smartfood popcorn

 i got another small bag of smartfood popcorn from the vending machine at work and had it as a snack just before midday. i like how it is cheddar cheese flavored, and the front of the bag says it is 70 calories per cup. so what must make it smart is the lower calorie content, for the entire bag it is 160 calories. and i had some apple cider as well. the packet was the one meant for the previous day, but delayed due to the power outage. one of the nine scenarios of emergencies at the workplace is a power outage. it was a posting i saw on the wall in the check shop. i hadn't really noticed it much before. at work the notable thing was hearing from two colleagues, who were expecting checks in the second i-pay. one said she was driving in and i must have been the first stop as she still had a winter coat on. the other asked if there were any in the first run and i said i send an I.M. right away if there is anything. i don't send one of there is nothing to pick up. in both cases, these colleagues likely picked them up before seeing the I.M. saying it is there. the doorbell rang early in the day, found out it was just dropping off an inter-office envelope. so i showed them where to drop it in a tub in the mailroom, and how i pick up all that is there at the end of the day. this was somebody i didn't know, but i was told it wasn't a new employee. in the evening i went on a walk and found 36 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard went on a date with penny, but said it wasn't a date. and he hit his head when under the table, trying to demonstrate a science principle. it was followed by the one where sheldon gets amy a tiara, and she loves it. another one i really like as amy said to penny, 'i'm disappointed in you but we know that won't last'. 

power outage, karaoke machine

 during the first half of the day at work there was a power outage. i was in the hall, ready to do a walk to check for deliveries, when the power went out. so i saw the emergency lights from the exit signs pop on. i milled around a little, but it was hard for me to be idle. i saw some leave the building and decide to work from home. i called my boss, who advised me to take an early lunch. what i did was get caught up on the things i could do manually, such as get inter-office checks into envelopes. i found a place with light, the safe deposit box area, to do so. thankful the check shop door is battery operated, as i could still get in there, where my coat is. my computer was still running, i found out, but losing battery power as it was not being constantly charged. after a while the emergency lights went out in the shop, so i didn't want to sit there if it was mostly dark except for the light from a copier in the corner. so i sat in the branch area, where some of the branch employees got out a karaoke machine. i was hearing music and didn't know at first where it was coming from, so i had to check it out. there was three text messages about it from the branch manager. i sent three text messages in the breakroom to people i hadn't heard from lately, including a college roommate, as it was hard to know how to fill in the time. after about two hours, the power was back on. my boss saw the texts from the branch manager, and i said i had just logged back in and would do my best to get caught up. what helped was that it was a fairly low volume day, i had already printed the fargo files by then. what didn't get done i can do the next day, mostly scanning incoming mail. the things that needed to go out still did, namely the checks i printed. one colleague didn't understand, was getting impatient when waiting for a check copy. when i responded i said there was a delay due to a power outage, i was getting ready to handle it when the power went out. so i spoke of it when i performed at an open-mic in the evening, one of two bank stories. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 58 cents. guess i did snack a little during the power outage, a small bag of popcorn, got it from the vending machine in the morning before the power went out. i still waited to take lunch as i heat up soup in the microwave oven, and as expected it sounded like nearby businesses such as the subway and the mcdonald's also lost power. so my options were limited, and i didn't want to leave the building that bad when i was unsure if i could get back in with my employee badge. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon broke into penny's apartment and started cleaning while she was sleeping. the second was a rare one i didn't want to watch, so i switched over to 'me tv' and watched 'mash', with james cromwell as a guest star, bj's friend. then it was back over to fox-9 plus for the news. 

