wild child movie

 i watched a DVD movie around midday, 'wild child'. it was part of the disc that 'career opportunities' was on, a recent purchase through amazon. it is about a spoiled american teenager being sent to boarding school in england. i usually don't watch this kind of movie, but i liked it more than i expected to. it helps that the main character becomes more likeable throughout the course of the movie. hard to say what the main takeaway was for me. naturally a notable thing was the slight difference on verbiage between british and american english, but not much was lost on me there. i did like how it was more than just scenes in classes and the dormitories, as there were some from the lacrosse matches as well as going to find clothes in a resale shop. i researched this movie after seeing it, and it explains why i hadn't heard of it before. the wikipedia article said it was released to theaters in some nations, but not in north america, where it was 'direct to video'. this must explain why it was found 'doubled up' with another movie. 

i am thankful i stayed active despite having the day off for memorial day. i went to family dollar and got some things i needed, including bar soap and some trash bags. i also bought a DVD movie, 'nebraska', that i will have to watch sometime soon. and i went to walgreen to find lunch. it was a 'burger in a box', some chips, and the arnold palmer drink in a can. i also did a dry run on attending a meetup walk. i had been wait-listed but was promoted. it was at a state park, and it meant getting a parking permit. so i went to the office less than an hour before it closed to get one- a day pass. it was a small turnout for the walk, and there was nobody my age which made it a little harder to know what to talk about. i spoke about my line of work when asked about it, i was likely being asked by the event coordinator. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 12 cents. i did a virtual open-mic in the evening, the joke with the most reaction may have been the one about a doorbell or the one about turning down a bad offer. 

shoes inside bookshelf

 i am still amazed at what gets set out next to dumpsters close to my home. what i saw today was some nice shoes put inside a bookshelf, and a blanket on top of the case. so i got a photo of it. i did plenty of walking today, and found 78 cents. another one was of a banner at a mcdonald's saying they are now hiring, and where to text about it. i had considered watching a DVD movie but when i have monday off as well i knew it could wait a day. i got voicemail when i called my college roommate, the one that now lives near des moines, and then got started on going through snack food wrappers. i keep them in a drawer for a while and eventually write down how many of each, then send them to the trash. no surprise how the most wrappers was for reese's peanut butter, more than 50. i know it had been months since i had done it as there was some going back to halloween candy, for russell stover. then after having lunch i got started on listening to the st. paul saints baseball game on the radio, last game of six in a series against the iowa cubs in des moines. during this time my former roommate called me back, first call since the week before the super bowl i think. when i spoke of when i might be visiting the area in august, i was reminded of how that is likely during iowa's state fair. i went online and found out this was true, appears to be the first weekend of it. so another idea of what i might do while in town. after the call was done i resumed listening to the game on the radio, the saints won to complete a sweep of the 6-game series. then i went out for my second walk of the day, out of three, and when i got back i watched '60 minutes' which had a segment about a german piano player who spoke of finding inspiration from eminem. then it was some 'big bang theory' reruns and i had to laugh when amy said it was time for bernadette's line about leonard dating priya. and i consolidated some notes onto another page, but i still have more to do in this area. it was time as some of it was hard to read and i didn't want to have to guess what i had wrote. 

informer movie

i watched a DVD movie this morning, a redbox rental, 'the informer'. i recognized common the rapper in it, he played an NYPD officer. this was a crime thriller, about an FBI informant being sent back to prison in hopes of bringing down a drug cartel fronted by the Polish mob. as is true in many other thrillers, not everybody is who they seem to be, and there is some double-crossing that happens along the way. the scene i my have liked the most was in an 'aquatic center' where the main character's wife was working. the new york cop was looking for information and then the wife said 'everybody claims to want to help but the opposite is true.' she blew off the cop, asking him to leave unless he plans on buying something. i think there are many who would say the same in that situation. the ending felt a little incomplete, but when i understand this movie is based on a book this may well be in line with the story in the novel as well.  

this was a day of errand running, and it meant going to check my post office box, three items were there to be picked up. i also got two sheets of stamps when i heard there will be a price increase soon. one was star wars droids and the other was animals, including a pig and a turkey. i also placed some more e-bay orders for stamps, when i got home. it was inspired by what was not available at the post office. one of them was the mayflower stamps, was told they were sold out even though there was one sheet still in the display case. next thing was the gas station, where i dumped the movie and got some lunch, a pretzel dog and some string cheese. there was another spring football game on after i had lunch, much like last week it was from rice stadium in houston, and the announcers did mention  one super bowl was played there long ago. i moved up going to aldi for my weekly grocery order so i could be home in time to watch the baseball game on fox, brewers-nationals was being shown. i didn't watch it that closely but the brewers won 6-2. i was doing some online research about some possible summer travels. i let a friend in st. louis know i would like to visit and will let them know when i have chosen a weekend. of course there was four main categories i was looking at- game ticket, plane ticket, hotel room, rental car. i also found out from my step-niece what weekend her graduation will be in august. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 21 cents. 

