behind a boat

 on the drive home from work i was behind a boat for a while during my brief time on the interstate. i recognized it as a pun that was used for the boat name. i ended up getting a picture of it because the traffic was going slow enough for me to get it done safely. at work i did the one on one with my boss. at first i was wondering if i had an agenda. and i did. i just needed some time to think it through, and it helped going through emails to get some ideas. i found five things to discuss, some of them were simpler solutions than others. there was nearly two thousand checks from the foundation to print in the afternoon, but not all of them went out same-day. i did as many as i could though. there was another overnight request that meant sending a letter with the check as well. and it was a good thing i went through one small file as i normally do as i found 2 checks to be overnighted, even though there was no email saying so. i had been 'called out on the carpet' before and i didn't want it to happen again. it is no big deal to check the file as it doesn't take long, and i usually don't find anything out of the ordinary. i got an email after sending the tracking numbers, saying thank you for catching it. and it officially stated the two checks for those who still needed the information such as the payee and the amount. 

i had the bottle of miller beer with dinner so now there are 3 beers waiting. in the evening i went on a walk and found 20 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard wrote a song for bernadette and performed it for her when she was in quarantine. it was followed by the one where amy accepted the proposal from sheldon, and then thanks ramona for kissing him. i got another 'space jam' sweepstakes entry by sharing on twitter. and i tried to upload the receipts from target to another site but when reading the official rules there was mention of how it must only be from walmart. so i am not sure if the two purchases count now. but i read further and liked seeing what the prize was for 3 digital tune tokens, it is a magnet set. so it likely means checking walmart soon to see what they have. there are plenty of eligible general mills products besides cereal, including granola bars and yogurt. there is up to a 72-hour wait to hear about the receipts, so i am fine with waiting for the official word on if they count. there was also mention of just one receipt per photo, i sent both in one scan. i will follow what they tell me as i want to get it right. 

movie sweepstakes

 i was watching 'big bang theory' reruns after work and there was multiple promos for a sweepstakes for the the upcoming movie 'space jam'. it meant entering the given name of a character as a text message. the response i got was to go to another website to finish my entry. i haven't done this yet, i guess when i feel like it i will. the reruns i watched were when amy does a monkey study at the university sheldon works at. sheldon ends up in little sri lanka. it was followed by the one where sheldon is kissed by ramona and then flies to princeton to propose to amy. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 4 cents. at work there was a team huddle but the other meeting on my calendar was moved back a day, a one on one performance evaluation. i still need to send a list of things i would like to discuss. i had another overnight request which meant sending a letter with the check, there was 3 accounts like this. sounds like there would have been more, as many as 10 apparently, but some accounts were unable to be closed such as having a negative balance. in the evening i watched yemen native at the end of the colbert show. i had heard some of the jokes before, but all of it was good. much like when he was on public radio, i was getting bored waiting for his segment. there was some actors being interviewed about a 'lord of the rings' movie, then plenty of commercials. also notable about the walks was finding more than just coins. there was a brown paper bag with 6 unopened bottles of blue moon ale, so i claimed one of them and the others were left at a bus stop. so now i have 4 beers waiting to be drank. it happened in the same month where i found some unopened beer cans. still amazed at what is left behind by people. 

covid recovery surcharge

 i went to get a beer at the performance venue tonight and found out there was a covid recovery surcharge  due to paying with a card. it is 5 percent. i got a grain belt, although i was told the miller lite i was getting before the pandemic was still on special. so maybe i get the miller lite on my next visit. at one point at the bar i spoke with somebody about the consumer price index when the man commented about rising prices. when i left the showroom to get a look at my material i was approached by somebody who claimed to remember me, although at first he struggled to recall my name. go figure. the most reaction i got from my set would have to be mention of the search for cereal. at work i got payroll statements early enough in the day where i was able to send them out same-day, it was mid-morning. just before then i was down the hall and heard the doorbell ring, i was doing a partial sort of the mail. i found out it was somebody from facilities who needed to check the fire extinguisher. so i went back inside the check shop for a few minutes to work on something else. thankfully i was able to get back to the mail sorting fairly quickly. i was still fielding questions about a check i was unable to send out on friday. i had to let them know that the image in my system was blank, and when i notified the responsible officials there was no solution given. i also copied my boss on the response as evidence of  'due diligence'. in the evening i went on a walk and found 23 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard manipulated penny for sex after she reads his mom's book for her class. it was followed by the one where amy goes to princeton for the summer. 