boogie nights movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase, 'boogie nights'. this replaces an earlier purchase, where the disc was scratched and i was unable to view part of the movie. i am aware it has the same director as 'licorice pizza', which i saw at theaters a year ago. good cast in this one, including julianne moore. this one covers a longer time period than 'licorice' does. an odd thing was a scene in court where one sees two pictures of president reagan on the wall. it was a fictionalized account of the porn movie industry, and i got it where some of the character names were derived from. julianne's character is called 'amber waves'. and i saw it as ridiculous, but also somehow appropriate, that heather graham's character was known as 'rollergirl' and never took off her skates. the music in it was good, including 'magnet and steel', which was also in 'overnight delivery'. it was midday when the movie was done so i ate a turkey pot pie and then made it over to mall of america to do 'dining for miles'. i got an ice cream cookie sandwich. then it was time to get to the st. paul winter carnival, where some of the ice sculptures were still being worked on. i got pictures of most of them, including one of king kong. another was of an octopus. there was an orchestra giving a concert inside the landmark center, and i went there to see the big display of winter carnival souvenirs in another room of the building. then i went home and watched some of the NFL playoff games. the leadoff game was nearly at halftime by then, eagles went on to beat the 49ers. i ended up watching more of the second, once i was satisfied with checking email. chiefs beat the bengals in a close one. i also got a good look at a family heirloom. a coin collection i claimed out of my grandma's house. it originally had 41 coins glued on the canvas, i added a USA nickel so now it is six full rows of seven. it is a good time capsule, as some of these nations are now known by different names as most coins are from the 1940s and 50s. some nations now use a different currency as well, as there is now the 'euro'. two coins are even older, and now antiques, a british penny and an australian shilling. i decided to uproot and re-glue some of them to find out the nation, year, and value of the coins. when a british monarch is showing up, that didn't tell me what nation it is. and i like the variety of nations represented, as the most from any nation is three, and most of the globe is represented as well. had to google the nations for some of them. during my walks i found 26 cents. i went to the nearby liquor store and got a can of wooden ship, a local brew from minneapolis, so now 4 beers are waiting. 

lamborghini bio-pic

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, a bio-pic, 'lamborghini, the man behind the legend'. i recognized mira sorvino in it, but she had a small role, as the main character's second wife, and the stepmother to his only child. the first wife died in childbirth. i learned something from this bio-pic, because it was about somebody i knew very little about. how this man made more than just luxury cars. like many other industrial companies, there were other products made, most notably farm implements before the cars. one reviewer on the redbox site tried to compare it to 'ford ferrari', but this movie is nothing like it because it is about more than just racing cars. i liked not only watching the movie itself but also the special features, as there was a 'behind the scenes' segment. it was largely based on a book by the main character's son. after the movie was done i went to the gas station and dumped the movie, then went to the post office. there was just one order to pick up. then it was on to jersey mike's for a sub sandwich as it was midday. i got a card for a discount on my next sandwich. then i went home for a short time, and then left to go to an art event in inver grove heights at the library. we worked with clay, various colors, and i liked the blends i ended up with. then the discs were put on the outside of a jar and we can bake them in a conventional oven at home. after this i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. in the early evening i tried to watch the news but there was golf on CBS. i don't know if they ever showed the 6pm local news as i laid down and fell asleep. when i woke up it was just after 9pm. during the day's online activity i looked at my meetup profile after doing a review of the event i just attended. i decided to cut some of the groups i am a part of, went from 12 to 10. no big loss for the two i cut, as i noticed there had been no recent events held. for one, the last one was nearly three years ago, for the other it was well over a year ago. not the first time where i decided to 'stress quality' on the groups i am in. later on i went on a walk and found 39 cents. 

clutch brewing

 tonight i went to a meetup event at clutch brewing in st. paul, in the former schmidt brewery complex. it was my first event in this group, had just joined it late last year. over a hundred people were there on the upper level, so kind of crowded. but i did like getting pictures of displays of the beer once brewed there, not just schmidt but also grain belt. this was in a display case, or on top of one. even saw a cardboard cutout of jesse ventura, an ad for pigs eye beer. i had one beer, and i did speak with a few people there. i saw somebody i knew off in the distance, but didn't talk to them and this was fine with me. i was there for an about an hour, then i left to do the typical errand running. this meant going to a gas station first for fuel, as well as the paper and chocolate milk. it was late enough in the evening so i wasn't expecting to find the paper at hy-vee in eagan, my next stop, where i had a small order of just seven items. my final stop was cub foods to get a redbox movie. normally i go to the holiday gas station but the movie i wanted wasn't there, and i researched where i could find it. not the first time i went to cub foods to find a movie. later on i went on a walk and found 37 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were episode one. it was followed by the one where the ladies play twister, and amy goes on a date with stuart then sheldon shows up and uses a quadruple negative. at work i was getting more questions about a check i overnighted a week earlier, because it hadn't been delivered. i responded to the email saying i wasn't given the name of the attorney's office, as it was an estate check. this was likely why the courier wouldn't deliver. even after stating this, i still wasn't given the attorney's name. there was a dial-in meeting late in the day, about a special project starting next month. it is possible that there will be overtime involved to complete it in a timely fashion. 