sigma means sum

 i was reading an online article about jokes on 'the simpsons' and was trying to translate one of them. i got it down to 'i ate sigma pie' and then had to research the greek letter 'sigma' and found out it can also mean 'sum' when used for math purposes. so it is actually 'i ate some pie, and it was delicious' and this is proof of the intelligent humor that exists on the show. the article also mentioned a seed and feed store formerly known as chuck's, saying this was a way of covering up swear words with the rhyme scheme. at work it was a fairly low-volume day, i spent some time writing out some things to look up related to possible travels this summer. some things i looked up because i had the time, but others had to wait because it was taking too long for one site to boot up. i am trying to justify some of these travels, understanding the cost involved, and it might be more justifiable if i do 6 months, no interest on paypal wherever possible. i have done it before. i had two people pick up checks just before lunch, in fact they were consecutive, which is rare. so the second colleague didn't have to ring the bell, which has been sounding like 'jingle bells' for a while now. the first picked up five, and the second picked up one.       

   during my walks in the evening i picked up 2 dollars 40 cents, plenty of it in quarters. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny had her friends write a history paper for her. it was followed by the one where the friends do a military project with a retinal access scanner. i went to hy-vee in eagan in the evening after watching the early news and first went to their liquor store and got two cans of beer. i have enough now for the next two weeks, three cans in all, that i will likely skip a week of buying anything in this category. i did pay attention, for a change, to prices of more than just single cans and bottles. i was wondering what the 6-pack prices were, and grain belt costs more than hamm's. the latter is definitely a bargain basement price at $6. i have enough for a 6-pack of either, so something to think about on my next purchase. in the grocery part i got my typical order, including some patriotic snack cakes from little debbie. it is memorial day weekend, though i was expecting to see this category of items only for the 4th of july. i also got a box of 'ghosbusters' cereal, made by general mills. it seemed odd to see most of it in a discount cart for a dollar a box. i had to research it and the movie's release has been delayed multiple times due to the pandemic, now on for november. it appears that one of those release dates had been june, so this explains why we were seeing the cereal. this is proof of how the pandemic is still very much in charge, although i saw some inside the store not wearing masks. of course due to the governor letting some guidelines expire as infection rates are down and more people have had vaccines. 

constant light rain

 i don't know if it actually quit raining at all today. when i went to work, when i went on a midday walk to walgreen, when i went home, and when i went out for evening walks it was raining each time. it may have been constant light rain, but it was there. guess it meant my rain jacket, given by a former employer, is getting used. at work i was asked to send a check overnight to a social security office in new york city. there was also two attachments to send with it, a death certificate and a statement from a canadian court. hadn't seen anything like that before. i was sent an email about it in advance. when it was printed i asked if it was to be overnighted, as it sounded like something that would be, and i was correct. i am still having to ask for a printable list of refund checks. for i think the third straight week, when i go to print the first one it just shows headings and is otherwise blank. then the second one i am sent can be printed. during my walks in the evening i found 64 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard returns from space and howie mandel guest stars. he gets some free food from a diner. and his friends are doing a pie-eating contest. it is followed by part 2 of when leonard and penny renew wedding vows in front of family. and we see all of penny's family in it. the latter is one i don't think i had seen before, i know i had seen the former. i had to laugh when penny said this was why they eloped, because of the drama. sad but true. 

boxes for moving?

 i had two visitors to the check shop, the first was checking the hvac system. the second was from payroll and asked if there were any boxes available for moving. i said all of them are broken down in the bin, i cut the tape to break them down. so she decided to claim one of them to find out if that size is the one needed. i got the payroll statements early enough in the day that i was able to get them done same-day. in the morning i forgot to log into my email, but when i finally did more than 2 hours later there wasn't much there. one of them saying my boss wasn't feeling well and taking a sick day. i drank the schell's sangria while having dinner, so i now have one beer waiting in he refrigerator. i plan on getting more later in the week. in the evening i went on a walk and found 72 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon got an assistant. it was followed by the one where leonard and penny renew their vows in front of family, and judd hirsch guest stars as leonard's dad. 

script flipping

 i went to an open-mic tonight and even though i did not get stage time, it still led to some valuable material. i saw 2 friends perform- brawler, and yemen native- and when i went to say hi to the latter i was getting a hard time from another comic until i witnessed a script flipping and it led to me falling down laughing. so i said i will have to put it in my set sometime soon and report back how it went. there were others i enjoyed seeing there and hadn't seen in a while, it was my first time at this mic in over a year. i made it back to work after the day off and i found out it was a rough day for my colleague who had filled in for me. there was plenty of i.t. issues. it was a busy day for me throughout, but i didn't mind. looks like both items i really needed had arrived on monday, the inter-office envelopes and the sealing fluid. during my walks for the day i found 85 cents. 

sharing pandemic story

 i saw another email in the past week where the state historic society asked for people to share their stories about living during the pandemic. so i decided to submit again. last time was april of last year. i feel like this one has a better chance of being shown on the website as it is more polished and i am sharing a photo this time, from the selfie station when i got the second covid shot just over a week ago. so i found ways to stay active on a day off besides just the dental appointment in the afternoon. first thing was to go to a place where i could add value to my fare card as i took the bus to the appointment. after it was done i looked around downtown for a little while and then got back on the bus for home. then eventually i went to walgreen and did a photo order, first time in nearly two years. i had the stout beer for dinner so now i am down to 2 beers waiting, both are schell's. i did a virtual open-mic later on, and i think the joke with the most reaction was the one about killing a bug. after the show was done i went on a walk and found 31 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard lied to his mom and wife while in space. it was followed by the one where zac confused two tysons- mike, the boxer, with neil degrasse, the scientist. 

