poker face movie

 i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'poker face' in the afternoon. i recognized russell crowe. it was only minimally about a poker game between longtime friends. what made it a thriller was who showed up after the game began. when there is talk of bluffing, guess the lessons learned from playing cards can apply to other things. but it seemed slow before the poker game began. i was aware of how crowe was involved with the movie in other ways besides just acting. some of the songs in the credits say 'written by crowe'. plenty of artwork in it, the credits did say it was filmed at an art gallery in sydney, australia. it was all right, a free rental for me as i had enough points from previous rentals. 

normally i watch the movie in the morning, but i saw when the music city bowl would be starting, 11am on ABC, and said i needed to get other things done first. it meant going to the post office, two orders picked up. and i went to barnes and noble in eagan and got a national geographic edition with world war two maps, as well as a charlie brown calendar. i made it back just before the start of the game. iowa beat kentucky 21-0, all points scored in the first half. two of the three TDs were on a 'pick 6'. one was from close range. this is my favorite play in football. i started the movie shortly after the game ended. then it was on to errand running after the movie. there was the weekly visit to aldi for groceries. then i went to the gas station and dumped the movie. after that i went to target and got some chocolate milk, they were out of egg nog but i knew it was nearing the end of the season for that drink. also got some jif peanut butter, 'jif to go', in an 8-pack. during my walks i found 26 cents. hard to say what i will do for new years eve, although i did hear of a show on NBC with sia, as well as dolly parton, performing.

magnum ice cream

 when i was at hy-vee in eagan tonight i made a nice find in the ice cream aisle. it was a 3-pack of bars by magnum. it is a 'chocolate duet' i chose, vanilla ice cream with a raspberry swirl, dipped in white chocolate and milk chocolate. it tasted good, hadn't seen it before. it is made by unilever, which i have heard of before- the food and soap company. before i went to the grocery part i went to their liquor store and got a can of schell's so now there are 3 beers waiting. at work it was a light volume day, easier to get caught up on things. heard from a colleague, asking of there were any checks for her in the i-pay file at midday, there was not. it was in the second run late in the day, so those will be set aside until the next business day. i had the performance evaluation with my boss in the early afternoon, who tried to move it up a little but i had just printed the updated form and hadn't read it yet. so it was still done at the scheduled time, and i moved up having my lunch. sounds like i might finally be doing job shadowing in the new year, hard to do when 'return to office' has been on a limited basis for my colleagues. i found discounted christmas candy for four straight days at walgreen locations, but not today. went to a CVS and didn't see anything there, but i have plenty for a while. there is some little debbie brownies as well. in the evening i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny and bernadette meet anu, and we meet sheldon's friend tam. it was followed by a new year's eve episode, where the friends win best costume with their 'justice league' theme that includes zach as superman. i got a letter typed up for my aunt and will send the card the next day, my eighth of the season.

wednesday dance

 i don't have netflix, but i heard about another netflix phenomenon due to mason city's facebook posting. i knew it was another case of a show making an old song popular again, as it was called a 'kate bush moment'. i actually found more than just the 'wednesday dance' to the song 'goo goo muck' by the cramps. i also found lady gaga doing the same dance, to her song 'bloody mary'. i bought a kate bush greatest hits CD when one of her songs became popular again. it remains to be seen if i am buying this band's CD as well. at work i was going through old emails and responded to one of them, as there was mention of what was needed to move out the inactive check printer. i said the installation was completed a week earlier, and the newer one is running fine. probably more waiting for the printer to get picked up. my boss moved back the meeting to discuss my performance evaluation, by one day. i knocked down the check backlog, now it is just under three hundred. and i sent up the refund check file to another floor, it hadn't been done for a few weeks. when i was walking through the branch, checking for deliveries near the end of the day, i heard part of 'bad blood' by taylor swift. it made me pause a little, much like earlier in the week when i heard 'run around' by blues traveler when at the mall. in the evening i drank the bottle of beck's with my meal so now there are 2 beers waiting. during my walks i found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy said 'what the hell' to penny, about penny saying she wasn't having kids. it was followed by the one where howard said 'i choose you' to bernadette after bernie said 'her or me', as howard's mom made it complicated.

morning donut

 early in the workday my boss arrived and asked if i wanted a donut from hy-vee. i said i wasn't too picky and would choose from what was available. i was given a sugary glazed donut in a little bag when he returned. since it was the first day back after 4 days off, it took a little while to get caught up on things. there was some mail left behind in the mailroom and i needed to use a scissors to cut off the zip tie from the previous day's tub. i was told a tech was there to work on the envelope stuffer. and there was a meeting invite for my performance evaluation that will be on thursday. once caught up i sent a christmas card to the nearby post office, for my late classmate's wife and son in des moines. after lunch i went to walgreen and got some discounted christmas candy. much like earlier visits most of what i chose was discounted but not all. from the fargo files there is two stacks of checks to run through, as those files arrived later than typical. in the evening i watched a celebrity edition of 'jeopardy' on ABC, 'the conners' wasn't on. it was on for a full hour, so three rounds before the final one, where the answer was eiffel tower, at one point the world's tallest building. still not a big fan of celebrity editions of game shows when they are guaranteed a certain amount for their charity, and the contestants are more likely to goof off. and i watched part of the holiday bowl on Fox, oregon rallied to beat north carolina. i had attended the 2006 edition of this bowl. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 3 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy went on a scavenger hunt about a re-gifted wedding gift. it was followed by the one where penny told her friends to take their sheldon back after he tried to sabotage their work on an app.

bubba gump smashed penny

 i accomplished plenty on my day off. it meant going to mall of america in the early afternoon. i wanted some cookies from the nestle place, which is next to the dairy queen i've been to before. hopefully i will get some airline miles from the visit. then it was on to bubba gump. still haven't eaten there but i noticed there was a smashed penny machine just outside the souvenir shop. so i got one. i have seen the movie a few times before, and have the soundtrack. i got another idea while there, from an electronic billboard. there is a limited run louvre museum exhibit, ending in the middle of january. it is in the same general area of the mall as the sistine chapel and failure museum exhibits. after going to the mall i went to a walgreen and got some more discounted christmas candy, although a smaller amount compared to the previous day. before the mall i went to mail a card at the post office, and later in the day i saw how i got my fifth card of the season. for lunch i went to buca di beppo, and saw by email right away how i am getting miles from this visit. i had a meatball sandwich and fries. i liked looking around at the pictures on the walls there. notable to me was a bride on her wedding day kicking a soccer ball, and another that spoke of a clown, as it reminded me of the song 'tears of a clown'. i contacted hotels dot-com customer service, and they finally added the 2 days from my des moines visit in september. so now i am over the hump and have the free night in my account. in the evening i listened to the dolly parton greatest hits CD, a recent purchase. later on i went on a walk and found 79 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard said amy's dad is a 'mousey little man' while sheldon throws away hot dogs as sheldon and amy are on their honeymoon in new york city. it was followed by the one where amy keeps saying 'hoo' when she sees penny's ex, zach.

chocolate advent calendar

 in the early afternoon i made my first stop at a walgreen to find discounted christmas candy. i bought 11 items, one of them was a chocolate advent calendar. i ate it all shortly after getting home, as the 24 pieces were all small. rudolph, santa, and an elf are on the front. as expected, i got plenty of reese's peanut butter as well. one of them was seven minis inside of a plastic cane. i will likely get to some other walgreen locations in the next few days, as the saying goes, 'selection varies by store'. i made it back to see 'jeopardy', and the final jeopardy clue was about a netflix series i hadn't heard of, because i don't have netflix, 'grace and frankie' if i am not mistaken. i got a decent amount of things done, such as sending off a letter to the editor i had written late last week. and i watched a cardinals video on youtube i had heard about by being on their email list, called 'last inning', about the final season for albert pujols and yadier molina. besides hall of famer ozzie smith serving as presenter, there were stories shared by famous st. louis natives, jon hamm, jenna fischer, and john goodman. it prompted me to order a book about the 1980s cardinals, from e-bay. another order i placed was on amazon, for the french movie 'happening', on DVD. 

   the next thing to order online, once these two arrive, is two eminem CDs. it would be a greatest hits edition and a movie soundtrack. i have most eminem CDs and was surprised there was a few i didn't have yet. there is a second edition of greatest hits just released this year, eventually i will have to get that one as well. because it has some new songs on it, same as the first edition. there is still more things i want to get one on my next day off, the fourth and final one. in the evening i sent a text to brawler and spoke of the passing of football player franco harris, who said the city is in mourning, had just been back to pittsburgh for the holiday. then i went to perform at an open-mic, notable was the story about acronyms and abbreviations. later on i went on a walk and found 89 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when mark hamill was a guest star as sheldon and amy got married. i liked it because penny said 'park it' to amy's mom. it was followed by the one where leonard and penny were faking it for her dad.

