zillow 'me' commercial

 there is a TV commercial that i have been seeing a lot of lately, i know it as the 'me' commercial from zillow, an online real estate marketplace. it shows clones of the lady, at a board meeting. my favorite has to be 'lazy me' and it includes a chant of 'me' after suggesting listing her place on zillow. the wikipedia article said one of the key people at this company was from another 'dot-com', expedia. i often see it when watching 'big bang theory' reruns after getting off work. the ones i saw today were about sheldon fencing with kripke. it was followed by the one where leonard's mom fakes interest in him to do research for her next book. also part of the storyline was howard going to the airport to stop raj from going to london. in the evening i went on a walk and found 31 cents. at work i asked a business line if they wanted a check overnighted, and they did. normally i don't ask but it was for over a million, and a 'high value' check like that one is usually overnighted. envelopes for a big check file arrived, the branch manager introduced them and they had all 8 boxes on a cart. i am used to deliveries going through the branch. in the morning on the way to the shop i got a candy bar from the vending machine, a hershey. now on to the next save-up goal. 

pez dispenser, toy car

 i am still finding merchandise for the movie 'space jam'. i was at a hy-vee after work and saw a pez dispenser so i bought it. not too long ago i also found a model car, or toy car, at another hy-vee so i bought it as well. lebron james is on both of these items that i now have. some of the animated characters were alternate options with the model car, not sure if there were any other styles available with pez. at work i reviewed the written procedures, 8 in all. i did not print out the largest, 52 pages, about canadian checks, it meant nothing to me. i sent the revisions at the end of the day. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when one impostor got drunk and then turned in the other one. in the evening i went on a walk and found 85 cents. i bought 2 small bags of lay's BBQ chips out of the vending machine this morning and ate one of them at lunch. i had planned on getting only one but it got stuck inside the machine, needed to bang on the glass to have it drop. i reached the next save-up goal, a candy bar. i also performed this evening. i think i got the most reaction to mention of strip clubs, or what i saw at a greek festival. 

jobs movie, ashton kutcher

 this afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from family dollar, 'jobs'. it is the bio-pic of computer man steve jobs. i recognized ashton kutcher in it, along with jk simmons and james woods. it had the same feel that many other bio-pics do, where the disclaimer at the end said 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. it was kind of long, just over 2 hours, but it held my attention for most of its running time. it started with the intro of the i-pod and then goes back to when he is in college, or actually had already dropped out. so the story is largely told in flashback. as hemingway said, 'every true story ends in death', and it stated that jobs had died in 2011 and the movie was released two years later. i am used to bio-pics being about somebody that is no longer alive. there were some things i recognized in it, such as the '1984' super bowl commercial for apple computers. now that i have seen this movie i am caught up on seeing those that were recent purchases and feel better about going back to get a redbox rental once a week. in the morning i placed two e-bay orders, first time in over a month. in the evening i did some more word finds. i also heard from the button, after saying i was a prize winner for canadian days. during my walks i found 2 dollars 31 cents, so i have reached the next goal of chips as well as a candy bar out of the vending machine at work. i have plenty of beer for now, 5 cans, so might as well put the small change towards something else i like having. 

rosedale herbergers demolition

 i went to the jc penney at rosedale mall in roseville as i wanted a pair of jeans. i saw how the former herbergers store was being demolished, so i got some pictures of it after having a dairy queen blizzard treat. because i used a gift card, the jeans cost me less than the ice cream did. before that i went to spire credit union and deposited the check from being a canadian days prize winner. there was nothing to pick up from my post office box, haven't ordered much lately and i know an amazon order is on the way. for a late lunch i got a sandwich at a holiday station, and after lunch i laid down and was asleep for a while. by then it was early evening, and time to get groceries at aldi. then i had pizza for the evening meal and put in a DVD movie. i watched 'the founder', about mcdonald's founder ray kroc. it was a recent purchase from family dollar. i had seen it at theaters in early 2017. i liked how i got some other things accomplished throughout the day. i decided to put away some buttons i had recently acquired, not just the two from the state fair but also one from canadian days. when i did i decided to do an 'assessment' and it meant some buttons i no longer valued were thrown out. in some cases i had more than one of the same subject so i decided to keep the best one. it goes back to when i liked saying 'stressing quality'. i did some of the same on magnets as well and might do a little more. when i was in roseville i also went to print some things, it included a st. paul saints baseball ticket for next month. there was one thing i couldn't print, the drag brunch ticket, some mention of the download being blocked. same problem on the saints ticket, so i made an 'end run' around it by going into my account. i set up the same thing with the drag brunch ticket and forwarded the original email to my work account. the event is still nearly a month away so either of these options should work fine. during my walks i found 1 dollar 11 cents. 

duplicate word find

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight and knew there was a chance that if i bought a charlie brown and snoopy word find that it would be a duplicate, and when i got home i found out it was. this is the september edition, i bought the last one on display. this led to me deciding to actually do the word finds, for the first time. i had bought three of them before-also may and july- but had just filed them away as souvenirs previously. already completed two word finds tonight, there are more than 150 in the book. it is a 'super jumbo special' and words found on the cover are 'snoopy, fun, and cowabunga'. 