career opportunities movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a recent purchase, 'career opportunities'. i recognized john candy, and jennifer connelly, in it. i had read a recent article online about it on its 30th anniversary, so this led to my interest in it. it did have the feel of other john hughes movies, as he examines the difference between rich and poor in it. what also intrigued me was hearing how the movie takes place at a target store. it is not too often where one sees this kind of movie, where it is mostly inside just one store. it was hard to like the main character in it as he lived up to being labeled 'the town liar'. along with getting fired a lot. they do seem to cover just about every part of the store. one memorable scene was at home where one sees somebody trying to dip a chicken leg in a jar of peanut butter. it was all right but not the best john hughes movie i had seen, who wrote and produced it. 

after the movie was done i found other things to do, including going through magnets and deciding to cut up and toss some of them. i also watched some of the st. paul saints baseball game on 45-tv, saints beat indianapolis 5-4. eventually i made it around to doing laundry, and it was disappointing to have to switch to an alternate laundromat again due to the preferred one having no quarters available. for much of the day i was trading text messages with brawler, who is in town for the week. we found a place to meet at in the evening, and it was cool to catch up on things. sounds like he will be back in later in the year as well. sounds like he has a busy schedule on wanting to see people while in town, so i was pleased he found time for me. it is nice to do things with comics away from the clubs, can say this about some but not too many. after getting back i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 7 cents. so along with the change left over from doing laundry, i have reached the next goal on beer money. one of the things i spoke of tonight is how single cans and bottles of beer at liquor stores tend to cost about half as much as they do in the bars and clubs i performed in. one thing i have learned from the pandemic where i had to be willing to change my routine. 

promising young woman movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'promising young woman'. i recognized connie britton and molly shannon in it. it was about a medical school dropout that was living with her parents and working in a coffee shop. before starting this movie, i was aware of how the main character was on a revenge mission. this should have been a tip-off that i probably wouldn't like it as much as last week's selection, 'nomadland', and no i didn't like it as much. revenge is a powerful emotion, and one can be consumed by it, and the main character sure seemed to be consumed by it. i liked a line from molly shannon, who played her late friend's mom, telling her to move on. it was also sad that her love interest, a med-school classmate, was still interested despite her being 'a psycho'. she spits in his coffee, he still drinks it. she is seen at a bar with someone else, he doesn't care. she blackmails him, he still says he loves her. but in many ways this may not be too far from reality, sadly. where some people claim they don't want to be alone and can get desperate. she also visits the attorney that had worked her friend's case, and the college's dean, the latter after luring the dean's daughter into her car. the ending left me stunned, and this can be true of other thriller movies but not all of them. i wrote down many of the songs from the closing credits, which included 'angel of the morning', juice newton version. but also plenty of baroque and classical songs. even paris hilton has a song in this movie, and i didn't even know she did music. 

after the movie was done i got started on errand running. there was 3 items to pick up at the post office, and i spoke with the loopy employee while there. then i dumped the movie and got a sandwich at the gas station. i heard from brawler and hopefully there will be an event to attend soon. i moved up going to aldi for my weekly grocery order as i had a ticket for the st. paul saints baseball game in the evening. i sat in the general admission section, seats seemed a little sticky but i think that was from a sponsor they no longer have. the saints lost to indianapolis 5-1. after the game i went on a walk and found 37 cents. 

cart was missing

 i went to claim the mail cart at work this morning and it was gone. i let my boss and the branch manager know about it. later on, before midday, it was returned to where i had expected it to be. no explanation was given for what had happened. earlier in the week somebody had put some empty cardboard boxes on it. when i claimed it that time i just took the boxes off. still no inter-office envelopes or sealing fluid yet. the fedex tracking number said the fluid was in new hampton, iowa. i sent an email at the end of the day with procedure updates in it, along with mention of some supplies being hard to find. since i have somebody filling in for me i figured this was a good idea. it also meant putting up my out of office reply for my email. no surprise it had been a while since this had been done. last time i had taken a day off was in late december. i like work, so at times it is hard for me to take a day off. what made it easier last year was having just four days to use. in the evening i went on a walk and found 43 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard's wedding to bernadette was shown in flashback while howard was waiting for takeoff to space. it was followed by the one where leonard doesn't like the roommate agreement meeting and raj was being obnoxious about dating two women at the same time. i also went to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order, and was following the saints baseball game against indianapolis. it was on TV so i watched it that way when i was home. when going to and from the grocery store i caught it on the radio. i fell asleep so i missed the ending, but it appears the saints lost 6-4. i woke up in time to watch the fireworks display that was held after the game. 

doorstop foot replaced

 i heard the check shop door open around midday, and had to wonder who it was as there aren't many visitors. i found out it was somebody from facilities in relation to the work order i had called in. they told me it was a simple solution, replacing the foot on the door stop. it hadn't been high priority to get it done for a while but when i have somebody filling in for me next week i figured it was time, and it was called in last week. i am still waiting for supply deliveries, for sealing fluid and inter-office envelopes. with the fluid it is being sent by fed-ex, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if it is the same problem as before, where they try to deliver after-hours. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 21 cents, including a dollar bill. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard's space mission was on-again off-again. another plot was amy playing doctor, star-trek style, with sheldon. it was followed by the one where raj goes overboard on wanting to be a part of howard and bernadette's baby experience, by bringing over a big teddy bear. i am not sure if i had seen the second one before. 

