nacho bowl

 went to the st. paul saints baseball game this afternoon, an 8-4 walk-off win in 10 innings against the iowa cubs. i arrived early for the team card set giveaway, but it wasn't the only souvenir i left with. i was walking around a lot and noticed some bowls with the saints logo on it. found out they were filled with nachos, had only been seeing them when empty. so i claimed one just as the game ended, as i knew i could re-purpose it as a cereal bowl. it just meant washing it out. i bought a pin as well, marking the 25th season. this is my 4th of likely 7 games attended this season, already have a ticket for the next one in august. there was a laughter yoga session when i first arrived, got a coloring book from it. after the game i went home and had the evening meal, also dropped off most of what was with me. then i went back to downtown st. paul for an open-mic, and i did talk about being at the saints game. but the show runner made reference to the bit bout wearing the leather. i went home again, and put away the laundry i had done in the morning. i was tired so then i laid down, and it meant doing the dishes will have to wait. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 46 cents. i picked up some items at the dollar store while doing laundry, including dish soap, kool-aid, reese's peanut butter, and a spam single. some parts of the store already look picked over from the liquidation sale. 

elvis (presley) movie

 this afternoon i went to see the movie 'elvis', in eagan. i recognized tom hanks in it. this movie seemed to have the same message as many other bio-pics, 'it is not easy to be famous'. it seemed to be just as much about his manager, played by hanks, but i didn't mind. since hanks served as the narrator as well, much like in 'forrest gump'. early on i was thinking of eminem, who name-checked mr. presley in 'without me'. and then boom! i found out there is an eminem song in the credits, 'king and i'. i knew this was likely as i heard 'marshall' in a song. i found it on youtube and i like it, listened to it more than once. it has the same spirit as many other eminem songs and further explores the parallels between the two, beyond just the name-checking in the aforementioned 'w/o me'. 

this was a busy day for me, attended two festivals before the movie. it was the pancake breakfast at canadian days in little canada, then the car show and bagpipe band. for lunch i went to a greek church and had a gyro and some mythos beer. i didn't stay for long as i wanted to get to the movie. there was one e-bay order picked up at my box between the two festivals. after getting back from the movie i went to aldi, then ate the evening meal. i turned on the baseball game on fox, twins-padres, but i laid down and missed most of it. later on i went on a walk and found 98 cents. i found boxes of cereal along the way and claimed one of them, a family sized box of cheerios. i passed on some of the others because they were expired. and i already had some cereal at home, so it meant make it count on which one to pick. 

busch, you betcha

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight for my weekly grocery order. i looked at some shirts that were discounted and bought one. it said 'busch, you betcha', in reference to the beer. it was half-off, got it for 10 dollars. of course one thing it will make me think of is busch stadium in st. louis, as i visit there annually. i think this is the fourth beer shirt i have, as i also have ones that say hamm's, grain belt, and leinenkugel. i had visited some of these breweries, and of course i drink some of these beers while performing. i got around a little later than typical as i went straight to little canada after work for canadian days, the annual weekend festival. as usual, the first night it is mainly about picking up the festival button and the first food event, corn on the cob. i got the button registered and in the drawing right away, then went to get corn. after this was done i got pizza (2 slices, pepperoni and sausage) and a can of pepsi. i liked the shirt that an employee of this place had and i said i would get pizza only if i got a pic of his shirt, and this was fine. it said 'don't play with me'. just as notable was finding a table for eating pizza and an older man showed up, at times hard to understand, i said 'it's on the banners over there'. the button was paid for with what was found at a bus stop this week, so i guess another person's loss is my gain. after i was done at the festival i went to the nearby mcdonald's as i wanted ice cream, got a vanilla cone. first time there in a while, it had been remodeled. the st. paul saints baseball game was on TV while there. at work, it was nice that a technician arrived in the afternoon and the larger check printer is operational again. i was advised to request this tech so it wouldn't take as long as it did, this time 3 weeks. and so the first tech isn't sent, who proved to be incompetent. there were no reruns to watch tonight due to attending canadian days. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 47 cents. as usual, there is plenty planned for saturday, and not just returning to little canada. 

