cake announcement

 after work i went to the first day of canadian days in little canada. i like doing their corn on the cob feed, which is free when wearing the festival button. while i was there a musical performer announced that there was cake for the grand marshal and button winner. i figured it was still a 'private party' like it usually is. then a later announcement said it was for all, and i said you don't have to say that twice. the pieces had a red maple leaf on them, which fit the theme of the festival. i also had a chili cheese dog and a can of sprite. i was trying to find something there that fit my budget, having 4 dollars 50 cents with me, and most things cost more than this, including the ice cream. so it meant i had the evening meal there, 4 dollars total, and not at home. i heard the song 'wonderful world' after having the cake and then went home. i wasn't there for long as i wanted to get started on where i normally go on that day of the week. first stop was to get a redbox movie, then cub foods to get a state fair ticket. i got to cub foods just minutes before the customer service counter was going to close for the night, so good thing i got started on errand running when i did. then it was on to hy-vee in eagan. i found another 'charlie brown and snoopy' word find book there, one of ten items i bought. during my walks i found 55 cents. i was out walking less often tonight because there was air quality warnings. it is really hazy due to wildfires from canada. at work i got caught up on returned checks, getting them forwarded to the correct department. there was been a spike in volume lately, which was expected after a change in envelope due to availability about 3 weeks ago for some business lines. now that those orders have arrived the volume should be going down fairly quickly. i sent the monthly supply order in the afternoon, as the first of the month is sunday. 

asleep in office chair

 when i was out for a walk this evening i saw somebody that appeared to be asleep in an office chair in the corner of a plaza. i knew well enough not to approach, as i am a big believer in 'let sleeping dogs lie'. during this walk i found 1 dollar 8 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the ladies went to las vegas and the dudes tried to get science work done, but got distracted and decided to watch movies instead including 'ghostbusters'. it was funny to me seeing the revenge that penny got on amy and bernadette, when she was accused of being a party pooper while trying to study for something work-related. the other two gut drunk, and then she opens the drapes on them the next morning to annoy them with the bright sun and both were too hung over to do anything about it. the following episode was the one where sheldon tries to raise money for science research and is kicked out of las vegas as he admits to trying to win it by gambling. amy tries to find a wedding dress and her friends say she picked the wrong one, but sheldon got back from sin city and said he liked it. 

at work i got three boxes ready to be picked up, besides returning the desktop computer i also sent two toner cartridges for recycling. i was a little behind on sending those out. it meant delaying getting some check files printed in the morning as i wanted to have answers in case anyone had questions about it. and i did notify my boss at the team huddle shortly after it was done. i wanted to get started on a big check file but couldn't find the time to get around to it, hopefully i can find the time on friday to get at least half of it done. when i was at walgreen to get an afternoon snack it was nice to find two different kinds of reese's peanut butter available in the discount section. i will try them this weekend. on the olympic front, a minnesotan won the gold medal in a gymnastics event but it still wasn't the top story on the local news. sadly 'if it bleeds it leads' still applies. 

serial number on lock

 i responded to an instant message from i.t. asking for the serial number on the lock on the computer i am to return. i was given the code and it works. now it means finding the time to return it. i said it was likely the next morning as it is easier to handle 'administrative' things like this in the morning. at first i gave the number on the label, found out they needed something different. there was some issues with the main check printer, it was jamming a lot and i hate having to reprint checks. so i switched to the alternate one, it jammed some but not near as much. still waiting for the maintenance kit, but i did call to have the ticket upgraded in severity, although it wasn't as high of an upgrade as my boss wanted. i did get the verbiage as to why in case he asks about it. i was able to get all but one file through the envelope stuffer by the end of the day, so thankfully i didn't end up too far behind. a big check file i had been working on since early in the month was completed, in time to do another big one, although not a big as the one i just finished. i said i would likely have it all wiped out by the end of the week. 

in the evening i went on a walk and found 99 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny makes a sales pitch to emily, then raj tries to break the ice between the two. it was followed by the one where denise starts working at the comic book store. still trying to follow the olympic news, looks like more than half of the medals won so far by americans are in swimming. americans usually do well in swimming, as well as track and field. 

it isn't a modem

 i had somebody from i.t. hook up my laptop to the dual monitors and docking station this afternoon. i had some questions answered that could have been much earlier, but i didn't think of asking them as i am not too tech-savvy and was taking the system for granted. i found out what looked like a modem was the actual computer component, and another item was the power source. so it is just one small unit that i am to send back in a box. of course this is once i know the lock combination and free it from where it is. the order of UPS envelopes arrived as well, so it was a good day for some things that will make my work easier. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 34 cents. so i have reached the next save-up goal of a beer, i can get it and the state fair ticket on friday. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard tried to throw out the first ball at an angels baseball game. it was followed by the one where sheldon was invited to a cabin in the middle of nowhere by a paranoid scientist and his friends went with him. i tried to watch the olympic basketball game on a streaming service, usa men vs. iran, but caught it at halftime, usa up 60-30. so i did some other things such as a survey for airline miles. then i searched for it on youtube and found a video with 'live updates' that was playing rap music. i didn't feel like watching the entire video as it was just still images, so i scrolled to the end and found out the usa won 120-66. 