wet ones hand wipe

 i had some hand wipes in a drawer at work for a while, and i figured it was time to use them. this week i used the last one, a wet ones hand wipe. as i recall, the other three were from the star tribune, buffalo wild wings, and famous dave's bbq. with some of them i waited too long to use them as i opened the package and it was bone-dry. but some of those may have been at work for years. still not sure how i got all of them. but it is a decidedly fewer amount than the napkins. at work there was a question about doing courier pickup, as somebody wanted a check sent that way to a law firm in minneapolis. i knew of just one official who has checks picked up this way, a tax specialist. at one point two envelopes were waiting to be picked up from the lockbox, around lunchtime, as the tax specialist had one in the same check file. i was pleased that there were no new overnight labels to print after the final file to print for the day. the one check going that way i lumped together with three others. this is why it is a good idea to wait to close these envelopes in case the same requestor has another one in the later printing. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 32 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard had his bachelor party and bernadette says to raj, 'you're not going anywhere, 3-way'. it was followed by the one where sheldon needs a new computer. i tried watching 'the conners' but only half of it was on due to storm warnings. it had plenty of plot twists, like many other season finales do. i would have liked seeing the entire episode, and of course this still may be possible depending on where i look. 

kuna coin, croatia

 during my walks i found a foreign coin, and as usual i like the online searching about it. this one was a 1-kuna coin, from croatia. it is about the size of a US quarter, but slightly smaller. there is a nightingale bird on one side of the coin, and it says 1994-2014 on the same side as the bird. this will go in the tin with the other foreign coins i have. when i live near a major airport it is not too surprising to see foreign coins- besides canadian ones, of course- every so often. i did find some american coins on this walk as well, a total of 54 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon put on a french maid costume at the behest of howard to get a meeting with steve hawking. it was followed by the one where emily was manipulating raj and he kept calling another lady for advice about it. when i got off work there was a text message from my mom saying the house has been sold so they will be moving. at work i saw the young thin dude for the first time in a while, who spoke about the branch he has been working in being much smaller. this was when i was dropping off a box from another delivery table. 

supplies backorder

 i let my colleague know that some of the supplies ordered for this month have not arrived yet. this included the sealing fluid for the envelope stuffer. i was informed that it was backordered, and a second bottle was ordered for me. i liked getting caught up on things by the end of the day. this started with running checks through that had been printed on friday. later on it meant going through returned mail and getting checks forwarded to the originating department or business line. i hadn't done it for a few days because it seemed to be lower priority. i also had to say that i was unable to destroy a check as i had been requested to send the check back to the address on it late last week. after work i went to a liquor store near my workplace and got a can of schell's sangria. i drank the can of modelo with dinner tonight so i still have 3 cans of beer waiting. in the evening i went on a walk and found 75 cents. so i have reached the next goal of beer money. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon broke a vintage 'star trek' toy. another storyline was bernadette saying 'metrosexual my ass' about raj after she and howard give him a dog. it was followed by the one where sheldon's birthday was attended by batman's adam west. i also performed at a virtual open-mic this evening. the one with the most reaction was about getting the second covid vaccine, as i spoke about what i saw while walking around the convention center after it. 

rush to war documentary

 around midday i watched a DVD movie, a purchase from a while back, 'rush to war'. it was a documentary about the second iraq war. i reognized some of the people in it, such as then-senator mark dayton, who later became minnesota's governor. another one of note would be david garst, of the garst seed company. the credits said it was dedicated to him, as he had just died. even though it was just under 90 minutes, i didn't enjoy it as much as other movies i had seen, not sure why. after the movie was done i turned the TV to channel 45 as the st. paul saints baseball game was on, against the iowa cubs. the saints scored 3 in the first, and led for most of the game, but the i-cubs scored 8 in the 9th and the cubs won 8-3. i noticed how most of the commercials were the same, and the stadium's sponsors- CHS, Spire credit union, and treasure island resort and casino. after the game was done i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 81 cents. 'the simpsons' was about grandpa supposedly being a spy, and a brit finally finding him after 50 years. also of note about the day, before putting in the documentary, was getting more pages into sheet protectors. some of these were related to the recent covid vaccine. i also went through baseball items to confirm what i had for saints souvenirs, so i would have an accurate list when i attend the next game. i prefer to avoid buying what i already have. i do have one patch and 3 stickers, but this still leaves some others that i don't have yet and are available at the stadium's main souvenir shop. it was nice to get the dishes and recycle done early, as i started them earlier than usual, before the 10pm news started. the news had a segment about a book on minnesota baseball history. 

