library book on sidewalk

 on the way into the venue for the open-mic tonight i saw a library book on the sidewalk. it was 'and the ocean was our sky'. now it means looking it up to know what it is about. hard to say what got the most reaction on the storytelling. there was the one about the friend's facebook posting, and the one about mardi- gras videos. later on i went on a walk and found 88 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends took a train to san francisco and sheldon called penny to get his flash drive. it was followed by the one where amy does an experiment about closure with sheldon. i liked it because he is sprawled on the floor after knocking over dominos and penny shows up to call him a weirdo. at work there was another visit by a manager to claim equipment, this time 2 laptops and 2 bags. when i picked up deliveries from another floor somebody was knocking on the door but i ignored them. they can figure out on their own that it was the wrong entrance for the bank branch. 

crazy movie, hank garland

 i watched a DVD movie in the afternoon, 'crazy', a bio-pic about nashville session guitarist hank garland. it was an indie movie from 2007. i did not recognize any of the actors in it but in the closing credits it listed shawn colvin playing kitty wells and listed shawn performing two songs as well. it had a disclaimer saying hank died just before filming began. i am familiar with how more often than not, bio-pics are about somebody that is no longer alive. i could guess what scenes were 'invented for dramatic effect'. what helped make the story more relevant to me was the performing, and the big names he performed with. the likes of elvis presley, patsy cline, and roy orbison. it was one of two movies on a disc i found at family dollar. the song 'crazy', written by willie nelson, is played during the closing credits, this is where the movie title is taken from apparently. 

the other thing i did was do my taxes, at least i filed the federal return online with h and r block. i will file the state return myself as i want to save on the filing fees. then it meant driving to a copy store to print the tax return. the refund on the state return will be more than the federal one. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 47 cents. after watching 'the simpsons' i called my college roommate, who said he was injured in a fall. and how he spent some time with his son recently. 

mardi gras videos

 i attended a meetup event in the evening, it was watching mardi gras videos. saw some from three different cities, most from rio de janeiro. some also from venice, as well as new orleans. the ones from rio appeared to be in a stadium, and i recognized a few american parade floats, one of them depicting lincoln. another depicted ladies sewing a flag, a third showed the new york skyline including the statue of liberty. the ones from venice had the most sophisticated costumes, almost like halloween. many of the scenes from new orleans had ladies showing their tits. no surprise how some parade-goers had on jerseys of the local football team, the saints. the event coordinator likes his beer, and had plenty of craft beers to try. i brought a vegetable tray. i liked the utz cheese balls, and it was nice to have two slices from a frozen pizza once it was baked in a toaster oven. it was a small crowd, so not enough people to have a murder mystery. i was given a role in advance and only found this out on arrival. but i showed up in costume, a suit, and had to keep it on. i was wearing a saints tie, seemed like a good idea geared to the holiday theme. it would still be nice to see somebody my age there, but usually there isn't. i was getting annoyed with those who wanted to ask about performing, as i don't want to talk about that subject all the time. another i just wasn't on the same page with at all. 

  it wasn't the only event of the day. i tuned in to a history lecture from the state historic society about the american midwest, on zoom. the speaker was from illinois and spoke about things like breeding pigs that were more appealing to foreign markets such as great britain. i moved up going to aldi to before this lecture as i wanted to have it done well before the meetup event. i made it to the post office, four orders to pick up, and two more were ordered when i got back. i picked up the vegetable traty at a target. after the meetup event i went on a walk and found 92 cents. 

summer balloons?

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight for my weekly grocery order and saw balloons spelling out summer. seems odd to see this in winter, unless we are reminding people how the cold weather won't last. i am still noticing some sections aren't well-stocked, but i am aware of how there still might be supply-chain issues. not a big deal. one just needs to line up alternate plans. if it's pizza, or whatever, then go with what is available. and if need be, go to another store. i also went to their liquor store before going to the grocery part and got a can of schell's so now there are 3 beers waiting. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 97 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon finds a letter from howard's dad. i watched a little of a hockey game that was on the same channel after the rerun, mostly after getting back from grocery shopping. it was st. cloud state against colorado college. st. cloud was leading 4-1 at the end of the 2nd, but i fell asleep before the game ended. at work there was a spike in volume in one of the check files, it was more than the two fargo files combined which is not typical at all. so i was playing catch-up for much of the day. of course it started off with running through the checks from one of the two fargo files from the previous day. but thankfully there were no meetings to attend. although there was a visitor to the shop, a supervisor from another department, just before i went to lunch. he claimed a few electronic items, like a headset, and said he would be back with some new hires on monday. had to ask his name as he had been there only once before and it is all about repetition and familiarity. 

