rice that made me feel full. and of course the meal became art, as i got a picture of it next to the can of labatt beer that i drank with it. i picked up another can of beer at the liquor store near workplace, it was coors light. work was expected to be fairly leisurely due to the expected low volume, although one file sent nearly 500 and usually they send less than 50. they told me it was fraud settlements. what made it a more challenging day, though, was the envelope stuffer having an error message i couldn't clear. the technician arrived and diagnosed it as an envelope i couldn't see that was stuck in the machine. i figured that was the end of it, but about 30 minutes later it stopped with the same error. i called for service and the same technician arrived, who said she was in her car getting caught up on emails. i was told it was likely the glue from the envelopes that was fouling the sensors. so more testing was done, this time a thousand checks, and calibration as well. i am hopeful it is fine now. one check file has to wait until monday, but it won't take long to get caught up. late in the evening, well after my visit to hy-vee for groceries, i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 8 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny acted like a divorced couple, with the way they talked about custody of sheldon. and sheldon had nightmares about goofy from visiting disney-land. it was followed by the one where raj helps with planning a kid's birthday party. it involved raj and howard fighting in the bounce castle, a 'wonder woman' knock-off. later on sheldon and amy decide to have fun in the same place, as they got well after trying to have a 'little house' birthday for amy. it ends with amy and sheldon leaping, reminding me of when amy was leaping at the end of an episode when singing karaoke with howard. 

expired apple juice

 i drove past a clothing donation bin on the way home from work and noticed there was a grocery cart next to it. i returned the cart to the store and noticed there was two family-size bottles of expired apple juice next to the bin as well. when i went back there on an evening walk they were gone. i didn't claim them because they were expired. during my walks i found 87 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went on a quest for bitcoin. it was followed by the one where raj is broke, because he is no longer accepting his dad's money. and sheldon becomes his money manager, and states he can't afford to go to comic-con. howard does chores for bernadette as well. 

at work there was two dial-in meetings, one was the typical team huddle. the later one was sponsored by senior management. it was hard to pay attention to the latter as i was still trying to stay caught up on my normal duties during that time, although i didn't run the envelope stuffer- which is loud- during the meeting once the first stack was done. there was a 'transcript' sent by email after it was done, so there is something to read. sounds like there are opportunities for participating in special projects. 

feeling myself, nicki minaj and beyonce

 this morning on the way to work i heard part of a song on my car radio, i guessed it was by nicki minaj. found out it was 'feeling myself', with beyonce. key lyrics i wrote down were 'punchlines, flow, snow, north pole'. there is also mention of tax brackets. the video i found on yuotube shows both of them scantily clad at the beach, but also sometimes indoor scenes. nicki at times is brandishing weapons, and there is scene where TVs are being smashed. 

at work there was a visitor, it was somebody from facilities working on a door in the back of the check shop. they were painting, i said it was a good thing that i kept the boxes of check stock away from it. there was space on the other side of the table anyway. things flowed well despite the high volume of checks to print and run through the envelope stuffer, likely helps that the machines were humming along fine. after work i went to the nearby liquor store and got another can of beer, this time bud ice. and at dinner i drank one of the cans of miller. so i still have four cans waiting. there are three single cans in the closeout cart, a coors, miller, and bud ice. so i still have options if i want more. i went on an evening walk and found 39 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bernadette said she wasn't excited about being a mom. and raj's dad, a gynecologist, was asked for advice and decided it was an opportunity to take a swipe at raj. it was followed by the one where sheldon's birthday part included batman, adam west. 

peppa pig toy

 recently i bought a peppa pig finders keepers toy from the closeout bin at a convenience store. i had not heard of this cartoon but the clerk said it has been on public TV. i said i haven't heard of it as i don't have cable TV or netflix. my online research said it is a british cartoon and is shown in america on nickelodeon, or nick jr. i bought a similar sponge-bob toy from the same place. the one in the box, along with a hollow chocolate egg i have already eaten, is 'doctor brown bear'. so not all of the characters on this show are pigs. there are ten toys depicted on the box. peppa lives with her parents and little brother, george, and have adventures that end happily. i went to the cartoon's official website and there was a trailer for a movie called 'vegetables in space', about the family visiting america. i like trying different things from the closeout/discount section of stores. on a recent visit to walgreen i got what may have been the last box of valentine candy for the season and it was advertising a disney show, 'frozen 2'. 