pancakes and haircut

 there was two notable things done throughout an active day. the first was having pancakes at a car dealer in south st. paul as part of kaposia days, their annual weekend festival. when i got home i had to check how many of their buttons i had, this is the 9th. first attended in 2010. had to check earlier entries to find out why i didn't attend for the other 3 years. 2015 i was at my cousin's wedding in wisconsin, 2017 i was in st. louis for my annual visit and saw an old friend, and last year due to the pandemic. guess there still was a festival and a button last year, but was told most events were virtual, no surprise there. i was reminded of this when arriving as there was a display of buttons on the table. i recognized some of the buttons i had and some i didn't have. i looked around in the showroom and a salesman arrived. wasn't expecting this as i understood they are closed on sundays. but he didn't spend too much time on me, gave me a business card and moved on to the next people he saw. then i drove home and got a haircut at sportclips. there was a wait, but i didn't mind as i didn't have much else to do. there was a soccer match on in the waiting room, from ESPN, as i recall it was the netherlands vs. the czech republic, scoreless tie at halftime. when i got home it was midday, so it was time for lunch. after looking at my buttons and putting the loose ones in the plastic bag with other buttons with similar themes-and throwing some out- i had to get going again. this time it was to do laundry. after this was done i laid down for a while, surprised at how long, as it was after 9pm when i woke up. so i did a brief walk in the light rain and then came back to watch the news and do dishes. then i went on another walk after the news, and joel osteen. during my walks for the day i found 97 cents. so i am well on my way to my next save-up goal, a can of beer. what was left over from doing laundry was set aside for my next festival button purchase. 

french exit movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a redbox rental, 'french exit'. i recognized michelle pfeiffer in it. i chose this one because it was part of previews on last week's selection, 'the father'. i might have seen a movie with this kind of storyline before, where somebody rich falls into financial trouble and has to sell most of their assets. i eventually recognized danielle macdonald in it, thanks to the closing credits. and i said that must be the lady rapper from the movie 'patti cakes', and it was, the one who sings 'pb and j'. in this one she is a fortune teller and is brought in to communicate with a cat that has the spirit of the main character's late husband. some people in the closing credits were described as who they were since they were given no name, guess i have seen this many times before. there was 'brave man in park, man who takes cash in park, rude waiter, and nice waiter'. also memorable will be when we hear 'it means pig'. the characters in this story all seemed to be weirdos in one form or another, but somehow the story still works. for lack of a better term, i am saying 'weirdo' but i think it is one way of saying they had flaws. i liked hearing the definition of 'cliche' given as well, since the word is used way too much. 

after the movie was done it was an active day. it meant going to the post office, all 3 orders were there. i confirmed the holiday schedule for next week, still open saturday but not monday. i dropped off recycle, and went to a target to find 'space jam' cereal. this one had lucky charms with character from the movie on the box. later on after finding out a meetup outing was postponed due to rain, i ventured out to another target location and found it. but this time it meant asking for help. while there i also got a box of kellogg frosted flakes with shaquille o'neal on the front. so now i have 3 family-sized boxes, so i am good on cereal likely for a month. after the first target visit i went to south st. paul for kaposia days. i found a button at the second place i went to. then i had a blizzard treat at the dairy queen. the car show was supposed to be at the high school's parking lot, but must have been scrapped due to the rain. so i found lunch at a kwik trip store and headed home. it was a steak ranchero breakfast burrito. eventually i made it over to aldi for my weekly grocery order, and was back in time for watching baseball on fox in the evening. dodgers beat the cubs 3-2. during my walks for the day i found 53 cents. i liked reading through the recent purchase of a special magazine about musician willie nelson, and it may inspire another amazon order due to mention of the acting he has done. 

too late on job offer

 i responded to another voicemail this morning, likely from another agency. they said there was opportunities available, and it was odd that at first they couldn't find me. something about how i had applied for a separate opportunity than what i was being called about, which makes no sense. either way, i let them know i have been at the bank for a little over a year. so any job offers now, when i am happy where i am at, are way too late. i am surprised i am still getting any calls like this, when i haven't applied to anything for a while. and it is just as well that i have the power to turn them down now, since i have already been through some gigs with agencies that didn't pan out but were supposed to me 'temp to hire'. aside from that, things hummed along well at work. it is good that i check the delivery table each day, as this morning i saw another delivery left outside the front door. it was 13 boxes of computer equipment, so i got out a cart and brought it inside. although this led to finding out the elevator button on the top floor didn't work, so i had to walk down one floor to get on and then get the cart. i am not going to carry a cart down a floor. somebody in that area notified the name of the responsible official on the boxes, and it looks like they were claimed by the end of the day. during the final hour of the day i had another colleague call me, asking the deadline to drop off mail so it will go out same-day. they got it to me just minutes before my leave time, but i said this is why i keep one box open, in case there are any late arrivals. 

i went to the liquor store near my workplace after work and got a bottle of miller beer and a can of old style. both were priced at just a dollar. so now i have three beers waiting to be drank. i noticed the miller bottle is kind of tall, so i had to set it at an angle in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. in the evening i went to hy-vee for my weekly grocery order, except it backfired on waiting to get 'space jam' cereal after seeing a big display last week. i went online and it looks like target still has it somewhere though. i did get another thing on my list, a special magazine about musician willie nelson. later on i went on a walk and found 82 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj planned a scavenger hunt. i like this one a lot as it ends with amy and howard singing karaoke together, a neil diamond song. it was followed by the one where howard discovers bernadette has a ventriloquist dummy. 