four meetings

 the fewer meetings, the better, is my attitude. so this was a tough day for me, having four meetings. all in the first half of the day. first was one about return to office, slated for next week. except i am already there. second was the typical team huddle. i had to ask about online classes, only ones known are due at the end of march. i also had to ask about the groups mentioned in the first meeting, as to what day the department i am in will have people returning as i understand the 'return to office' will be just one day a week for now. third was an upskilling session, but i am aware of how those aren't the most important meetings i have. and i was wondering why i couldn't hear the moderator when i dialed in online, so i called in through the phone and could hear her that way. the fourth was moved up, as my boss was asking about a check that was returned to the fargo office but was printed nearly two years ago, before i even started with the company. so he called our I.T. colleague and asked about re-formatting checks as well since the customary stock arrived this week. the fourth one was to be in the afternoon, but then was canceled as i already had to contact I.T. when there wasn't much 'blue stock' left. so we are to use what remains on the smaller files. in the evening i went on a walk and found 29 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the friends went to an elementary school to talk about women in science. and their ladies went to disneyland that same day. for the evening meal i drank the can of grain belt so now there are 2 beers waiting. 

a straight truck

 the big check stock delivery arrived before midday, 87 boxes. it went to the upper level entrance. first i was contacted by the branch manager, and gave the check shop phone number. then shortly after my boss called for an update, i was called by the driver. i said i didn't know what a straight truck is, but it appeared to be smaller than a semi. at the same time, when it was a high volume order, it is just as well that it went to the upper level when there was a second wooden pallet to empty. i still sent the pallets to the space between the dumpsters near the ATM line. i got all of the boxes moved into the building near the main walkway, and moved them down on a cart 12 at a time when i had the time throughout the day as i had other things to do. it is just as well that i did it in two parts, where less than half were done after lunch, as it was kind of strenuous to load and unload so much and i needed a break from it. near the end of the day i was asked about printing payroll checks, and said it would mean going to my boss about it. in the evening i went on a walk and found 95 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon did 'fun with flags' with penny as the guest. penny is part of a production of  'streetcar named desire' at the end of the episode. 'the conners' was back on after 2 weeks off, although i didn't like this one ending with slashing tires. but i am aware of how similar scenes have been part of the storylines in recent years. much like 'roseanne' before it i am mainly watching it because i like john goodman. 

oh what a life, oh what a love

 well the new prague radio station did it again. i heard another song from them that really stuck with me. it was 'oh what a love' by the nitty gritty dirt band. it bothered me a little that i didn't write down key lyrics when hearing it recently, but when i woke up after laying down for a little while tonight i had them in my head. and looked it up online. this song is on 'hold on', same album that has 'fishing in the dark'. guess that the album name has meaning as well. when the cover art is of a rodeo rider, that gives it one meaning. but in general that sentiment is helpful, rodeo or otherwise. there are times when a song like 'love' can be helpful to hear. guess i felt the same way about searching for a pearl jam song, 'nothingman', after a facebook posting from the band asked for a favorite lyric of theirs. and i said the one i liked most, although there are so many good ones, was from that song. when i watched a video of the song on youtube, the clips were from the disney pixar animated movie 'up'. so i am interested in finding this movie, probably at amazon, as i liked what i read about the storyline. of course hearing ed asner voices one of the characters helps as well. 

at work i sent out a thousand more tax forms for payroll, so there is about a thousand left so i am reaching the end of the special project. the envelopes arrived in the morning, shoved into their slot in the mailroom. i had to enunciate to another employee how i needed to claim them, and if need be i would have referred to the email thread saying i needed more, which led to the order being placed. there was a quick meeting about adding presidents day to the time card, having to count it as a 'floating holiday' to get it entered. in the evening i went on a walk and found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns where when sheldon tried rock climbing with kripke. it was followed by the one where penny ruins valentines day, and sheldon asks his assistant to get a gift for amy. the snowstorm wasn't too big of a deal for me. some snow fell in the morning when i was on my way to work, but most fell when i was at work and the plows went through before i needed to leave. there was a slight delay getting onto one major road on the way home, but once it cleared no other issues were found. 