cart borrowing

 in the morning at work i got a doorbell ring asking for a cart. except i didn't know who it was, and i asked for a name. it was somebody in payroll, wanting to bring boxes in from her car. i sent some tax checks to the lockbox and the cart was back when i had finished this task. the boss returned, but must have been working remotely. a check from equifax was picked up from the branch, i had heard about it for a while, in an overnight envelope from fed-ex. it was addressed to the boss, i was asked to open it and confirm what it was, and was told to process it like any other refund check. also notable about the day was asking for a form on a returned check from a california government agency. i was asked to re-send it last week, but i said it was returned because the agency didn't know what it is for. and a colleague that sorts the mail asked where an i-pay check was, i said i notify when it is there and it wasn't in the midday run. it was in the late afternoon run and she arrived just after printing, before i had notified it was there. it was the typical send the check through the fence for this colleague. i was seeing 'no response required' emails for an upcoming meeting about the check remediation project for next month, except the attached agenda was brief. in the evening i went on a walk and found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were part two of the final episode, when sheldon and amy get their nobel prizes. i am still very much moved by this one because sheldon asks his friends to stand up. i think it is because part of me wishes i had a close-knit circle of friends. but that just wasn't in the cards. it was followed by the one where sheldon asks amy and bernadette to help with shooing a bird, a blue jay, and then bernie calls him a big baby. leonard and penny go out, but they claim it is not a date. i drank the can of michelob with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. 

utility payments

 there was three i-pay files today, which is rare. most of the checks needed for the utility payments were in the first one, which was waiting for me in the morning. i overnighted the ones with a physical address, from the first file it was four out of six. the one check from the night before was lumped together in the printing, but it was inter-office, a total of seven. two in the midday file were also part of the special project, one of those i was able to overnight as well. in the afternoon the manager showed up in the shop and asked for a windowless envelope in order to change the PO box address for one of those going regular mail. i am told the system has been corrected so it is unlikely we will have this problem going forward. not everything on the list arrived though. one utility had fifteen listings and i saw only one check matching the given amounts. so i am wondering if the others were paid by ACH. also notable about the day was one of my vacation replacements visiting the shop on his break, and spoke of having bought trail mix from the nearby dollar store. the boss is due back the next day, explaining why on one email thread asking for approval for envelopes from the supplier would wait. near the end of the day i got a physical address for a check to be overnighted from the previous day, unrelated to the special project. it had just been run through the machine, so it was near the top of the tub so it was easier to find and pull out. in the evening i went on a walk and found 39 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were part one of the final episode, the reactions to sheldon and amy winning the nobel prize. it was followed by the one where amy gets drunk in a liquor store parking lot, after playing REM's 'everybody hurts' on her harp. i like this one a lot, because not only is amy relatable with stories of struggling to make friends, it includes sheldon saying to his friends 'get your women in line' and 'you make it so'. 

overtime and gyros

 late in the afternoon i saw an i.m. from a manager saying i needed to stay late for another i-pay file. something about closed branches in california from a recent buyout due to unpaid utility bills. there was a check file, but only one in it and it was for a law firm in florida. so it wasn't what we were waiting for. i stayed two extra hours and then the manager, not mine who is out of office, said 'let's pack up'. we had waited long enough. i hadn't done overtime much since i started but this will be, most likely. and i was fine with eating a gyro at the nearby strip mall as it was time for the evening meal. by the time i started my drive home it was 8pm, so i didn't do much when i got home. i checked email and then i laid down for a while. then i went on a walk and found 84 cents. also notable about the workday was the shipment of check stock arriving before midday. i used a red appliance cart i had rarely used to finish off the shipment, the third cart used. then i emptied them when i had the time during the rest of the workday. i was not sure why we were asked to wait for the checks when the regular mail had been picked up already, as well as the last pick-up from the UPS box near the employee entrance. guess it was at the behest of a senior leader, that i had met only once. it may be a case of those checks will just roll over to the next i-pay file, an early one in the morning, due to needing to go through the approval process. it was the latest i had stayed at the office since starting there. the one nice thing about it was it being the first time at the gyro place. along with being able to chat with this manager at length. only other time we had the chance to do so was at the twins game in the company's suite in april. found out she likes to sing karaoke, and i spoke of doing this on a regular basis pre-covid. she also spoke of needing to walk her dog once getting home. 