kellogg mashup cereal

 this morning i finished a box of kellogg mashup cereal, found at an aldi. it is a mashup of frosted flakes and froot loops. there seemed to be more of the latter, which makes sense when froot loops are heavier. it tasted fine. first time i had seen such a cereal being sold before, athough i have heard of mashups of songs being done. guess it is the same concept, trying to merge together two well-known things. even saw a mashup of two shows at fringe before- footloose, and the sound of music. at work i was called a saint by two colleagues i have never met, because i was able to intercept 5 checks, totaling nearly a quarter million. i was asked to send them inter-office, it was the wrong payee. i said it helped that i was notified early, around the time i was printing them. this makes it easier to intercept anything. i also let my boss know i found the self-evaluation section on the HR website and didn't know what to add in terms of goals. i said the existing ones seemed fine, especially during the pandemic where the office is largely deserted. this of course makes it harder to learn more skills, and i understood the priority was to learn the primary skill, the check shop functions. it was near the end of the day, but when it is due at the end of the week i felt the need to say something outside of what was there officially. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 36 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard made it back from the north sea, and was caught with penny a few days early. it was followed by the one where bert has a lady friend, but he is buying her love. it was announced during a 'fun with flags' retrospective. 

basketballs in trunk

 when i was out walking this time i saw basketballs in the trunk of a car in the plaza. i also saw four dudes throwing around a football. it is nice to see people enjoying the time outside, even at night. during my walks for the day i found 93 cents, so i have reached the next save-up goal of a can of beer. i drank the bottle of guinness at dinner, so there is one can of schell's waiting. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard was still in the north sea. it was followed by the one where sheldon didn't recall stopping at a cowboy bar. at work i said it must be a big deal when the senior leader was requesting a copy of an ACH statement. it was by instant messaging. i prefer email because i can print it, but not a big deal. this week i saw an explore minnesota video from the st. paul saints baseball team, where they go to new ulm. of course it meant something to me as i go there annually for oktoberfest. i am still trying to plan out travels for the summer but may have to look at other transport options when rental car rates look expensive, more so than i am used to. 

soccer in parking lot

 i was out and about this evening and was over at the plaza near my home. i saw somebody chasing after an errant soccer ball, it just kept rolling and rolling and eventually ended up near me. i noticed they were playing a pickup soccer game in the parking lot. i hadn't seen something like this too often before, at least in a parking lot. during my walks for the day i found 38 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when lucy bolts, in a season finale, and raj couldn't shut up. it was followed by one i hadn't seen too often before, or at all, when leonard calls raj and penny 'the olsen twins'. it was due to the two becoming good friends after raj moves in and they leave leonard out of many of the activities they are doing such as shopping for matching shirts. at work the biggest check files of the day were delayed an hour, but i still got them done in a timely fashion, printed and run through the envelope stuffer by my lunchtime. i still need to find the time to do a self-evaluation, by the end of the week, but i would like to think i will find some time to get it done soon. odd to get a voice mail, i review them at the end of the workday when i am at home. it said it was about a position for a company i already work for. this is likely somebody who represents an agency, and i plan on calling them to say i am not currently looking for work. i am amazed at how i still get calls from time to time even though i haven't submitted any applications in a while. i will have to ask where my resume was seen. 

return to candy show

 tonight i returned to an open-mic that had been virtual for more than a year. it is known as the show with candy brought by the event coordinator. i had some dove bars and starburst. i left shortly after my set was done as it was getting late. i think the one about propped open doors got the most reaction. it was nice to see a few people for the first time in a while, including the mad hatter, who also bought my drink, a grain belt. while he was playing music i noticed his hat nearly fell off and he put it all the way back on his head. after the show was done i went on a walk and found 15 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the ladies played d and d with dudes after the las vegas trip for the ladies was a no-go. it was followed by the one where they were trying to figure out who would let raj move in. at work i waved while in the mailroom doing a partial sort of the mail as it looked like an HR employee was giving a tour to someone new. i liked seeing a check to be picked up in person as it was slated to go to woodbury and it reminded me of the test scoring job, where i said that 'stella got her groove back'. 

american ninja warriors

 i was trying to watch the st. paul saints baseball game this afternoon on 45, but it went into rain delay, tied after 4 innings. then there was 'rain delay theater' and american ninja warriors was on. i hadn't seen it before, with an obstacle course the contestants had to go through in order to qualify for the next round. th edition was the mid-south region, in dallas at fair park. this was familiar to me as i had seen the fair there in 2010, as well as a football game at the cotton bowl. sometimes they told stories about the background of the contestants, and not all of them were shown during the time allotment. but there was mention of who had been added to the leader board. after a little over an hour, it was time to watch '60 minutes' on another channel. i went online and found out the game had been suspended, but the announcers never returned to the air to tell us although it was understood that they would. before then i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from family dollar, 'nebraska'. i had seen it at the theater, and recognized bruce dern in it. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 33 cents. later on after watching '60 minutes' and 'the simpsons', i watched some 'big bang theory' reruns. all 3 were pretty good. it was sheldon saying 'get your women in line', followed by 'bird shooing', and 'amy and stuart's date at the movie theater'. i also called my dad and spoke of seeing another iowa-filmed movie recently, 'miles from home'. also being invited to the graduation for my step-niece. long call as usual, covering many subjects, including hy-vee as well as baseball and the pandemic. 

the father movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'the father'. i recognized anthony hopkins in it. the cast was a minimal one, but i am aware of how it was based on a play. this one was on my list as it was an oscar winner. it was hard to watch at times, but when it is about the main character having memory loss one shouldn't expect it to be easy to watch. notable to me was a few scenes where one sees nobody, depicting things such as a leaking faucet and showing the rooms of the flat (apartment). it made sense after a while when the main character saw some people in who was talking, such as the other daughter. i did end up yelling at the movie when i saw the son-in-law, as some mean-spirited things were said. 