i made it into work after shoving air into one of the tires of my car. i was slow to log into my computer after hooking it up as i am told to take it home when out of the office. it led to my boss calling me, wanting to know where i was. sometimes i get started on work before stamping in. i first heard from my vacation replacement via instant messaging, saying my boss was wondering if i had made it in. i did 2,000 more checks from a big file, but now we must wait for for envelopes specific for this business line. sounds like they may be arriving on monday. my colleague finished the second half of the previous file drop, but said his laptop was printing blank pages so 2,000 checks became 4,000. this wasn't happening on my laptop, sounded odd. there was a visitor i had met for the first time this morning, they wanted storage boxes. i pointed them out in the back room, they still needed to be assembled. then it meant finding space on the shelving for the 7 boxes, not a big deal as some shelves were occupied by empty boxes that i finally broke down. after work i went to the liquor store near work and bought 2 more cans of beer, a budweiser and a milwaukee's best from the closeout section, so now there are 5 beers waiting. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when leonard decided to be more assertive and it led to threatening to quit his job but the university president gave him a special project. i also went on an evening walk and found 5 cents. 

2 buttons, 2 rainstorms

 i went to the minnesota state fair and was there for most of the day, arriving around 8am after taking the bus. i wanted to arrive earlier than typical, as sometimes i would get there in the afternoon, as i new there was rain in the forecast. i got the history walking tour and all of its 12 stations in before a meetup friend arrived. the prize was some postcards, a bag and a kite. i had more beer than typical, three drinks- a grain belt, a lift bridge, and a michelob golden light. but i am aware that my meetup friend, a retired postal accountant, likes beer and was trying various beers throughout the fair, especially the 'flights'. not only at the hangar, but also at the agriculture building. i also spent more on food than typical, getting a pronto pup, 2 cones of ice cream, tex-mex tacos (from the international bazaar) and cheese curds (from the dairy building). i still got to the places i like seeing most, the fine arts building and the newspaper museum. the most memorable work of art from the former was called 'covid nightingale' and i got a postcard from the latter showing old logos of various minnesota companies including 3m and supervalu. the rain arrived in the afternoon just after having the pronto pup, went inside for my first of two looks at the fine arts building. the other was in the evening, just after having the tacos, then my friend decided to go back to his bus, he got on at mall of america. the staging area was the west end. i decided to get a second look at the fine arts building, then i got back on a bus as well, on snelling. the bus that brought me to the fair had finished its run for the day so i had to get on one that brought me to downtown st. paul and then transfer. oh, and the two buttons were of this year's fair and of 2019's. the former i got at an information booth and the other when i claimed the history prize. also claimed a smashed penny left on a wall next to some art, and bought two postcards under the grandstand during one of my friend's beer stops, next to the hideaway. one of them was of the first national bank building in downtown st. paul. during my walks i found 1 dollar 2 cents. 

uncapped gas tank

 i went to the gas station tonight and then noticed in my rearview mirror how the gas tank was uncapped once i started driving again. so at my next stop i went over to put the cap back on. this stop was at a light rail station as i wanted to add value to my transit card, in preparation for attending the state fair. i got out my ticket and checked the weather report so i will do my best to be prepared, sounds like there is rain in the forecast. during my walks i found 66 cents, so i have reached my next save-up goal, more beer from the liquor store near my workplace. might be enough for two cans instead of one, depending on what remains in the close-out section that i saw early in the week. at work i wanted to see that i was caught up by the end of the day since i didn't want to leave anything for my vacation replacement. it meant staying to finish a check copy request, after noticing it was something i could take care of. in the shared box it can be hard to tell at times. technician arrived in the morning and the maintenance kit was swapped out of one of the check printers, so the logo problem on some checks has been handled. at times it still sounded like the 'cadence' was off, printing slower, but it still printed without interruption. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny had a fight on their wedding night. it was followed by the one where amy rants at the impostors trying to steal their nobel prize. and howard doesn't want a book about him published, depicting him as a scared astronaut. 

i also decided to make some more cuts on the events i had considered attending, from five to four. i bought a ticket for one of those four already, a 'drag brunch' next month. it is the 'emo edition', bands i enjoy such as green day. i had seen this edition advertised before, but it was when there was limited seating and no bar seats. normally i just sit at the bar as i only need one ticket for myself. and it seemed like a waste to have to buy multiple seats when i knew some would go unused. so sometimes it is a good idea to wait. i had considered scrapping the brunch as well, since the only one of interest to me was rihanna and i had already seen that edition, although this time her songs are paired with nicki minaj's. but they had just scheduled this 'emo edition' so i am thankful i saw it when i did. for another event, saints baseball, i will likely order those tickets this weekend and print them along with the brunch ticket. 