ROC doesn't mean china

 i kept seeing 'ROC' in the list of olympic medal winners, and kept wondering what this meant. finally researched it and it doesn't mean 'republic of china'. it is 'russian olympic committee'. there was an article that mentioned why, how russian athletes can compete but not under that flag or have that national anthem played if a gold medal winner. i know there was also the 'unified team' in 1992, shortly after the USSR was dissolved. one can find out all kinds of things when it comes to an international event such as this one. i watched some olympic competition tonight at the bar while waiting for the open-mic to begin. it was some swimming events, and in the women's division i saw two americans medal- a gold and a bronze. in the men's division it was still not yet the final round, but the semi-finals, and one american qualified. i am aware of how the usa men's basketball team lost their first game over the weekend, to france. my open-mic performance went fine, hard to say which one got the most reaction. it may have been the one about an idiot asking to be let in and i refused as the fill-in host, the guitar player with the kick drum (although he didn't bring it this week) shared a story in response to it when living in california. at work i got a ticket opened to get the docking station and dual monitor on the computer hooked up, at the end of tuesday. i am closing in on eliminating the backlog of checks from the file that dropped in early july, just under 4,000 left. in the evening after the open-mic i went on a walk and found 92 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy is the popular girl, and howard takes sheldon's class. it was followed by the one where sheldon is the tenants association, and had the food truck next to the building he lives in moved. howard and raj find a drone. 

stagecoach movie, willie nelson

 i watched a DVD movie this afternoon, a recent purchase from amazon, 'stagecoach'. i had read a special magazine about willie nelson where it was mentioned. i recognized all four men from the music group in it. besides willie, also johnny cash, waylon jennings, and kris kristofferson. although i said at first 'where is kris?' but eventually we do see him onscreen. also recognized john schneider, who played the stagecoach driver. i was largely unfamiliar with the storyline before watching it, i was mainly familiar with how it was a way of promoting the supergroup. willie plays doc holliday in it, and what i like is how they mention why he is called 'doc' as not every movie depicting him does this. doc delivers a baby at one of the stagecoach stops, although they say 'he is not that kind of doctor'. willie has more than just credits as an actor in this movie. june carter cash, johnny's wife, also appears in it briefly. the flip side is another movie about holliday, called 'doc' with stacy keach. hopefully i can find the time to watch it soon. 

in the morning i got the laundry done, nice to get it out of the way first. there was an attendant onsite, rare to see this, who worked on the washing machine after it at first wouldn't register when a token was dropped in the slot. then i had lunch, and watched the movie. then it was in my car and on the road to target to get undies, replacing some old pairs that ripped while doing laundry. next stop was a water park, an idea i got from a recent meetup event. i was pleased that i could find a cheaper and closer place than the one at the valleyfair amusement park in shakopee. i went to do mini-golf first, 9 holes, a 'comedy of errors' as expected. then it was to the actual water park part of the place. i screamed like lt. dan in the movie 'forrest gump' during the hurricane when going down the first waterslide i was on. i spent a little over an hour there, and during a 5-minute 'safety break' that is held once an hour where all must get out of the water, i decided i was done for the day. i went to get some ice cream, the 'superman flavor', and then some pictures of the place. i am thankful i went, and i was reminded of some other water parks and pools i have been to over the years. this includes not only the maytag pool and ymca in my hometown of newton, iowa, but also a place in des plaines, illinois, when i was living in suburban chicago. i still have a pool pass in a binder from the place in des plaines. during my walks for the day i found 47 cents. 

lansky movie

 this evening i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'lansky'. it is the story of a former gangster telling his story to a biographer. i was not familiar at all with meyer lansky, but had heard of the other gangsters mentioned in it, such as al capone, lucky luciano, and bugsy siegel. the story was just as much about trying to write it while the feds are investigating, trying to use the biographer to get to him- as it was about his days as a gangster many years earlier. it takes place in 1981, and the epilogue said lansky died of lung cancer 2 years later. when i researched this story online after finishing the movie, i found out there was a biography, published in 1991. but the name of the actual biographer was different, and he was actually british and not an american driving a mercury monarch with pennsylvania plates. but i am familiar with how they have disclaimers saying 'based on actual events', and this movie does say just that. i liked hearing the story being told about owning gambling casinos in havana, cuba. same is true with helping out the nation of israel in its infancy. the movie actually begins with an interview on TV, and later on in the movie it is revealed it was when he was living as an israeli citizen, likely in the early 1970s. i say this because they mention president nixon, and golda meir. although golda is not listed in the cast, only her aide is, as there is a scene where golda is watching the interview. i recognized harvey keitel, who played lansky, as well as david james elliott, who played an FBI agent. 

   this was also a day of errand running. i sent recycling to the capitol, and went to the post office but there was nothing to pick up from my box. then i went to a fedex office to retype a writing contest entry on the correct font. in my rush to get out of the workplace on friday i didn't check to see if i was using the correct font. it was 175 words or less, so it didn't take long to get it done. i also printed a page saying i had won a free ticket to see the movie 'space jam'. i read through the offer and it sounds like i have until the end of august to use it, so i will try to find the time to use it next weekend. i also made it to aldi for my weekly grocery order, but before the evening meal as i wanted more time for evening activities such as watching the movie. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 17 cents, so i have reached the next goal of some cans of beer. there is more to do this weekend, but probably enough time on sunday to get done what is on my list. 