big blue bucket

 at work just before i went to lunch there was somebody from facilities telling me a big blue bucket was being put down in the adjacent room due to a leak. i let them know i had no access to what was across the fence. and i said i was fine as long as it didn't get over to where i am. a senior leader asked me about couriers, i think it was related to the acquisition of another bank. the main thing i could tell them is not too many people i work with use them, it is mostly just our tax specialist, and i leave those checks in the lockbox. sounded like, eventually, the question was who oversees the couriers we use, and i would have no idea there. in fact i had some checks for this colleague ready for the lockbox at midday. some others were for somebody in the same building as me, but those will wait to be picked up until the next day. i performed at an open-mic in the evening, notable were the ones about seeing a comics boxing match as well as the check printer being picked up. one of the boxers performed the lead-off spot, the one i don;t know that well. later on i went on a walk and found 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when one of the fermi scientists got drunk but it paved the way for sheldon and amy. it was followed by the one where bernadette told howard's mom she didn't want him going to space. 

tina turner bio-pic, comics boxing

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from amazon, 'what's love got to do with it'. this of course is the tina turner bio-pic. i was interested in how it was based on 'i, tina' which she co-wrote with kurt loder. i knew this name as a reporter for MTV news, i did some research and found out it was written when he was working for rolling stone magazine. most of the story is about tina meeting her husband, ike, and their performances together. there are depictions of ike being abusive as well, which leads to her leaving him. i liked how it ended on a high note, with tina performing as a soloist, the song that became the movie's title. the closing credits said tina's songs were still performed by tina, while angela bassett played her. ike's songs were performed by who played him, larry fishburne. once the movie was done i needed to confirm a good route for the event i was attending, and shortly thereafter i was on the road. it was a boxing match in columbia heights. at first i passed by the venue, saying that was the town hall. but i turned around and noticed the house number was correct. the boxing club is in a former fire station, next to the town hall. there was roast battles, then the boxing match was the main event. yemen native was one of the fighters, the other i don't know as well. somebody who speaks of being a janitor at a college and moved from portland, oregon, if i am not mistaken. it was slated for three 2-minute rounds, but it ended after two rounds, declared a draw. one of them threw punches while the other was down, a foul. the other later on was kicking, also a foul. cul-de-sac was there, wearing a cowboy outfit. i had lunch after the event, going to sonic, the next exit over on 694. i went there to get more miles for my delta airlines account. it meant i didn't see the start of the first NFL playoff game, it was late in the first half when i got home, bengals were leading then and went on to beat the bills. i performed at an open-mic in the evening, during the second game, 49ers beat the cowboys. at halftime of the first game i went to the nearby liquor store and got a can of pabst so now there are 4 beers waiting. during my walks i found 1 dollar 62 cents. 

last victim movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'last victim'. ron perlman was in it as the sheriff. it had a setting in new mexico, where the scenes started with mention of the town's population, all of them under a thousand. but it was filmed in british columbia, canada, at a first nation settlement. it starts with a shooting at a barbecue place, then the movie's title is shown. it was all right, but there were some plot holes in it. such as somebody is about to get shot, but somebody intervenes and we never find out who shot the would-be shooter. one character was nicknamed 'dumbo' by the deputy sheriff, the name fit well, sadly. a college instructor makes an observation about how progress and evolution can be offset by regression, which is largely true. but the movie ended with a wimper, and when there was plenty of shooting i would have expected it to go out with a bang. already have plenty of ideas for next week's movie. i liked how there wasn't much on my list to do for the day. besides dump the movie at the gas station, there was getting to the post office. two of the three orders were picked up. then i made it home just as a college basketball game had started on fox. my school, the iowa hawkeyes, were playing at ohio state. hawks trailed by just 2 at the half, but lost, 93-77. after the game i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. then it was time for the NFL playoffs. i watched most of the first game, chiefs beat the jaguars. not much of the second, eagles beat the giants. there was two episodes of 'night court' on after the first game, on NBC, so i watched those. i do recall sometimes watching the show during its original 9-season run, but i was just a kid then so i don't recall much. i liked the banter between the two bailiffs, but the revival has just one bailiff. now that i am an adult, i understand the jokes better. john larroquette, as attorney dan fielding who was an original cast member, is pretty funny. melissa rauch as the judge is more likeable than as bernadette on 'big bang theory'. i spent some time looking at my foreign coin collection, and some were swapped out of the album and moved to the tin as i wanted to label the ones i had to google the nation it was from. so the coins from ethiopia, kenya, hungary, croatia, and thailand are now in the album. later on i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 2 cents. 