inadvertent wave

 near the end of the workday i check the branch for any deliveries, and what i was doing must have been understood as a wave by the branch manager as i got one back but it was inadvertent. there wasn't anything to pick up at that time but there was just before midday, including the box with a fuser in it for the main check printer. in the afternoon i got a call from a technician and it looks like the unit will be looked at friday afternoon. the team huddle was still mid-morning but was moved up by 20 minutes. i had a colleague arrive in the shop related to printer set-up as i lost connection with the server and the first print of checks had weird characters on it and included blank pages as well. during that time i decided to swap out the toner cartridge on  the copier as it was nearly full. i like how i don't have to change it too often. i got an I.M. from two people based in st. louis in the afternoon about a check file being delayed. there was still enough time to print it and send out same-day, unlike on tuesday when it was approved around my leave time. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 21 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon met another 'train weirdo' on valentines day. it was followed by the one where sheldon and penny figure out string theory, after other couples are working together on science. with the evening meal i drank the can of steel reserve so now 4 beers are waiting. 

loan payoff letter

 a credit union that would like to buy my loan said they needed a payoff letter for the loan. wasn't easy at first to get this done, was told to try the 24-hour banking number but it was hard to get somebody with a pulse, then i was transferred twice. but i got the letter and then sent it in an email, so i am closer to getting it squared away. hopefully another in-person meeting is not needed. i printed a few other things of interest to me, including a fandango listing for a movie called 'easter sunday', had just seen a promo for it when watching a video on youtube. and song lyrics after googling a line from 'good will hunting' that made me think of work as i often have to overnight checks for a trust fund. my boss was in the office and asked about things. it led to a call about the open ticket on the check printer, still open nearly three weeks later. and to the check stock supplier. there was some confusion about what supplies to order, as i was told to order check stock much earlier than the first of the month. but it will likely not arrive that early due to backorders we are still waiting for. found out i was to order for a special project for fargo checks as well. i was asked if i was interested in some internal postings, hadn't noticed it since it was mentioned in an email. in all honesty, if i am to transfer anywhere i prefer something even closer to home than what is being offered. so it led to me emailing a former colleague that is a manager. i will try my 'work spouse' as well, who was listed as 'offline' for the day but i trust will be back soon. in the evening i went on a walk and found 88 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when james earl jones was a guest star. it included pranking carrie fisher. it was followed by the one where amy said 'bestie!' and hugs penny after sheldon and amy were testing their friends for what wedding role to get them. because penny said amy was an idiot if she didn't pick her as maid of honor. i liked both of these episodes a lot, more than most. and of course there are not too many that i don't like. 

oatmeal creme pie cereal

 last week i claimed some food out of the breakroom at work. one of those items was oatmeal creme pie cereal, made by kellogg. i finished the cereal this morning as i saw the expiration date was coming soon. front of box says it is 'crispy oatmeal puffs with a creme coating'. i didn't recall seeing it for sale anywhere, but i know there are offbeat cereals all the time. it tasted fine. there was plenty on the back of the box, a word search puzzle, and 'which came first', involving technology such as the ATM, and various little debbie products. it covers the history of the oatmeal creme pie as well, as it first sold for five cents and was introduced in 1960. at work i called a supplier in the afternoon, as the backorder of check stock has not arrived yet. i was told i may not hear by the end of the day as to when it might arrive, which i expected. in the morning i noticed some of the mail that arrived was not for this office. it was intended for marshall, which is out-state. it was three items rubber-banded together. so i put them all in one inter-office envelope and it was sent out again at the end of the day. i kept the other envelope, once emptied, and re-used it. the third item was a service anniversary gift. in the evening i went on a walk and found 56 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and raj went to a rock show because bert had asked amy to go with him. bernadette went with stuart to a rival comic book store. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy are sick after a themed birthday party, then end up in a bounce house at another birthday party. i like this one because they are leaping at the end of the episode. the news said there was some flooding in st. louis. i sent a text to my friends there and was told they are fine. 

dickies sticker

 i had been seeing a small chest of (three) drawers with a big dickies sticker on top for a few days. tonight i found a grocery cart and moved it to next to a dumpster where it is more likely to be picked up. still hard to believe how much litter is out there, including but not limited to this item. this was during my evening walk, where i found 1 dollar 12 cents. since i bought 2 bags of chips from the vending machine at work, and bought 2 cans of beer from the liquor store near work, for the next purchase with small change it will be a festival button. i got a can of labatt, and steel reserve, so now 5 beers are waiting. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny had her scene cut. it was followed by the one where raj started working at the planetarium, while sheldon and amy kept fighting due to the wedding planning. i performed at an open-mic tonight as well. the jokes getting the most reaction were the ones about cereal found at work, cake mix, and the bank employee i see on the way to lunch. i liked some of the music played by others. the wild man played dolly parton's 'jolene' and mac and cheese played sixpence's 'kiss me'. at work i sent a box found at the branch to the delivery table. another one looked like a toner cartridge, but didn't have my name on it. a colleague said i could still open it, and when i confirmed it was a toner cartridge i decided to keep it in the shop. i also asked for the 15-day payoff amount on a loan and still need to forward this information to the credit union.