i love zum

 i was at hy-vee in eagan tonight getting groceries and a goat figurine caught my eye. it said 'i love zum'- or actually a heart in place of love. i looked it up and it is lip balm, called 'zum kiss' or 'zumbo'. i didn't buy any of it but i got a picture of the goat. in the evening i went on a walk and found 94 cents. so i have reached the next save-up goal, a bag of chips out of the vending machine at work. in the next few days, i may reach the next one, some single cans of beer. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon returned from riding the rails. also penny interviews at bernadette's workplace. she does poorly but gets the job after sharing stories about bernadette. it was followed by the one where bill gates guest stars. at work i got caught up on sending out checks after being behind at the end of the previous day. except it was hard to find the time to call i.t. about the docking station for my computer. i did so in the afternoon, but the call was disconnected early on and i knew what work i still had left to do so i didn't try calling back. but i know how important it will be to call them on monday morning. since i am caught up on the most important of the normal duties- except for small things like forwarding returned checks- i think it is likely that i can get it done on monday. i want to have answers for my boss, and i know my boss will be asking about it again real soon. 

duplicate check search

 the day at work started off with knowing i had way more checks in one file than i should have. it led to my boss showing up in the afternoon to do the search with me. i sent an email in the morning when i had run some through the stuffer and it was only half of what had printed. we ended up finding about 300 duplicate checks, and it is a mystery as to why the printer 'started over' and printed them. although we did find one check that partially printed, it seemed to be where it all began. it left me behind on most of my work for the day, and hopefully i will get caught up by the end of friday. i made it just in time to get the overnight envelopes out to the bin, a rare time where i saw the UPS driver except they were driving a rent-a-truck. it might have been something that i could have figured out on my own, but i didn't know what else to do when this kind of thing happens. 

in the evening i went on a walk and found 40 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon and leonard made a deal with barry related to sheldon and amy's wedding. i had a can of old style with dinner and now 3 beers are waiting. i also decided to devote some time to getting a contest entry written, about traditions. it is through the university i had graduated from. it meant doing plenty of editing to get it under the rule on the maximum number of words, but this also led to something more tightly written. i will find the time to get it submitted this weekend, after getting it typed up. 

manufacturer coupon

 i went to walgreen this afternoon as i needed some things, one of them was dish soap. the cashier said there was a manufacturer coupon for it, palmolive, i said i didn't know there was one. so she decided to take a few minutes to look for it and it was 50 cents off. i was still a little hungry after lunch so i got some reese's peanut butter as well. at work i picked up some boxes from the 4th floor delivery table. two of them were envelopes, a third was the laptop bag. it is hard to say as to when i will get caught up with check printing for one business line. i was pleased to get it down to just under 10,000 checks to go and then another file dropped, just over 3,000 in it. i guess i need to let my boss know at the next team huddle. i tried to connect with a colleague about getting the second monitor set up but doing this remotely meant something was 'lost in translation' and i don't mean the movie. there was also a meeting in the afternoon about test check printing except my involvement in it was minimal. i tried to get some work done during this time, running the envelope stuffer. i don't enjoy meetings at that time of day when i am trying to finish things out, but i didn't say anything about it. thankfully it was just 20 minutes. in the evening i went on a walk and found 57 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were a season finale, when sheldon decides to ride the rails. stuart's comic book store was destroyed by fire. i liked this one as it ended with amy hitting leonard with a pillow, asking why he let him go. although it was penny who said to leonard we needed to let him go. it was followed by the one where howard and bernadette's son was born. 

under an orange moon

 this evening i noticed an orange moon, likely due to the haze in the air from wildfires many miles away. it has been in the news quite a bit lately, in many states in the american west as well as canada. the fires seem to be an annual thing, especially in california. 

at work i got multiple check copy requests from a business line in kansas city. one of them was a duplicate of a request made an hour earlier. overnight envelopes ordered more than 2 weeks ago still have not arrived yet, need to set aside time to call about it and possibly order more. also don't have dual monitors set up yet but hard to find the time to contact somebody about it after it was mentioned at the team huddle, as it was a high volume day for check printing. some of these things have to be done early in the day or they likely won't be done at all. in the evening i went on a walk and found 73 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when professor proton died. of course i really like the ones where bob newhart is a guest star. it was followed by the one where wil wheaton becomes professor proton. tried to tune into the saints baseball game on the radio, and when i found sports talk radio i had to check the schedule. it was a matinee. talk radio claims the olympic games still might get called off due to the pandemic. even though they are scheduled to begin in less than a week. 

want you to live, to fight

 i liked hearing the flautist playing a song tonight, the theme was 'want you to live, want you to fight'. we all know why, because i know how true it is for me personally. when i was googling it i didn't find it but one hit was 'fight song' by rachel platten- which mentions 'take back my life'. she also played a cover of 'carry on my wayward son' and mentioned being a pacifist. for my set, which was a little earlier, i think i got the most reaction to the one about a dude at the bus stop noticing me at the pop machine. another would be the one about my car in the shop. i also liked seeing a guitar player using a kick-drum. 