reddi whip, fat free

 i had two turkey dinners for christmas, and i tried whipped topping from a can this time. previously i got it in a bowl as it was easier to find in the store. i had to ask what section it was in, the refrigerated one. it's a different section than the bowls, which are usually in the frozen aisle. the can says it is reddi whip, made with real cream, fat free. i got the smaller can, 6.5 ounces. it is made by con-agra, who made both of the turkey dinners i ate- hungry man and marie callender's. it is more fun to see it spray out on top of the pie than just spooning it out of a bowl. and i already had plenty of bowls for left-overs, be it whipped topping or ice cream. i got a half pie from cub, blueberry. hard to say how i will use up the rest of the whipped topping, unless i just get more pie. it seems like a better idea than eating it plain, although i have seen people spray it straight into their mouths before. i drank the can of schell's, and the bottle of summit, with these dinners so now there are 3 beers waiting. i did do some walks throughout the day, three in all, and found 50 cents. so now i have enough for a smashed penny, an idea i got from my most recent visit to mall of america. just didn't have the proper coins to put in the slots at the time. i got some other things done as well. i did my annual viewing of 'christmas vacation' on DVD, and i think i noticed a few short scenes i hadn't before. this can happen all the time when seeing a movie that one has seen before. i also read in a book i had recently purchased, and reviewed my monthly bank statement. and i finished listening to the ken burns baseball CD, which had multiple versions of the national anthem, and 'take me out to the ball game'. as expected, i got more done because i didn't have the TV on that much. i have two more days off and there is more that i can do. it means making a list remind myself of what i'd like to get done.

musial awards

before i started watching some christmas specials on DVD i noticed what was on TV, it was the musial awards from st. louis. hadn't heard of such an event before. of course it honors stan musial, and was recorded a month earlier. i saw the tail end of it, albert pujols got the lifetime achievement award. sounds like the venue is downtown near the hockey arena, so of course not far from busch stadium as well. this is something i will try to find on my next visit. i sent a text to a friend who lives there and spoke of my findings. i watched all four specials on my list, the annual viewing of frosty, rudolph, the grinch, and charlie brown. there was bonus episodes with the first and fourth, a later version of the two. with the former it had john goodman playing frosty, and the latter it had the hallelujah chorus from handel's messiah. was trying to find 'yule log' but was unsuccessful. in the morning there was shopping to do. i did some searching online in advance, wanting to know when all the stores would be closing early for the holiday. i went to aldi first, usually it is not the first stop. then i went to cub foods, hy-vee, and target. i had hoped to stop at just the first two but i wanted some more egg nog and cub was out. so was hy-vee, but i still got 2 items at there. besides egg nog at target i also got some hawaiian rolls. i was getting grumpy by the end of the hy-vee visit, as expected it was busy. this is why i try to go there on fridays. because holiday or otherwise, saturdays tend to have more traffic. i stayed in after going to target, as there is still a wind chill advisory in effect. the Fox-plus channel has church services on sundays so i can watch on TV. in the mail was two more christmas cards, including the one from Fox-9, saying they liked the 'peanuts' card. on the 'movies!' channel i found 'stowaway', with shirley temple. during my walks i found 65 cents. i also made it to the liquor store and got a can of michelob, and this week drank the can of pabst with dinner, so there still are 5 beers waiting.

crystal farms cheese

 i did not do much after work because it is so cold and windy. i did go to the nearby gas station and got the paper as well as some crystal farms shredded cheese. i can try getting to the grocery stores the next morning. it was a low volume day at work, no surprise there, being right before a holiday. i already knew about many people being out of the office. i confirmed with a senior leader by I.M. about monday being a bank holiday. i know a good rule of thumb is that if the branch is closed for a holiday, then so are we in the rest of the bank. now i will have 4 days off, using my last vacation day of the year. i will start up the nightly walks again when the weather gets better. i have been trying to listen to recent purchases of CDs but i usually end up falling asleep because i am tired when i start them. this includes the ken burns baseball soundtrack. i liked finding a song about christy mathewson and nap lajoie on it, then the mention of earlier famous people with the same name. no plans to rent a redbox movie this weekend, as i will do the annual viewing of some of my christmas specials on DVD. one of them, the first 'frosty', i saw on TV just after thanksgiving. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both christmas episodes, same as the previous day. it was when sheldon went to texas to help deliver his sister's baby, and the friends back in pasadena do their version of 'it's a wonderful life' and say they wouldn't have met without knowing sheldon. as usual i relate more to amy's story, because she is dour, deadpans her lines, and said she didn't have many friends in school. she cries on her birthday cupcake. it was followed by the one where leonard's mom visits and bonds with penny- they both get drunk. and she states she has left leonard's dad.

hostess baby bundts

 when i went to walgreen after lunch i did not get ice cream on a stick because it is cold outside. still got a smoothie in a bottle, and a  2-pack of hostess baby bundts. the wrapper said it is new, and 2 mini cakes with icing. apparently it is lemon drizzle. before i arrived there i went to the post office and dropped off another christmas card, my fourth. later in the afternoon an employee from another site arrived in the branch area and picked up four checks from the iowa revenue dept. i did an alpha search and found out there are five, but the last one probably hasn't been returned yet. not a big deal for me if someone else wants to take ownership of them as they had been in a box for a little while. although these sometimes are ones i re-send myself, once i am given an invoice to send along with it. as the agency tells us we don't know what it is for, as the account number is absent. in the morning i got caught up on running checks through the machine. and the tax specialist responded to an I.M. although he was listed as out of office. so there was two envelopes of checks to pick up from the lockbox. kind of funny where i wasn't sure what acronym or abbreviation was being used. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was mad at santa for a wish from years earlier. it was followed by the one where sheldon got a leonard nimoy napkin from penny.

replacement check printer

 when i get back to work after a day off, right away i noticed a big box on a pallet in the 'back room' of the shop. it was the replacement check printer. i had seen some emails about it, where the courier just left it and my boss had to figure out a way to get it to another floor. in the early afternoon a technician i had seen about the server room showed up and set it up. i had just got back from the post office, where i picked up a box of charlie brown cards. it remains to be seen how the previous one will be sent to the warehouse in ohio as there was no return label sent. about a hour into the shift i got a call from a technician about the envelope stuffer, explaining what was nearly 3k fargo checks waiting. not much was found in terms of what was wrong with the machine, no parts were replaced. i spoke of seeing a mcdonald's bag in the trash with some fries and an untouched cheeseburger. i didn't eat those but i claimed the napkins. with all of the commotion it was harder to get caught up but i liked how there is just under a thousand checks to run through. and there is some incoming mail but not a lot. after i drove home and ate the evening meal i went to the dealership to return the rental car and picked up my car from the shop. i had to improvise on snow removal, as there was no snow brush in the car. but at work i saw a snow shovel so i used it to push the snow off. during my walks i found 10 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when amy finally did a slumber party, and the dudes went to see 'indiana jones'.

dinar coin

 i stayed active on my day off, and at one stop i found a 5 dinar coin. it was from yugoslavia, dated 2000. according to wikipedia this nation ceased to exist in 2003 and is now serbia. didn't buy anything there, it was a cub foods, was looking for holiday snack cakes. i found what i was looking for at a target. first stop was the post office, both orders were there, one had just arrived that day. and i finally sent the recycle to the capitol, it was delayed 3 days. i got my car in the shop and was reading a book in the waiting room then i found out after more than an hour had passed that the wrong part arrived. it was annoying as it was my first time taking my car there. then i am told i would be called for a rental car, but 30 minutes later no one had called, so i called again an found out the employee that was to call me had quit. i got the rental car, but couldn't hide my disappointment with what had happened. it was close to midday by then so after some of the errand running i went to mall of america and ate at the a and w. and i got a bag of popcorn at another place. i made it home in time to watch 'jeopardy', where the final jeopardy clue was about the song 'here comes santa claus'. during my walks i found 1 dollar 9 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy picked out a weddiug dress. it was followed by the one where the friends did poorly when interviewed by the FBI about howard.

backyard games stamps

 when i went to send a holiday card i got a look at the stamps available. there was a sheet of backyard games stamps of interest to me. looks like the 8 games are horse shoes, petanque, frisbee, croquet, cornhole, badminton, tetherball, and baseball. after purchase i saw the display of greeting cards, and i saw a box of charlie brown cards. there was 2 small boxes, hopefully these are still there when i am back at work after a day off. it was a long day at work, due to getting just over 3k checks from the foundation to print. and the machine kept stopping. most of the foundation envelopes were used up. this business line sends checks few and far between, but when they send them it is usually a high volume. i was asked to fill a printer with stock for a test page, although the first one just printed small smiley faces across the top of the page. my boss called in the afternoon, saying i didn't enter anything on the self-evaluation. i still don't know what got missed unless it was that i added my comments in the wrong section. hard to recall when i do these evaluations on an annual basis. so i spoke of it in my set tonight when i performed. i gave a shout-out to the wild guitar player, who said he learned that willie nelson's 'on the road again' was a movie song. it was in 'honeysuckle rose'. i only recently found this out myself, in the past year or so i think, after reading about the movie in a special magazine and then buying it online. another one that got a reaction was the one about the free candy bar. later on i went on a walk and found 25 cents.

sullivan's travels movie

 in the afternoon i went to trylon micro-cinema in south minneapolis and saw the movie 'sullivan's travels' from 1941. i get emails from this place on a regular basis. i had read enough things about this one that it interested me. one of those was 'o brother where art thou', which became the name of a movie much later on. along with it being about travels. i did think of 'nickel and dimed', where the writer of the book lived among who she wanted to write about to see how tough it was to live on minimum wage. there was some comedy in it, with people falling into a swimming pool. i stayed in until i went to the movie, there was plenty of things i wanted to get done. i got a can of labatt from a nearby liquor store so now there are 5 beers waiting. i also noticed a desk left next to a dumpster, and claimed a ball as well as dominoes found inside of it. the ball was from when selig was commissioner of MLB. and when i was satisfied with being caught up on online activity it was midday. i turned on the football game, eagles-bears from chicago. i watched most of it, but had to leave early in the 4th quarter to get to the movie. bears were trailing and lost, despite 3 takeaways as they didn't get many points off turnovers. after the movie i watched a DVD of sub teacher's comedy set, a recent purchase. i am wondering if the CD will be the same set, this is likely. school bouncer was part of the intro to the video. the jokes i liked the most were about being a sub teacher and his grandma lady friend. 'the simpsons' was about a fitness trainer. later on i went on a walk and found 66 cents.