b.f. nelson park

 in the afternoon i did training as a fringe volunteer in a former grain belt brewery building. while driving home i passed by a park with a statue so i stopped there. this was b.f. nelson park. had to look up who this is, the park's website said it was the name of a paper milling company that once did business on this site. the statue that i got a picture of said 'pioneers'. also found a display about the birds in this park. i wasn't there for long, then i stopped at the bobby and steve's near 35-w and got an ice cream sandwich. then i drove the rest of the way home. the door was locked when i arrived for training, but i didn't have to wait long to get in. i got my shirt, the handbook, and vouchers to attend shows. at this point it is just three shifts of ushering that i am signed up for. there is mention of red sea, a restaurant in cedar-riverside, being fringe central during the festival next month. and there will be theme nights such as stand-up comedy, and karaoke. had to check on the website as to if it was anyone i knew, they listed the yemen native. so i asked what night and my friend seemed surprised to be booked for this event. i got some things done in the morning, including going through the shred bin. it was the first time in months. and i got more of my set lists moved to a page where they eventually go into the comedy souvenir binder. after getting back from the fringe training i laid down for a while. it was still on my mind how i spoke with another volunteer who claimed to have recognized me, was trying to figure out from where. the most likely one to me was from ushering, as i have shirts from 3 previous years to prove it. i looked at them in the closet, where they are next to some shirts from friends in the comedy circuit. and the one from acting at a haunted house. even though i don't wear them much, it serves as a nice reminder of what i've done and who i've known in my adventures of performing. later on i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 86 cents. 

family dollar liquidation sale

 just this week, the family dollar store near me announced their liquidation sale with a big banner near the entrance. i shopped there for the first time since then this afternoon. i decided to go small for now on what i am buying, things i need and will use right away such as food and drink. i got a box of twinkies, a box of cupcakes, some chips ahoy cookies, and a 6-pack of kool-aid. later on i can get soap, but i am good on soap for now. all told what i bought was just under 5 dollars. i have shopped at liquidation sales before so i take it seriously when they say 'all sales final'. so i am careful with what i get. since it is a chain store, and there are other locations in the twin cities, it is possible that some of the employees, merchandise, and customers will migrate to another one of their locations. but it is hard to say how much. another term for a 'dollar store' is 'variety store' so it serves as a reminder of the variety of items available there. i have bought some CDs and DVDs from that store over the years, not a big deal that they are anything but new. it is essentially an auction as the discounts are currently 20 percent but i can expect it to go higher after a while. no reason was given for the impending closing, or the final day, but i will pace myself on how often i visit. once a week will be enough. 

i got some other things done, including a meeting at a credit union just before midday. then it was on to a dairy queen at a nearby mall as i wanted some ice cream, so i got a blizzard treat. before the credit union was the post office, 2 items to pick up there. final stop was the copy store as i had just ordered  a ticket for a st. paul saints baseball game in just over a week. i had lunch at home, a pot pie along with the rapper potato chips i brought back from st. louis. then i laid down for a while. when i got up i not only went to the dollar store, after it i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. then it was time for the baseball game on Fox, cleveland at chicago, game 2 of a doubleheader. the chicago white sox won, 5-4. then i looked through my binder of things from fringe festivals attended over the years. most active years started with 2016, the year i had a role in a fringe show. later on i went on a walk and found 24 cents.

sending covid card

 i had to send a scan of my covid card this morning in order to be accepted as a volunteer for the fringe festival, which is coming up next month. i had done it before as i wanted to get in free to shows. although the last time was 2019, proven in the system when i logged in, as the past two years it went virtual. there are three shows i would like to see so it means the same number of shifts. and doing a training session this weekend. at work there was not too much out of the ordinary. there was an envelope for a manager and it will stay in the shop until next week. as usual i notify that it is here. i needed time to go through the overnight requests as there was 6 emails in the shared box. i needed to print all of them to see i any were duplicated. thankfully since i reviewed them closely i found out it was just four. i made it to hy-vee in eagan in the evening for my weekly grocery order. in the mail was my postcard from st. louis. i still recall my dad's joke about being on vacation and 'beat the postcard home'. one never knows for sure how many days it will take for it to arrive. later on i went on a walk and found 68 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon retracted a paper he had written. it was followed by the one about bitcoin.