un-assembled boxes

 at work there was a question about iron mountain storage boxes. at first i said i knew of only one that was empty. then when i moved it to the 'back room' i noticed on the shelves that there were plenty of 'un-assembled' boxes available. so i followed up and shared those findings. now it is a matter of when a colleague i haven't met is to show up and ask about it. my boss showed up around midday and i got some questions answered. one of those was related to a special project, looking at written procedures. i didn't mean to ignore it for a while, the first deadline passed over three weeks ago. but i did say i left it in a tray in the stacker that wasn't on top. so it was truly a case of 'out of sight, out of mind'. there was some i.t. issues discovered when i tried to click on the link for it, so i will try again on the next day. more checks from the big file, a 'remediation', just arrived in the afternoon but i was working on other files so none of them were printed today. i will try to get half of them done wednesday so i can minimize what is left over for my vacation replacement on thursday. 

in the evening i went on a walk and found 43 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny decide to elope in las vegas, and amy says bye to sheldon. i think this was a season finale. it was followed by the one where howard wanted help with babysitting when bernadette was at a convention, so he invited friends over and it led to them experimenting on the babies. i had to laugh when amy said to raj, about sheldon, 'i slept with him and married him, want to bet against me?' in other issues, i fell asleep for a while after having the evening meal. when i woke up i decided to do some assessments on events i am interested in. i know i spoke of some of this last week, well this time it meant making some cuts. now it is down to five, it had been nine i was considering. if the event is 'cut' then the 'place holder', a page i had printed and had in a metal letter sorter, was moved to the shred box. i am fine with continuing to do fewer events than what i was doing before the pandemic hit. and it is not just because i want to minimize exposure. i am still reminded of a meme i saw at a meetup event last month: 'i forgot how expensive outside was'. naturally i knew there was two that were going to be kept on the list: saints baseball, and oktoberfest in new ulm. now it means figuring out logistics such as some of these mean car rentals, and others mean ordering event tickets. 

already seen green day twice

 there was a green day concert at target field in minneapolis tonight, but i did not attend. i had already seen that band in concert twice before. most recently was in 2004, my first year in minnesota, at target center. weezer was also in the lineup, another band i had seen in concert before. i attend concerts less often now as i am more interested in my own stage time. when i was listening to the radio on the way home from work a radio station did play songs from these bands back to back. i heard 'say it aint so' by weezer, and 'holiday' by green day. when i got home, after having the evening meal, i found songs by both bands on youtube, nice listening to them again. and i decided to wear my green day shirt for the first time today as well. i unbuttoned my shirt with a collar while onstage to show it off. some asked me to take it all off, i said no. i spoke of the 'diesel cat' story as well as green day music. a notable time for hearing one of their songs was after the last st. paul saints baseball game at midway stadium in 2014. 

at work a fluid bottle for the envelope stuffer arrived, it was dumped at the branch and the branch manager brought it over. i went to lunch shortly after putting it on the shelf. after work i went to the liquor store near work and got a can of amstel light beer, so now there are 3 cans waiting. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 4 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the mothers of sheldon, and leonard, met. raj and howard and stuart sang 'hard knock life' from 'annie' as well. it was followed by the one where wil wheaton had a celebrity d and d game, and some of the friends ended up at it. 

doc movie, stacy keach

 i watched a DVD movie in the afternoon, 'doc', about western legend doc holliday. i recognized stacy keach in it, as well as faye dunaway. this is different from the other versions of the story i had seen, where it is more from the point of view of doc, hence the title. also because it portrays wyatt earp as kind of corrupt, in terms of being willing to make dirty deals to win an election. of course they do depict the gunfight at the OK corral, wouldn't be much of a movie if they didn't. memorable was an opening scene where a bartender keeps saying there wasn't any of the kinds of drinks that doc wanted.

it was an active day, as i wanted to get laundry done. then after having lunch i put in the movie. once it was done i watched the st. paul saints baseball game on 45-tv. saints lost to the iowa cubs, it was at the end of the 3rd inning when i first tuned in. after having the evening meal i watched a 'simpsons' rerun that mentions german chocolate cake. then i decided to get some things done, and it meant the TV went off. i went through a binder that has pocket schedules and business cards, wanting to free up 4 pages in order to get some baseball cards in them. it was the st. paul saints team card set, the giveaway item from this week. it mostly meant doubling up some cards as i try to avoid throwing out any business cards, as they are nice souvenirs. then it meant mending two pairs of socks. after that i did the dishes and recycling. during my walks i found 1 dollar 1 cent. i have reached the next save-up goal- a can of beer, and a bag of chips from the vending machine at work. 

friday night lights movie

 i watched a DVD movie this evening, 'friday night lights'. i said i wanted to read the book first, and i did. i recognized right away what was kept from the book, and what wasn't. the coin toss deciding who went to the playoffs was still there, but i also noticed how plenty of attention is given to a player that had quit the team. i recognized billy bob thornton in it, who played the coach, as well as tim mcgraw, who played an overbearing parent. it held my attention throughout, much of the story was about the action on the football field and this works for me. 