happy drinks 6-pack

 i had the day off as presidents day is a bank holiday. so it meant doing chores and errand running, and i ended up at the nearby family dollar. i got more than just laundry soap, also a small bag of potato chips and 'happy drinks'. i wanted to have more than just tap water to drink with my lunch, and passing by i said this one sure had not just the right price, 1.50, but also the right name. there are various fruits on the outer plastic holding the 6-pack together, all of them smiling. and it says there is less than 1 gram of sugar per serving. it is made by alamance foods, from burlington, north carolina. i am used to family dollar having plenty of southern suppliers as the company is based in the south, although it is now a subsidiary, owned by dollar tree. there is assorted flavors, and each container is 6 ounces. i have had 4 of them so far, for the midday and evening meals. this wasn't the only time i ventured out. i also sent more recycle to the capitol area, got the event ticket printed, and went to a third walgreen to see what they had left for discounted valentines candy. i got two items, both were hershey kisses, one was a big chocolate and the other was a box of smaller ones. as expected, there is not much left because this 'candy holiday' was a week ago. not a big deal, as i got plenty from the 3 stores i have been to, one of them near work. and i still have a tin of charlie brown cookies from christmas as well. so i am good on the holiday goodies for a while. 

  when i was home i did some cleanup. it meant looking inside some boxes that hadn't been touched in a while. it is the only way to understand what one has- look inside each box. one of them now is labeled 'special magazines'- as i like buying those, usually about a singular subject such as a famous person or a historical event. many of the others are game programs, and i think i will want to organize them by sport, especially when i know a good number of them will be baseball. two others labeled were the magazines i get from the u. of iowa alumni association, as well as the st. louis cardinals baseball team. and it meant some empty envelope boxes i had claimed at work are now filled with something, either books, magazines, or newsprint. i decided to lay down after having lunch, a 'burger in a box' from walgreen, and when i woke up it was early evening. i had considered attending an oscar-nominated movie in the afternoon but it can wait. i went online and found there are some screenings next month at theaters i have been to before. there is a winter storm warning in effect, although the snow hasn't arrived just yet. i performed at the open-mic tonight, where the flautist said it is her birthday. so she did three songs, one of them french, another was by christina perri. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 21 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends had a robot street fight with kripke. it was followed by the one where amy suggested moving in with sheldon after leonard said he was annoyed with sheldon and wanted to move in with penny. it is still funny to me when amy said 'here I am!' 

some enchanted evening, willie nelson

 i watched a DVD this morning, a recent purchase from family dollar. 'some enchanted evening', willie nelson performing. it is one of two movies on this disc, the other being 'crazy'. there were some songs on it that i recognized, such as 'always on my mind' and 'on the road again'. the end credits said it was from 1989, and the show was in nashville. further research online said the crowd was 400 friends and industry insiders. this might explain appearances from the likes of roger miller. i had seen willie in concert in 2005 at the (then) saints baseball stadium, midway. i don't have that many concerts on video, so it is nice to have this one. i knew how 'some enchanted evening' was a show tune, had to look it up and found out what show, it was 'south pacific' by rodgers and hammerstein.

after this video was done i had lunch, a pot pie, and then eventually got going on doing laundry. when i was done with laundry i was tired so i laid down for a while. by the time i woke up it was time for the evening meal, i had pizza. i misjudged seeing a show that wasn't 'the simpsons' on fox, thinking it wasn't going to air tonight. so i switched over to a rerun channel and watched 'alice'. then i went back to fox and saw 'the simpsons' was wrapping up, so i guess it started late, likely due to a sporting event such as golf running over. later on the evening i went on a walk and found 57 cents. i have made a list of things to get done on monday in order to stay busy. one of those is to print a ticket i ordered today, for a lecture on zoom through the state historic society. it will be in less than a week. 

snoopy surfer puzzle

 i made four stops around midday. the last was at walgreen, where i got not only some more discounted valentine candy- 40 percent off- but also a snoopy surfer puzzle. it was discounted, much like the candy, but it was half-price. it is the third 100-piece puzzle i have found there and it was assembled in the afternoon while watching a basketball game. outside the store there was girl scout cookies being sold, but i did not buy any, yet. i think the season is just getting started, as i have bought some at lenten fish fries before. first stop of the day was the post office, but nothing to pick up from my box, just an item not addressed to me. i sent it to the window, after finding a pen and writing 'return to sender' on it. surprised i am still getting mail not for me at this box when i have had it for more than 7 years. second was to drop off recycle at the capitol, and then it was to the gas station to dump a DVD movie. i had watched  a redbox rental in the morning, 'space jam', but since i saw it at theaters in early august i saw no need to do an in-depth commentary about it. when i got home it was time for lunch, so i got that going, a chicken sandwich in the microwave oven, and turned on the TV to Fox for the game. my school, the iowa hawkeyes, was playing at ohio state. iowa trailed early on but led by a point at halftime and went on to win 75-62. i was pleased to find out about the game when checking the friday edition of the minneapolis paper. this game had been postponed from an earlier date. i was tired but i managed to last through the end of the game and then laid down. when i woke up it was evening, so i got a pizza in the microwave and when i had finished eating i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. i was annoyed with a lady, who got in my way twice. when i got back eventually i put in some DVD's again, this time it was the two charlie brown valentine specials i have. since i do an annual viewing for some of the other charlie brown specials such as christmas it seemed like a good idea for this holiday as well. later on i went on a walk and found 31 cents. i am checking the weather report online after watching the late news and still would like to see a movie on monday but now i am aware of a big snowstorm coming. 