savage salvation movie, chamber orchestra

 in the afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'savage salvation'. i recognized robert de niro and john  malkovich in it. this was the story of a couple dealing with a drug addiction. when one of them dies the other goes on a shooting spree to avenge that death. the setting was the south, guessed that one even before seeing license plates on cars. one scene had a 912 area code, correctly guessed it as georgia. although the closing credits say it was filmed in puerto rico as well. in many ways it truly was a sad story. an alternate title was 'wash me in the river'. based on seeing this in multiple scenes, it made sense. watching it was delayed for various reasons. first was going to hy-vee in eagan. it was a small order, and after i got back i noticed i didn't get egg nog. i saw a warning light on the instrument panel so i took it to a shop, parts need to be ordered so i will be back at the shop in a few days. it was midday by then, so i went to a nearby arby's, hadn't eaten at one in a while. then it was home. in the early evening i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order, and they were out of orange juice. so i had two reasons to get to a target. i made it back from target in time to get on the road again to an event. first i dumped the movie at the gas station. then it was on to the ordway in downtown st. paul for a performance of 'handel's messiah'. first time i had seen the st. paul chamber orchestra perform. probably was paying more attention this time compared to last year, where i said 'so this is where the hallelujah chorus is from'. i noticed a young lady in the front row of the chorus who seemed to be frowning whenever she wasn't singing. there was clapping when the conductor and the soloists walked out on stage, this seemed appropriate. the soprano soloist really nailed the high notes. there was 3 parts, with one intermission, between parts one and two. although the conductor and soloists still briefly left between 2 and 3. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 2 cents.

apple pie nut roll

 i didn't go to hy-vee tonight due to the winter weather. i did go to the gas station as i wanted to pick up a redbox movie. while there i got the paper, chocolate milk, and a candy bar. i was going to get cashews but while waiting in line i saw a clearance section. it was a salted nut roll, apple pie flavor. it was free as the cashier said it didn't ring up, and he planned on moving out the others for this reason. i will try again in the morning on going to hy-vee, when i have more energy as well. it took longer than usual to get home after work as the snow was falling. as expected, first day back after a day off i saw some things left over. a small check file, for one thing. and i sent a message about a check to be picked up. my boss asked about the check printer, i said i only saw the emails i was copied on from the previous day. it led to me asking about vacation days, and the next two have been approved and it looks like i already know who the fill-in is for the first. i got a card from the colleague in payroll that is retiring. on the news i keep seeing on Fox-9 about sending holiday cards, i will want to get on that this weekend. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon said he was screwed, but found out how it was a ruse to be introduced to amy's mom.

nostalgia movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase, 'nostalgia'. i recognized bruce dern and ellen burstyn in it. the lead actor was jon hamm, who played a sports collectible shop owner. he is seen at work and then goes back home to help his sister clean out the house of his parents. although it started out as a story about an insurance man either appraising items or coming in after a claim was made such as a fire. i liked the character study, such as the woman who didn't want to go to assisted living. and examining the generation gap on photos. except it might be hard for me to watch more movies with jon hamm in them. because even though he is from st. louis, i had read on wikipedia how he had been arrested for fraternity hazing. by the time the movie was done, it was midday so it was time to get started on my to-do list. first stop was the post office, 3 orders to pick up. then to IKEA for lunch. i had the swedish meatball dish, and a little flag was included so i am keeping it as a souvenir of the day. on to dairy queen at mall of america, where i got a candy cane blizzard. i bought just one other item while there, a dolly parton greatest hits CD from barnes and noble. it was on my list after the recent drag brunch. next was cheapo records, but i didn't buy anything on this visit. i saw some ideas in the movie soundtrack section, but was unsure about what i already had or that category based on what i saw. it was getting time for 'jeopardy', so i went home and watched it. liked knowing i knew a daily double answer the contestant didn't know, about legionnaire's disease. i checked and found out one of those discs i already had, took pictures of them. but two others i didn't have. so after watching the news i returned and got the ken burns baseball disc, as well as 'prairie home companion'. for the latter i recall getting the actual movie on disc at another resale shop in the spring of this year. also went to target to get cheese, and winter shoes. mine were in need of replacement. used one of two gift cards from the museum survey i did. later on i went on a walk and found 39 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj finds a drone and then creeps out the owner. it was followed by the one where raj and sheldon spar over  a desk, and howard gets back together with bernadette. some famous people are trying to direct the action in the back seat during their making out. drank the can of schell's with the evening meal, so now 4 beers are waiting.

still just rain

 there was mention on the news of  'weather alert days' for tuesday and wednesday. except in the twin cities it still has been just rain. so not a big deal on getting to and from work. at work i was asked to try the check printer again that the ticket was opened on. but it still doesn't print some business lines properly. i tried 4 checks in the morning, had to re-print them to the other printer. figured it was a good idea to start small for this reason. same thing later in the day on another business line. but most checks sent there are fine, go figure. the two fargo files arrived late, saw them ready to print when i returned from lunch. in spite of this, i got all of them printed by the end of the day, nearly 3k checks. and all but just over 600 went through the machine and were sent out. so i liked how there wasn't much left over for my vacation replacement as i will have a day off. some checks for the tax specialist are on top, and i sent an email saying 'keep in loop' which mentioned it all. late in the evening, as the snow was starting to fall, i went on a walk and found 81 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bill gates was a guest star. it was followed by the one where sheldon's mom is called after sheldon and amy break up, because sheldon gets plenty of cats. 'the conners' was a rerun.

an early meeting

 there was an early morning meeting at work about the fargo files. i missed it because i was running late and it was scheduled at the last minute. my boss briefed me when i arrived. if it was like many other meetings it would have been hard to find the part that pertained to me. often there is a lot of technical terms related to other departments such as fargo themselves, or I.T. this confusion still existed on the I.M. thread, hard to tell when the second file would be ready after i said the first had been printed. when i had a donut just before midday i spoke with a payroll employee that is retiring soon. i said i have a day off when her retirement luncheon is happening. in the afternoon i was asked to cancel a check order. i found out it was already approved to print, i said i could print them and not send them out. it was 2 checks, both were for less than a dollar. the news showed the grinch being arrested. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy got a wedding venue, but it meant making a horrible deal with kripke. it was followed by the one where sheldon uses a virtual presence device.

do not feed zombies

 i went to perform tonight and i was advised to take a later slot in the lineup due to a performer i rarely see. i asked if it was the guy in the shirt that said 'do not feed the zombies', and it was. they wanted somebody uplifting to follow him as he can be a downer apparently. he did talk about famous women he didn't like, one of them a politician. before i went on i was told by the show runner that he swapped our spots, so i went on a little earlier, number 7 instead of 10. i prefer to go early, so i was fine with that. i don't stay for the entire show too often as i can get tired, but i stay as long as i can. i gave a shout out to the wild guitar player as we spoke before the show and said i go to an early screening of a movie on super bowl sunday. i made mention of how the whitney houston bio-pic is finally getting released, and he decided to do 'want to dance with somebody' as his second song. show runner liked mention of the redbox rental due to the director. another one that got reaction was the weird things i saw at the grocery store. at work the 2 fargo files, the largest of the day, were not there. volume was low enough that all of the mail fit in just one tub, which doesn't happen too often. in the morning i bought 3 small bags of peanuts from the vending machine, will have one a day until they are gone. in the evening after the show i went on a walk and found 33 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and bernadette had their second child. it was followed by the one where penny is the chaperone on sheldon and amy's date. howard is a pervert with the robot arm.

running from my roots movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from a dollar tree, 'running from my roots'. it was billed as a 'country star is born', not sure why unless it was released the same year. i did not recognize many of the actors in it, just neal mccoy, who performs early in the movie. had seen neal in concert many years ago. i did look up the names of some cast members, deana carter- and dallas lovato. deana is the daughter of fred jr., both singers. she played the main character's mom. dallas is the sister of singer demi lovato, she played the young lady who was interested in the small town preacher. the story is about a country singer who tries to go to a bar incognito but is recognized, then it is all over the tabloids, then she decides to leave nashville and go back to her hometown- a small town in texas. the manager, an ex-fiancee, is somebody that you are not supposed to like. one line was that 'your stupid footloose of a town takes care of itself'. the movie does have a decent amount of music in it, most of the songs were ones i hadn't heard before. i like movies with plenty of music, although the story was a little predictable. it was hard to find much about it online, it was released in 2018 but hard to tell if it was at theaters. i did get some other things done throughout the day, such as listen to two more CDs. both were music CDs, the soundtrack to the movie 'top gun maverick' and the greatest hits of loretta lynn, both recent purchases. so now there are two recent purchases of discs i haven't watched or listened to yet. i performed at an open-mic in the evening, thankful to see cul-de-sac there. part of my set was about beer soap and riding a coin-operated horse. sadly one comic didn't know how to leave the stage gracefully, even after being clapped off twice. during my walks i found 95 cents.

munsters movie, glow holiday festival

 in the morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'munsters'. when i first saw the disc i wondered what i was getting into even though it was listed as a comedy because it said it was a rob zombie film. since that is the front-man for a heavy metal band. but the movie was good, although i didn't like the idiot brother who must have been the stand-in for the character played by butch patrick in the TV show version. (the munsters have no kids in this version) i got it where they had borrowed from previous macabre stories such as having a raven in it, as in poe's raven. along with the count being like dracula, herman being like frankenstein. even liked the clips from the abbott and costello movie in it. as a comic i had to laugh when the news reported the deaths of two brothers that were very different, one a scientist and the other a comic, and the comic was considered to be an idiot. especially when the comic did a lot of bad jokes. i did not recognize any of the actors in it, but i didn't mind, as sometimes i care more about the story than knowing who the actors are. 