at work i don't think there were any visitors all day, although my boss called when i wasn't on the team huddle right away. i said i was working on something else. i was trying to get caught up on sending out letters. there was mention of some saturday work coming up in april, much like what i had done in july. i got out at a reasonable time, it helps that i stayed caught up on creating overnight package labels and the envelope stuffer was running well, few jams in what i was running through. in the evening i went on a walk and found 95 cents, so i have reached the next goal on beer money for fish fry dinners. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon went on an 'apology tour' and the friends went on a trip to las vegas. it was followed by the one where sheldon is interviewed for a documentary about spock from 'star trek' by the son of leonard nimoy. i caught the context of one term sheldon used about the breakup with amy before confirming the meaning. my online searching said it was vulcan for 'go to hell' and leonard said 'he didn't mean that'. i would have guessed that it was klingon. 

michelob cucumber lime seltzer

 i bought a can of michelob ultra organic seltzer, cucumber lime, from my neighborhood liquor store a week ago. i drank it with dinner tonight. it was all right, but not that great. i chose it because there was no beer in the closeout cart. shouldn't have been too surprised on the taste, when it is called 'seltzer' it tasted like water. now i am familiar with it at least. probably lower calorie than beer. this brand has been a sponsor of sporting events i have seen recently, including college basketball. it confirms that i prefer beer. and i did get more beer after work at the liquor store near my workplace. it was single cans of labatt and miller, much like on friday. if i want more single cans for a dollar in the closeout section, they are available. i saw a coors light and bud ice as well. 

there was snow on my car to clear off at the end of the workday. thankful i made it home without incident, but of course it helps to be careful at all times when driving, snow or otherwise. i completed two more online classes at work in the morning, there are now just two left. i finished with the overnight packages early, so it was nice to get out at a reasonable time. i didn't do an evening walk due to the snow. i did do the virtual open-mic, and i think the most reaction i got was the story about the sistine chapel exhibit. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy said 'bye sheldon', i think this was a season finale. it was followed by the one where sheldon and raj were below ground for 11 minutes. 

sistine chapel exhibit, mall of america

 in the early afternoon i went to see an exhibit at the mall of america in bloomington about the sistine chapel. specifically, it was about the frescoes done my michelangelo. there was an audio tour available for purchase for three dollars so i decided to get it. i think i got my money's worth as i listened to what they had about each display, along with a segment from public TV about it. the time allotment was to be one hour apparently but i was there for two and a half. i did get some postcards as souvenirs, five in all. this included 'the creation of adam', which has been parodied by the st. paul saints baseball team and many others. of course these were replicas of what is at the chapel. there was an easel next to each display, in english and spanish. thankfully one didn't have to look at the ceiling, they were all on display like framed art is, but more like on linen cloth. when there was mention of the book of lamentations it reminded me of my dad, who once said i should read this book of the bible. it was odd to hear about some parts of the art was painted over with underwear covering what had been nude bodies. it did remind me of how i had read 'from the mixed-up files of mrs. basil frankweiler', which mentions michelangelo's 'angel' statue in it. and there is mention of his 'david' sculpture, which has been on 'the simpsons'. 

i had lunch at home before departing for the mall, and after i left the exhibit i went to walgreen and bought three items. an ice cream candy bar, some scotch tape, and perrier water. looks like there is another donut shop in the former tim horton's location, this time a dunkin'. i watched the selection show for the college basketball tournament when i got home, the iowa hawkeyes are a number 2 seed. during my walks i found 1 dollar 14 cents. it was enough to get a bottle of mustard at the family dollar. i could have bought mustard at the walgreen but figured i could find a cheaper bottle somewhere else, and i was correct. the one from family dollar was the store brand, or private label, and under a dollar. i like having it for dipping chicken strips in. 'the simpsons' was about musical robots, likely a reference to those found at 'showbiz pizza' and similar places becoming characters in a movie. last week's episode was also about music, 'cletus the slack jawed yokel' becoming a country singer. in the morning before departing for the exhibit i watched a DVD copy of 'star is born', the one with lady gaga. first time since seeing it at theaters, it was a recent amazon purchase. 

savage state movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a redbox rental, 'savage state'. it was about a french family that flees their home in missouri during the american civil war. so due to the time period covered, it is considered to be a 'western'. the movie was in english as well as subtitled french, and was filmed in canada. i did not recognize any of the actors in it. french perfume figured into the story more than once. and the lady in a 'gang of thieves' apparently once was a lover of the guide that was helping the family flee. his family had three daughters in it. there is a scene early on where soldiers crash their party in st. charles, of course this is near st. louis, and this was a big reason why they chose to flee. the movie was long, two hours. it was odd to see some dynamite being buried, but no surprise, eventually it detonates. wouldn't be much of a movie if we didn't see dynamite exploding, this is what it was made to do. the family's servant is also a voodoo priestess, and is a storyteller as well. 