connection issue

 around midday i was knocked out of the check printing system, and it meant calling i.t. about it. i was able to get back in by re-booting the system, and was told it was a 'connection issue'. only one check file, a small one, was waiting at the time it went down. the ones arriving once the call was done were the typical files i print in the afternoon after returning from lunch, so it didn't put me all that far behind on check printing. i sent out just under a thousand more tax forms for payroll. an overnight package from the previous day was sent out today after confirming the street address on a voter registration site. there was a brief meeting in the morning with my boss about my compensation, but i have not read through all of it yet. an encrypted file was sent after the meeting. guess i will read it when i return to the office next week. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 65 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when howard and raj got a 3-d printer. sheldon works with kripke, who only wants to hear about what he is doing with amy. i made my weekly visit to hy-vee and got a can of heineken at the liquor store, so now 3 beers are waiting. 

dollar tree cart

 i made it over to walgreen for my weekly visit around midday. nothing unusual there, but i used a dollar tree cart. i will use whatever is there. besides getting a drink and an ice cream bar, i got some more discounted valentine candy, but there was not much left. i sent out two thousand more tax forms for payroll, and let them know i will need more envelopes in order to finish the special project for them. the team huddle in the morning was canceled, but there still was a quick meeting in the afternoon about check stock. in the evening i went on a walk and found 53 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and dr. stephanie became facebook official. it was followed by the one where the friends wear star trek uniforms and their car was stolen in the desert. i drank the bottle of schell's with the evening meal so now there are 2 beers waiting. 

payroll envelopes picked up

 in the afternoon at work there was a colleague that arrived to pick up payroll envelopes. i had claimed them when they were delivered as i am still doing the special project for them, sending out the tax forms. it was yet another case of meeting somebody for the first time, due to people working from home, so i had to ask their name. i got out a box cutter and they ended up leaving behind some of them so i used them for what i sent out today, just over a thousand tax forms. estimated remaining volume is 5 thousand. i hope to have most or all of them sent out by the end of the week. in the morning i made a quick visit over to the walgreen and got some discounted valentine candy. some of it was the little boxes with charlie brown characters on them. i had meant to make my first visit on tuesday but i got too busy to get over there i guess. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 15 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard got the mars rover stuck and leonard starts dating dr. stephanie. it was followed by the one where sheldon spoke of 'ricardo shilly shally' and amy said she had some cocaine addicted monkeys with nothing to lose. it was about sheldon's assistant hitting on leonard. 

seasoning tossed out

 i decided to toss out the seasoning i used on the popcorn i made over the weekend, along with the uneaten popcorn, as i still had a mild stomachache, and figured it was from eating it. this serves as a symbolic thing as well, as the seasoning was from a job that ended just over 2 years ago. i kept the small jar it was in and will try to re-purpose the jar. so i think this is it on my annual attempts at making popcorn for super bowl sunday. and it was due to not wanting to waste popcorn i bought in my hometown when i was there for a class reunion. it is way easier to make microwave popcorn than try to make in on the stove top, less likely to have any of it burn as well, on the bottom of the pan. i also did the dishes, washing the pot i used to make the popcorn, tonight. and i took out the trash. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 83 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and raj found a supermodel house. and howard said 'don't neuter the nerd' to penny when she had a dispute with sheldon. it was followed by the one where amy was spanked by sheldon for lying to him about continuing to be sick. howard went fishing with bernadette's dad. at work the UPS drop-box was un-jammed when i arrived in the morning, and i had to un-jam it when i left. and i found the time to do some more with the special project for payroll, getting nearly a thousand tax forms sent out. but a box and a half remains. i sent some test checks to our office in marshall, just three. and i re-printed them on my end. 