after the movie was done i needed to get going. there were no orders to pick up at the post office. after dumping the movie at the gas station i had lunch at the cane's chicken in eagan. i liked seeing the 'christmas vacation' movie theme and it was why i made another visit. i got some pictures of the displays, such as the cardboard cutout of clark griswold. after i got home i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order, and listened to a comedy CD that had been ordered from the label. it was by the bearded comic from fargo. the jokes about going to mcdonald's were good. in the evening i had to get going again. first was to union depot in downtown st. paul, for the euro-market. i walked around for about 30 minutes and then i left, it was too crowded for me. then it was on to the saints stadium nearby for the glow holiday festival. i enjoyed this a lot more, and i have done non-baseball events there before. noticed a mural was covered up with a tarp with a holiday theme, saw this as appropriate. what i also found appropriate was seeing a ball of lights with the saints logo on it, as it was at their venue after all. went around the concourse level twice, and the field level once. i did the slide, in many ways making up for not doing the slide at the state fairgrounds this year. i went down backwards. there were light displays in the dugouts and on the field. not every concession stand was open, but most were. i got some apple cider. also got a selfie photo with santa. during my walks i found 51 cents. on facebook i saw the wisconsin lady share more about being on the fallon show, i watched the set on friday.

duke cannon beer soap

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight for my weekly grocery order. the weirdest thing i saw was going to be the box from elf on a shelf, where one could adopt an elf. but then i saw beer soap from duke cannon. of course that was going to catch my eye. the display also said 'grooming goods for hard-working men' and 'benefits U.S. veterans'. there was budweiser and busch, online i saw lone star beer. next to the soap was a shaving kit. what i did get was 2 boxes of little debbie brownies, christmas theme and snowflake. there are three more kinds of holiday-themed snack cakes in that display that i don't have yet. i was waiting to buy those when i wanted to finish up the halloween candy first. along with the oreo cookies, but now all that is left is the oreos. at work there was some things left over from my day off, kind of expected that. a box of envelopes were in the mailroom on the counter, so i got out a cart and moved them into the shop right away. the boss asked at the dial-in team huddle about the ticket on the check printer, i said there was an email thread so this got forwarded. it took a little while to get caught up on things such as emails, but i was by midday. it was a light volume on overnight packages, aided by the account closure department sending much less than typical. vacation day requests are still pending, the boss alluded to that at the dial-in meeting. wanting to see there is enough coverage everywhere. just two days for me are pending. later on i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 45 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy was on the professor proton show. it was followed by the one where we first meet amy, as sheldon is blackmailed by a dirty sock.

riding gustav

 i am thankful i did more than just mundane errand running on my day off. i also made it to the american swedish institute in minneapolis, co-opting an idea from meetup. i had toured it before, but it was years ago. when i got to the highest floor of the mansion, one room had a coin-operated kiddie horse called gustav. it looked like the 'dala horse'. at first i passed on riding it, but it said there were free rides so i got on it. another patron asked if there was a weight limit, but there was no mention of one. and they found the button for me. i spoke of how i didn't get to the circus until i was 28, my parents wouldn't take me and didn't say why. the music played reminded me of what is played on an ice cream truck. before i did the tour i went to the cafe and had some apple cider and a scone. the server added some whipped cream to the cider. i looked at the gift shop after the tour but there was nothing of interest to me. for one thing, i already have plenty of christmas tree ornaments. this was in the afternoon, when free admission was available. i saw a car crash on lake street as i was waiting to turn left, one of the cars likely ran the light. when i got home i watched part of 'jeopardy', and was pleased to know the final jeopardy clue when the contestants didn't. same name, it was manhattan. a cocktail drink, an island, a world war 2 project. in the morning i started with some online orders. one of them was the music city bowl game button, the bowl game the iowa hawkeyes will be playing in. i got it from e-bay again, wouldn't have saved much by getting it through another store. and i ordered 'boogie nights' from amazon, co-opting an idea from a micro-cinema. i know it has the same director as 'licorice pizza'. this was the last of the gift card from the car purchase in june, then it was on the road, first stop the post office. two orders were ready to be picked up, including the delayed one. i printed a ticket at the copy store, and got a loretta lynn CD at cheapo records. line was too long at cub foods for the customer service counter, but still got some milk and cereal there. DVD was too high at target, still got some cheese and cereal there. so now i have 2 boxes of 'elf on a shelf' cereal. i went home and had lunch, then went to spire credit union in eagan and got the winter carnival button. this was why i tried cub foods first. it was considered to be a donation through my savings account. i tried going to the holiday market  at the former schmidt brewery, but there was not a lot of activity there. i walked through it twice and then i left. was it because it was a thursday? i don't know. a sign said santa will appear on sunday. later on i went on a walk and found 41 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj met the estranged husband of a lady he met at his planetarium gig. it was followed by the one where leonard tells the story of why the elevator is broken. 'young sheldon' was a good one as usual. mee-maw spars with the preacher over movies. drank the bottle of famosa with the evening meal so now 5 beers are waiting.

another printer ticket

 i sent check copies by email to my boss and to I.T. as the checks were printing improperly to one printer and i had to re-print them to the other. it led to 2 meetings in the afternoon, so of course this left me behind a little on my work. i knew i had to say something when i was going to have a day off soon. it meant calling another ticket for the check printer. i decided to get something different with the change i am finding, this time it was peanuts. since i already have plenty of little chip bags or beer at home. when i take kind of a late lunch then having some peanuts before midday works well. there was a check to be sent inter-office but i got no contact name or mail code, so i overnighted it even though it is in the same metro area. i don't hold onto checks for long, and there was no response from customer service as well. i requested 2 more vacation days, just waiting to hear if they are approved. in the evening i went on a walk and found 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny said to sheldon that he had a 'rebound science' in dark matter. it was followed by the one where 'dr. slut-bunny' arrives to visit sheldon. 'the conners' had louise's mom visit, played by jane curtin. 

chunky monkey popcorn?

 near the end of the workday i picked up plenty of boxes from the branch. most were envelopes, one was a smaller box and from chunky monkey if i am not mistaken. i let a colleague know it had arrived and it was picked up from the shop shortly thereafter. she said it was popcorn and the company thinks she orders this for the bank. guess it is the time of year when we see plenty of snack foods and candy as gifts. the big envelope order arrived before midday, the courier said their company does not allow time off during the final two weeks of the year. i got the idea to see a performance of 'handel's messiah', and bought a ticket but i am seeing a different organization perform it this time- the st. paul chamber orchestra. in a charlie brown special, 'christmastime again', there is a performance of it. as i recall this is the one with the famous 'hallelujah chorus'. i think this will be the first time i see this orchestra perform. there weren't many low-tier tickets left, so i am thankful i got it when i did. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny said to amy 'you are an idiot' about wedding planning and amy came running and called her 'bestie!' and they hug. this one made me laugh a lot. it was followed by the one where sheldon is chased by a dog and gives up most of the hot dogs he had for dinner with penny. then leonard and penny watch sheldon sleep after penny takes sheldon to disneyland. 'monarch' was the season finale. and somehow it finds ways to top their own storylines from previous episodes in this prime time soap opera- plenty of twists and turns and double crossing. liked hearing 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'- the sisters do this one. 

johnny cash documentary

 in the evening i went to see the johnny cash documentary movie in eagan. sounds like this is part of an 'american icon' series of movies. it was the first of three nights in theaters. some of what was covered about the man was sobering to say the least. and it sounded like what may not have been mentioned before in other media such as the special magazine i had bought. such as canceled concerts, one of them being at the KRNT theater in des moines, iowa, my native state. i liked seeing interviews with various people in it, one of them being his sister. as well as fellow performers such as sheryl crow, alice cooper, and john schneider. and there were plenty of johnny's interviews, with larry king as well as with MTV. sounds like the latter was his last interview. of course a documentary about a musician would be nothing without music, and there was a decent number of songs in it, including 'ring of fire' and 'hurt'. some of the story was covered in the bio-pic, 'walk the line', but not once was this movie mentioned in the documentary. but i am aware of how a 'bio-pic' and 'documentary' are decidedly different, and the latter will cover more of the subject's life. i had often heard of billy graham crusades at big stadiums but don't think i had seen one, so i was not aware of how johnny made appearances at them. another one of the interviewees was franklin graham, billy's son. thankful i saw this movie, as i am not sure how else i would have. sounds like one i can't count on finding at redbox. at work the shipment of check stock arrived before midday, most of it but a small amount is on backorder. and i was asked a second time for a tracking number for a check. this time i sent a check copy, proving there was no request on it to overnight it. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when professor proton was re-cast, wil wheaton got the role, and we see bob newhart guest star. then it was on to the movie, and i got my apple cider, a can of it, at the trader joe's before the movie, along with some english toffee.