this was also an errand running day, and the first stop was the post office. three orders of postcards were there. then it was to the gas station to get lunch. i had to return there after lunch after noticing i hadn't dumped the movie. i think this is usually why i return the movie first. on the way back i noticed the car needed fuel, so there was multiple things to do there. i made it home in time to watch a college basketball game on TV, the iowa hawkeyes were playing illinois in a big ten tournament semifinal. iowa lost 82-71. later on i liked watching a paid program on the ABC affiliate, after the local news. i watched the 6pm news there was fox and CBS both had basketball games on. it was time/life music, about the country music program 'austin city limits'. i recognized most of the musicians in it. and it led me to look up deana carter, who had the hit song 'strawberry wine'. she is a legacy in the industry, but not from the 'carter family' that june carter cash is from. then it was time to go to aldi for my weekly grocery order. it was a little smaller than typical as i had a few things left over from the previous week, along with already getting a little godfather's pizza from the holiday gas station. later on in the evening i went on a walk and found 42 cents. so i have reached my next goal for beer money. once lent is over, and not having fish fry dinners, i will likely put what i find towards corn chips from the vending machine at work. 

laminated number on windshield

 i went to pick up a fish fry dinner this evening and i had to wait in line in my car. they put a laminated number on my windshield, i was number 62. i got out of my car to see what number i was. this dinner was pretty good, a combo of baked and fried fish, a roll, a baked potato, and a chocolate chip cookie. like the others before it, i saw it as art and got a picture of it with the bottle of sam adams beer i drank with it. this was the knights of columbus in bloomington. i went there before i went home after work. and the first stop was to the liquor store near my workplace, where i got two cans of beer from the discount cart. it was a miller and a labatt. so i am good on beer for the fish fry dinners through next week. there was enough down time in the morning where i was able to complete three online classes, now there are four left. they are due at the end of the month. i should be able to finish them all by the end of next week. i did not watch any 'big bang theory' reruns tonight, as there was college volleyball on instead. i switched over to the 'movies!' channel, and watched part of 'cat on a hot tin roof'. during my walks i found 1 dollar 60 cents. i fell asleep for a while after getting back from hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order, and when i woke up 'comics unleashed' was on. it included david brenner, jon lovitz, and cedric the entertainer. also rita rudner, but i am not familiar with her. 

dunkin' donuts iced coffee

 when i went to walgreen for the midday snack i decided to get some dunkin' donuts iced coffee. usually i get minute maid juice, but i think my curiosity was what drove me to try it. i got the french vanilla flavor, it tasted fine. of course this comes on the heels of having dunkin' donuts cereal as well. it says it is 'creamy and smooth' and 'shake to wake'. i went into work later than typical, as i saw a flat tire when i went out in the morning. i went to my regular repair shop and they took care of it right away, while i was watching parts of two reruns of 'family ties'. it was when steve's dad died, and when jennifer punched a boy that bullied her friend. there was no team huddle, as my boss said he was ill. there was two technicians working on the envelope stuffer, and hopefully there will be only minimal issues with it now. after work i got a look at a nearby liquor store and it is larger than the one in my neighborhood. there is a closeout section there as well, and some of the single cans of beer in it interest me. when i was leaving i picked up a rebate offer for a vodka endorsed by country musician blake shelton. looks like the prices may be a little lower than the one i was shopping at. 

in the evening i had hoped to see 'young sheldon' start off 'prime time' but there was a speech by the president instead. but thankfully 'sheldon' was still on after it. kind of funny how they had reba mcentire, a country musician, singing karaoke in it. during my walks i found 1 dollar. it was nice to find a few coins on each walk, starting at midday when i was coming back from walgreen. just as valuable, i found food during an evening walk. there was a box next to a clothing donation bin. i passed on some of the contents, but claimed four items. three cans of del monte peaches, and one jar of fisher peanut butter. i said 'i eat peanut butter' when i saw the first item i claimed. still surprised how much perfectly good food is thrown out. all of these were unopened and unexpired, the expiration dates were all at least a year away. i think this is evidence of the public service ad campaign saying 40 percent of the food in this nation is wasted. i will claim what i find if it is edible and of interest to me. this means i won't be buying bananas this weekend as i have the peaches to eat. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard came back from space and got some free food. it was followed by the one where he finds out his space mission was moved up, and he talks with bernadette's dad about it since it would conflict with the wedding. i responded to a text message from my sister, it was wishing happy birthday. she spoke of the car she owns, and i asked if dad asks about it since he asks about mine. i placed an order for two fish fry dinners, one is for next week. i found out one church needed orders in two days prior, so that is the one ordered for next week. 