jammed drop-box

at work i got an i.m. asking about an overnight package i sent to the drop box and figured was picked up by UPS. i investigated and noticed some others i did had the same thing, label created and nothing else. then i checked the drop-box and noticed it was still jammed like it was on friday, so nothing was picked up. i got an email asking about it from another employee. i let my boss and his boss know about it, and it was annoying that i was calling the customer service number and it was hard to get someone with a pulse. and i was sent to other employees but they couldn't help either. one of them i wasn't on the same page with at all. in the end it meant i found an alternate place to get overnight packages to, a place on my way home. i saw them scan all 25 and got a receipt for it. there is still the matter of those that should have went out friday though. it felt like i was being asked to drop everything and handle it, but this is just one duty i have. and even though it sounded like somebody was coming from UPS, i don't think anyone did. i even told them, after an online chat led to them calling me, the box was jammed so somebody needs to un-jam it. i think this was why i was looking forward to performing even more tonight, as it is a good way of dumping pain. i put the story at the end of my set, didn't want it to be mostly a rant about one thing as i have an agenda. there was 8 things on my list and i checked after i left the stage, felt good that i got to everything on my list. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 3 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon and howard were fighting over a parking spot at the university. 

licorice pizza movie

 in the afternoon i went to see a movie in eagan, licorice pizza'. i recognized sean penn in it. even though it was just over 2 hours, i liked how it didn't seem long at all, as it held my attention throughout. i found the 'how to pronounce barbra streisand' bit to be annoying, but i knew full well to expect it as it was in the previews. otherwise it was a decent movie. as a baseball fan i like how a radio call from a dodgers game was in it, name-checking steve garvey. i know it will prompt me to look up some things in it, as the story takes place in 1973. notable to me was mention of legalizing pinball machines, seems odd that they were ever illegal. the movie started with a music video, as the lead actress in it is in a band. i had done super bowl movies before, but it had been a while. it worked well to go to an early screening, which is over before the game begins. i liked how it was a close game, as there were some years where it was lopsided. rams beat the bengals. liked the halftime show, as eminem was a part of it. hard to say what commercials i liked most, but as expected the ones for cars, beer, and snack foods were part of the lineup. things that men like. in the morning i watched a DVD, a recent purchase from family dollar, a 'thomas the tank engine' story. it was called 'track stars'. then in the evening, after the game was done, i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 55 cents. 

charlie chaplin, and ghostbusters

 this was a 'double feature' of sorts. in the evening i saw 2 charlie chaplin films at the music box theater in minneapolis. the flautist said she would be in the orchestra. it was 'behind the screen' and 'the kid'. some crowd members put on costumes, though it was largely just the hat and the mustache they chose to imitate. the first film was much shorter than the second, explaining why there was just two guitar players and not the full orchestra. i did not leave my seat during intermission, did not want to lose my seat. i tried to entertain myself on my phone but there was no sound on youtube, come to think of it that was due to me turning it off a while back. so then i tried to read an article about the baseball labor dispute but kept losing the screen. this is why i am not throwing away my laptop as i like the larger screen and keyboard the laptop has. it is cold out there so i new the quicker i left the venue after the show was done the quicker i got home. it meant having to walk to and from the light rail stop, but as usual i am a brisk walker. after getting home eventually i went on a walk and found 60 cents. 

 in the morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'ghostbusters afterlife'. i had wanted to see it as i like jason reitman- directed movies. in many ways this movie stayed true to the 1984 version, and the credits do say it is based on that one. so it meant nearly every original cast member has a cameo in it, and harold ramis appears as a hologram. jk simmons has a small role in it, and i am used to how he has a role in every movie directed by the younger reitman. then i did some errand running, first one was dumping the movie at the gas station. then the post office, just one item was there to be picked up. third stop was the copy store, to print the ticket for tonight as well as an article from the american historical association, of which i am a member. when i got home it was time for lunch, i put in a chicken sandwich in the microwave oven. after lunch i went to family dollar, where i got an REM CD, and a DVD that is a double feature. one of the movies is a willie nelson concert. then i laid down and when i woke up it was time to get to aldi for the weekly grocery order. when i got back i had some pizza and then got into my car to the park and ride place in order to take the light rail to the movie. 