politician mailings

 i joke about how 'there must be some kind of election soon' when i get mailings from politicians. so far mostly it has been from the incumbent member of the US house. but this evening there was one from the county commissioner. i like researching online what is up for election for the primary, which is in august. i try to vote in most elections, primary or general. i try to keep each mailing until the election as it is a helpful reminder of what the candidate is for. and it seems to say who has the most campaign money, based on how many mailings i get. of course incumbents do tend  have plenty of campaign money. it was one of four items in the mail, two of them have already been sent to the shred box and i still need to decide when i am shredding what it is in there as it has been full for a little while. at work here was plenty of checks being picked up in person, one colleague picked up 12. and some were put in the lockbox for courier pickup for the tax specialist, 1 of those 2 was canadian. the boss was not in so the team huddle has been moved back a day. i did have a request by IM to set aside a check in the morning, so i sent it up to that floor once it was found. although it was odd, the same file had a check for over a million but no request to overnight it. in the evening i went on a walk and found 40 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns where when 3 people said 'what is wrong with you' about raj being fixed up by penny for a date. it was followed by the one where the friends cover the edison and tesla rivalry. i drank the can of modelo with the evening meal and last week got a budweiser so there still are 3 beers waiting. 

knee deep in the hoopla

 on the way to work his morning i heard a starship song, 'we built this city'. it was on the album 'knee deep in the hoopla'. i once had it on cassette but not anymore. one line in it i said since i got older is still true- 'someone's always playing corporation games. who cares they're always changing corporation names'. i should know, a former employer changed names twice while i was working there. near the end of the day i deposited a check at the branch on behalf of a customer. it was forwarded by a colleague from the file i sent them, full of refund checks. the teller said the only account for them was an installment loan for a car. so it went there. it is rare having to do this. i said i don't understand why these checks are sent to us when they are addressed to milwaukee. there was also a call for me at the branch, right before i went to lunch, but i messed up what button to press and lost the call. something about an overnight package i had sent. usually a call like this comes directly to me. in the evening i went on a walk and found 47 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bob newhart was a guest star and said 'back off, bowtie' to bill nye. it was followed by the one where sheldon was ashamed to say he was working with bert, and 'almost paradise' is played twice.

all star game mics

 watched some of the baseball all star game tonight. the american league won, 3-2. notable about the game was many of the players were miced. this included at one point the pitcher and catcher, so one could hear things like what pitch was being called. surprised me a little, but i am aware it is an exhibition game so it is a better time to try it. there was even a segment where big papi ortiz is going through a dugout, except no real in-depth interviews were done. it was mostly saying hi. the uniforms looked a lot different from what is in the regular season games, shinier letters on them. this was the first all star game at dodger stadium since 1980. there were some promos for the field of dreams game next month, reds vs. cubs. i will try to catch that one on TV as i missed it last year. i think i was busy getting packed and ready for being out of town that weekend. 

  at work there wasn't much out of the ordinary. the overnight envelope order was picked up from the branch near the end of the day. there was a check going to social security in philadelphia where i was asked to print an attachment and include it, still going regular mail. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 21 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon made a discovery through a blunder. and he didn't want any applause for it. this was followed by the one where professor proton was re-cast, so we see bob newhart guest star.

running up that hill, kate bush

 late last week i heard a catchy song on the radio, 'running up that hill', by kate bush. had to research it and found out this song became popular again after being in the netflix series 'stranger things'. haven't seen the show, but i do have youtube. found the song there and the scene from the netflix series it was in. i wasn't too familiar with kate bush, only thing i recall is back in college when an instructor of a business law class liked playing song clips. one was by kate, don't recall which one. she also liked playing film clips relevant to the things we were learning in the law class. i liked what was said by a commenter about the scene. it is a metaphor for battling depression or PTSD, you can either let it consume you or keep fighting. the song has plenty of dancing in it and is about a couple switching places to try to resolve relationship differences. i had to research the phenomenon of songs being a returnee to the billboard hot 100. it isn't unheard of, but still rare. the ones i recall were aided by being in a popular movie or TV show, much like this song. there was 'rock around the clock' being in 'happy days', 'at this moment' being in 'family ties', 'twist and shout' being in 'ferris bueller' and 'back to school', and there was 'bohemian rhapsody' being in 'waynes world' and the movie of the same name. it is about exposure. this song is in the top five now, and hasn't peaked yet. it led to me ordering the greatest hits CD that it is on from amazon tonight, 'the whole story'. 

at work i had to spend some time getting caught up on emails since it was my first day back at the office. a few things weren't done when i was out, but it looks like most were. i performed at an open-mic in the evening and met a dude who said his uncle did some music for the movie 'cadillac records'. most of my set was about visiting st. louis. later on i went on a walk and found 59 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy worked at the same university as sheldon, and the monkey in her study reacted the same way to stimuli as sheldon did. it was followed by the one where howard and amy work together late, and it led to bernadette taking a page from mark twain's 'tom sawyer' to have sheldon do chores for her.