nomadland movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'nomadland'. i recognized frances mcdormand and david straithairn in it. i understood this movie was an award winner, and i do like road movies. we see the main character working in an amazon warehouse, along with some time at wall drug. i made note of a place called national grasslands visitor center, which is depicted in the movie, in the same town as wall drug. the closing credits mention a fur trade museum, which is in nebraska. this movie had a 'documentary' feel to it, as many scenes show nobody in them when starting off, and little or no music aside from a little from a piano. other scenes do have plenty of music in them, especially country music. one of these songs in it was 'coal miner's daughter' by loretta lynn. also some christmas songs in it, especially early on when the main character is working at amazon, such as 'what child is this'. she mentions some wedding vows, she is widowed. 'shall i compare thee' i said sounded like shakespeare, and research yielded this was the author, one of his sonnets. the main character meets various people along the way, and gives one of them a cigarette lighter, and trades a sandwich for a can of coors light. there is a scene where she speaks of her late husband, with somebody who opens up about his son's suicide. she also visits her sister, and i liked the dialogue that spoke of how different they were. i also liked seeing how she visits the town she lived in with her late husband- and the office for the company she worked for- although both of these appear to be  deserted. frances is also a producer for this movie. 

as usual, this was an active day for me, as there was errand running to do. after the movie was done i went to the post office, one e-bay order was there. i checked my amazon account after i got home and i found out that order was delivered, but no yellow card in my box to tell me. so i will have to try again next week, and go to the window even if there is no card in the box. after having lunch i printed some things at a fedex office, including a ticket to an upcoming saints baseball game. when i got home i went to the family dollar, and to a liquor store, near me and picked up some things there as well. then it was time to get on the road again, to get the second covid vaccine done. it was in the same complex as three weeks ago. i felt the needle go in this time, but i also told myself to pay more attention and be less chatty. i picked up a sticker and sat for 15 minutes, then i left to go to the selfie station. then it was off to drop off the recycle. and after having dinner i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 81 cents. i listened to some of the saints baseball game on the radio, saints beat the i-cubs 2-1.  

covid vaccine baseball incentives

 i saw an email from the iowa cubs saying that the baseball team has partnered with hy-vee to offer vaccinations on game days. they are offering incentives to get the covid vaccine- a free general admission ticket, hot dog, and drink. i think some pharmacies are offering incentives as well. not sure yet about when or if i am making it to des moines this year for a game. i did watch some of the st. paul saints game tonight, on TV, against the iowa cubs. saints won 4-3. i also went to the hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order so some of the game was caught on the radio. it also meant stopping at the ajdacent liquor store where i got a can of schell's firebrick beer. this is the kind of schell's i had when i was in new ulm last year for oktoberfest. at work i am mostly caught up now on the check volume. all have been printed, and three stacks remain to run through the stuffer on monday. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 21 cents. so i have reached my next goal for chips out of the vending machine, and for beer. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy makes a scene to get sheldon's attention. it was followed by the one where they do 'baby karaoke' because bernadette announces she is pregnant. 

tracking or tracer?

 at work it was a little confusing at first when getting a skype message from somebody i didn't know. they did give me a name i recognized, it helped with finding the check in question. but then they asked for a tracer, didn't know what they meant. i found out they meant tracking number, and this was a check slated to be sent overnight by UPS. i was a little behind on creating labels as i was handling a spike in volume of of checks for another business line, but i let them know i would send the tracking number when it was available. i found out they wanted to re-direct the check, as it was a branch manager. i have sent checks to a branch before, so not a big deal. i got most checks printed by the end of the day, only one file wasn't but it was imported and i can take care of it in the morning. with the two largest files i got more about half of them through the envelope stuffer and out the door. i should be able to get caught up by the end of friday. it took a while to print more than six thousand checks from one file, close to three hours. but at the time there were no other files to print, and when i was done there wasn't much waiting either. 

in the evening i went to perform at the comedy club. i hadn't been to this venue in more than a year, last time was right before the pandemic was declared. i did a guest set, the headliner is somebody that had given me stage time before. i went on after the MC. my set was all right but we are our own worst critic. i felt like i paused too much but at the same time i don't like to pause, but sometimes you need to. i know i got some laughs. after the show i spoke with two crowd members, one of them recognized me from a job i held for just four days. surprised anyone remembered me from there. the other was somebody i spoke about performing with, and how i like having other things in my life as well. so it meant i spoke about baseball, especially the saints as i had just been at the saints game the night before. before the headliner went onstage he was in the back and was filming on his camera phone, including me. then i went to see another guest set, as school bouncer showed up and was given stage time, after the feature comic. notable was how the number of seats in the club was about half, and there was plastic screens up- some hard plastic, some were thin plastic. i still went on a walk when i got home, and found 49 cents. and i still watched some 'big bang theory' reruns before heading to the club. it was when sheldon got his hair cut by penny, followed by the 'fun with flags' edition where raj, then kripke, called in and wanted to talk about being single. 

stomping on peanuts

 i went to the st. paul saints baseball game tonight, they were playing the iowa cubs. first game i had attended this season. when the mascot, madonna, arrived in the section i was in, peanuts were stomped on, peanuts bought by somebody who eventually returned. the mascot arrived with more peanuts later. it meant something to me on the opponent, as i grew up near des moines and saw plenty of i-cub games when i was young. i just wanted to see a good game, so i felt no sense of 'divided loyalties'. the saints won 6-1, aided by the long ball. they may have been solo shots, but it was enough. there will be more saints games to attend this season, already have tickets for 2 more. i ate before entering the stadium, finding a sandwich and chips at the nearby speedway gas station. i arrived early enough to get the promotion, the magnet schedule. i like having it, but saw somebody turn it down. 