survey challenge

 i do online surveys for the airline miles. tonight i did some and my email said i got 15 dollars, cool. then it is easier for me to make my goal for the month on the miles i dump into my southwest airlines account. i do see emails from time to time about awarding miles, just by doing a survey i guess i am entered into a drawing. at work it was a low volume day, kind of slow in the morning, but as usual this tends to change in the afternoon. because of getting an instant message asking if it was possible to send out a check by the end of the day. i said get it approved and then i can print it and overnight it. i also ran another thousand tax forms through the machine, more for california. as expected, easier to do when there are gaps between running checks through. and when i can see the box. so it meant moving it to the table next to the machine. out of sight, out of mind if left on a cart that isn't at eye level. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 83 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends had an intervention for sheldon, saying he needs to learn to drive. it was followed by the one where sheldon does hackey-sack in the afternoon, a secret he keeps from raj and howard. i laughed a lot during the latter one, especially the first half. which included penny being in college and leonard being distrustful of her classmate. i made it to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order in the evening. i got some more merchandise related to the movie 'space jam'-a greeting card, and a box of valentines. at their liquor store i got a bottle of german beer so now there are 3 beers waiting. it is called weihenstephaner, hadn't heard of it before. it says it is bavarian and the world's oldest brewery. i do like trying various beers that i find at their liquor store. 

hot dog birthday card

 i was at walgreen for a midday snack and liked seeing a hot dog birthday card, as the hot dog had eyes and was smiling. didn't buy it but got a picture of it. at work there was more tax forms to send out, two boxes for california employees arrived. i finished the ones for oregon, just under 900. in the evening i went on a walk and found 74 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj did the people magazine party. it was followed by the one where howard moves out of his mom's house. sheldon does 'fun with flags' and wil wheaton doesn't get along with amy. sheldon gets drunk on long island ice teas. for the evening meal i drank the bottle of paulaner so now there are 2 beers waiting. 

two mail codes

 near the end of the day i saw how some checks going to the same branch manager had two different mail codes on them. two for iowa and one for south dakota. i emailed saying i was sending all of them to iowa, but the response i got after the tubs were picked up was to send them to south dakota. so i will have to let them know in the morning how i was unable to re-route as they requested. i didn't want to hold them up while waiting for an answer, especially when the directory said they were at the iowa location. two check files arrived late but i just barely found enough time to send all of them out, including the overnights. although i saw the driver arrive to pick them up when i was next to the drop box getting them ready, so i cut it a little too close. i've done it before but i try to make it a rare occurrence. in the evening i went on a walk and found 36 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon did a wordplay game with steve hawking, and penny had amy and bernadette to do her paper for a college class because she didn't want leonard doing the paper for her. a game show was on instead of 'the conners' so i shut off the TV a little early tonight. 

lithium better than alkaline

 the maintenance man arrived to handle the check shop door. it was during the team huddle in the morning, so i had headphones on. it was a quick fix, was told he just needed to replace a battery and clean out the box a little. i was also told that the wish was to have lithium batteries as lithium is better than alkaline. another thing that arrived was the overnight envelopes, but only the larger ones. they were dumped at the branch, but i know full well i need to check there as the driver might send them there, easier to get in there. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 8 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went to ren-fest and had their costumes on when they got home. leonard was dating lesley and penny brought home a date so they were competing on kissing their dates in the hall. it was followed by the one where howard returned from space but nobody really cared. but he got some free cheesecake when going to a diner. there was a card from mom, but the other mail was junk. this in many ways was more than just another day at the office for me. since it was my service anniversary from my former job, which started in suburban chicago many years ago. i think of it as kind of a 'second birthday' for me as work means a lot to me and it serves as a benchmark, or milestone, of becoming an adult. it often was a day where i brought treats in, but of course the office is still largely deserted and i have a different anniversary at this current job. 

ace hardware buckets

 near the end of the workday i checked the branch to see if there were any deliveries to pick up, and there weren't any. what i did see was somebody with three ace hardware buckets, using the coin counter. sounds like a lot of coins to run through. the check shop door said there was a low battery when i entered the code in the morning so i called in a work order for it. and i tried to go out of the shop less often, not wanting to get locked out. a few times i even propped the door open with a stapler. hopefully they do arrive soon to take care of it. i think it is common to see them a day after placing the order. although i asked for high priority, in under 2 hours. the backlog on running the checks through the envelope stuffer has been eliminated, although there is still the box of income tax forms to run through. i put the box on the table next to the machine so they are more likely to be run through first when they are easily seen. i saw a technician in the morning about cleaning out the check printer, sounds like the main thing done was to use the air can on any of the doors on it and the toner cartridge. i hadn't used the air can on the check printers before. one interoffice envelope was going to iowa, 3 checks in it. one for the iowa cubs baseball team, the other two for the athletic ticket offices for the colleges in iowa city and ames. in the evening i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 6 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was drugged by howard and then he said 'tag, you're it' to leonard. it was followed by the one where sheldon got an assistant, who seemed interested in leonard. for the evening meal i drank the can of surly and now there are 3 beers waiting. 