at work the day was a struggle throughout. there was a webex meeting about using one-drive i think, i still tried to get some work done during it. in the afternoon there was somebody from glendale, ca, asking me through instant messaging about a check i had overnighted in late june. i copied some contacts from that business line on the response. she wanted to verify the authenticity of the check. i stated i don't approve checks, i just print them when they are ready. i still don't have the overnight envelopes ordered just over two weeks ago so doing that part of my work takes longer. in the evening i went on a walk and found 13 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and penny see a psychic, who advises sheldon to devote himself to amy and this will make his science work easier. it was followed by the one where raj meets his date's estranged husband. sheldon works in his old room and isn't annoying but still drives leonard crazy. 

alone movie, donald sutherland

 this afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'alone'. i recognized donald sutherland in it, except he doesn't show up in the movie for a while. it was a thriller about a pandemic where there are cannibals on the loose. the main character is stuck inside his apartment and keeps the door shut by pushing the refrigerator up against it. i smiled when he finds out there is a survivor in the adjacent building, and he talks to her using pre-made signs written with magic marker. as an iowa native i noticed how there were license plates on the wall in one scene, and the iowa plate is from crawford county, denison is the seat there. another memorable scene is when he finds peanut butter jars and twinkies. i do like peanut butter, and it is a food that fills you up. also fairly accurate when the lady declares they are in a relationship before they are actually in the same room. what kept me going for a while was asking 'where is donald sutherland?' when he is getting high billing in the movie, likely due to the name recognition, i figured he would be part of the story fairly early. 

   much of the morning was about 'fact finding' and planning, but it was quite helpful to take the time. then after having lunch i was on the road to find the movie and get things printed at the fed-ex office. some of what was printed was st. paul saints baseball tickets, 3 games from late july to mid-august. when i got back i watched the movie, and then turned on the saints game after the movie was done. as usual, i laid down and fell asleep, but i woke up in time to find out the saints got a walk-off win in the 10th against columbus. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 5 cents. i liked how i got most things crossed off my to-do list. not sure what my next save-up goal is, but i will think of something. 

motor home tour

 most notable about the day was the meetup event i attended in the afternoon. it was at a private home where i eventually played a board game. but first i wanted to find an event coordinator and i was told he was in the back, giving tours of his motor home. i liked seeing some of the road signs inside of it. and he had plenty of stories to tell about being out west, including on route 66. there was some food as well, the kind that one sees at a picnic. i knew i would have to move on eventually as i would be attending the st. paul saints game in the evening. but it was nice to see this event coordinator, who was at the first meetup event i attended 5 years ago, brazilian jazz at a venue near my (then) workplace. he spoke of some other events coming up, but one of them conflicts with a weekend when i plan on being out of town. another one might work better, the state fair. i did ask about water parks, as i spoke of hearing about an upcoming meetup event that will be at a water park. i wanted to see what options existed as this first idea is probably not the cheapest or closest to me. nothing wrong with wanting to shop around. 

it is the weekend, so it meant doing some errand running. except the first thing was very necessary, taking the car to the shop. i had a tire replaced, it was done by midday although i didn't like being put on hold when i was returning a call. i live nearby and was tired of waiting so i started driving to the shop, and i was about halfway there by the time they got back to me. the post office was near the shop so i picked up the 2 items from my box. then it was on to hy-vee in eagan, where i got a smaller order than typical. it was just 3 items, 5 if you count the 2 beers from the adjacent liquor store. then i got lunch at the holiday gas station, a sandwich, and brought it home to eat there. i was tired so i laid down for a little while after lunch then went to the meetup event. i knew when i needed to leave for the saints game, and was at home long enough to get my ticket. i arrived just after the game started, didn't go to the nearby speedway gas station first as i had eaten enough at the meetup event. the saints won, beat columbus 8-0, aided by the long ball. after i got home i did a facebook posting about the music i had been hearing lately, some of it at the saints game or just after it, including billy joel, cab calloway, and g-eazy. at hy-vee, i had heard some no doubt, and ace of base. in my car as i was just getting home it was charlie daniels band. during my walks for the day i found 74 cents, so i have reached the next save-up goal. this would be laundry money. i also moved up some of my shopping due to waiting to hear when the tire delivery would happen. this was getting toothpaste at family dollar, and groceries at aldi. i knew full well i needed to be wise with how i was using my time when there was so much that i wanted to get done.  

at the pop machine

 i was walking back from the speedway gas station in the evening and stopped to look at a pop machine at a motel. it said 'use at your own risk'. there was somebody nearby at the bus stop and asked me about it, i said i didn't want the machine to eat my money. then i said i needed to keep on trucking, and said 'you do the same' to him, and continued my walk home. odd how somebody cared so much about what i was doing. he was having a cigarette and it appeared shortly after our conversation was done that a bus was on the way. i went there tonight to get a paper instead of the hy-vee. also got some chocolate milk, cheese, and an ice cream sandwich. i will likely go to hy-vee on saturday. during my walks i found 68 cents. so now i have reached the next save-up goal, a tube of toothpaste. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj and emily double-date with howard and bernadette. sheldon wakes up with a geology book, and drunk dials steve hawking. it was followed by the one where sheldon kicks out amy to work, and sheldon is helped by penny because she doesn't want to interfere with amy and leonard enjoying re-enactments of science fair projects. i tried watching the st. paul saints baseball game on TV when i got back but fell asleep. at work my colleague arrived to help with setting up the printers on the laptop. although with all of the meetings by phone or in person-with my colleague, or boss, or i.t.- i was behind on work. it is harder to get work done when someone is helping me with another thing although it was very necessary and i was thankful for it. so i will try again on monday on seeing if it works to log in only from the laptop. although i may have no choice as i.t. wants to disable the desktop and a meeting moderator from recently wants to send a box to send back the desktop by UPS. 