once the movie was done it was time to get started on errand running. both e-bay orders were waiting at the post office, and i saw the loopy employee there. then it was to the gas station where i dumped the movie and got lunch, a little godfather's pizza. after i ate i went to the dollar store nearby and got a CD-taylor swift- and a DVD- a biopic about steve jobs.  i listened to some of the CD already, and said 'here's to the healing power of music' when hearing songs such as 'shake it off' and bad blood'. i recall both being played at sporting events by organists who found appropriate times to do so. i also played a CD from an earlier dollar store visit- george strait- and it sounds like there is a 4th 'ex in texas', for a long time it sounded like there was three. 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 may have had a ticket for the berm area but noticed there was plenty of seats available in the general admission section, so i sat there. the saints won 8-1, and never trailed in it, having scored 2 against the iowa cubs in the 1st inning. after i got back from the game i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 65 cents, so i have reached the next save-up goal, a bag of chips from the vending machine at work. 

is it banana bread?

i decided to take a longer lunch at work as i had an extra half-hour. i did some walking around near the bank and off in the distance saw an 'open' flag at the art gallery/historical museum. so i went in. the art gallery was closer to the front door, but i know i spent more time at the historical museum part, where the gift shop is also included. sounds like it is open during the festival next month, so more of a reason to go there on my day off besides just the car show. the man at the art gallery said there will be buttons, i said i am used to festivals having buttons and nothing was found on the website about it. on my way out i decided to take a hunk of the baked goods on the table, asked if it was banana bread but they told me it was something else but don't recall what. at work it was nice to get caught up on running checks through the envelope stuffer, as the backlog was eliminated by midday. it was aided by having fewer checks to print on thursday and friday. the volume for our two biggest files for those days was less than what was seen for wednesday. in the evening i went on a walk and found 79 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bob newhart made his first appearance as professor proton, also when raj's dog went missing. still makes me laugh when proton said 'you're the genius' to leonard. it was followed by the one where raj can't afford to go to comic-con and it sounds like nobody else might go, although sheldon was interested in finding new friends to attend with. when i was doing my weekly visit for groceries at the hy-vee in eagan i made a note of two things of interest to me. there was a special magazine about musician willie nelson, and a big display of cereal related to the upcoming movie 'space jam'. didn't buy either this time, but figured there was enough on display that it will still be there next week. i got pictures to remind me of what i had found. 

training by technicians

 i hated having to call for service again on the envelope stuffer, but had no choice this morning. one of the hoppers was blocked and both needed to be available for the machine to run anything through. around midday was when two technicians showed up, sounded like only one would be arriving. i found out there was something like 20 sensors throughout this machine, and and there was another place where i can open it to run the air can to get rid of the dust. it also meant one of them doing some quick training on logging in as a supervisor to calibrate the machine, and giving me the PIN to do so. if it saves having make some service calls, then i am fine with it. i do like being able to figure things out on my own if at all possible. it was the same one who was making jokes, which i could have done without but i didn't say anything. i saw them run the machine for a while, testing it longer than the previous day. i was able to get both of the previous day fargo files out the door, our biggest check files. since thursday is a lower volume day there is less carryover, less than half. so i should be able to caught up by the end of the day when i go in. it will be a nice way to finish the week, being caught up again. 

in the evening i went on a walk and found 88 cents. so i reached the next save-up goal, a bag of chips out of the vending machine at work. after work i went to a liquor store near my home and got a bottle of guinness, so there are 2 beers waiting. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj read lucy's blog and failed in trying to be more butch. amy ran an experiment that sheldon hated, where he had no closure on certain things like the national anthem. but eventually he got closure, and it was hilarious when he knocked over dominoes and laid down on the floor, at a time when penny showed up to say he was a weirdo. it was followed by the one where raj said he was no longer accepting an allowance from his dad, which included having his dad pay for his credit cards. 

demo machine?

 a technician was in to look at the envelope stuffer and spoke of going back to the office to see if the sensor needed was on the 'demo machine' because no demos were being done at this time. i hadn't heard of such a thing before. i had heard of prototypes and figured a machine as big as this one was only used for more important things. the tech was in twice, leaving before i went to lunch and was back in the afternoon and another tech showed up. don't know if any parts were replaced but the machine was taken apart to clean the sensors. near the end of the day it was running again, and i had just enough time to get the most important checks run through and out the door. the largest files have a longer timeframe allowed and will be done the next day. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 45 cents. so the next save-up goal has been reached, a can of beer. i drank the can of modelo with my dinner so now there is just one can waiting. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon discovered a letter written by howard's dad. it was followed by the one where sheldon said 'nice try, blockheads' when he drew charlie brown on a dry-erase board. it was also when leonard got him a 'train day' to keep him busy and amy was willing to drive fast to get to the place, after she was fantasizing. during my searching for the day i found a schedule of events for a festival i like attending, although the buttons are not on sale yet. i often wait to get the button until i arrive at the festival as i don't need it until then for an event such as the pancake breakfast. 