after the game i went home and during my walk i found 96 cents. at work there was a meeting about the duplicated files, in the afternoon. i printed all of today's two largest files, still leaves the previous day. i was instructed to import those two before the end of the day. i moved up one day my weekly visit to walgreen due to the altered lunch schedule. 

server offline

 it seemed like a lost day at work as very little was accomplished for multiple reasons. when i went to try to create UPS labels and print some emails it said the server was offline, and i found out payroll was dealing with the same issue. earlier in the day there was the two fargo files that were much larger than usual. i was told not to print them because they were duplicated checks. i printed only four out of 18,000-special handling on one of the two files- and those were duplicated. i didn't want to tie up the check printer for a while, only to find out i would have to send them to the shredder, so i did the right thing on asking about it first. hopefully things will be back to normal as of the next day. in the evening i went on a walk and found 90 cents, so i reached the next goal on beer money. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard was told bernadette wanted a pre-nup. it was followed by the one where sheldon goes on an apology tour. i also listened to some of the st. paul saints game on the radio. it was the home opener, but the saints lost to the iowa cubs 11-1. saw two different media outlets reporting from the saints stadium, and showed interviews with saints boss mike veeck. 

amendment 9

 i have a step-niece that is taking government class and sent a message on facebook, asking me how well i knew the bill of rights. i knew how amendments 1, 2, and 5 are mentioned the most, and these 10 played a big role in getting the constitution ratified. i was asked about amendment 9, not too familiar with that one. an article i found said it confirms existence of 'implied' rights- outside those expressly protected by the bill of rights. i see it as being like what is seen in legal documents when it says 'including but not limited to'. she also spoke of seeing a video where it was explained as 'the right to build a snowman in winter'. things moved along fine at work, still was able to get a big check file- over a thousand in the afternoon- completed by the end of the day. in the evening i went on a walk and found 87 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were about a power failure caused by sheldon. howard gets the nickname 'froot loops', leonard and penny see the same shrink, and sheldon and raj discover something when they work together. i did a virtual open-mic in the evening and the most reaction was about amendment 9 or the redbox movie i had seen over the weekend. 

without limits movie

 in the afternoon i put in a DVD movie, a purchase from many years ago at a thrift store i think, 'without limits'. i recognized donald sutherland in it. this of course is one of two movies i am aware of about the life of steve prefontaine, the track star. toughest thing about it, along with the one called 'prefontaine', is that no matter how many times i watch he still finishes fourth in munich and dies in a car wreck before he can run in the olympic games again. notable about this version is one scene takes place in des moines, iowa, my native state, as he ran a race at drake university. it was the one where he won after his foot was cut up, although the way it was cut i think was one of those 'scenes and characters invented for dramatic effect'. the movie also includes footage of walter cronkite announcing his death on CBS news. 

i had meant to watch the movie earlier in the day, but woke up later than usual. so after having breakfast i wanted to get started on some other things, and this included some cleanup. it meant running the paper shredder for the first time in over a month. i was proud of what i got done, and as usual it meant 'keep going until i am satisfied'. after the movie was done i went on a walk and found 83 cents. so i have enough for chips out of the vending machine at work, and i have started the next goal of beer money as well. during the walk a young man asked me about parking in the area, had to say i didn't have an answer for him. 'the simpsons' was about lisa becoming president despite refusing to attend college. i caught a joke in it that was meant to be a swipe at mr. trump. i also watched '60 minutes' which included a segment about spies from world war two, called 'the ritchie boys'. an online search yielded there was a documentary about this subject, from 2005. 

every breath you take movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a redbox rental, 'every breath you take'. i recognized casey affleck in it. this was a thriller and i am thinking it was similar to another movie i have seen but i am not sure which one. it reminded me a little of  'hand that rocks the cradle', except there was no baby in this story. the main character is a psychiatrist and one of his patients committed suicide. then he gets complaints about his tactics, and loses clients. the man lodging these complaints ends up hurting his wife and daughter. it kept me guessing throughout. the song of the same name, by the police, is not in the movie. 

after the movie was done i looked in a bag where i was keeping some posters and some were taken out and will be thrown out. all in the name of 'stressing quality', i still have 26 despite tossing five. then it was time to get to the post office and check my box. one e-bay order was there, and i paid for 6 months of box rental as it was coming due at the end of the month. then i went to the holiday gas station and dumped the movie, and was pleased to find a little godfather's pizza there so it became my lunch. i watched some of a college football game on ABC in the afternoon, james madison vs. sam houston state. it was a wild one and sam houston won 38-35. late in the afternoon i went on another meetup walk in the same park as last week. i took more pictures this time because i wasn't talking to somebody like i was last week. i couldn't find the place where it started at first, as the event coordinator wasn't at the playground. but somebody looking for the same walk had a smartphone and gave a clue as to where it started. i don't know what their plans were, so i got started on the walk by myself. i am a brisk walker, and it took a while but i was caught up with the group by the end of the walk. it helped that i was paying attention to the signs about where to turn, and recall a few places from last week's walk. one of them was a BBQ place with live music, this week somebody was playing 'cheating heart' by hank williams. back at the park, where the walk ended, there was a food truck. and a gathering next to a d.j. that was playing 'california love' by tupac shakur. i was invited to have some of the complimentary coffee, except i already had a bottle of water with me. i did have some of the treats, two cookies. then i went home and watched some of the news, and went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. my dinner was some spaghetti rings and cut-up hot dogs, heated up on the stove. the spaghetti was from one of the cans i found recently in a box in my neighborhood. later on i went on another walk and found 62 cents. 