laptop apps added

 after the team huddle at work this morning i got apps added to the laptop. i was advised to copy the link, and this was helpful. a colleague that had trained me advised to try this. so i said i will try logging in only with the laptop the next day. this was also a day of supply deliveries. there was an envelope order in the morning, the kind where the courier rings the doorbell and brings them into the shop. this led to me, finally, making mention of how the envelope company name was familiar. i am a charlie brown fan and recall seeing a display at MSP airport about that company donating a snoopy statue to the airport. the courier said the company still has a snoopy on display at their office. so hopefully i can find it and get a picture of it on a day off. the second delivery was in the afternoon, check stock. the branch manager let me know it was dumped at the branch, so i got out a cart and moved it into the shop. i was advised to let a contact with the company know about it, but i got their voicemail. 

'young sheldon' wasn't on in prime time, and eventually i switched over to fox which had 'beat shazam' on. i do like quiz shows about music, but didn't watch for long as i shut it off and turned on the radio to listen to the st. paul saints baseball game. i laid down and fell asleep so i didn't catch much of it. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon couldn't decide what electronics to buy. raj goes on a date with emily and tells her lucy is interested as well. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy decide to test their friends as to who should get roles in the wedding. i had to laugh as it led to amy saying 'bestie!' and hugging penny, deciding penny would be maid of honor. i drank a can of schell's beer at dinner, so now there are 2 cans waiting. 

retirement plan investment lineup

 i got an email about one of my retirement plans. it said the investment lineup was changing, and if i do not respond the funds will go into a default plan. when it comes to voting company stock i haven't been responding, but this looks like something i might want to look at further. i have been fine with getting this information by email as it means getting way less postal mail. i understand this company manages both of the 401-k accounts i have, and this is about the smaller one, after that company i was working for was spun off. 

at work i did well on chipping away at the backlog of checks to run through the envelope stuffer. now there is just three stacks waiting instead of six. since thursday is a lower volume day then it will be a good day to get caught up on it. the senior leader sent an instant message asking about the laptop that arrived this week, i said i hadn't been using it much yet. but it means getting the apps i have been using on the desktop computer set up on it. then it will be easier to use the laptop, which is replacing it. i was asked this near the end of the day and i felt the need to say it in the 'interest of full disclosure'. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 16 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj had a murder mystery party and then only stuart showed up in 20 years after the friends scheduled that event. howard and sheldon were still in texas, where sheldon confronts his mom about seeing her having sex. it was followed by the one where sheldon plans a 'little house' party for amy's birthday. raj plans a birthday party for howard and berndadette's baby girl, and eventually raj and howard end up in the bounce castle together. once sheldon and amy feel better, then those two make their way to the bounce castle. i like how this one ends as the couple are shown jumping in the air much like when amy and howard sing karaoke together. 

travel behavior inventory

 i got a postcard earlier today asking me to complete a survey for a study about travel. this was the second item i had received, as earlier there was a letter stating the same. i had meant to do something with the letter but i guess i like the postcard more. i was asked some basic questions on this initial survey, such as the car i drive, where i live and work. i was given an access code on the postcard and then was given another one by email. now on thursday i am to pay attention to traveling and take another survey on friday. there is mention of a gift card as their thanks for completing it, but not amazon like one i have had before. it will be visa, i still can find some use for it, although it didn't say yet what amount. i see logos for the metropolitan council, as well as the departments of transportation for minnesota and wisconsin. the card will be a nice souvenir. 

at work there was the early morning call with i.t. to set up the new laptop, although i just left it on and did not use it at all today. there was mention of how the desktop will be going away soon, as i recall in five days. there was multiple meetings. first was the customary team huddle, and there was one about the supply orders. the envelope order arrived just before midday, 45 boxes. it was just as i was getting started on eliminating a backlog of checks. it was delivered on a semi, correct an 18-wheeler, so it meant going up to a different floor to meet them. i had them leave the boxes inside near the door and i got out a cart and moved them 8 at a time. in the evening i tried to watch the baseball all-star game but fell asleep early, although i did see vlad jr's home run. the american league won 5-2. i watched the 'big bang theory' reruns and then switched over to the game instead of watching the news. the reruns were when leonard gets penny a car. amy becomes friends with emily, who was a match for raj on internet dating. howard and sheldon go to texas to see nasa. it was followed by raj getting the job at the planetarium. sheldon and amy are trying to plan out their wedding. i don't think i had seen the former episode before. in the evening after the game i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 32 cents. so i have reached my next save-up goal, a can of beer that i can get this weekend. 