cleanup continues

 i decided to continue with the cleanup i had started two days earlier. it meant moving things around a little in order to get to places i hadn't swept in a while. it led to plenty of sand and dust being swept up and sent to the trash can. hard to say how much more i can do before being satisfied with the cleanup. it also meant breaking down two shoeboxes that will go to the recycle bin. it was tricky because i still wanted space to view the TV from my laptop. at work there was problems with the envelope stuffer late in the day, i got most things sent out though. but when it was constantly jamming even after using the air can and cleaning the sensors with a cloth i am ready to call for service. i know i have said that before, but after a while it jammed on every envelope. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 28 cents. so i have started on my next save-up goal, likely another single can of beer. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the ladies went to disneyland and the dudes went to speak at a school. it was followed by the one where all of raj's exes were asked why they became exes. and sheldon acquired a machine that detects emotions.  

virtual open-mic finale

 tonight was the finale of the open-mic i was doing virtually for over a year due to the pandemic. next week it will be in person again. it was mostly the regular crowd of performers, although we haven't seen the flautist in a while. the m.c. said she didn't like performing virtually. it means the last of the new englander, who is a bed and breakfast operator. he played piano tonight near the end of the show, and earlier played 'paradise', the song about coal mining in kentucky, after i spoke of the song in my set. for me it was a reference to the redbox movie i had seen over the weekend. 

at work i was pleased that a check file near the end of the day was mostly picked up from the check shop in person, 10 out of 12. because it meant way fewer overnight labels to do late in the day. we're still not seeing somebody sorting the mail that often, so i am doing a partial sort where i take out the return checks as i know those are for my department. in the evening after the show i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 17 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny was in a production of 'streetcar named desire'. it was followed by the one where penny and amy go to the spa together and leonard makes an effort to patch things up with penny. it meant sheldon drawing up a relationship agreement. i drank a can of schell's beer at dinner, so there are 2 cans waiting. i am still doing some research about festivals for the summer, including one near my workplace. 

ignore the roar

 tonight after the late local news i saw joel osteen's paid program, the preacher. he spoke of 'ignore the roar', and it resonated with me because it was referring to resisting bullies. some stories i have heard before, such as the struggle to get their current venue, but there are times when the sermon really works for me. it might have helped that i was paying more attention this time since i had already finished doing the dishes and recycle. it was a busy evening for me, as after i had watched '60 minutes' i started on a big cleanup of my home. i didn't finish it tonight but i got plenty accomplished in 3 hours. it meant sweeping up in areas where i hadn't in a while due to moving some things around. and it likely means eventually throwing out some things, such as sending some empty shoeboxes to the recycle bins. 

the main event of the day was going to the minnesota twins baseball game. it was my first of the season and i have no other current plans so it might be the only one of the season. i am a big charlie brown fan and i went because they were giving away a charlie brown bobble-head. it was a promotion that was delayed a year due to the pandemic. the last time i had attended a twins game was when they gave away a snoopy bobble-head, in september 2019, also a 'theme night' where a special ticket was needed. after picking it up i walked to a gas station and had a ham and cheese sandwich. then it was time to walk back to the stadium. it was warm sitting in my seat in the home run porch so about halfway through the game i moved to a place where i was out of the sun. the twins lost to Houston 14-3, and never led in this one. between innings they sometimes profiled some of the charlie brown characters on the video board, five in all. one image used to promote the event appeared to be from the 2014 all-star game, another time when they gave away a limited edition bobble-head. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 91 cents, so i have reached my next goal on saving up for a festival button. 

above suspicion movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'above suspicion'. i recognized johnny knoxville in it. kevin dunn was also in it, who i knew was in 'only the lonely', but only in the closing credits did i confirm what role was his in this one. it is a crime thriller based on a true story. it was about the murder of an FBI informant in kentucky. what will be memorable to me is the music in it. there was 'i sang dixie' by dwight yoakam. at the end of the movie was a song by angus and julia stone, an australian music act, two siblings. the lyric i heard most in it was 'i'm not yours anymore', and it is a haunting song. but there is not much information about the song online. the credit says it is called 'another place', although when i looked for it on youtube i did find a song called 'i'm not yours' by the same act with nearly the same lyrics. either way, the song fit the scene well. as for the rest of the movie, i said it seemed appropriate to have a kentucky wildcats basketball game on TV in the background. the setting was pikeville, and the narration said it was a town that fell on hard times after the mines closed. and the two most common- and profitable- industries to be in after that were the drug business and the funeral business. i am aware the closing credits had the typical disclaimer that said 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. it sure was weird to see a scene where a man cheats on his wife when his wife is sleeping in the same house. the movie starts with the ending and is told in flashback, then gets back to the opening scene. 

after the movie was done it was time to get errand running done. first stop was the post office, to check my box. all three orders were there. then i dumped the movie at the gas station and got lunch there, a little godfather's pizza. i went home and had lunch, then it was time to get going again. there was dropping off of recycle items, then on to target to get cleaning supplies. i was at first looking for a replacement mop attachment, but found out the store brand of a mop wasn't that much more. and i never really liked how the attachment worked itself free a lot on the o-cedar. i dropped off more things at home, and went to a fed-ex office to print some things. this included 2 tickets for upcoming st. paul saints baseball games, for this month and next month. when i got home i was tired and laid down for a little while, then had to get up and go get my weekly grocery order at aldi. 