2 gate changes, 1 delay

 i began the day in saint ann, missouri, at my hotel room. i got continental breakfast early, due to a 9am flight. i didn't mind as i had less competition for the waffle maker. i was the only one on the shuttle i took back to the airport. when i arrived i checked in for my flight but there was 2 gate changes and a delay, albeit a delay of less than 30 minutes. saw a teenager getting hugged by his mom at the gate. when i made it back to MSP i had to pause when passing by a bar that was playing 'price tag' by Jessie J and BOB. reminded me of doing wii dancing on breaks at a former job. i got a good look around the smaller terminal as i am not at the airport too often, and not much planned for the rest of the day. the main thing was getting groceries and resting up. it was 12noon when i got home, take the ight rail over to the main terminal and then the bus the rest of the way home. a man in a twins shirt was waiting as well, on his way to the game. i said i turned down a group ticket for this game because i was going to be out of town. i heated up a TV dinner and then went to hy-vee for a few things. after laying down for a while it was over to aldi, and then family dollar. nice that not much was waiting in emails, i knocked it down when i was out of town. and no postal mail waiting. the evening meal was pizza i had just bought at hy-vee. it didn't take long to unpack as usual, just dirty clothes and cheap souvenirs. during my walks i found 1 dollar 37 cents. much of it will go to my next beer purchase, along with the dollar's worth of change left over from this weekend.

major league meatball

 before the cardinal game, a matinee, i went to ballpark village next to the stadium to see if there was any food cheaper than what i found the night before. and there was. one of the signs said major league meatball. i got a hot dog and a can of sprite. cardinals won, 11-3 over cincinnati. after the game i took metro link back to the airport and left souvenirs at the hotel. then i went walking and had the evening meal at steak and shake. used up the last of the dollar coins, change given at metro link, for a can of sparkling water at the on the run convenience store near the hotel. 

economy museum

 early morning flight, 6am out of MSP. i was up at 4 am. had some time to fill once i arrived in st. louis, before the cardinals baseball game in the evening. and before i could check into the hotel. so i went downtown on metro-link and went to the economy museum inside the fed-bank. i did not stay at the hotel long after checking in, wanting to go back downtown to the game. cardinals won 7-3, over cincinnati.  

looking for ice

 i was at walgreen to get a snack and another patron arrived and said they were looking for ice. i am used to seeing ice at gas stations and grocery stores. then somebody said the dollar store had ice. at work i was fine with the refund check folder being handed off and that colleague is now going through them. some of them are expired. one was shown to me and it was from may. it will be sent to the branch for deposit. a few things were left over at the end of the day, beyond my control. two files weren't approved to print. there s checks for courier pickup in the morning. and there was the refund checks that are waiting for approval. so i emailed others to keep them in the loop. during my walks i found 30 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends did a scavenger hunt. it led to amy and howard bonding over neil diamond music, and the show ends with them doing karaoke. it was followed by the one where 'the council off sheldons' was called as he was talking in his sleep, after getting engaged. he lets amy plan the wedding. i drank the can of michelob with the evening meal so now 3 beers are waiting.

seal statues

 i went to a picnic at como park in st. paul tonight and off in the distance i saw a seal statue. i am aware of these being in honor of the seals at the zoo. much like just over a week ago, i brought patriotic twinkies. i am pleased that most of them were eaten. only one was taken home at the end of the night. i mostly spoke with somebody who said he was dominican, and his favorite subject was movies. at work there was a fire alarm, but a colleague said it was just a test and i wasn't informed of this in advance. i called to get the ticket upgraded on the check printer, but no word yet on when the parts will arrive. i liked how a meeting in the morning was short, about 10 minutes. during my walks i found 26 cents. i did not watch any reruns due to the picnic. i went to a liquor store and got a can of hamm's so now 4 beers are waiting. and i got some sponges at target. 