them idiots comedy show

 this morning i watched a DVD, a recent purchase from family dollar, it was 'them idiots', a comedy show filmed at the hockey arena in pittsburgh. i was familiar with jeff foxworthy, and larry the cable guy, but not bill engvall. even though larry was the show closer, i didn't think he was the funniest. because he every so often laughed at his own jokes. i also wasn't familiar with the emcee. it is not too often where i watch a show i am not performing at, but i am still thankful i saw this one. because it does remind me about what jokes work. some of these subjects, like a colonoscopy, i had heard before. it sounds like it was from 2011, based on one of the performers mentioning the year. as i recall it was jeff, in reference to working on more redneck jokes for an upcoming calendar. what i found online said this video wasn't released until 2014. i am familiar with how my findings at this store are anything but new. not a big deal to me. because if something is good, it doesn't matter how long ago it was produced. in the afternoon i went back to the family dollar to see what i could find in the same section and chose a 'thomas the tank engine' video. and i bought a giant 'space jam' activity book along with it. i will try to watch the DVD sometime soon. having it laying out where i will see it nearly every day is a reminder of how i want to watch it. 

   i did get some other things done today. as usual i got some satisfaction from running the paper shredder. except the shred box was more full than typical, so i decided to fill up 4 plastic shopping bags. usually the most is 2 when i decide to run the shredder. for some things i was glad to see go i of course said 'goodbye' when they were run through. another thing i did was listen to the iowa-minnesota basketball game on the radio, this time the game was played in iowa city. iowa won 71-59, despite trailing at the half. and i made some space available in photo albums for expected postcard orders, mostly of sports venues i have seen a baseball or football game at. i was the winning bidder in the evening, on e-bay, for a postcard of the former packard car plant in detroit, so this will complete the trio of cards i wanted of places eminem visits in his video to the song 'beautiful'. the others of course were the former train depot, and tiger stadium. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 47 cents. so i already have enough for a beer later in the week.  

addams family, 2, movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'addams family 2'. the main storyline was about going on a road trip, and i do like road movies so this was a good one for me. the family goes to niagara falls, miami, san antonio, death valley, and sausalito. i like what wednesday said about not liking puns. the song selection found in the closing credits was a good lineup, much like the earlier movie. it listed 'mom's little monster' by social distortion (a band i have seen in concert), 'jump around', 'edmund fitzgerald', and 'i will survive'. the last of these was a fun one, being played on a piano in a biker bar by lurch. i also liked seeing the MGM logo saying their motto was 'art for art's sake'. the movie held my attention throughout, and i liked it. some of the jokes really work for me. it helps that wednesday is dour, though i still don't like how mean she is to pugsley. although i am aware of how sibling rivalries are common, i speak from experience. 

of course after the movie was done i needed to get going on errand running. there was 3 stops to make, first was the post office. five orders were there, one from amazon, a  photo essay book  about the ruins of detroit. the other four were from e-bay, postcards and sports cards. i saw 'double d' at the window, who asked about my vaccine status and my winter coat. which is odd, even for him. his colleague got the book for me, and said vaccines keep people out of the hospital. next stop was the capitol, to drop off recycle. finally it was the gas station, to get gas and to dump the movie. i had lunch when i got home, a chicken sandwich, and after some time online i laid down for a while. shortly after getting up i had the evening meal, some pizza. and then i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. notable was that they were out of orange juice, at least in cartons or jugs. there was 'make your own' from concentrate, but that didn't interest me. so i went to the next closest store i knew of, a target a few miles away. i considered getting more, but in the end i only got the juice at target. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 9 cents. i read through the johnny cash magazine, plenty of photos in it, and mention of a museum in nashville. 

direct deposit form

 at work i scanned a direct deposit form to customer service and was advised to get it to payroll. so i forwarded the response and was told to expect some income tax forms from payroll when my colleague arrived at the shop to pick up the form. i said i would likely start sending those forms out on monday as i prefer to have a 'green light' from my boss, who is due back that day. looks like i reached the final day of the remediation project, so the check volume will go back to normal levels, which i prefer. i was on the phone with a technician around midday, who admitted he was new and i didn't like repeating myself to him. the update on the ticket said it would likely be turned over to an expert for next week, somebody who has serviced these check printing machines before, and i am more familiar with as well. in the evening i went on a walk and found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny said 'the cat is alive' in reference to going on a date with leonard. it was when sheldon explained 'schrodinger's cat'. it was followed by the one where howard is in space and the other astronauts draw on his face. i went to hy-vee in eagan in the evening for my regular grocery order and bought a special magazine about musician johnny cash. before this i went to the adjacent liquor store and got a can of grain belt, so now 4 beers are waiting. 