  after getting back it wasn't much longer before i needed to leave again. this time it was for a st. paul saints game, against omaha. it was the third game i have attended this season, and the saints won 9-5. i liked seeing one inning end with an unconventional double play- a flyout to the outfield and then doubling off a runner. byron buxton was still on a rehab stint, no home run tonight but he had a double that scored two runs. an older lady in my section, three rows in front of me, was hit in the head by a foul ball, i was on the third base side. an EMT gave her an ice-pack. i bought two souvenirs before the game began, a 'bottle cap' sticker and a twins/saints poker chip. although it rung up as a golf chip. now that i have what is on my list, it might be a while before i get more souvenirs. after i got home from the game i went on a walk and found 27 cents. 

alternate plans found twice

 twice throughout the day i realized i needed to line up alternate plans. i wanted some ice cream from the dairy queen near my workplace but the line wasn't moving near the end of my lunchtime. so i went an hour later after getting some more work done. same was true in the evening after having dinner at home. i went to the gas station and they didn't have the movie i wanted at redbox. after trying some text messages that went nowhere, on finding out where else it would be, i decided to walk around the parking lot. giving myself some time to think was helpful, as i decided to get a different movie that was also on my list. then it was on to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order. first meant going to the adjacent liquor store, where i got a can of schell's. so now i have 3 cans of beer waiting, two schell's and one modelo. i used the gift card i had in the grocery part, more than half the value was used on this visit. i was watching some of the st. paul saints baseball game on TV before and after the grocery visit, and following on the radio when i was driving. saints lost to omaha 6-4. i also went on a walk and found 51 cents. so i am getting started on my next goal of saving up small change, for a festival button. sounds like a festival i have attended before will be held later this month. plenty of food, drink, and music at festivals. and this one, like many others, has a car show as well. buttons are a nice souvenir, as they are small, and cheap. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny ruined valentines day by being jealous of an ex, and alex shops for sheldon to find a gift for amy. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy go to texas to visit his mom, and stuart is able to get howard and bernadette's baby to stop crying. at work it was a fairly low volume day. i found the time to get the last online class completed, it was due at the end of the month. in the afternoon i called about the check stock delivery and the man who took my call said my feedback will be forwarded on. 

lunchables coupon

 i made my weekly visit to the walgreen near my workplace and got the lunchtime snack. as usual i get the lunchables coupon. this time the cashier said she wanted me to use it. when i was inspecting it just after paying i said i noticed it expires in august. i think one reason why it hadn't been used yet is that it says 'save one dollar on any three'. does it mean i have to buy three? because i buy just one at a time. i am not big on using coupons as well. at work the last file of the day was mostly checks to be overnighted. i dread having to do so many, ten, near the end of the day. although this is rare and i hope it stays a rare thing. i also had a business line in kansas city send an instant message asking for a check to be returned to the business line. since i recognized the name i knew which file to look at. it was confusing the first time she had contacted me since i had to ask what business line. so thankfully it was only a problem on the initial contact. at the team huddle in the morning i spoke about the check stock arriving, and was advised to call the contact number on the bill of lading. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 84 cents. so now i have enough for not only a beer this weekend, but also some ice cream from the dairy queen near my workplace. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj went to visit howard's mom and was trapped. it was also when amy said 'here i am!', offering to be sheldon's new roommate after leonard decided to live with penny. it was spurred by arguing with sheldon. it was followed by the one where bernadette had her first baby. 

neatly stacked near door

 i was pleased that the order of check stock arrived this morning. what surprised me was no one notified me. i found all 47 cartons, or boxes, neatly stacked near the service entry. this is between two doors, the place where the mail tubs are sent at the end of the day. so i got out the cart and moved them to the check shop, 12 at a time. it didn't take long. and the 6 used from the back-up table were replaced. otherwise it was a fairly routine day. not much incoming mail, i sorted it myself. way easier to finish on time when the machines i depend on are running properly. i drank a can of schell's at dinner so now there are two cans of beer waiting. i have enough to get another one this weekend. in the evening i went on a walk and found 80 cents. i also found a single reese's peanut butter cup, unopened, in a lunchables container, abandoned at a bus stop. i ate it right after getting home. still amazed at what gets left behind. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and raj got a 3-d printer. sheldon had to work with kripke on a grant proposal. it was followed by the one where raj and stuart compete to help out howard and bernadette. sheldon and leonard try to figure out how to divide up belongings when they no longer live together, and christopher lloyd guest stars as a houseguest. i listened to some of the st. paul saints baseball game on the radio, there was a rain delay. saints lost to omaha 5-2. i will be attending a game later in this series. 