check printing in chunks

 i had to figure out a strategy on check printing for high volume days like this one where there is just one printer to use. when the fargo files arrived, the smaller one was done in full. then i did the other one in chunks as it was just over four thousand. i wanted to have the printer free for other, smaller files, especially the ones where some are overnighted. and this plan worked. i did a thousand when there was gaps in what was arriving. it meant not everything went out same-day, but most of it did. i was pleased that 6 of the checks in the second I-pay were set aside for internal pick-up, as it meant i didn't have to do overnight labels for those. the fewer overnights later in the day, the better. i also liked how a meeting in the afternoon was moved to the next morning, when i am less busy. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 6 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bernadette and amy are at a conference together and are critical in who they have for guys. then they admit to who interests them at the conference, sounds like the guys that the other is with. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy are engaged. there were some guest stars but it will be memorable for amy hugging ramona at the end instead of confronting her.

rent check for courier

 there was a message on a check that said courier pick-up. so i emailed the employee listed about it. eventually it was revealed it was a rent check. i said i was fine with them arriving at the branch, easier access for the general public. except the branch manager said the courier was at the lockbox, wasn't expecting that. so i still had them sign the form and i reported back by email who had taken ownership of the check. as for the main check printer, still no resolution yet. all i saw was mention of ordering parts. upon my return from lunch there was a meeting about updating a written procedure, it was the one on refund checks. my boss said i was just 'helping out' although i have done it for my entire time there due to the pandemic mode. guess i will be submitting some of the checks in person instead of scanning them depending on what day of the week it is. in the evening i went on a walk and found 89 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both season finales. the first was when lucy bailed on raj again, after she meets amy and raj is pushy with lucy. i liked hearing 'what the hell' when raj suggests which friend should meet lucy first. it was followed by the one where sheldon proposes to amy, after ramona kisses him. i still like bernadette saying 'shake a can of nickels' but this one has so many good quotes, especially ones from amy such as 'little late, leonard' and mention of working on that ketchup bottle for a while. i performed at an open-mic, i did stories about the 4th of july picnic as well as a chatty colleague at work.

ccc demo, ft. snelling

 this afternoon i went to the historic ft. snelling where i saw a CCC demo. first was the tail end of the baseball demo. there was a leonardo da vinci bridge put together by the museum employees, and then the public was invited to help with the logs on the log cabin. i helped with a longer log. it had been a few years since i had been to the fort so i wanted to get a good look around after this was done. i went because my favorite era of history to study is the new deal programs that put people back to work during the depression, doing public works projects. i ended up looking up one thing due to my visit, it was the mention of the 'brownsville affair' where some soldiers were dishonorably discharged in 1906. i liked the section about 'countless lives saved by medical advances' as i said there are some vaccines i have had for diseases that are no longer necessarily fatal. this included mention of the 1918 flu pandemic. after this i went home and got some things i needed at the family dollar, including trash bags and a toothbrush. i laid down for a little while, and by then it was time for the evening meal, i had a pizza hot pocket. before going to the fort i watched a DVD movie, 'up in the air', the annual viewing of it. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 66 cents.

gran torino movie

 in the afternoon i put in a DVD movie, a recent purchase from family dollar, 'gran torino'. i think this was the first time i had seen it since it was at theaters. i recognized clint eastwood in it. i recall a coworker saying he goes to church with the grandma in it. this was the second of three discs to watch from that case. it was like watching it again for the first time. i recalled a few things, such as the attempt to steal the car, and the reading of the will. i can relate to the part where walt said he could relate to his neighbors better than his own family. 

i waited to put in the movie as there were other things i wanted to get done in the morning. this included going to the credit union to dump change into my savings account, something i do once a quarter. it was 15 dollars that i deposited. i went to the post office but there was nothing to pick up from my box. then i went to a copy store and printed 4 items. two are upcoming reservations, one of those two was baseball game tickets. i got a box of cereal and some cheese curds at a holiday gas station as well. then it was time to do lunch at home, a pot pie. after the movie was done i laid own for a while, and then it was time to go to aldi for my weekly grocery order. on the way there i saw some plastic tubs of interest to me, and after i got back from buying groceries i got a look at it. i passed on much of it but claimed 32 books and 4 CDs, along with some note pads. 3 of the CDs were still wrapped in plastic. some of the books included sinclair lewis, hemingway, and some reference books for writers. even one about president kennedy. thankful i looked at it when i did as it was all gone when i went out for a walk later in the evening. during this walk i found 27 cents. after the grocery store i had the evening meal, a pizza hot pocket, and watched part of the baseball game on Fox. it was yankees at red sox, and the red sox won in 10 innings.