lady gaga oreos

 i finished one of the big 'limited edition' packs of lady gaga oreos earlier today, 25 cookies in it. i had 5 cookies a day this week from it. a while back i had finished 6 of the mini-packs, that i had found in the closeout bin at a holiday gas station. the big packs i had found at a walgreen. they tasted fine, pink cookies with green filling in the middle. i have one more of these packs, along with a larger one that looks like the more customary black cookies with white filling in the middle. the larger pack still mentions the contest to meet lady gaga, and it is what prompted me to share on facebook and twitter how i had created a 'positive message'. if this was meant to promote her latest CD, 'chromatica', as the cookies were inspired by it, then it worked. after finding the mini-packs in late january i went to a target and bought the CD, after researching online what locations would have it. 

near the end of the workday the branch manager had somebody with her when she rang the doorbell, and his nametag had 'executive director' on it. he looked around for a few minutes and that was it, i think it was to look at the emergency exit door. in the evening i went on a walk and found 13 cents, along with more cans of fruit and spaghetti rings. this was after getting back from going to hy-vee in eagan. i bought another can of beer from the liquor store next to the grocery store, it was a craft brew from cold spring that i had drank at a place i once performed at. my first stop after work was to a target to use up a gift card. there was less than 3 dollars left on it, and i got a pack of hot dogs, some chocolate milk, and a small package of hawaiian bread. the hot dogs will be part of my meals this weekend. i still have some cards to use from jc penney, subway, and hy-vee. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj thinks he is dating his phone. it was followed by the one about the 'star wars' premiere, where sheldon skipped it with the friends because he spent the day with amy as it was her birthday. of course i like this one as bob newhart was a guest star in it. 

a different gas station

 i saw the gas light pop on as i was starting my drive home but didn't feel like taking a u-turn to visit my typical gas station i visit near work. so i went to a different one about a mile down the road, had seen it many times before. it worked fine as it was close to the main road, easy on and off. and then it was largely uneventful the rest of the way home. i was pleased with how some deliveries arrived related to the overnight packages I send by UPS as it makes my work easier again. one order was found near the end of the day when i went to look for a band-aid. in addition, i had somebody who kept emailing me questions about UPS but it ended with 'you're the best'. i let them know it is picked up just once a day. it was also nice to hear from my 'work spouse' via instant messaging, who is working from home. sounds like she has had one covid shot so far, same as me. in the evening i went on a walk and found 64 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny got back together but didn't want to tell anyone. it was followed by the one where sheldon figures out the ear-worm was a beach boys song and it causes him to find amy, and they resume their relationship. 

also rents u-hauls

 this morning i had a few minutes and went to look at the 'market' across the street from my workplace. it is more accurately described as a convenience store, and a sign said it also rents u-hauls. i wasn't in there for long, and left without saying a word. there was a clerk inside but he seemed to be on his phone and paid no attention to me. the layout, with some empty spaces, reminded me a little of a now-shuttered similar store in st. louis near the airport. i think i will stick with walgreen for my needs. also at work the delivery of check stock was near the end of the day, even said so to the man. his response was that i would be there until 6pm, which is not true. in the evening i went on a walk and found 66 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon and amy spend thanksgiving together, and elon musk guest stars at the soup kitchen, working in the back room with howard. in prime time 'the conners' had 2 reruns on. first was when darlene hired a crazy assistant, followed by when she has a panic attack. and dan starts working at the hardware store. 

play money, a coin

recently i saw a coin that was play money next to some real coins. i picked up all of them, because i wanted a good look at the 'fake coin'. it was an imitation dime, no date on it and the image of FDR is close but not quite the same. i do see 'play money' in stores in the toy section from time to time. at work there was two meetings, the first being the team huddle. the second was the one on one with my boss. it stayed fairly busy for most of the day, of course it is a day of the week that tends to be high-volume. in addition, a supply order arrived, 30 boxes of envelopes. another supply order, with UPS, was placed last week and hasn't arrived yet. i called the number i found and was told it is best to order online. this ran counter to my training, but i am aware of how things can be subject to change. i was also informed of how UPS is experiencing high demand so this might explain why supply orders with them are taking longer. in the evening i went on a walk and found 37 cents. i also noticed some binders about literacy programs next to a dumpster and it made me think of a classmate who studied literacy programs. i watched one 'big bang theory' rerun, when amy goes on a date wit a brit and her friends decide to spy on her. once i found out the first one was when leonard meets up with a bully again, i changed the channel to the next one over, 'movies!' there was a john wayne movie on, 'rio lobo', so i watched it for a little while until i knew the second rerun would be on. 