tale of 2 guns movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'tale of 2 guns'. i recognized tom berenger in it. this is a western. berenger is a marshal that is wounded and finds a deputy to search for a wanted man. a lot of familiar things from western movies are in it, such as gambling in a saloon, and shootings. though a few things didn't make sense to me. such as the wanted man would empty the bullets from his pistol, was it that he didn't want to shoot a lawman? and how he was able to shoot somebody after being handcuffed. it did have the feeling of a b-movie when he credits list the cast members but don't say what role they played. guess that danny trejo is in it, but in a small role. once the movie was done it was midday, so it was time to have lunch. i had a turkey pot pie, and while I watched the movie i finished the cheese curds. then i had to get on the road. first thing was to dump the movie at the gas station, where i also got gas and went to the ATM. on to cub foods, where i looked for a greeting card i had seen when there to get thanksgiving dinner. it wasn't there, so when i got home i ordered it from e-bay. i didn't leave empty-handed, as there was a 'big bang theory' card that i liked. next stop was the german american institute on summit avenue in st. paul, there was an open house called 'christmas in germany'. i stayed for about 30 minutes, it was crowded and all 3 stations i had went to said they had run out of apple cider. i got a picture of their saint nick, who was carrying a staff. then i dropped off recycle at the capitol, then went home after getting hash browns and a donut at a gas station. and milk, so i could finally consume the 'hot chocolate bomb' i got during the halloween candy sale. it was a chocolate shell with marshmallows inside. basically one cup of hot chocolate. during my walks i found 4 dollars 10 cents. i went to the liquor store near me and got a bottle of beck's so now there are 6 beers waiting. i performed in the evening, great seeing the wisconsin couple, as well as bathtub. after the show i saw newsboy hat, who lives nearby. my greatest crowd reaction was the one about a TV commercial.

dolly parton drag brunch

 at midday i went to the dolly parton drag brunch in downtown minneapolis. it was the 5th i have attended but the 1st christmas edition. i missed one light rail train and had to wait for the next, so i wasn't at the venue when doors opened. not a big deal. i still made it before the show started. it meant i didn't have to mill around waiting to go to the upper level. it can be tough to do when the throng is in a cramped area. thankful they played more than just christmas songs, though some were played such as 'rudolph the red-nosed reindeer'. the big hits were played, notable was the dolly puppet when a performer dressed as kenny rogers did 'islands in the stream'. when they got to 'i will always love you' they told the story about how not all know that dolly wrote it. well i knew dolly wrote it! because dolly sang it at the end of the variety show she hosted, years before whitney houston sang it in a movie. nice hearing 'jolene', 'coat of many colors', and '9 to 5' as well. the outfits were brilliant, and i was amazed at how quickly a performer, the MC, did an outfit change between songs. i was able to see down the hall from my seat at the bar. it was listed as a sold-out show but there was some no-shows at the bar near me. i ate the pork belly and hash brown dish, and drank a grain belt beer, but still ate after the show was over. i walked past a walgreen, on nicollet, on the way back to the train. i got a turkey sandwich, chips, smoothie, and a twix ice cream candy bar there. i did some errand running before the show, made the time count by getting started early. went to barnes and noble in roseville, and bought the eminem special magazine, as well as a 'big bang theory' bazinga button in a little box. on to JC Penney, where i got a shirt for the office, replacing one that was torn. then the post office, where the 2 back issues of the paper were there, along with an e-bay order. the eccentric employee called me 'cowboy' when i asked if another order was there, it wasn't. so i went to e-bay and said i ordered it 3 weeks ago and it isn't here yet. hearing 'please mr. postman' on the new prague radio station after the drag brunch seemed very appropriate. i laid down and woke up in the evening, so i went right over to aldi for my weekly grocery order, as it was going to close for the night in 30 minutes. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 50 cents.

broken promises hot wheels car

 i was looking for a toy for an event this weekend and went to a nearby dollar store. when i was looking at the model cars section i liked one so much that i bought it but i am keeping it for myself. it is a broken promises hot wheels car. it is a custom hot rod. i researched the name 'broken promises' and found a website that sells mostly clothing. and there was mention of the 'collaboration' for this project. when the models were mostly young people it explains why the box the car is in says 'mod rod' as i am reminded of how 'mod squad' was the name of a TV show. a cobra head is on the front of the car, this is the logo found on their website. when i went to hy-vee in eagan in the evening i found a toy that will be donated, it is  a thomas the tank engine. there was a display of 'stocking stuffers' from fisher-price. while there i got a few other things that had been on my list. two coloring books- the grinch, and rudolph the red-nosed reindeer. as well as a snoopy and woodstock- on a rainbow- christmas tree ornament. at work it was a catch-up day, the 2k checks i didn't have time to run through from the previous day were done first. some checks to be sent to the shredder were voided. and 2 more packages for another manager- for their new employee- were sent to the delivery table. while at the dollar store- a dollar tree- i got a few more ideas on DVD purchases. since the family dollar near me closed there is nothing wrong with getting a look at what other stores have. guess those 2 are owned by the same company, but the looks of those stores are decidedly different. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj met a lady after doing his planetarium gig and penny said 'decaf, genius'. it was followed by the one where sheldon gets an award and gets drunk before his speech.

tax specialist arrived

 around midday a branch employee brought over the tax specialist. first time we had met and i have been with the bank for 2.5 years now. it was alarming as to why. i am told the courier couldn't be reached. so out of business or didn't pay the phone bill. it meant getting an envelope from the previous day out of the lockbox. i am told that more of them will be going to the office and not home, something about return to office 3 days a week in that department. there was a resolution to the checks from the previous day, 3 more printed and these had a physical address on it so i am able to overnight those. it meant the ones from the previous day will go to the shredder. i heard from yemen native, who had sent me a quiz. in the evening i went on a walk and found 85 cents. i drank the can of michelob with the evening meal so now 5 beers are waiting. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bitcoin was put on a flash rive. it was followed by the one where the friends did a parody of 'lord of the rings'. 'young sheldon' was a rerun, when the mom said 'i have had enough' and walked out of church. of course it resonated with me, in more ways than one. i don't attend church that often because i wasn't enjoying it. the hypocrisy that sheldon spoke of was one of the reasons why. and in other parts of my life i reached the point where i told myself it was fine to say 'i have had enough'. one must establish limits, boundaries, in their life.

certified mail?

 i had a request to send some checks by certified mail. i let them know i could overnight it by UPS. then when the checks were printed i saw a PO box address, so i had to ask for a physical address and by the end of the day there was no response. so it waits until i hear some more. after the team huddle in the morning i got started on entering vacation day requests, as i have 4 days left to use. i entered 2 and will study the schedule more before entering the other 2. i can take 1 day off a week next month. near the end of the day i brought up computer equipment that was picked up from the branch to a manager that said it was for a new employee. going through emails i got more ideas about holiday events to do, one of them is this weekend. the holiday light display was listed there. 'the conners' finally had louise appear again. she was wielding a bat in order to get an unwanted guest to leave. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the story of edison and tesla was covered. it was followed by the one where stan lee was a guest star.

unemployment insurance contribution

 there was plenty of instant messages about one check throughout the workday. it was for unemployment insurance contributions, going to wisconsin. when i printed it i saw it was categorized as interoffice, but i already had the over-ride request to overnight it. seemed odd having to explain the process. most checks from this file i understand are urgent, it is why they go to that file. and when the questions started it sounded like the check wasn't approved yet. so i calmly stated what i do, how i send the overnight envelopes to the box just once a day. and it rolled over to the second file drop, only three across the two files for the day. during my walks i found 10 cents. after work i went to the nearby liquor store and got a bottle of summit so there are now 6 beers waiting. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when 'almost paradise' was played twice. it was followed by the one about who leonard takes with him to switzerland on valentines day. 'monarch' continues to have storylines that remind me of a soap opera, such as the vote to sell the record label.

ordering back issues

 i got the idea a little late about getting the saturday edition of the paper as i found out there were tributes to 'charlie brown and snoopy' creator charles schulz in it. the museum in santa rosa displayed 102 of these tributes on their website, some of the comics i had never heard of. but it is all about what is in the local paper. and i am aware of how the two papers in this area don't have much overlap on their comics pages. so i called the customer service line for the minneapolis paper and later on got a response to my voicemail. it said i can order back issues for up to a month on their website. when i got home in the evening i did. i was wondering about how to order the same day of the st. paul paper, and i was able to order it online as well. it was a little different, up to a year, and i could use paypal as the method of payment. both will go to my post office box, much like my e-bay and amazon orders. i found articles from the associated press, national public radio, and washington post about the tribute and printed them. at work it was still a fairly low volume day, although it was nice to get some checks printed that had been awaiting approval for days. i guess the approver had taken an extended holiday. some mail was taken across the street to the church, i don't have to do this but i do anyway as it wards off getting it back eventually. i performed at the open-mic in the evening, i spoke of how i spent the turkey day holiday. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 8 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when there was a 'bounce house' at a birthday party. it was followed by sheldon in a 'ball pit' and leonard having a 'joker' ring tone.

prune pudding?

 i went to do laundry just before midday and notice the elvis presley bag full of mostly baby food was still there. i got a picture of it this time. i got another look at what was inside and noticed there was some pudding cups labeled as prunes, and i didn't claim anything this time. once i was done i went home and the game i wanted to see was in the 2nd quarter, bears-jets, the bears lost. i laid down for a while after the game ended, and then i did my annual viewing of the turkey day movie 'planes trains and automobiles'. unsure if i noticed anything different this time when seeing it when i have seen it many times before. but i still like watching it as i like road movies. 'the simpsons' was about lisa and nelson in the future, had to laugh when the church sign spoke of 'runaway bride insurance'. there was one scene with four presidents in it, one of them being grover cleveland. the show is known for social commentary, so that scene likely was commentary in some form. later on i called my dad, but as usual it was a challenge because of trying to avoid subjects that annoy me is exhausting. we both spoke about how we spent our thanksgiving holiday. during my walks i found 2 dollars 9 cents.