hungary coin

 in the evening i went to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order. i checked the coin counter and noticed there was a coin in it. i took it home and had to search for it online, it was from hungary. it is 20 forint, from 2014. i found out the exchange rate says it is worth about a nickel. it will go into a tin with other foreign coins. i made it to their liquor store as well and got a can of schell's so now 3 beers are waiting. at work i called for service in the morning on the main check printer. a technician arrived before midday but didn't seem to be all that knowledgeable. i saw him playing 'process of elimination' and couldn't find the cause of the jam after being there for a few hours. this included swapping out the toner cartridge, and i even said this didn't make sense just because that is where the jam was happening. during that time i had to take lunch, and did so in the 'back room' in case the tech had questions. i stepped outside to get a can of orange soda from the lions club as the festival was happening.  a colleague called me online and the call took 30 minutes, longer than it should have. because more than just the subject at hand was covered by the caller. and i thought i was chatty and went off topic, not as much as this one is. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends play D and D and amy was upset with how the others think her relationship with sheldon is a joke. it was followed by the one where part one of what was likely a season finale, as it was when amy was going to princeton for the summer.

pub 42 luncheon

 there was an early lunch at work due to going off-site to celebrate two birthdays in the department. it meant going to pub 42, in new hope, first time there. i had a reuben sandwich with fries. my boss had something different after saying he gets gout from eating it. notable to me was seeing a bucket from the YMCA fill up with water across the street. there was just 6 of us, i rode with the boss. early in the morning we were told there was a colleague who got covid, and some others were working from home. i had to be fine with the fargo files being delayed as i prefer staying ahead of those. one of them did go out same-day. the other was still printed though it took longer due to the printer jamming and having to re-direct it. i still need to call for service, will do so in the morning. hard to find the time to do so in the afternoon when there were so many other things to do. i proved there was a business line with a different signature, rarely see it, 28 checks so far this year. so my boss sent it to the I.T. rep and it was changed. after work i went to a nearby bank as there was an event related to a community festival. it was an ice cream social, and i bought a button as well as got a free ice cream treat. a guitar player was playing some standards, including springsteen's 'going down'. others were 'wagon wheel', and 'brown-eyed girl'. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 13 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when zac offered a job to penny, but his fiancee didn't approve so it was withdrawn. i drank the can of schell's with the evening meal so now 2 beers are waiting.

re-directing a magazine

 i try to re-deliver some mail that is for nearby businesses. near the end of the day i tried to re-direct a magazine, but the clinic was already closed for the day, door was locked. so i will try again the next day. i had been there before. also at work the envelope order arrived. and the fluid bottle was found at the branch. there was some test checks to print for a business line based out of kansas city. i did this mid-morning after one of the printers was free, as i run both at the same time when the two largest files of the day are ready. i think this takes care of most of the supply orders for the month. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 74 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon had problems with closure and amy tried to help him with it. i liked this one because he is shown on the floor acting drunk after dominoes fell, then penny arrives to call him a weirdo. it was followed by the one where bert announces he has a lady friend on 'fun with flags', but she appears to be interested only when bert buys her things.

blazing rebel, TNT

 on the way to work i passed by some spent fireworks near my car. it said 'blazing rebel, TNT'. as usual i am fine with setting off of fireworks being one by others. at work the branch manager found me mid-morning and said there was a delivery, it was the check stock. so i got out a cart and moved them out 12 at a time. all were in front of the table. it seemed a little light, and i checked the packing list. found out some of them are on backorder. when i was getting back from lunch a colleague asked if i had any printouts for her. i did. i saw it when i was doing UPS labels, so i set it aside before i went to lunch. seeing the name and DOB made sense, her youngest kid. after work i got cheese, ice cream, and patriotic twinkies at aldi. i wanted the ice cream for the pie that wasn't sent to the picnic. in the evening i went on a walk and found 35 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was cleaning out closets and found a letter from howard's dad. it was followed by the one where sheldon leaves his air force project notebook at a cowboy bar.