disc finally ejected

 when i was driving home from work i saw something different on the car radio when i switched it on and off to check the time. there were hyphens all the way across, and i took it as the disc that had been stuck in there might finally eject. and it did, once i pressed it a second time. i brought the CD inside, it is maroon 5, and played some of it but fell asleep. now it remains to be seen as to what i do with the replacement disc. as i recall, it was back in october when it was stuck inside the player, also when i was driving home from work. i am leery of trying to play another disc in it after what happened. so i am fine with continuing to play the radio during the commute. at work i placed a supply order with UPS online, instead of by phone, since there was directions given on how to do so from a similar order from 2017. still waiting for the previous order, placed last week. after work i went to the liquor store near my workplace and got another can of beer, a modelo. and i drank the modelo i bought last week with dinner, so i still have 2 cans of beer waiting for dinners. it tasted good to me, but i do tend to like pilsner and lager beers. in the evening i went on a walk and found 45 cents. so i am getting started on my next goal of a beer purchase. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon was interviewed for a documentary about 'star trek' and was still upset about the break-up with amy. 

we're not fluffing around

 i bought some reese's peanut butter 'mallow top' treats this weekend, in the discount cart at hy-vee. the package said 'hop to it, we're not fluffing around'. it showed decorations on the treats, that weren't on the actual ones i ate. guess it was a suggestion for those who i wanted to decorate them before eating. there is a bunny head, a bag, and a basket on the three. 

this was an active day, and i was pleased with what i got done. first thing was to return a cart to the nearest target store. i had seen it in my neighborhood for a while. i loaded it into the back seat of my car, and when i arrived at the store i put some momentum behind it once the sliding doors opened and sent it in without going inside myself. after a little more time at home i went to drop off recycle near the capitol. when i was there it looked like it hadn't been picked up in a while, and it was nearly full once i had added the two week's worth for this visit. next stop was when i bought a fitted sheet for my bed at another target store, that i knew would have just what i needed. thankful some items are still sold this way as otherwise it would have meant getting a full sheet set. i saw a tear in the past week and as i've said before, 'we all know how this is going to end'. i got some hawaiian bread and chocolate milk there as well. after i had stripped the one off the bed that was being replaced, i looked at the label/tag and noticed it was the same brand name. it was no surprise that i had been to target for this same item before. it is minnesota after all, and this is where the retail chain is based, so their stores are everywhere. at a walgreen i got some sheet protectors. late in the afternoon i went on a walk and found 83 cents. i also slept off and on today, but i still got around to watching 'the simpsons', a christmas episode with maude, the wife of ned flanders. 

wander darkly movie

 in the afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'wander darkly'. when i saw the cast list i was wondering who beth grant was, but it wasn't musician lana del rey, whose real name is elizabeth grant. i did some searching and found out beth grant played the main character's mom, and she doesn't like her son-in-law. she also had a small role in 'rain man', one of my favorite movies. it is hard to say my opinion about this movie. the couple has a young daughter, and then go to a party and start arguing in the car, then the car wreck happens early on and the rest of the movie is surreal. both have different memories of what happened. the character played by sienna miller is delusional. 

this was an active day, and not everything was crossed off of my list so some things will have to wait until sunday. i got to the post office early, one e-bay order was there. i placed an amazon order as well. then it was on to the dealer for an oil change for my car. after it i went to print some things at a fedex office. then i stopped at a gas station and got lunch, a pretzel dog and cheese. i had this at home, along with some icehouse beer, then watched the movie. after the movie was done i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. then it was time to get on the road again, so i went back to the gas station and dumped the movie before getting to a nearby park for a meetup walk. same park where i was at an event about two weeks ago. for much of the walk i spoke with an ex-new yorker, who was a new resident to the area as of the past year. then i made it home in time to watch some boxing on fox. there was three matches, the first two ended with knockouts. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 28 cents. so i not only have enough for chips again from the vending machine, as well as some beer. also notable about the day was hearing from two performer friends from private messages on facebook. there was brawler, as well as button. i let the former know i still don't have much planned for this month so i am fairly open when his visit to the area happens later this month. for the latter i said i had seen an article she was in on a new comedy website, and she told me about having moved to NYC as of a month ago. 

food shelf donation

 i had seen a posting this week about a food shelf near my workplace. i called and asked about how to make a donation, and it meant going there during my lunchtime as they close for the day around the time that i finish my shift. i had six cans of whole kernel corn that i had claimed a while back but i hadn't eaten yet, so that is what i sent them. most of what i claim from boxes left by dumpsters in my neighborhood, i do eat. since i tend to claim non-perishables, and tend to be picky about what is available. so i did my good deed for the day. an elderly woman answered the door so i gave the cans to her. the place was about a mile away from my workplace, and when i drove back to the bank i still had enough time to have lunch. it took a little while to get caught up on going through the mail since there was two days to go through, as it hadn't been sorted in the mailroom right away. i placed the monthly supply order in the afternoon, but re-routed it as i got an out of office reply from who i normally send it to. i got a can of schell's beer from the liquor store next to the hy-vee in eagan, then did my weekly grocery order in the adjacent building. later on in the evening i went on a walk and found 63 cents. i also claimed a bag of doritos that was in a bag of subway sandwiches and bottles of vitamin water. this ties back to the aforementioned standards about what i choose when it is laying out. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon befriends a bird and then puts up 'missing' posters after he loses the bird. it was followed by the one where sheldon and leonard buy helium, and the tank is labeled 'uncle harvey' and given a hat and scarf. mike rapaport guest stars as the man who they buy it from, and at the end of the episode they watch 'ernest goes to jail' with him.