i'm not that lonely yet, reba mcentire

 another song i had heard recently while out and about was at a holiday gas station, found out it was 'i'm not that lonely yet' by reba mcentire. it is from 1982. i listened to it on youtube, and read the lyrics as well. it is about a lady that agrees to dancing, but still has limits on what else she will do with a man. the line 'i'm not that lonely yet' is the final line of the stanza multiple times. 'i've heard it before' is another line that resonates. there are other songs i am more familiar with by reba, such as the remake of the everly brothers hit 'cathy's clown'. along with 'take it back', a courtroom scene where she arrives late for her own song. now she is on 'young sheldon', a recurring role as dale's ex-wife, and sheldon's grandma dates dale. 

at work i was called by my boss and delayed my lunch a few minutes to take the call. he said he calls every two weeks to check in on people, a supplement to the 'one on ones', except i don't recall such a call before. in the morning i mosty got caught up on incoming mail, there was two days worth as it wasn't sorted on monday. still need to find the time to do online classes soon. in the evening i went on a walk and found 57 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy got a tiara from sheldon, i really like this one. it was followed by the one where penny and zac were part of the friends winning a costume party, 'justice league', at the comic book store on new year's eve. 

marvelous toy, peter paul and mary

 recently i heard a song on the new prague radio station that i hadn't heard before. it was 'marvelous toy' by peter paul and mary. i am more familiar with other songs by this folk music trio, especially 'puff the magic dragon' and 'leaving on a jet plane'. i found out why. according to wikipedia, 'marvelous toy' was not near as big of a hit as those other two. i watched a black and white video on youtube of this song. it is a story about a toy that is eventually passed down to the main character's son. it looks like this song has been performed by others. and i noticed how some of this trio's hit songs were written by bob dylan. 

at work it was a high-volume day on check printing, which is typical for a tuesday. in the morning i saw the mail delivery man and he asked for a cart. i said i hadn't ordered anything. when i saw the cart in the mailroom i looked at all of the boxes on it and found out i hadn't ordered any of it, HR had. so i sent them to the delivery table on another floor and let them take care of it. at our team huddle there is mention of online classes due at the end of the month. i will try to find the time to do them sooner rather than later. they typically don't take that long to do, and i think there are seven in all. in the evening i went on a walk and found 11 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when an FBI agent was interviewing the friends about howard. it was followed by the one where raj's sister priya visits, as she is on layover for a day. and there is mention of a 'pinky swear' that none of the friends will date her. i also liked seeing a snoopy snow cone maker in this episode. and i went onto facebook and responded to all of the birthday wishes, there were 27 of them. 

3 laser jet toner cartridges

 around mid-morning i got the 3 laser jet toner cartridges ready to be sent back as they were the wrong ones. the labels were sent to me by email, the courier was fed-ex. much like many of the deliveries, they went to the bank branch first and the branch manager rang the doorbell to tell me this. i said they were on the pick-up and delivery table on another floor, and i guess she went to get them from there. at midday there was the delivery of the envelopes. i helped get them off the pallet and onto a cart. this delivery man talked more than the others do, wasn't sure how to handle that. at the end of the day i sent a birthday card to a classmate, ran it over to the nearby post office before i went home. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 49 cents. i went to the liquor store before doing the virtual open-mic tonight so now i have a can of michelob ultra seltzer. coupled with the bottle of sam adams i already have, there are drinks for  the next two fish fry dinners. hard to say what got the most reaction from performing, it may have been the story of being at the liquor store and hearing a rap song, and how i would be a good 'rap interpreter'. i also told the stories of the birthday offers from various businesses. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was using a 'virtual presence device'. it was followed by the one where amy asks penny, on her date with sheldon, if penny is a slut. it was also the one where howard ends up at the hospital because of the robot arm. it is one of many times when watching the show where i will say 'pervert' as howard was one on that show for a while, before he met bernadette. 