plastic part removed

 i went to the repair shop this morning because i had investigated the night before as to why there was a dragging sound from my car. found out it was a plastic part only partially attached. it didn't take long for them to remove it, while i was watching about half of an episode of 'laverne and shirley', and then i was on my way to work. i did some more cleaning of the sensors before using the envelope stuffer and this seemed to do the trick, so no need to call for service. a delivery of envelopes happened around mid-morning, after the team huddle. i didn't like how the man seemed to be in a rush to leave. i hauled all of the 28 boxes in to the check shop by myself, after taking them off of the wooden pallet of course. so the main thing left is the order of check stock. when i was notified about the delivery the branch manager asked me about the doorbell, i said i didn't choose the jingle that plays. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 65 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the dudes dress up as 'star trek' characters, on the way to a convention. the ladies were at home discussing comic books. it was followed by the one where sheldon is jealous of bert, who won a big fellowship. the two end up attending the 'ellen show' together. in other issues i am still trying to plan out summer events. it helped to look at the st. paul saints website to see what their promotions are. and i was wondering about another olympic sport, basketball. but i couldn't find anything about who will be on the american team yet. i found out they are one of eight nations that have qualified for the tournament though. 

morris minor car

 i went out for a walk at lunchtime and saw a car i didn't recognize when passing by a repair shop. it had a collector plate on it and from a distance i said it looked like a VW beetle. i got 2 pictures of it and searched for the name on it, the morris minor 1000. it is a british car, according to wikipedia it was made until 1972. the 1000 model isn't the only one that was made apparently. i am pleased with the classic cars i am seeing because of working near this repair shop. one doesn't hear much about british cars being sold in america, aside from a few luxury or sports cars. 

work went fine until the end of the day, as the envelope stuffer stopped a lot during the afternoon run. i am ready to call service about it. cleaning the sensors seemed to help a little, but not a lot. two boxes arrived at the branch that were supply orders for me- air cans and the envelopes for the lockbox. in the evening i went on a walk and found 99 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when alex hit on leonard and the friends were all called into HR. it was followed by the one where amy rebuffs being seduced by sheldon, who she calls a 'rat pack pee wee herman'. raj tries to date the janitor. i also liked reading about team USA winning a qualifying baseball tournament for the olympic games. it was over the weekend, and they won all four games they played. there was a fifth apparently, against puerto rico, but it was rained out twice and this is why one article listed it as 'canceled'. although the US team was leading in the 4th when it was called off, so it was close to becoming an official game. the team is led by former angels manager mike scioscia, who i also recall as a player with the dodgers. many of the players listed on the roster are either free agents or triple-A (minor league) players, as major league baseball has restrictions on who can play for the national team when the olympic games is during baseball's regular season. it remains to be seen as to if there will be an olympic games, as there are many that are calling for it to be canceled as the pandemic still rages on in japan. but at this point, the games are still on for starting in late july, less than two months away, after a one-year delay of course. 

miles from home movie

 i watched a DVD movie this afternoon, a recent purchase from amazon, 'miles from home'. i recognized plenty of actors in it besides richard gere. i was interested in finding this one because it was filmed in iowa, my native state. it is the story of losing a farm during the 1980s farming crisis. and it does have a scene depicting khrushchev's visit to iowa in the 1950s. not sure why i hadn't seen it before as i recall it being shown at the theater in my hometown. it was a time of transition there as they had just finished expansion from 1 to 2 screens. the story being told is of desperation, torching the farmhouse after the foreclosure is announced. it made sense to have scenes depicting the harvest as well as going to the co-op grain elevator. 

i also made it to union depot in downtown st. paul just before midday. there was a railroad event happening there. i bought a postcard and a small jar of honey. i also got a look at some classic passenger trains. one of them was named 'oliver hazard perry' and i wondered if this was 'commodore' perry, who went over to japan. no, it was his brother. i looked it up when i got home. there was also a photo exhibit about the golden spike in utah. i saw university accountant while at this part of the event. on the way to union depot i passed by the saints stadium and they were having a law school graduation there. in the evening the kennedy center honors were on CBS, honoring garth brooks. i also called my college roommate, the one that lives in the area, and he spoke of waiting for somebody who had agreed to purchase a furnace and air conditioner. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 58 cents. 

news of the world movie

 this afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'news of the world'. i recognized tom hanks, and mare winningham, in it. i liked it more than i thought i would. i rented it as i knew it got some oscar nominations. it is about a former civil war soldier who travels from town to town reading the news. he finds a girl in an overturned wagon and then decides to return her to her only known family, after being orphaned twice- from her birth, and kiowa, families. it helped in my book that it was historical fiction, and being a storyteller helped as well on me liking it. memorable was the scene where she tries to eat soup with her fingers, and she is told to eat with a spoon. the ending is what i should have expected, and seemed most appropriate although i was expecting something different for whatever reason. 

this was an active day for me. it started with getting to the DMV to get the license plate renewal for my car. i stopped at a nearby holiday gas station after i was done there and got a sandwich for lunch. then it was on to the post office, and four orders were waiting, including a DVD from amazon. then i went home and put away the orders, with a first day cover stamp it meant putting it in a sheet protector in a binder. then i had lunch, and it meant heating up the sandwich. then it was on to family dollar where i got a CD, DVD, sheet protectors, and a small box of keebler cookies. i did some online searching and then watched the movie. then i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order, and dumped the movie at the gas station. by then it was time for dinner, had some pizza while watching the baseball 'game of the week' on fox. giants beat the cubs 4-3, i fell asleep and missed some of it but woke up in time to see the ending. during my walks for the day i found 73 cents.  