   i was pleased with all i got done today, and it started early with going to the dealer for an oil change on my car. then to get some copies, as well as to hy-vee for a can of schell's beer and some groceries. after this it was to the post office box, first visit in three weeks. i was surprised to see anything to pick up since i hadn't placed any e-bay orders. there was a catalog about taking community college courses, and the other item was a check from canadian days. i was a winner in the button drawing, so next weekend i will want to dump the check into my account at the credit union. then i dropped off recycling near the capitol, and went to a greek festival at a church. there was a line for food, but it was midday by then so i was ready to eat and the line moved fairly quickly. i got a gyro sandwich and some fries, at another table was greek beer, mythos. i liked how the bottlecap was easier to take off, didn't need an opener. i did a church tour but i was feeling tired after 30 minutes of it so i went home. i knew there was some boxing on fox as well. the paper said it was a manny pacquiao fight, but i should have known there was only going to be undercards in the afternoon and that manny's fight would be on pay-per-view. i fell asleep fairly early, but i know some of those undercards ended early with TKOs. then i went to get groceries again, this time at aldi, and watched the DVD movie after i had some pizza. during my walks i found 45 cents. 

beatles violin fireworks

 i watched some of the st. paul saints baseball game tonight on t.v. after the game they also showed fireworks, and i recognized some of the songs being played. they were violin versions of the beatles, 'obladi-oblada' and 'here comes the sun'. the saints beat the iowa cubs 7-4, most of the saints runs were scored in the first inning. during the game i went to a speedway to get some chocolate milk, the paper, ice cream, and cheese. i would have walked there but knew there was rain in the forecast. i did some research this evening and a greek festival this weekend looks appealing. i like the food, drink, and music at various festivals. at work there wasn't too much out of the ordinary. notables included getting half of the checks out on a big file for a business line that wants to send another big file. two different customer service people wanted the tracking number for the same overnight package from the previous day. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 29 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard gave a commencement speech virtually. it was followed by when leonard agreed to be a sperm donor for penny's ex but then changed his mind. another nice find related to music was made. i was on youtube and wanted to listen to 'same old love' and found out there was a version by rihanna. i had previously only heard the one by selena gomez. 

bike cops for kids

 parks and rec had an event nearby tonight, it included a big van that said 'bike cops for kids'. i asked one of the employees about it and was told it does more than give bikes to kids, sometimes it is helping with maintenance as well as giving helmets. or even free books. they gave me a slushie treat, thankful it was for more than just the kids. same is true with getting a slice of pizza from domino's, chicken pizza. not sure if i had that kind before. i noticed some kids were given baseball cards, one kid said he liked soccer more. i looked at the cards and when they got to a cardinals player i said i didn't know them, it was geronimo pena. did some searching online and it said this player was with the cardinals in the 1990s, didn't play there for long, around 300 games over 6-7 seasons. the police department also had a therapy dog, and i asked what breed, was told german shepherd, border collie, and chowchow. a movie was being screened later on, it was 'tom and jerry', but i didn't watch it. i went home as i wanted to check email. 

   it meant also doing some more online surveys for airline miles. i hadn't done any for a little while due to being out of town for 2 straight weekends. but i have ramped up the number i have done as i still want to cash out at a thousand airline miles for this month. at work a colleague showed up as he was having some i.t. issues when working from home. my boss asked me to order a spare maintenance kit and was told in a response that spares were not available, but there were other options on ordering. my boss said order it for the alternate check printer as there are two. i hate having to call the help desk as often as i have lately and having to keep my boss in the loop about it, including when i was called about it late in the day. sounds like a business line has a spike in check volume again, so it meant another big supply order. this meant i heard the doorbell ring twice near the end of the day, somebody was dropping off payroll forms. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 15 cents. so i have met the next save-up goals of not only a can of beer, but also laundry money for the weekend. for the evening meal i drank a can of schell's beer with it, so there is one beer waiting, a modelo. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny walks out of an audition, and sheldon is let back on a project. it was followed by the one where leonard has a dream about eating people. after work i went to the family dollar in my neighborhood and got three items. i needed some sheet protectors and while there got a box of cocoa puffs cereal, and some pop-tarts. 

defective maintenance kit

 a technician was in this morning to look at a check printer. i was told the problem was a defective maintenance kit. so it means more parts to be ordered. the spare one has not arrived yet, was part of the previous ticket that was closed over a week ago, so it likely means opening a new ticket for it. this wasn't the only visitor of the morning. there was also somebody who got in with a key and asked about any unused computers. i heard them fumbling around with the door before getting in. i was unaware that anyone could get in with a key. i decided to get out the check shop visitors log and see that all visitors now sign it. i found this binder a while back and the last entry was from 2015. in the evening i went on a walk and found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard met a half-brother, along with sheldon and amy building a fort out of quilts. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy meets some scientists from fermi lab about their theory. i listened to some of the saints baseball game on the radio in the evening, and decided to get caught up on looking through things such as the souvenir bag from st. louis. i found a few more things, such as a page of comedy souvenirs, that i want to get into sheet protectors. also saw a few things online about upcoming events for next month, such as opera at the soccer field. i knew the event would either have a change of venue or day due to the saints season being extended. the other one i heard about was flip phone drag brunches. i have been to three, four if you count the one that i bought a ticket for last year but it was canceled due to covid. i am saving plenty of money due to doing fewer events so it means doing more justification on those i am doing now. not much i have attended outside of baseball. 