minor league baseball relief

 i saw an email from the cedar rapids kernels, a minor league baseball team in my native state of iowa, and it said to contact who represents me to have them support minor league baseball relief. i said i liked the st. paul saints and the iowa cubs. it led to me sending a twitter posting to the 2 senators and house member. at work some deliveries arrived, but not all of them. i picked up 11 boxes from the delivery table on another floor, 12 if you count the laptop. the 11 boxes were envelopes. i performed in the evening, went on first as it would have been a long wait to perform otherwise. the m.c. liked the one about historical figures being used to sell food. during my walks for the day i found 2 dollars and 24 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard gets a table, and it led to amy manipulating sheldon. it was followed by the one about bitcoin. 

alone movie, oregon

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'alone'. i found out there was 2 movies with this name, this is the one that takes place in oregon and is a thriller about a widow being kidnapped. i didn't recognize any of the actors in it, but not a big deal as i care more about the story. i like how part of the story was on the road as i do like road movies. this was mostly early on, stopping at a gas station and a hotel. when i saw the man in the black jeep i said 'this is when she gets kidnapped' but was wrong. it wasn't the first time she sees this man. the 'special features' part of the disc said it was the remake of a swedish thriller movie, 'gone'. much of the movie takes place in the wilderness, as she ends up locked in the basement of the man's cabin. there is a body count. i do like thrillers, and it kept my attention throughout. although i am not sure why the woman didn't want to talk to her mom at first. we see ignored calls from the mom but she was willing to talk to her dad. when i see the u-haul being packed i said 'it looks small' and then it was revealed that it was a trailer behind the car. i am used to driving a truck and having the car on the back. i got it back same-day, although it looked like i could have kept it until monday at 9pm but had the time to get it back early so i did. 

after the movie was done i had lunch. then i found the st. paul saints baseball game on the radio. but i found out it was a doubleheader against the iowa cubs in des moines, so there must have been a rainout the night before. i fell asleep and missed much of the action, but was aware of how the saints lost both games in walk-off fashion. i got some small things done such as putting away postcards from the festival in a photo album. but it meant being creative on finding space, either doubling up some cards or taking some of them out. during my walks for the day i found 54 cents. 'the simpsons' had some social commentary in it, where homer played a leader in ancient rome and i caught a trump reference. i got the dishes and recycling done as well. 

waterless fountain

 i was double-booked on events today. the second was the meetup event, mini-golf in edina. we met near a waterless fountain, near a pavilion. inside the pavilion was a graduation party, some balloons were placed outside. the mini-golf was a no-go, technology problems with their cashbox. i had exact change but apparently not everybody in our group did. so we decided to go to the nearby place called pinstripes. bowling was booked up for a private party, so the eight of us got a table. i ordered a beer, coors light. there was some fries for our table as well, and i had plenty of them. it was nice to have all of the conversation, even if most of it was how our lives have been affected by covid. hard to ignore that subject. then in the early evening one of us said she needed to get back home to wisconsin, a university instructor, and when we noticed the time we all left. i made it home and started watching the baseball game on fox, reds-brewers. reds had just went ahead in the 9th with a solo home run, 4-3, i fell asleep and missed the ending. but it appears the score held up. 

the first event of the day? a 'continuation' of the festival near my workplace. i went to the art gallery first, parking in a different place as i knew the car show would be at the bank. i liked two pieces of art there, one was of a lunch counter or diner. the other was of pigs, and the latter had a ribbon next to it so it was an award winner. the historical museum was in a room in the same building. i bought 4 postcards and a button, all a dollar each. i looked at all that was in the display cases, plenty of buttons from the previous years of the festival or of football homecoming games. it was notable to me to see a glass ashtray from montgomery ward, a place i once worked for. then it was on to the car show. i wasn't there for all that long but got a good look at the cars in display. i got pictures of the ones from the 1930s. the one in the spot i normally park in was a chevy malibu from the 1960s. then it was on to the meetup event. at the end of the meetup event there was mention of another event in two weeks. i don't have anything booked yet that weekend so i am considering it. 

during my walks for the day i found 74 cents. i know, i normally watch a redbox movie on saturday morning. i figured i would be too busy, so i am fine with moving it back a day. i still went to the post office to pick up an amazon order, then to drop off recycle near the capitol. and to get lunch at the holiday gas station. i moved up going to aldi so i wouldn't need to go after the second event. 

on phone, with gatorade

 i stayed late at work as i knew a supply order was arriving late. it was for check stock, but there is a great need for envelopes as well. after i got it all inside the check shop i signed off and left the building. i noticed the delivery man was still onsite, a big tip-off was seeing the cargo van on the upper level. the dude was sitting at a picnic table on his phone and had a gatorade. while i was taking care of the supply drop-off he was taking a call and said 'da' and was vigorously discussing something, it often took away from helping me. i even brought a pen outside so he wouldn't have to go to the check shop to have the bill of lading signed. i wasn't thrilled about the late arrival, there was multiple calls and instant messages about it. some of the boxes were left on the cart and i will handle them monday morning. in the rush to put things away one of the plastic 'in' boxes fell to the concrete floor and a piece of it broke off. but there are plenty of those unused right now so finding a replacement is not a big deal. in addition, it sounds like the two boxes of invoices that i have had for a while i am able to send to the shredder soon. it was mailed from new york city in early may and was dumped at our office after going to the bank's main office first. not even a senior leader getting involved yielded the answer as to where the rightful home of the boxes would be. they were on a cart for a while, didn't know what else to do with them. at midday i got a look at what was being offered at a nearby festival but only got a can of sunkist strawberry lemonade for a dollar. the hot dog was 3 dollars and like most days i brought a can of soup for lunch so paying that much for a hot dog seemed un-necessary. 