monster ball tour, MSG

this morning i watched one of the DVDs ordered from amazon that was picked up this weekend. it was 'monster ball tour', with lady gaga. i had seen a show on this tour, and apparently this show from madison square garden was an HBO special. i knew the songs in it, 19 in all i think. i just watched the main program, 2 hours long, and still can go back to watch the special features. it started with lady gaga going to get some coffee, then going over to the venue. and of course there was other 'behind the scenes' footage such as costume changes. liza minnelli was given a shout-out as she was in the crowd and influenced gaga. i had one other DVD, but it was a biography. 

i wasn't sure how long the video would last, so when it was done the basketball game i wanted to see was on. it was senior day for the iowa hawkeyes, against wisconsin. but it was still early so i didn't miss much. iowa won 77-73 and finished the regular season with 20 wins, and will have the number 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. i had lunch just after halftime, and it meant drinking the can of bud ice beer. wanted to have something different as it is my birthday. later on i ventured out, normally my car is given the day off on a sunday. i wanted to get some things printed, so i went to the fedex office in eagan. one of those was a ticket i had just ordered, for the sistine chapel exhibit at mall of america. i will be attending it in a week.  there was a mcdonald's nearby so i got a shamrock shake when i was done. the shake was finished before i reached my next stop, the gas station. so the container was placed in the trash bin there, didn't need to wait until i got home. then i went on a long walk and found 1 dollar 2 cents. so i have enough for the next beer purchase for fish fry dinners. although the most valuable thing found may not have been the coins. also found something the size of a coin, it said 'you were given this life because you are strong enough to live it'. in the evening i called my dad to say i got the card, and there was plenty of birthday wishes on facebook, 26 i think. i will likely respond to all of them soon. but i want to wait and see if any others are sent. 

the silencing movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'the silencing'. it was a thriller that has a setting in minnesota, judging by the license plates on the cars. boundary waters was mentioned once, but the movie was filmed in ontario, canada. the main characters in it were a lady sheriff, and a reformed hunter that now runs a wildlife sanctuary. although it took a while before getting to what made it a thriller. this was when a hunter showed up throwing spears, in what kind of looked like a gorilla costume. the reformed hunter had lost a teenage daughter five years earlier when he went inside a convenience store to buy whiskey. the sheriff was often bailing out her brother whenever he was up to no good. when the spear hunter is caught, we get the 'why i did it' speech. 

this was also an errand running day. i picked up four orders at the post office, including 2 DVDs from amazon. and i sent the recycle to a bin as it had been two weeks. then it was on to the gas station to return the movie and get lunch. i got a rib sandwich. the lot was actually full when i arrived, which is rare. but i guess it was due to the nice weather. when i got home i not only had lunch but also turned on a college hockey game, st. cloud state against minnesota-duluth. st. cloud was leading when i tuned in, 3-0 at the end of the first period. it was 3-2 at the end of the second, and 3-3 at the end of regulation. but st. cloud won in overtime, 4-3, less than a minute after the extra session began. i was tired so i laid down for a while, and when i woke up it was evening so it was time to go to aldi for my weekly grocery order. later on i went on a walk and found 52 cents. when i was on facebook i saw an event invite for the sistine chapel exhibit at the mall of america, so i pressed 'interested'. it reminded me of how i got a picture from the rotunda advertising it when i was at the mall in january, meaning to look it up, but i hadn't. so tonight i went online and found out it is running through the end of april, so i think i will want to get a ticket soon. i also placed some more orders on e-bay, for postcards. i found two about the pony express that i really like, and there was a st. louis-themed 2-postcard lot as well. purely coincidental, i am sure, i got a card from a friend in st. louis today. i sent a text saying thank you. 

letter from the mayor

 i checked the mail before going to hy-vee for my weekly grocery order this evening. there was five items, and one of them was a letter from the mayor of new ulm. this of course is the town where i like to visit for oktoberfest. and last year i finally bought a brick. the letter was acknowledgement of the brick order. so i hope to see it during my next visit. not sure when it will be, but i have been there for more than just oktoberfest. one time i was there for the county fair, another time for the event where they fire cannons. 

later in the evening i went on a walk and found 63 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns where when the friends hired a hooker in las vegas for howard. it was followed by when sheldon and stuart debate super-heroes after stuart gets back from a date with penny. at work i did a 'one on one' meeting with my boss and it led to one email being forwarded. it was related to checks meant for the branch, but there wasn't enough information to deposit. in the morning the delivery of boxes of check stock arrived. the man said he was told to arrive at 6am, i said nobody was here that early. after work i picked up my order of a fish fry dinner at a nearby church. i could smell the green beans on the drive home real well. much like before, i got a picture of the meal with the drink, a bottle of sam adams beer. and during the walk, i got a picture of some framed artwork next to a dumpster. i have a good idea of the other places i will visit for fish fry dinners for the remaining fridays in lent. i have been to three so far, and i see two others from a printed list that are of interest to me coming up. one of them i have been to in a previous year. and i like going to mcdonald's as well, so it essentially leaves one spot open. 