two walk-off wins

 i went to the saints stadium tonight as i wanted the promotion, the team card set. there was actually two games, the first was the completion of a suspended game from june, against the iowa cubs. the saints won both in walk-off fashion, 6-5 and then 4-3. the second went 8 innings as they needed to break the tie, and both teams started off with a runner on second base in the 8th. i was held up at work, needing to get the overnight packages out, so i didn't get to the stadium as early as i had hoped. part of it was a senior leader wanting check copies, my boss calling in the afternoon, and having to call i.t. about a check printer where it is 'shadowing' or ghosting at the top of some checks. i have been using the alternate printer for this reason, but finally told my boss about it when asked about the printer. i was apparently the one that got the last card set, and i said 'thank you' after having to ask if there were any left. to save time i ate at the stadium instead of the nearby speedway gas station. between games i looked around inside the baseball museum to pass the time, even though i had seen it before. i will probably attend some more saints games this season, but not sure yet which ones. during my walks i found 95 cents. 

no, i am good

 i saw a performer friend for the first time in a while tonight at the bar area after i had performed. i was asked more than once by the dude if i wanted a beer, i said 'no i am good'. we spoke for a while, but eventually i just listened. he spoke of building houses, his own business, hadn't been performing much lately. at work there was a diversity webinar around mid-morning. during my walks i found 1 dollar 83 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends had one last meal made by howard's mom. it was followed by the one where the friends do a paintball game, including raj's lady, anu. 

truck stop lounge

 i started the day in ames, iowa, at my hotel. it was nice to get continental breakfast. after that there was not much else to do. check out and get on the road. although i did take some pictures in ames first, not sure when i would be there again. i made more stops than on friday's drive as i was tired. i made three, and the last one was in faribault. there was a truck stop lounge inside of a speedway gas station, i happened to find the stairs to it in the back. but i did not go in as there was a sign saying 'you will be asked to leave if you don't have a CDL license'. i still benefited from getting out of the car and walking around a little before resuming the drive home. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 57 cents. it didn't take long to unpack, but i still needed to do other things such as get groceries. and return the rental car to the airport. i did the evening meal after returning the car, went through emails, then fell asleep for a while. not much in postal mail, but the postcard from last weekend's visit to st. louis was there. i recall a writing class saying that sending yourself a postcard is a good way of remembering travels. 

pizza ranch ankeny

 i made it to a pizza ranch in ankeny, iowa, late in the afternoon for the graduation party for two nieces. i brought gifts for all 3 kids, including the little brother that is age 17. before then i made to my hometown of newton to do a quick tour. sure was surprised to get recognized by a classmate while there, that usually doesn't happen. i was taking a picture of the street sign honoring the late football coach i had played for. i got a blizzard treat at the dairy queen, a place that was close to my family's house so i went there often when i was young. during my walks i found 2 cents. 

typing up enclosure

 plans are to attend a graduation party this weekend. i typed up an enclosure to the gifts to explain the reason for why i am giving them. felt good that i was mostly caught up with work by the end of the day. 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj snooped on emily. it was followed by the one where sheldon meets his younger self when looking for a motivational tape. during my walks i found 2 cents. 

neon 'open' sign still on

 i went looking for gifts for the graduation party i am attending soon and my first stop was to get copies at a fedex office, including the facebook invite. arrived just minutes before closing, but it didn't take long to get done what i set out to do. then it was on to a best buy nearby, where they also closed at 8pm but the door still opened and the neon 'open' sign was still on. when i asked for help they said they were closed but i pointed out i could still get in. also got what i was looking for there. final stop was the walgreen, as i knew they have a wide variety of gift cards there. when i got home i read more from the book 'friday night lights' and finished it. now i can return it this weekend. at work it was a fairly routine day, not too much out of the ordinary. two checks set aside this week were picked up, i was in the mailroom at the time when this colleague showed up. i spoke of having to do partial sorts of the mail because the mail sorter is not in every day. then after work i went to a liquor store near my workplace and got a can of modelo beer. so there are now two beers waiting. during my walks i found 15 cents. 

copier re-started

 i couldn't figure out at first why the copier wasn't printing an email i requested. checked the tray, enough paper in it. nothing jammed anywhere either. so i re-started it and it was fine, printed what was waiting. i know this old trick usually works. there are times when it re-starts by itself. nothing out of the ordinary aside from this, which is fine with me. i was able to get caught up on the carryover from the previous day, it was the first thing-after a small amount of payroll statements-run through the envelope stuffer. i am moving right along on reading the book 'friday night lights'. it helps that i have kept the t.v. off. and i am trying to read while sitting in a chair instead of laying down in my bed, where i am likely to fall asleep. i read some in the morning before going to work, and again in the evening after work. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 49 cents. so i have reached the next save-up goal, some beer money. 

locked out late in day

 near the end of my workday i was unable to view dashboard to know what checks were ready to print. a colleague advised me to restart the computer, and when i did was locked out late in the day. so i had to call i.t. and wait for a response from a senior leader to get back in. most items went out same-day but not all. of course i made sure to stay to get the UPS labels completed, thankfully there weren't many left to print by then. in the evening i went on a walk and found 55 cents. i spent much of the evening reading a book, 'friday night lights'. i didn't get as far as i wanted, as i fell asleep. but i still read a decent amount. i am about halfway done and trying to get it finished by the weekend as it is on loan. 