in the evening i went on a walk and found 23 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon kissed amy on a train and raj's dog was poisoned by chocolate, which led to raj meeting the vet. it was followed by the one where there is discussion about edison and tesla, and raj serves as a spy for bernadette. i went to hy-vee in the evening for my weekly grocery order and still saw some patriotic balloons up in the bakery and produce section. 

jonny pops berry treat

 i went to an ice cream social near my workplace after i got off work. it was the start of a weekend festival. i chose the raspberry blueberry jonny pops treat. it tasted fine. the wrapper said the company is based in minneapolis, and spoke of starting the business in a dorm room. notable was the stick saying 'surprise a stranger with a compliment' of course this was only seen after it was eaten. i also got a button, at 2 dollars it was cheaper than the other two festival buttons i had already bought this summer. the event was held in the parking lot of a bank. i picked up a schedule of events and will try to attend some other events that are sponsored by the festival this weekend, such as the car show. as for work itself, the big supply orders still have not arrived yet although i was told one of them, the envelopes, would be arriving. so i must wait at least one more day. i drank the bottle of blue moon beer at dinner so now there are 3 cans of beer waiting. in the evening i went on a walk and found 44 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when james earl jones was a guest star. i still like this one because it also has carrie fisher saying 'it's not funny anymore, james!' it was followed by the one where 'almost paradise' is played. first it was when raj was on a date, then when sheldon wanted to work with bert after insulting bert. 

tube for foundation

 at the end of the workday i have to pick up whatever is in the mailroom. today it included a tube for the bank's foundation. i am told it was likely a poster. i was wondering if it was going to fit inside the gray mail tub, and it did. i am running low on envelopes for two business lines, while i did get some around midday for two others. so the monthly supply order is starting to trickle in. with the big check file i found out i was able to do a positive pay of those printed, not needing to wait for the entire file to print. but i still have less than 10 percent printed. hopeful the additional check stock and envelope supply order arrives soon, but of course that order was only placed this week. during my walks for the day i found 69 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we meet stuart's rude rival, along with bert going to a rock show with howard and raj. it was followed by the one where there is a reboot of the professor proton show, with wil wheaton getting the role and we do see sheldon telling bob newhart about it. 

remediation checks

 i had to look up 'remediation' when it was the description used for the largest volume, by far, on any business line for the checks to print- nearly 26 thousand. it says 'the action of remedying something'. i noticed that these were likely all small amounts, due to the final total across all checks being 83 thousand, an average of less than 4 dollars a check. there was another file from this business line, but it was just 21 checks, the normal volume. so i told them the smaller file will go out same-day, and when my boss saw all of this i was told to send out 2 thousand or as many as 4 thousand per day. another supply order had to be placed for the check stock and the envelopes, and the one made the first of the month hasn't arrived yet. before this, the largest file i had seen was 9 thousand and typically the highest volume day in any given week was 6 thousand. no advance notice was given about it. during my walks for the day i found 12 cents. i still went out walking despite the steady rain. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon studied humor, and penny had her scene cut. it was followed by the one where howard and amy did science work together. it led to bernadette conning sheldon into doing chores, much like in 'tom sawyer' by mark twain. 

airline miles returned

 i found things to do on a day off. this included going to the airport and finding out what my options were on the miles used with delta for a canceled flight to chicago last year during the earliest days of the pandemic. i was given an alternate number to try, and after being on hold for 40 minutes i got through. the airline miles were returned to my account, and not a moment too soon. later that evening i used them to book a flight for next month. at first i did not go when called over, as it was an agent who was handling international flights according to the video board above. so the end result of last year's chicago trip was getting back most of what was paid, except for one of the two nights at the hotel. guess it could have been way worse. it meant skipping my routine of watching 'big bang theory' reruns but i didn't mind. getting this done was more important. and there is a good chance i will still see them for the other four weeknights this week. i went in the late afternoon as i laid down after having lunch and was surprised at how long i was asleep. i had the 'burger in the box' bought from walgreen the previous day. in the morning i got some small things done around the home, such as get more comedy souvenirs into a binder. actually it was one of three, the other two were for work and sports. i had just one unused sheet protector left, so i decided to re-purpose two of them. this is yet another case of 'stressing quality' when looking what was already in the binders. i spoke to my college roommate about how it looked like a 'daunting task' to make a list of 14 things to do this weekend, but i am pleased how i got all but one of them done. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 20 cents. 

oink outings

 'oink outings'  was on an eraser i claimed at the saints game. also claimed a magnet, pencil, and pork chop recipe. this was from the minnesota pork producers. sounds like they are a distant second to iowa in pork production. saints lost to omaha 10-6. there was food trucks after the game, but i didn't get anything, 10 trucks in all. some i am aware of had been at saints games before. i ate before entering the stadium, much like at other games i have attended this season. i also saw the fireworks show, there was a delay during it. i liked hearing some of the music played, including 'party in the USA' by miley cyrus, as well as 'chicken fried' by the zac brown band. i ended up with the warm 'how right i was' feeling, aka 'self-validating moment'. i think it was due to arriving at the understanding that i have been working at the bank for a year now, and i can feel comfortable again because i have a good job. i wiped away a tear, and i thought about the immigrant great-grandparents i never knew. i am aware of how the 4th of july means different things to different people. ask an immigrant what it means to them, somebody who moved here for a better life. 