top gun maverick movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'top gun maverick'. i recognized tom cruise, val kilmer, and ed harris in it. even though this movie was just over 2 hours, it didn't seem that long. the action sequences were good. i had to laugh when one aviator was fine with 'bob' as his call sign. when not many actors from the 1986 version were in this one, it felt just as much like a remake as it did a sequel. there were some callbacks to the original, but not a lot. this felt like a decidedly different movie to me. likely due to the time passing between them, as some things have changed since then like people having cell phones. thankful i saw it, a coworker said i should see it in theaters but i still like watching movies at home way more. in fact the action moved quick enough to me that i didn't even ask where lady gaga's song was, it was at the end. this was why i bought the soundtrack a little while back. the credits do say it was dedicated to tony scott, who had directed the 1986 version. i read in wikipedia how there was plans for this movie as far back as 2010, but scott's passing was one reason why it was delayed, along with the pandemic. after the movie was done i needed to get on the road. i went to the post office, one e-bay order was picked up. then i dumped the movie at the gas station and went to get lunch at popeye's chicken. i used the drive-through, not typical for me, but i was pressed for time. i drove to como park and ate in my car. then i got out and went over to the pavilion and met the group for a meetup walk. we went around the lake, and tried to enter the zoo but tickets were needed. i was getting annoyed with the event coordinator, who couldn't get his facts straight. it was why i was fine with leaving at the end of the walk and not doing more with the group. i used the bathroom and noticed he had just sat down in the cafe with a beer. i really needed to get some other things done anyway. i got some christmas cereal at target, and printed a ticket at the copy store. i got a small box of peanut butter cookies at a cheese shop near the copy store, as i found them on the list of places where i could get airline miles. then it was home, where i laid down for a while. then i got up and went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. later on i placed 2 more e-bay orders. during my walks i found 27 cents.

trader joe's stickers

 when i was getting back from walgreen i saw a strip of seven trader joe's stickers near the employee entrance. so i claimed them. after looking at them more closely i decided to keep three of them and those are now on a page that will go into a binder. these are a cooked turkey, a jar of cranberry sauce, and a pumpkin. i not only got a snack at walgreen but also a special edition of charlie brown word finds. even though it was the day after a holiday, it was still busy for a while at work. in the morning there was a file of over 2,000 checks, that is normally 200 or less. i noticed how the lion's share had a zip code starting with a 9, so mostly california i guess. and a big shipment of envelopes arrived as well, the 50k for a special project. good thing i was in the hall and saw the courier, and branch manager, so i could re-direct them. i saw the mail code and said those belong in the shop. after lunch it was kind of slow though, and this was evident with the overnight package total being just 9. i made it to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order, and got a tub of pumpkin pie ice cream. and made a note of where some holiday themed items were moved to that still interest me. i watched the original 'frosty the snowman' on TV before i got on the road to the grocery store. later on i went on a walk and found 55 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns where when penny bonded with leonard's mom. sheldon and howard went out to the desert to shoot off a rocket, then sheldon is stopped for speeding. this is one i hadn't seen before. it was followed by the one where the friends react to a break-in with getting an 'intruder alert' net. after work i went to a nearby liquor store and got a bottle of famosa beer, no now 5 beers are waiting. my one 'black friday' purchase was a ticket to the holiday light display at the saints stadium. there was a discount code i used, it took care of the taxes and ordering fees.

pudding cup and a pen

 i did some walks on this thanksgiving holiday. at the laundromat i found a pen, and a pudding cup. the latter was inside a elvis presley bag. the rest of what was in the bag didn't interest me, as it was mostly jars of baby food. during these walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both turkey day themes, no surprise there. the first was when elon musk was a guest star, the other was when sheldon had a beer with bernadette's dad. zach was invited as well, in order to sign papers to annul a las vegas marriage to penny. i was switching between the reruns and the second football game of the day, giants-cowboys, but the game was nearing the end, cowboys won. the first walk started shortly after the first game ended, bills-lions, it was also a close one and the bills won. in the morning i took out the trash, and after being online for a little while i watched the 'charlie brown thanksgiving' DVD. it was three segments- the actual special, the 'this is america' episode, and the 'making of' the special. the other annual viewing of a turkey day disc, 'planes trains and autos', can be done this weekend. i sent text messages during halftime of the first game, to my niece as well as to a classmate, both live in iowa. first time i had done so since labor day weekend. both meals were turkey, made by con-agra and found at cub foods, got pictures of both. drank a can of hamm's with the first and schell's with the second, so now 4 beers are waiting.

wheat ear pennies

 i still see wheat ear pennies from time to time, tonight i picked up one from 1940. when i went to look at the coin album and coin tin i was pleased with what was already there. looks like one of those i have is a steel penny, made during the second world war. if it is a year i already have, then it goes into the change bank. during this walk i found 29 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bernadette tricked sheldon into doing chores, like in 'tom sawyer'. it was followed by the one where sheldon has a green lantern on a double date with raj. at work it was a fairly slow day as expected, being right before a holiday. some checks were set aside at the end of the day, will wait until friday because those employees were already out of office. i still need to figure out when to use up the remaining vacation days, found out i have four instead of just three. another department was having a potluck, i had some of the food on their table on another floor. a little subway sandwich, chips. homemade carrot cake, and a cupcake from cub foods. i got another look at upcoming meetup events, and i registered for a walk this weekend. it is more appealing to me than a potluck the same day. there is a black friday ticket offer as well, but i of course must wait to use it. 'the conners' was about the entire family going out of town, on separate trips. for some it was supposed to be a honeymoon.

3 blue binders

 i saw a business line for the first time, and asked a colleague by I.M. what to do with it. i was advised to look in the blue binder near my computer, there was three of them. and it said 'return to business line'. i confirmed the contact name as current by email. it went to cincinnati by overnight delivery, 9 checks in all. also notable about the day at work was a courier calling me just before midday. i said i wasn't expecting a delivery, at least this early. as of the previous day it still said 'awaiting approval' by a senior leader. it was check stock for a big project, 25 boxes. i advised them to go to the service entry, as usual i liked how it didn't take all that long. and a check was picked up after i had put out the cart, i was finishing up overnight labels. during my walks i picked up a dollar coin. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we see 'the council of sheldons'. it was followed by the one where sheldon teaches penny about physics. i also watched 'monarch' on Fox, it was a rerun.

well-dressed mc

 i performed at the open-mic tonight, and there was a fill-in mc. when another comic showed up i was asked where the main show runner was, and said the fill-in was well dressed, the wild guitar player, who did 'heartbreak hotel'. my set included mention of a motorcycle at the gas station. even though i was tired, i stayed until the show ended, which had 6 musicians doing a rendition of 'country roads'. at work i saw the tech in the early afternoon. i moved up my lunch a little for this reason, and saw them arrive while i was still in the breakroom. the mother-board was swapped out. i was asked by email if it was still there, and i said it was, in the 'back room'. dumb luck, because it isn't high priority for me to send things out for recycle. looks like the ticket is finally closed on the check printer. i saw plenty of places where the air can was used on the unit by the tech, gave me more ideas. since the main issue was the extra ink on the checks, but the air can took care of it. also looks like the tech i see the most is still cleaning up the messes of other techs. hopefully it is a while before i need to call for a tech on these machines. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 55 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both radio interviews. first was when leonard said 'physics is dead' and the university said a retraction needed to be made. might be the first time i saw it, surprised there are any episodes left that i hadn't seen. it was followed by the one where kripke sabotages sheldon's interview with pubic radio.

mickey mouse balloon

 when i went out for a walk tonight i saw some balloons on the ground. one of them was a metallic mickey mouse balloon. i got a picture of it. during the walk i found 1 dollar 44 cents. i liked how there wasn't much to do. at midday i turned on the TV and watched a pro football game, as the bears were playing the falcons in atlanta. the bears lost. i laid down for a little while after the game was over. in the evening i watched 'the simpsons', where lisa was labeled a 'party narc'. a big project for the day was going through boxes of event programs. it meant pulling off the tickets for most, they had been stapled, and moving them into bags next to the others. one page is now in a sheet protector in the binders, as it was from seeing the 'charlie brown christmas' play in hudson, wisconsin, in late 2017. and it was nice to find a signed photo of fred lynn, it was from the college world series in 2007. this will go into the binders soon. i had wanted to find the tickets from seeing 'church basement ladies' shows, and i did. some were from plymouth, and others from burnsville as they had to move after the plymouth venue closed. there is another play in the series, but it runs until february so i am fine with waiting to see it until we ring in the new year. 

billy joel special magazine

 i like reading special magazines about various famous people. i read two today, about musicians from different genres. the first one was bout billy joel. i had bought it a week earlier so it was time to read it. i learned some things while reading it, such as he has been married 4 times. so before, and after, the one to model christie brinkley. also two suicide attempts, before he was famous. and i liked mention of a  presidential honor, the kennedy center honors. as well as a banner hanging in the rafters at madison square garden, in honor of his many performances there, lately a monthly gig. and being the final performer at two other new york venues, shea stadium and nassau coliseum. i had seen billy in concert when living in suburban chicago. it was with elton john, the last of three sold-out shows in rosemont. the other one i read was about loretta lynn, bought earlier today. liked seeing mention of loretta being awarded the president's medal of freedom. i learned how both had songs that were 'banned' but this made the songs even more popular. i bought it at the barnes and noble in eagan. i take a good look around, and got a few more ideas about what i might buy eventually. the next special magazine on my list to acquire would be about another musician, eminem. 