bandana BBQ

the day began at my hotel near the st. louis airport. at midday i went to eat at bandana BBQ next to the hotel. i had the pork sandwich with potato salad, and the ice cream sundae. along with some sweet tea. everything tasted fine. odd having to re-order things when i said while i was seated what i wanted after being given a menu when i first saw the place 2 days earlier. there was plenty of western art on the wall, including something about a buffalo bill movie. a patron at a nearby table at one point spoke of a raggedy ann doll. 

in the morning after having breakfast and checking out of the hotel i went to st. charles and found the lou brock statue at a university. it was in front of the baseball field. i ended up walking past the football field to get there, and the team was having a practice. also found a bank facility in another suburb, it was a suite in a larger complex. there was a light rail stop nearby. after having lunch i didn't do much else as i needed to return the rental car and head back to the airport. once i arrived at the airport i got a postcard ready to mail to myself. and i looked at both of the displays there. one was some photography of city landmarks and the other was about liquor prohibition, an exhibit on loan from anheuser-busch. the flight was a few minutes early getting to MSP, not a big deal. i got a good look around at the airport while there. saw a history display there about the minnesota air national guard. and i bought two lady gaga items at open book, which had name recognition as i have a membership with the loft literary center. i was a magnet and a greeting card. i made it home on the bus in the early evening, and first thing was to go get groceries as i normally get them on saturday. i unpacked but it didn't take long as it is mostly dirty clothes and cheap souvenirs. not much postal mail waiting, both items are in the box of things to the shredded. i fell asleep for a little while and then got up to go to the open-mic, most of my set was about being in st. louis. i went on a walk after performing and found 40 cents. 

premium baseball card

 the giveaway item at the baseball game was a premium baseball card, of cardinals pitcher adam wainwright. he did not pitch today though. waited out a 2-hour rain delay. it was 5-5 with 2 on, no out, top of 9. royals went on to win 6-5. i was willing to wait it out because i had no other plans for the day and it is my annual visit. i went to the photo booth during the rain delay, did not want to miss any of the game just for photos. during my walks for the day i found 5 cents. 

 

morning rain, then flight

 the day started with rain, and then i got on a bus to the airport. i flew to st. louis for my annual visit for cardinals baseball games. i was thinking of the oasis song- live forever- because it mentions the morning rain. the flight was a little bumpy because they were trying to get out of the rain. i bought a few things while still at the airport after the flight touched down, but i knew full well i needed to leave fairly quickly as things at the airport are expensive. it was a bottle of tea, some postcards, and ted drewes vanilla frozen custard. the last item was found in a vending machine. i was unable to check into the hotel right away so i went to find lunch. there was a bar found on the airline dining for miles program but there was very little food there. so i started driving and eventually stopped at a 7-11 and had some pizza. by then it was time to check in. i tried resting a little in my room but still wanted to get up and out, to a nearby gas station that had beer i can drink while writing about my travels at the end of the day. i got started early as usual on the trek to the stadium, taking the light rail from the airport. cardinals won, 5-2, played kansas city. i got the giveaway item as well, a whitey herzog bobblehead, honoring the former manager of the team. what helped the cardinals win was that they never trailed, scoring 2 in the first, although it was briefly tied, 2-2, a few innings later. i sent a text to friends that live here but are out of town, on vacation right now, and laughed on their response.  during my walks i found 22 cents. 

two technicians

 at work was a rare thing, two technicians at the same time. one for the copier the other for the check printer. the one for the copier arrived first, and there was not too much overlap. then a colleague arrived shortly after the second one left. he was upset to find out that i had to return a desktop computer after getting my laptop. in the evening i went on a walk and found 71 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny do basket weaving with sheldon and amy. it was followed by the one where bernadette and penny meet anu, raj's lady. we also see tam, sheldon's texas friend. i moved up some of my chores and errand running, the recycle was sent out tonight. also made it to speedway where i got some chocolate milk and the paper. i heard 'teach your children well' while there, reminding me of 'running with scissors'. during my time out and about i had the saints game on the radio. it was another 1-0 game but the saints won this time. 