tempting ice cream treat

 i went to walgreen for a snack at midday and the cashier said the drumstick ice cream treat was tempting. i said there still was plenty left, and there was- singles, or in a box. it was a slow day at work, but i didn't mind. not sure why, but less overnight packages helped, it was under 20. in the evening i went on a walk and found 31 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends made 'penny blossoms'. it was followed by the one where sheldon got a leonard nimoy napkin from penny, a christmas gift. i finished up the property tax forms and drove to downtown st. paul to get them in the after-hours box. i also placed a pre-order for a fish dinner at a place near work. in fact on the map the church gave one sees my workplace, since it is nearby. another birthday card arrived, the second, it was from my aunt in southern iowa. the first was from my dad, on wednesday. also in the mail was a 'special offer' postcard from walgreen related to hallmark greeting cards. 

the bones, maren morris

 in the afternoon at work i heard some music from the adjacent room where some light construction work was being done. i made a note of some of the lyrics and found out it was 'the bones' by maren morris. what stuck with me was 'matter, shatter, and crack in foundation'. when reading them online i also liked 'still standing, and dumb luck'. i understand the metaphor being used, when i see 'storm we're facing'. the video found on youtube shows a couple at the beach enjoying themselves and the warm weather, along with at times showing vegetation with dew on it. sometimes the lady is wearing red sunglasses. i didn't say anything when the music was on, but i liked it. usually there isn't any on at work. the correct toner cartridge arrived, i picked it up from the delivery table when i returned from lunch. now it is a matter of what is to be done with the other three, that can't be used. i likely have more time to call or email about it thursday morning. i wanted to get caught up on incoming mail, and it means more when the right one is at work. at times the envelope stuffer was giving me fits, but eventually it started working more consistently. 

in the evening i went on a walk and found 73 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when ramona arrived and the song 'be my yoko ono' was played because she takes over sheldon's life. it was followed by the one where howard said 'tag you're it' when nobody wanted sheldon living with them. it was because sheldon didn't want to keep penny's secret. both of these were ones i really enjoyed, more than most. i also worked on property tax forms some more, after getting more copies of documents and instructions. i hope to have them completed soon and sent to the revenue department as i can find use for the refunds. 

pinch me, barenaked ladies

while on youtube today i saw various suggestions, and one of them was 'pinch me' by barenaked ladies. the video shows apparently the frontman as a fast food employee and the cars being served are all AMC gremlins, just going around like in a carousel. it is memorable because the lyrics include 'where hungry people like to eat'. and there are scenes where the band is performing the song. as i recall, this is the band i saw in concert on new years eve many years ago when living in suburban chicago. 

   at work more deliveries arrived, in this case it was two toner cartridges for the copier. still waiting for the one for the check printer. i got the monthly supply order in just before the team huddle. in the evening i started working on the property tax returns for two years. i printed the forms and instructions in the morning for one of them, and plans are to print the other one on wednesday. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 55 cents. so i have already started the next goal on saving up for beer money for fish fry dinners. i went to the liquor store tonight and got a can of bud ice, it will be what i drink this weekend. there were some younger people that seemed to be having fun when i was there, and i noticed a police car at one end of the parking lot. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon's sister visited. it was followed by the one where the friends are in a quiz bowl, pms vs. aa. 

envelopes arrived

 the highlight of the day at work was how 12 boxes of fargo envelopes arrived, before midday. so thankfully we will not run out of these, the ones used most often. the delivery man said there are still plenty available, so hopefully the next order will not be delayed. there was also an email that arrived over the weekend saying the correct kind of toner cartridge for the check printer has been ordered. i asked when it might be arriving but no answer yet. also trying to figure out how to handle returning the ones that we can't use. there was a spike in volumes on the two files waiting for me in the morning, one of those being the ACH file. so hopefully i can get caught up on things on tuesday. i understood priorities so it meant i haven't taken inventory yet, which must be done to know how much to order each month. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 27 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny needed practice on being a bartender. it was also when a date set up by raj's parents called him 'drunk and boring'. it was followed by the one where sheldon dresses up as the doppler effect at penny's halloween party. this one keeps getting shown, lost count of how often i have seen it in the past few months.