ghostbusters cereal

 i went to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order and i bought what was likely the last box of 'ghostbusters' cereal. i bought one box last week, and have been eating it already. it is red corn puffs and two kinds of marshmallows, one kind blue and one kind white. on the back it asks 'do you have what it takes to be a ghostbuster?' i figured that if the cereal was out, then the movie would be on its way soon. but the movie has been delayed due to the pandemic, now on for a november release. it tastes fine. wondering if any other items are being used to promote the movie, i recall 'ecto cooler', a drink made by hi-c. i am used to seeing fast food chains helping with promoting movies as well. notable about this week's purchase of the movie-themed cereal was how it wasn't recognized by the self-checkout i was using, so an employee had to enter it for me. it was a dollar, same as last week. 

at work there was a problem with one of the two hoppers on the envelope stuffer, near the end of the day. hopefully there is no need to call for service on it, but thankfully i won't have to deal with it again until monday. in the morning i decided to take back a cart to the nearby dollar store, it had been near the bank's parking lot for a few days and i was tired of looking at it. in the evening i went on a walk and found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends played dungeons and dragons with a christmas theme. it was followed by the one where amy lied to sheldon because she wanted to keep living with him. 

abandoned cans of beer

 after work i saw a cart in my neighborhood and went to return it to the grocery store. on my way back i saw unopened cans of beer at the bus stop. it was a 12-pack of summit, 2 of them had already been opened. there was a younger dude next to me at the light asking 'want a beer?' as he decided to claim one of the cans. at first i balked at doing the same, saying i wasn't sure how long it had been out and it was likely warm. also because it was an ale, and i prefer lager and pilsner beers. i went home and had some applesauce and little debbie snack cakes, then ventured out again to the bus stop. i got a picture of the cans of beer in the box, and claimed one of them so there was 8 left. i went out again more than 2 hours later and the box was empty. no surprise how apparently the rest of it was claimed, who doesn't like free beer? i am still amazed at all of the consumable items i find near me. unopened cans of fruit, jars of peanut butter, boxes of cereal. i see public service ads that speak of how much food is wasted in america, and obviously this is some of the evidence. so now i have four cans of beer again waiting to be drank as i had one tonight with dinner, the minnesota gold from cold spring. i have 2 schell's, and one each of summit, and modelo. i will likely consume all of these in the next two weeks as i have had on average two beers a week for a little while. during my walks i found 82 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy gets spanked by sheldon. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy have dinner guests, including an immigrant learning english from watching TV. at work i finished another online class so there is one left, and i still have more than three weeks before it is due. during lunch i went to walgreen to get some snack items and found another charlie brown-themed word find. i also went to the branch to deposit a check into my personal account, it was a refund on health insurance premiums from a previous year. 

encryption screen

 i was asked by a senior leader to find some computers of colleagues on another floor, and try to log into them. two of them were found, i had enough to find this many before more check files were ready. i confirmed it not only with nameplates but also the name on the phone and the computer number itself. with both of those found i saw an encryption screen, after turning the monitors around. so i reported what was found and it sounds like this is all we can do for now. i reminded myself about printing a page related to online classes, due at the end of this month, originally assigned in early april. there are three, and i had enough time this morning to do one of them. this can happen often where i have some free time while waiting for more check files to print. i had a visitor from payroll twice, sending me more paystubs to mail out. there was a steady stream of things to do, so i liked this a lot as it made the day go faster. there was also some letters that 'auto-print' and i was asked to take out two from the stack. a separate email said print the two on the attachment. all of this is weird. in the evening i went on a walk and found 53 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and sheldon were fighting over a parking space. it was followed by the one where stuart and raj are in the same hot tub, at howard and bernadette's place. 

hot mess at contest

 i did a comedy contest this evening, and it will be memorable mainly due to the 'hot mess' that was also a contestant. she admitted to doing stand-up for the first time and left her glass of wine on a chair on the stage. eventually she went back onstage to claim it. she was very close to getting bounced, thankfully i wasn't the comic that followed her. she also swore, a lot. and it sounded like she was trying to blackmail people. my set was better than most of my previous sets at a contest, but i did not advance. only three could advance tonight, and i have yet to advance past the first round of a contest. i am thankful for the stage time. and it was nice to see some comics for the first time in a while. one of them was the ball of energy, after the show. another was somebody i saw on the way in. i once went to his family's booya just across the river in wisconsin. not too many of the jokes in my set were new, i know by now there are times when one has to go with tried-and-true. un-volunteer was one of those i did, and another was inspired by seeing a friend last week. after the show i found a wishing well and pitched 2 canadian pennies in it. 

at work it was a notable day, as i reached one year of service at the bank. there was two emails about it waiting for me this morning. i had to replace a toner cartridge on the main check printer, and was ready to email somebody about ordering the next one but didn't need to. when i checked the pickup and delivery table a box was there, and the next one- the right kind- was there. so i carried it down to the check shop, didn't need to get a cart out for it. during my walks for the day i found 43 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was about sheldon going to play hackey-sack in a storage room. it was just one watched tonight as i knew i needed to leave to get to the comedy club. after work i went to the liquor store near my workplace and got one can of modelo beer. so now there are four cans waiting, and one of them will be drank with dinner later this week.