sioux city sweep

 i went to the st. paul saints baseball game tonight and there was a giveaway item, a poster honoring the 2019 team that won the league title, the american association. the poster was called 'sioux city sweep' depicting the celebration of the win. i was given the poster by some saints employees doing the tennis ball toss, after saying what was likely the mystery number next to the uniform number retired tonight. george tsamis, longtime manager of the independent club version of the saints, had his number 22 retired and he threw out the first ball. i said the other number was likely wayne terwilliger, as there is a giveaway honoring him as well, a 'shirsey'- a shirt jersey- on friday. i was familiar with how 'twig' had played for the earlier version of the saints-one season in 1952 according to wikipedia- then later coached for the twins and 'independent' saints. he had just died, in february. the saints lost to louisville 1-0, the only run was scored in the 2nd. i recall seeing mention of retiring larry doby's number at one point, who played for the cleveland indians, at the time owned by bill veeck, father of saints boss mike veeck. but no mention was found on wikipedia of any retired numbers there so doby's number might have been 'un-retired' when the saints were upgraded to triple-A this season. no surprise how the game didn't start on time due to the ceremony, i have seen this happen at sporting events before. it included a raising of the championship banner. the sky looked ominous late in the game, as there was some lightning off in the distance beyond the outfield wall. but there was no weather delay, they got the game in although the stadium announcer did make mention of 'someone using flash photography'. it rained on my drive home from the game, moving through the area quickly. it was 2-dollar beer night, for northlake beer. the line was long for a while but i got one in the 7th inning, when the line was much shorter. i had just walked away with a bag of peanuts thrown from the press box during the 7th-inning stretch.  

during my walks i found 11 cents. i did not see any 'big bang theory' reruns due to attending the game. i was tired and briefly was at home before heading to the game. at work there was the meeting with my boss for the mid-year evaluation. the team huddle didn't happen. i made mention of waiting for parts on the copier, and having to move printing of UPS labels to the check printer. on the olympic front, the american baseball team beat south korea to reach the gold medal game, and will play japan. the men's basketball team will play france in the gold medal game. 

park msp slips

 while i was out on an evening walk i saw all of these 'park MSP' slips on the grass next to a bus stop. some were red, some blue. i picked up a red one to remind me of what i had seen. i would have snapped a photo of it but there was a man at the bus stop so i decided not to do that. during this walk i found 1 dollar 60 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard gets surgery to stop snoring. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy try to figure out what a wedding gift is. i called my dad in the evening to say i would be in the area soon. i spoke of seeing a car show recently and it prompted me to ask the family story about a car he had often spoke of. at work there was a team huddle, it had been moved back a day. i was asked about the maintenance kit. after calling the help desk again, and having them hang up on me again, i decided to copy my boss on the response to the technician. it led to finding out how the order was canceled and then another order was made. but it is ridiculous to be waiting nearly 3 weeks for it. the copier jammed again this morning, so no choice but to wait for the parts. i got duplicate checks from nearly 2 weeks ago voided and sent to the shredder in the morning, nice to have it crossed off my list. also got a look at envelopes set aside, as some were partially sealed and jamming the machine. i liked how i was able to go through them individually and most of them can still be used. it was hard to tell at first, but i just needed time to go through it. and i hate wasting supplies so i wanted to avoid sending things to the shred bin if at all possible. on the olympic front, the USA men's basketball team is playing australia in the semifinals. looks like the game just ended and the USA won, advancing to the gold medal game. 

donation bin gone

 i noticed that a clothing donation bin near my home was gone when i was driving home from work. there had been plenty of items left outside of it, guess it was more trouble than it was worth to have it. this was at the edge of a gas station parking lot, close to the street. at work i had a technician look at the copier as it kept jamming like an accordion. i called mid-morning and they arrived near the end of the day. parts are needed but it is functional again. sounds like they will be back on friday or monday when the parts arrive. a big envelope order arrived, more than what was ordered for that business line. when i picked up a small envelope order i was asked if i was all right. i said i was just putting a box on a cart, sounded worse than it really was. in the evening i went on a walk and found 55 cents. so now i have reached the next save-up goal, 5 dollars, some beer money for the weekend. there is one beer waiting, a schell's, after having the paulaner as part of the evening meal last night. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends had a prom, and it had just as much drama as a real one. it was followed by the one where the fowlers, amy's parents, feud and the friends try to broker peace. sheldon holds two hot dogs as well. i found the time to watch these two reruns, at least parts of them, while national night out was happening nearby. once i found out what the first episode was, i got out there as i knew it would be ending within the hour. i had two hot dogs, two bags of chips, a cookie, and some lemonade. the chips were cheetos, and the other was lay's sour cream and onion. there were no plates, so it meant being more careful on bringing the hot dog over to a table to eat them. there was a puppet show for the kids, and after the show ended the kids went to the bounce castle. on the olympic front, the USA men's basketball team beat spain to reach the semifinals. the women's basketball team beat australia to reach the semifinals. and the USA baseball team beat the dominican republic to reach the semifinals. 

archival video recording

 i get emails from the minnesota fringe festival due to ushering in previous years in order to get free tickets. this year's festival starts this week, and i got a look at the show schedule. i did not watch any shows last year after it went virtual. it appears most shows this year are virtual. there were just two shows of interest to me, and i was able to find one of them on youtube, as an 'archival video recording', so i watched it tonight. it was 'music box', about a love triangle in st. louis in 1929. there was plenty of singing in it. the story is also about a young man who would hear stories from his grandfather, who would play a music box. the man is offered a job as a newspaper columnist, and this is where the love triangle happens. he falls for the love interest of his boss. like most fringe shows, it was a small cast. i think this will be it on fringe shows for me for the year. as a performer i am used to getting in free, either due to performing myself or knowing one of the performers. so it is hard for me to pay to get into a show for this reason. 