   i had some other things to do, such as get to the post office. i made it there before going to the book shop, but there was no orders to pick up. in the mid-afternoon i watched the iowa vs. minnesota football game on Fox. iowa won a close one, 13-10. took bad the pick-6 did not stand near the end, but they still won on a field goal. i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order after the game was done, and having some pizza. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 54 cents.

surly brewing event

 after work tonight i went to surly brewing in minneapolis. there was an iowa alumni event in the beer hall, as the iowa vs. minnesota football game is this weekend. first time at this venue. i had some chili and fries, in addition to a glass of surly hell beer. i did the driving directions and found out it was just over a mile east of mariucci arena, so close to the campus. i saw various hawk items at the table near the bar, and picked up a button as well as a small note pad. i did get a look at the upper level, where pizza was served. i saw a few people there i knew, but not a lot. i liked the music i heard played, including 'interstate love song' and 'say it aint so'. then it was on to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order. first stop was their liquor store. i got a can of schell's so now 6 beers are waiting. i picked up a 'space jam' birthday card with a sticker inside, and a christmas-themed charlie brown activity book. and i found thanksgiving dinner at cub foods. then finally, it was the drive home. during my walks i found 1 cent. at work near the end of the day my boss called and said there would be a big check drop early in the new year, so it means ordering the stock and envelopes for it. overall it was a low volume of checks to print for the day, all of the mail fit into just one tub. in the morning i responded to a meetup survey. one of two i was sent, anyway. it was a duplicate, sent by two different groups. i passed on attending an event next month after finding out i could get tour tickets for cheaper directly through the museum. and the asking price for food was high as well. not the first time where i co-opted an idea from meetup, and find a cheaper game plan. unsure what my next event will be, when doing outdoor events such as the walks during winter months is a hard sell.

consecutive safety drills

 at work in the early afternoon there was consecutive safety drills. first was the fire drill, then the tornado drill. i am told it was the first time in three years, due to covid, so the first ones i had been in at the bank. at one minute after, i left the shop, figuring it was time. found out there was instant messaging on my phone, and an email sent. no alarm as the branch manager said it would have meant the fire and police department would have arrived. and we didn't want to panic any customers. i am thankful i moved up my lunchtime, not knowing how long it would take. but it was done in just over 10 minutes. first one was in the upper level entryway, second was in the breakroom. i still made it to walgreen a little later, and when i was leaving i saw some food in a bag near the front door. i inspected it and claimed the two bags of microwave popcorn, and popped up one of them in the evening. it may have been expired, but it still tasted fine. the rest of what was in the bag appeared to be perishable so i did well on claiming only the popcorn. a tech arrived to work on the check printer, and it printed for the first time in just over a month. so swapping out the fan worked. i showed the prints because there still was some extra ink on them so i was advised to keep using the other printer as the primary as parts still need to be ordered and a configuration was being done as well. for some reason the ticket was closed, but i let the tech know about it. i drank the can of surly with the evening meal so now 5 beers are waiting. later on i went on a walk and found 71 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when leonard and penny had a fight and sheldon said he should have held out for more than a comic book and a robot.

huntsville street names

 i was looking for articles about baseball in new orleans, to see if there was any action on getting a team back since their triple-a team moved out after the 2019 season ended. what i found was mention of a city that got a team back and it has been going well, in huntsville, alabama. the team was regionalized, and is called the rocket city trash pandas. and it was from a new orleans perspective, saying there was some street names with a new orleans theme. this was iberville, bienville, st. louis, poydras, and napolean. had to look up each one to know who they were. with the first two i found out this went back to when the area was known as new france, and wikipedia states that bienville was iberville's younger brother. st. louis is a cathedral in new orleans, oldest one in continuous use in the USA. poydras was the catalyst in the promotion of statehood for louisiana, and helped draft the state's constitution. the fifth one is a house in the french quarter. there is a legend that it would be a house for napoleon bonaparte after his exile. it was also known as the nicolas girod house, who had been mayor of the city. always pleased with what i learn about history when the opportunities exist. at work i was asked if any parts had arrived for the check printer, and i said they had, already noted the ticket on the previous day. so it looks like the technician will arrive the next morning for installation. my boss was asking as well. 'the conners' was mostly about darlene struggling to find a job, although it was due to her own bad choices. later on i went on a walk and found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy hesitated to tell sheldon about being offered a fellowship at princeton. it was followed by the one where leonard tried to watch nebraska football with penny but decided to fly kites with the friends.

pink lemonade sucker

there has been a bowl of goodies at work, an all that is left now is one pink lemonade sucker, made by jolly rancher. there was two bowls actually, and the other had halloween candy bars. i would have a sucker per day once the little candy bars were gone. first day back after four days off. and what a welcome back, as there was two dial-in meetings. the first was the team huddle in the morning, along with one moderated by the senior leader in the afternoon. i joined the latter after returning from lunch, and paying for the oil change for my car. i was planning on waiting until the next day to print all of the fargo checks, but at one point i hit 'print all' instead of 'print selected' so i had to let it finish. it meant some files had to wait an hour. some fargo checks will be run through the machine the next day. the commute wasn't too big of a deal in the early evening, as the roads were just wet. later on i went on a walk and found 80 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard found a ventriloquist dummy and bernadette performed with it for the first time in decades. it was followed by the one where howard and bernadette meet after being fixed up by penny.

baseball top 9 disc

 this was my 4th and final day off, and i still found some things to do. i finished up watching a DVD i recently purchased from cheapo. it was the top 9 in 9 different categories in baseball such as best home run, best hitting season, best pitching season. it was the first time i had heard about the 1975 world series having consecutive rainouts before game 6. and likely the first time i saw the footage of the home run that won the 1976 playoffs for the yankees, where fans rushed the field before chambliss had circled the bases. this was after the dental appointment in the early afternoon, and 'jeopardy'. i stayed in until i had to leave for the appointment due to the snow that was still falling. i ordered lunch online, a burger and fries, and picked it up from a nearby restaurant. first time in a while that i went to a place in the dining for miles program. i performed at an open-mic in the evening, notable was the story about restroom keys at the appointment. later on i went on walk and found 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy did a 'fun with flags' retrospective. it was followed by the one where raj works for sheldon, to avoid being deported. 'eye of the tiger' was played. likely the first time i had seen the latter.

ambulance movie

 in the afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'ambulance'. this was a heist movie that would be considered a thriller as well. it may have been just over 2 hours but the chase scenes held my attention. the bank robbery was early in the story, and most of it depicts the thieves trying to get away in a hijacked ambulance that had a wounded cop in it. the lead robber was following in his dad's footsteps. it seemed a little far fetched that the getaway vehicle lasted as long as it did without being stopped. i figured there was tactics that could be used to stop it, such as damaging the tires. the setting of the story is los angeles, and it made me laugh when an FBI guy was called out of marriage counseling in order to help end the chase. i had it long enough to watch it, returning it to the holiday gas station about 3 hours after picking it up. i got a few other things done throughout the day, such as going through event tickets from many years ago and getting them better organized by venue. i swapped out some pages from sheet protectors in the binders as well. i added a flyer about a group of violin players i saw at the detroit art museum when i was there for my first writers convention in 2011. as i was about to return the movie i got a text from cul-de-sac asking if i was attending the mic tonight. i said probably not, but karaoke sometime sounds fine. 'the simpsons' was about duff-man in an online vote, and lisa wanting to get to an agatha christie museum. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 68 cents.

tacos and blankets

 i attended 2 events today, the first was at the roseville library. catered tacos were served, then we worked on blankets for a children's hospital. it meant cutting and tying the edges of them. i had two tacos while there and we were encouraged to take some home as well. so i took two home and had them for the evening meal. i went to the post office early, where i paid on my box for 6 months. there was plenty to pick up, 2 cards, 2 books, 2 CDs. after the event i went to target and got a box of rudolph cereal, the first of likely many more boxes of christmas cereal i am buying. there was seven kinds shown in an 'end cap'. two each for cinnamon toast crunch, as well as 'elf on a shelf'. just before the event i went to a barnes and noble and bought the special magazine about billy joel. two others of interest to me- about loretta lynn, and eminem- are there. but i am pacing myself with how many i get, no more than one per week. after i got home i laid down for a while, and when i woke up it was time to go to aldi for my weekly grocery order. then it was time to get on the road again, to the loft literary center in minneapolis. it was a launch event for the theme of the upcoming year. a speech was made by the new executive director. there was three performers after this, and one of them i didn't enjoy at all. somebody i found to be anti-cop, condescending, and swore too much. the act seemed to remind me too much of what i sometimes see at the comedy clubs. after it was done i picked up a small godfather's pizza from the nearby bobby and steve's and took it home with me on the light rail. it will be eaten the next day. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 84 cents.

haircut next to caribou

 i found ways to stay busy on veterans day. i got a haircut at great clips. it was going to be at sport clips but i get there and the sign on the door said it was 'temporarily closed' and directed customers to the next closest location. i have lost count how many different hair shops i have been to since the pandemic hit. so after getting some cheese and a drinkable yogurt at target i made it over to great clips. it was chosen largely because i wanted to print some things at the nearby fedex office. after seeing there would be a wait for service, i went to get a lemon bar and a pumpkin spice latte at the adjacent caribou coffee. i found out this is a common thing to do. but i went right back to great clips after getting my order, so i would be ready when my name was called. i am told sometimes they do go over and try to find people at caribou, but i wasn't counting on this. i referred to how karaoke venues will say 'going once, twice' then move on to the next name on the list. i had considered this place before, but got there too late in the day. once i was done there it was time for lunch so i went home and ate there. late in the afternoon i watched 'jeopardy' for the first time in a while. it was a tournament of champions. i said 'fool!' the second time when a contestant decided to bet it all on a daily double, but both times it paid off and that was the winner of the day. i learned something as well, how the term 'podunk' has an origin in the name of a tribe in connecticut. in the evening i made my customary visit to the hy-vee in eagan. and i went to their liquor store first, where i got a can of schell's, so now 6 beers are waiting. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 33 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon went to a cowboy bar, and amy played 'soft kitty' on auto-harp. it was followed by the one where raj and howard tried to pick up goth chicks, and one of them, sarah, kept saying 'not that anyone cares'. i liked her a lot.