twinkies, meetup picnic

 i went to a meetup picnic nearby around midday, after going to the capitol to drop off recycle. the venue was a park where i had attended a 'booya' soup event in the fall. it worked well to bring some patriotic twinkies as i was the only one who did. when signing up i said i would bring a pie but changed it at the last minute, after reviewing the invite which said the preference was for pre-packaged items. there were multiple pies despite me not bringing one, and all of the twinkies were eaten. in the morning before leaving for the event i watched a DVD, 'super bowl shuffle', and swapped out laces on shoes which should save time each day with getting shoes on as the laces on one shoe were shredding. there were various games at the picnic, i ate shorty after arriving and just before leaving. both times i had a burger and a dog on my plate. the games included ladder golf, bean bag toss, and pickle-ball. first time doing ladder golf since i was going to bars to sing karaoke, so first time since the pandemic hit. likely the first time doing pickle-ball. what made this event most memorable was what happened near me when playing ball. a man was bleeding from trying to break up a fight-between 2 dogs. enjoyed chats with various people while there, one of them had a st. paul saints hat on like i did. the retired postal worker, a reason why i went, was not there, although he was listed as an event organizer. one man there i found to be annoying, but it is the sum total, still a pretty decent 4th of july for me. as i was leaving i heard 'stars and stripes forever' on a flute, a nice way to close out the event. thankful i had some deviled eggs early, as the eggs didn't last long. later on i went on a walk and found 7 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the dudes went to speak to girls about science at a school that howard attended, while the ladies went to disneyland. raj did a texting date with lucy. it was followed by the one where raj and penny dressed like twins and leonard felt left out, so he tags along with howard and bernadette. sheldon and amy work together on science work, but they only get things done by insulting each other.

instant vanilla pudding

 i had enough milk left over from the week that i decided to use it for the instant vanilla pudding i had claimed a while back. i split it into two servings, and had the second earlier today. i had it in the container where i keep the canned fruit after opening the can. the pudding tasted fine. now just one item is left from what i had claimed, it would be a box of oatmeal packets. i did laundry in the afternoon. then i laid down for a while and when i got up it was time for an early dinner, in order to get to an open-mic. thankful i went, not just due to the stage time. it was nice to see cul-de-sac there as well, somebody i saw on the way in. finally got to catch up on things since his move back from los angeles. plenty of bits worked well, including the man from the meetup walk, an annoying coworker's nickname, and the night walk. when i got back i put away the rest of the laundry, and sent a text to friend who lives out of state. later on i did dishes, and went on a walk where i found 1 dollar 10 cents. heard some fireworks already but i know there will be more soon.

father stu movie

 this morning i put in a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'father stu'. i recognized mark wahlberg and mel gibson in it. a scene showing mel, as his dad, eating from a pan while watching what may have been jack benny and hearing his gruff but honest answering machine message was comical to me. the music in it was good, recognized many of the country songs in it. this included ones from dolly parton, loretta lynn, as well as conway twitty. along with a johnny cash duet with june at a karaoke bar. no surprise when the subject of the movie is from montana. it is about a boxer who moves to california to be an actor and then sees the light and becomes a priest. the closing credits did say 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect' and i am used to this for any movie 'based on a true story'. i liked how stu had some answers when others said he wasn't right for the priesthood, quoting the bible, saying there are reformed men. other scenes that work for me included when he goes with another priest to a prison and can talk better to the inmates since he knows what it is like to be arrested. i watched the special features, plenty of deleted scenes as well as 'you don't know stu'. once this was done it was time for errand running. i picked up one item at the post office, then went to print 5 items at the copy store. i picked up an apple pie from a little target for an upcoming 4th of july picnic, and sent a scan to claim a gift card since the offer was expiring soon. after laying down for a little while, it was time to get groceries at aldi. then it was on to the st. paul saints baseball game. saints lost to omaha 6-4, and were trailing 4-0 at the end of the 1st inning. home runs helped narrow the margin, but one was just a solo shot. i got fries from a food truck after the game, same one as memorial day, dine 1-1. and there was  a fireworks show. i liked hearing 'say it ain't so' by weezer at the saints game. there was music while i was out and about making the day more memorable, including 'unstoppable' by sia and 'i think we're alone now' by billie joe armstrong. after the game i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 35 cents.

most amazing places

 i went to hy-vee in eagan tonight, and bought one of those special magazines. it was 'america's most amazing places'. some places i have been to, some i haven't. the arch in st. louis, and mt. rushmore, i have been to. same is true with the vibrant cities. it has 103 perfect destinations to explore, and budget friendly travel tips. i may not be traveling much for a while, but i will still like reading about them. there still are some copies of the special magazine about national parks. the one i bought does have a section about those. at the nearby liquor store i got a can of schell's so now there are 3 beers waiting. during my walks i found 54 cents. i was caught off-guard when i saw somebody during this night walk, who asked for my name and i wouldn't give one. i then said 'go away'. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when lucy first bails on raj. penny acts in the play 'streetcar named desire'. it was followed by the one where raj has 2 different living arrangement offers from friends. sheldon and amy have a batman statue in their home. at work i liked how the last day before the holiday was largely uneventful. the volume stayed low throughout the day, likely aided by some people being out of the office. near the end of the day i picked up the toner cartridge from the branch. the rest of the foundation checks went out, the other 75 percent of the 3,000 checks approved on thursday.