at work i postponed lunch a few more minutes as my boss called me wanting to know about the maintenance kit. it still hasn't arrived yet and when i called the help desk there was mention of a cell phone number of the technician and then i lost the call. i also completed another big check file, doing the second half in the morning. and i am caught up again on getting returned checks forwarded, but still don't have inter-office envelopes after asking for them late last week. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 18 cents. during this walk i saw a domestic dispute, but i decided to ignore it and keep walking, let them figure it out on their own. there was pushing and shoving, and name calling. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when billy bob thornton guest starred as a doctor to the stars, and has a big game room for the friends. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy were married. i like this one because penny said 'park it' to amy's mom after the mom said she wanted to take amy out of the situation when the ceremony was delayed. it was revealed that the delay was due to the couple doing science, penny found them. on the olympic front, the USA baseball team lost to japan, the USA men's basketball team is playing spain in the quarterfinals. 

space jam movie, lebron james

 this afternoon i went to see the movie 'space jam' in eagan. i had a free code to use from watching 'big bang theory' reruns. not many were in the theater, i was the only one when the previews began and then two others showed up. it was nice seeing them cover iconic movie characters in it, named or otherwise. i had seen the original one at the saints stadium in 2017. it was campy at times, making fun of itself with things like the mention of sports stars doing movies usually doesn't go well. besides the original, there aren't many others to compare it with, i can only think of 'roger rabbit'. i kind of expected the good guys to win, although it is still fun to see 'the thrill of the chase' and how they counter the moves of the villain. not normally the kind of movie i go see, as i don't see that many animated movies, but it still was a fun 2 hours for me. i made a note of the posters for upcoming movies inside the theater, including 'james bond', 'ghostbusters', and the bio-pic about musician aretha franklin. as i was leaving i saw a tub of popcorn partially spilled on the pavement, i ended up claiming what was still in the tub as i like eating popcorn. it is tough to see food go to waste. 

for much of the morning and afternoon before departing for the movie, i was doing research online. it led to me making some more travel reservations. i also listened to the twins-cardinals baseball game on the radio, cardinals won to take the series 2-1. yadier molina is a beast, as in this game he moved past albert pujols into fourth place on the all-time list for base hits as a cardinal. of course this was aided by pujols leaving for another team. there's something to be said for longevity. i also called my college roommate after having the evening meal, and found out he will be out of town when i will be visiting des moines later this month. bummer. but i said there is still an invite to come see a vikings game. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 12 cents. 

out of death movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'out of death'. i recognized bruce willis in it. it is the story of someone who witnesses a corrupt cop shooting a drug dealer, and bruce's character helps the witness. the opening scene is replicated later on. it is told as a series of chapters, 5 in all. i like seeing bruce willis in it, but much of the story is far-fetched. as always, thankful i don't pay that much when it is a redbox rental, under two dollars. the setting of the movie is georgia, although in the closing credits there is a 'state seal' for puerto rico. 

this was an active day. first stop this morning was canadian days in little canada, for the pancake breakfast. the ragtime band played plenty of familiar standards, including 'wonderful world' by louis armstrong, a song also played the band that appeared the night before. no bagpipe band this year, guess the border with canada is still closed due to the pandemic. the replacement was a 'demo' by the sheriff department, of their police dog. not that great, although i noticed how the dog was well-trained as it wasn't fazed at all by another dog that was going crazy. then i left and went to the post office, two items-both postcards- to pick up from my box. then i went home and watched the movie. by then it was time for lunch, and i got a ham and cheese sandwich and ice cream on a stick from the holiday gas station after i dumped the movie. after lunch i made it back to canadian days, to see the car show and the 'raptor center'. some cars were starting to leave when i arrived for the car show, even though there was an hour left in it. but i was in no way disappointed by how many cars were still there. even saw an REO car, i knew the band got its name from this car. but i don't think i had seen this kind of car before. then it was on to the bird show, on a stage in the back of the park. it was advertised as 'see a bald eagle', and there was one, but there was also a falcon and an owl. i kept saying 'WORTH IT!' as i was leaving this event as it is rare to hear about a bird sanctuary. it is administered by the university of minnesota. when i got home it was time to get groceries at aldi, and part of my order was some olympic-themed oreo cookies. 

in the evening i went to the st. paul saints baseball game. saints lost to indianapolis 6-5, but still fun to get out to the stadium. saints are still wacky, having llamas as part of their 'anything on a leash' theme for the night. there was also the 'only in MN' sculpture from 'explore MN' just beyond the outfield wall. i had seen it before as part of the jesse james festival in northfield. during my walks for the day i found 1 dollar 46 cents, so i have reached the next save-up goal of a can of beer. the most recent save-up goal was actually re-deployed to what i had as the evening meal on friday, as i wanted some 'walking around money' at the festival. with all of those food vendors there i figured there would be something of interest to me, and i was correct. on the olympic front, it appears that the USA baseball team beat south korea, so they have won both of their preliminary games. the USA men's basketball team beat the czech republic in their final preliminary game, so they finished 2-1 in this round and have advanced to the quarterfinals. their next opponent is still to be determined.