never stop exploring

 i was surprised to see a blanket still at a bus stop on my evening walk. the night before it was there and i got a picture of it. i got another one tonight and found out it said a little more, 'never stop exploring'. i only saw the third word, a little lower, tonight. i feel that in some ways i am exploring every night during these walks, and during this one i found 88 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard was in the hospital for his peanut allergy, as a ruse for leonard's birthday party. it was followed by the one where howard is in space and he lies to his wife, and his mom. sheldon brings raj on a dinner date with amy. for the evening meal i drank the bottle of modelo so now 3 beers are waiting. 

   at work there was 2 meetings, one of them scheduled at the last minute, in the morning. it didn't last long and i was wondering what it all was about. just sounded like some changes on management, which probably doesn't affect my normal duties. the second was in the afternoon, called a 'chit-chat'. i was asked what facility i was in, and it sounded like if i was being asked in the group i was in then the others were at another one. i had to let them know i don't work from home, although i am aware of how many others do. i kept working during both meetings as i knew i could ill afford to fall behind on my duties. it's the nice thing about joining remotely as i can keep working. there was more emails about trying to do a cleaning of the check printer, and a call near the end of the day, but nobody has arrived yet. and it sounds like the tax-related special project for payroll is a go real soon. i had somebody show up in the afternoon with sealed envelopes that just needed postage. i of course let them know the reported volume on envelopes would be lower now as i send out paystubs when requested, although it has been a few days since i have seen any. still waiting on shipping supplies to arrive, but i knew well enough to get started early on sealing the overnight envelopes when it takes longer if i am out of the ones with built-in pouches for the labels. because it means taping over the entire label to hold it down. it also helped that the last check file of the day was a small one, takes less time to get caught up. 

partial EFT refund

 i called my previous cell phone provider and asked the overpayment from november be refunded because i was still getting a statement. it was for under four dollars. since i was paying by phone, like most of my bills, i was informed it would be a partial EFT refund. it was nice that they did thank me for over 13 years of membership there. of course most of it was for the cell phone use but more than a year was on the land line first. i know how billing statements are, if not a zero balance they send out something. and i only want a statement when i owe something. at work some check files were late, but i still had enough time to send out some of them. all but one of the two fargo files, so i still 'held serve'. i placed another supply order with UPS because the envelopes haven't arrived yet. this time it was larger envelopes in case those arrive more quickly than the smaller ones. the work ID and a box for what must be a new employee was picked up this morning. there was a dial-in meeting in the afternoon but i barely paid attention to it because i wanted to stay caught up on other things. some speakers wanted to talk about ground hog day. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when howard went into space and his wedding to bernadette was shown in flashback. during my walks i found 51 cents. 'the conners' included a storyline about having ghostwriters on college application essays. i wrote my own papers in high school but i did once hear about somebody deciding to pay somebody to write theirs. 

hopefully they're paying you

 in the afternoon i saw a colleague arrive in the archive area on the other side of the fence from the check shop. nothing unusual there, except this is the one that retired less than a month ago. i said 'hopefully they're paying you' and the response from her successor was 'i bought her lunch'. as i recall it didn't take them long to find what they were looking for in those files. there was mention of finding it by social security number. so it was a welcome sight. still a busy day in the shop, because there was more business lines to re-format. i didn't mind it in the morning, but of course there was some more in the afternoon and that left me behind on other duties. it also didn't help that the order of overnight envelopes, placed over a week ago, hasn't arrived yet so it takes longer to get the labels inside the stick-on pouches. i placed another order of envelopes, this time one box. i am largely caught up on getting incoming mail scanned, but still a half-day behind on sending out checks. it will be hard to get caught up for now while doing the 'remediation' project as it is about 3,000 additional checks per day. but last i heard from that business line, based in fargo, is the last day should be this friday. i've been working on it for close to a month so it will be nice when it is done as it will be less hectic. in the evening i went on a walk and found 68 cents. so i have enough for another beer at the end of the week. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when howard found out his space mission is back on, and it conflicts with his wedding ceremony. amy goes on a mission to get sheldon to love her more and it ends with amy in a star trek costume, saying they were playing doctor.