the first event of the day was going to see my college roommate around midday for grilling. his lady friend was there was well, much like in february. she drove up from their hometown of osage, iowa. i brought the paulaner beer i had found this weekend. saw an episode of 'letterkenny', canadian comedy, from hulu. it was cool that he showed me medals from serving in the military from the governor of iowa. guess he just acquired them this year, after his dad passed in march. after the grilling event i went to a walgreen and picked up a few things. after the game and the fireworks show i went on a walk and found 72 cents. it was a pretty good 4th of july for me. 

breaking news, yuba county, movie

this afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'breaking news in yuba county'. there were plenty of actors i recognized in it, including mila kunis, juliette lewis, allison janney, and wanda sykes. the premise was a weird one, where a woman discovers her husband cheating, he has a heart attack, and she buries the body but then says he is missing as she wants attention from the media. the setting is in kentucky, although when i did an online search the result i got was the name of a county in california. i liked how some scenes take place in a bowling alley, and one gets a 'behind the scenes' look of the place. this would have to be considered a farce, satire, or both as i saw many things in the storyline that would be considered 'social commentary'. somehow all of the characters seem to be inter-related in one form or another, be it as family or where they work. 

  i had a long list of things to do, and it was nice to get to more than half of them. three orders were ready for pick-up at the post office, including the two photos of musicians with presidents. i had change counted at the credit union and deposited it into savings. i also asked about the yield so far on the certificate of deposit that was started in april. i found a festival button at a hardware store, and bought some 'simpsons' socks at jc penney. i saw these and said i had to get them since i like that show. i printed things at a fed-ex, including a saints baseball ticket for two weeks from now. i made it to the grocery store, then went to dump the movie. on my way back to the redbox, after parking the car, i saw resistable comic. we spoke for a few minutes, and some of it was about performing. then i went home and had dinner, the second half of a little godfather's pizza, and watched some of the baseball game on fox. boston was leading oakland when i left for the performance venue. i was on near the end of the show, and was asked to close with my best joke and went with the one about being awkward. this is a monthly showcase that was an open-mic for tonight, and it was my first time at this venue in over a year. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 20 cents, so i already have it started again on getting coins into a change bank after having it emptied earlier today. 

dick and jane educational snacks

 recently i claimed a little bag of unopened snack food, called 'dick and jane educational snacks'. not sure what made it educational. they were little vanilla cookies, and said different things on them like 'calcium milk' and vitamin c, oranges'. the company is based in troy, michigan, suburban detroit. in the evening i made more than one stop for groceries. i went to walmart, besides just hy-vee. i was looking for more specially marked packages of 'space jam' general mills products. i bought three, one was cereal and the other two were granola bars. so now i will have enough tokens for the magnets when i upload the receipt to the site. it was one reason why i made it to hy-vee about an hour later than usual. i also went to a liquor store near me after my college roommate called me, as i wanted to get beer for the grilling event this weekend. when i was coming back from the liquor store somebody called out to me and i said i didn't know them, but they claimed to be a neighbor. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj said 'what is wrong with you?' after a date where he was fixed up. it was followed by the one where there was a 'council of sheldons', along with raj and stuart competing for the same lady. at work there was more down time than usual, likely due to being right before a holiday weekend. i would expect that many had started the weekend early by taking the day off. a laptop for work has now been ordered, after confirming i don't use any special software. 

third price increase

 as i was leaving the office i looked at the vending machine. it appears there has been a third price increase on the cheapest item in it, the chips i like, since i started just over a year ago. it was 75 cents and now it is 1 dollar 40 cents. so it has nearly doubled in my time at the bank. i do like the chili cheese corn chips, but it is hard to ignore so many price hikes. this may mean getting things out of the machine less often. at lunchtime it was nice to take a walk around the area and i found another sandlot baseball field. i got pictures of the park sign as well as the scoreboard. another place on the photo-op list was a bar in a strip mall. i liked their beer ads in the windows for blue moon, modelo, and coors. there was a meeting in the afternoon about getting a laptop. i had questions as i am a rare one, actually working in the office while most are working from home. sounds like they will see that mine is sent to the office. it was nice getting caught up on things by the end of the day, except for some incoming mail. highest priority was doing the remaining checks for the foundation, running them through the envelope stuffer. it was over a thousand, but not a big deal when the volume on a thursday tends to be lower. in the evening i went on a walk and found 73 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bob newhart was a guest star as professor proton, along with bill nye. i liked it because bob said 'back off, bowtie'. it was followed by the one where leonard said 'physics is dead' in an interview and was asked to retract it. the friends also find the grave of a scientist, richard feynman. i don't think i had seen the latter episode before. i got a response already to the receipts uploaded for the 'space jam' tokens, it was approved so now i have two of them. plans still are to go to walmart this weekend and find more eligible items.