goodnight saigon

 when i was driving to work in the morning i had the new prague radio station on. and there was mention of events marking the upcoming veterans day. at the end of one speech it referenced the song 'goodnight saigon' by billy joel. i was not too familiar with it. but i found it on youtube. it does seem to capture the vietnam war well, from a soldier's perspective. the speaker said it was representative of the marines. and i had to look up 'parris island', which is early in the song, found out this is a training center for marines, in south carolina. at work there was two notable things. first was how three techs arrived in order to get the expansion tray moved to the check printer that is still working. and mention of how we are still waiting for parts. in this case it is a fan, as it has been overheating. i am told if this doesn't work then there is no choice but to replace the unit. still no idea when the parts will arrive though. the other notable thing was getting registered for benefits, for the new year. it was the last thing i did before leaving for the day. when i have four days off, and the deadline to register is in a week, i decided it was the best time to get it done. on 'young sheldon' we meet mandy's parents. later on i went on a walk and found 67 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj and penny were acting like twins. it was followed by the one where lewis black was a guest star, as a cricket expert. i drank the can of inbound with the evening meal so now 5 beers are waiting. 

loretta lynn medley

 i switched over to ABC in the evening but 'the conners' wasn't on. there was a medley of loretta lynn songs, as it was the country music awards show. i found the comedy routine from the two MCs, one of them football great peyton manning, to be annoying. once i was one with emails, about 30 minutes later, i went back to the news on another channel. at work there was a dial-in team huddle, and the boss emailed about getting the expansion tray moved to the check printer currently working. still waiting for approval on replacing the printer, which won't be cheap. the walgreen cashier said she was trying to get to know the names of regulars, almost got mine right. of course names are known when running the loyalty account. i liked finding a small box of pumpkin spice moon pies. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard's mom said he prattles and was offering insight about raj's living arrangement. it was followed by the one where the friends return from the arctic and leonard tells sheldon the data was a sham. 

i ate, then voted

 when i arrived at the voting precinct, i said 'i got off work, i ate, i am ready to go'. the election judge laughed a little about it. but i usually do eat before i do much else after getting home from work. i drove to the precinct as it was a mile away, and a good idea as it was raining. i liked how it didn't take long to vote. then it was back home. it meant seeing just one 'big bang theory' rerun, it was the one where the friends go on a north pole expedition. 'monarch' on Fox depicted a debutante ball. one of the songs played was 'this one's for the girls'. then it was election coverage after that. except the precincts were reporting in so slowly, so i didn't have the TV on for long as there were other things i wanted to do such as lay down. i also got an article bout eminem's induction into the rock and roll hall of fame into a sheet protector in the binders. the article found as the companion story was about pink's concert at the Xcel center in 2013. at work it was a fairly routine day, i don't think i heard the doorbell ring at all. during my lunch i sent some mail over to the neighboring strip mall, one of these places was the smoke shop. a restaurant said it was closed sunday and monday, so it should have been open but a passer-by said it had been closed for a month. so i found a bank envelope to put it in and it was returned to sender. i still have the self-evaluation and registering for benefits to do. 

feed your holiday spirit

 i got mail from a restaurant that said 'feed your holiday spirit', gift cards included. except it isn't a good deal at all, 20 off 100 and 50 off 250, from buca di beppo. i had been doing thanksgiving dinner there, in order to get airline miles. but it seemed like their good deal had vanished so i found an even cheaper dinner at the grocery store, no surprise there. also notable about the day was the music i was hearing on the drive home. the announcer said that songs of recent rock and roll hall of fame inductees were being played, this included eminem's 'lose yourself'. it brought back memories. seeing '8-mile' when i lived in suburban chicago. seeing Em in concert at MSG in NYC, a weeklong vacation in the big apple. and it was my first karaoke song. i went online to confirm it and an article said another one of this year's inductees is dolly parton. i toured the rock hall on labor day weekend, the same year i saw '8-mile'. at work there was a question about when some letters were picked up and sent out by the postal service. eventually i had to add energy park people to the thread as i couldn't answer their question. hard to understand why they care so much, as the letters are low volume, usually less than 10 per day. and i send out thousands of checks per day. an overnighted check was returned, it was damaged. so i re-printed it and let the business line know i was re-sending it, part of my daily send of tracking numbers. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj was labeled as spoiled and decided to stop spending his dad's money. it was followed by the one where howard was working on the space toilet, and leonard screwed up his karma by giving bad advice to stuart about dating penny. i laughed a lot at this one.

it is now gdansk

 i was reading through the daily entries i get from the garrison keillor writers almanac and it mentioned danzig, germany. never heard of it. found out it is because the city is now known as gdansk, poland. it was part of the territory germany ceded after world war one ended. i had only known danzig as the name of a heavy metal band, found out it had the name as it was the frontman's stage name. guess it explains the first battle of world war two being the invasion of poland. what i also found out about gdansk was that the solidarity movement from 1980, led by lech walesa, started there. and wikipedia said there is a park in that town named for president reagan. i like what i learn when i decide to look up things. i found some ways to stay active throughout the day, it included shredding some junk mail after having breakfast in the morning. and i ordered 2 comedy CDs that had been on my list for a while, done by a local record label and i know the performers. this might be it on getting comedy albums, as it is harder to find those on CD as many are no longer made in that format. an MP3 download is all the rage now. once midday arrived i watched some pro football, dolphins-bears was on CBS. saw the first half, then laid down and fell asleep, the bears lost a close one. in the evening i performed at an open-mic, cul-de-sac brought a lady friend and an intro was made. in my set i started off with mention of wearing my leather jacket onstage, and the story about re-claiming my coat a while back. i was told i buried the comic after me, so i must have been a tough act to follow. later on i went on a walk and found 68 cents.

copshop movie

 this afternoon i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'copshop'. it had been on my list for a while, and i had rented it before but found out i was stuck with a blue-ray i couldn't use. so i decided to search where i could still find it in the format i could use, and it meant going to a cub foods instead of a holiday station. there was plenty of action throughout, a high body count. it was all right as a thriller, but still a far-fetched story. for one thing, criminals being able to shoot their way into a prison. and prisoners being released because they might be able to help the good cop against dirty cops. along with a cop hi-jacking an ambulance although she appeared to be near death for a while. notable was the rival hit man who poses as a balloon delivery man, i didn't like him because he just wouldn't shut up. the setting was nevada, and part of the story was the murder of the attorney general. assassinations are rare now, so this also made it far-fetched. the movie will be memorable because i decided to get a new DVD player. the one i had kept stopping and i said 'i have had enough' and went to target to get another one. it was wrecked by a damaged redbox rental a while back, where the commands on the screen switched over to portuguese. i ended up with the same model, a Sony. as i just wanted a simple player. i saw some pigeons flying around in the store while there. and i got some discounted halloween cereal and candy, along with a pair of socks. the first disc i watched on it was a charlie brown special, 'it's magic', on the same disc as 'great pumpkin', which i did my annual viewing of the previous weekend. 

i did the typical errand running, picked up 4 orders at the post office. just after midday i went to the taco bell in eagan for my lunch. i wanted locos tacos as they were promoting them in the world series, 'steal  a base, steal a taco'. didn't get a free taco though, it would have meant signing up for their app and i am trying to keep it simple when i don't eat out much. i got some candy at the nearby walgreen, a total of five for the day so now i have 31 pieces of candy in the bag at home. it will last for a while. not a big deal how watching the movie in full was delayed until afternoon, still had plenty of time to watch it and get it back in order to pay for just one day of renting. nothing was planned for the day in terms of events either. in the early evening i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order, after having some pizza. i made it back before the world series began. it was game 6, a scoreless tie for a while. astros beat the phils 4-1 to take the series 4-2. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 90 cents. i picked up a can of surly from the nearby liquor store so now 6 beers are waiting.

concord steel

 when i went to put out the cart at the end of the day i noticed there was some carts out there, possibly with weights for the elevator as it said 'otis' on one side. on the other side it said 'concord steel, 500 pounds'. notable about the day at work was the shipment of check stock arriving, and when the courier called i said i would meet them on the upper level. then i realized the elevator was broken, so i advised them to go to the lower level. i did the pay-stubs early in the day, before lunchtime, and i liked how the machine didn't stop when i ran them. at lunchtime i went to a CVS pharmacy and i liked how there was some discounted halloween candy. usually i go to walgreen. i got a bag of snack sized reese's peanut butter, bat-shaped. in the evening i got some more at the hy-vee in eagan, which had multiple carts out with various discounted halloween items. i keep adding to the bag at home, now 26 pieces in it, which will last me for a month. so i probably won't be making too many more stops for candy. half of the 16 items bought at hy-vee tonight was the candy. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 24 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon said 'nice try, blockhead' when the friends wanted him back on the team for the military project. it was followed by the one where sheldon learned about 'friends with benefits' from penny while the friends were in las vegas, and a hooker was hired for howard.