check printer picked up

 this morning the inactive check printer was picked up. my boss said we are paying a lot to have them handle it so the only help i performed, besides 'directing traffic', was carrying the empty box that was covering the unit. found out it was easier to clear the doors with the box off, and it was on the same pallet that the newer one arrived on. i had the forms printed and ready to sign when the courier arrived. i kept one of two copies of one form and i signed those. the other form had the serial number on it and was signed by the driver. i had one of each forms taped to the top of the box. i saw this printer as 'my baby' so i was fine with returning to my normal duties once the unit was loaded onto the truck, and when the driver left the upper-level parking lot. it was completed in just under 30 minutes, and i let them know of the action on the email thread. there was a tech who showed up to look at a printer that hadn't been working, found out there was a replacement fuser in a box so it was handled right away in the afternoon. i requested another fuser be ordered through the ticket, and this has been ordered. i am thankful these visitors did not show up at the same time. as for the other visitor, this has been moved back. some of the boxes of check stock was delivered to the branch, but most of the shipment is due to arrive on monday. in the evening i made it to hy-vee in eagan for my weekly grocery order. later on i went on a walk and found 20 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard threatened to quit but still got a different role. it was followed by the one where we meet raj's date, emily, who is deaf. sheldon decides to let some decisions be handled by the roll of the dice from the dungeons and dragons game. 

mexican coin

 this week i picked up a mexican coin during my walks. when i put it in the tin with other foreign coins i noticed it wasn't the only one from mexico i had, but the third. it is a small 1-peso coin, already had a 1 and 5 peso coin. guess it serves as a reminder of visiting tucson, arizona, in 1989, my first-ever plane ride. as it included a visit to nogales, the border town. at times i am still surprised with what coins i see but i am aware of how i live near a major airport so plenty of international flights. at work there was the team huddle, a dial-in meeting. i was asked about the check printer being picked up, the logistics that is, since it will be happening soon. hopefully not the same time as the check stock delivery. looks like another visitor, a tech looking at a check printer that is down, will be arriving at a different time, in the afternoon. i let a colleague know that when i sent two more urbancrest boxes to the delivery table how i no longer see the iron mountain box there, and i don't know who moved it. when i was driving home i had the radio on as usual. there was mention of henry winkler, who played fonzie on 'happy days', and how he wouldn't want to do a re-boot without the original cast members. well i am familiar with how the show went off the air more than 30 years ago, and some of them have died, along with garry marshall, the show's creator. so i will believe it when i see it. i have seen some re-boots or revivals in recent years, of course the most recent is 'night court'. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 6 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy did a sensory deprivation tank. it was followed by the one where amy and leonard attend a wedding because sheldon would much rather play with toy trains. when bernadette stays over with howard, then we hear howard's mom say 'it is a relief after all of the sleep overs with the little brown boy', referring to raj. i drank the can of schell's with the evening meal so now there are 3 beers waiting. 

door opening dry run

 i saw some emails and it looks like the inactive check printer is being picked up on friday. looks like it will be before midday, which is what i prefer. my boss had shown me where the keys are, and i needed some help on getting the big doors open. the dry run seemed to work fine. there are two sets of doors to open, and i figured out where the latches were and what side to push on to get them open. the tricky part was the outer door, which was stuck due to some ice-melt caught in the track at the bottom. the replacement printer was delivered last month on a day off for me, and i may have to follow up about needing more personnel to get it out of the shop as it is on a pallet. because the door is too small for the pallet. i have been emailed forms to have signed, and to be placed on the unit once it is shrink wrapped. even quoted a wham song, 'i'm your man', as the lyrics say 'if you're going to do it, do it right'. two days after the holiday, no surprise how the volume went up on the fargo check files. it meant a slight delay on printing i-pay. i called in a ticket on a check printer, unsure when a tech will be arriving although i gave the preferred times. 'the conners' mentioned the mechanical bull from the movie 'urban cowboy'. later on i went on a walk and found 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy when on a tirade and said the fermi lab scientists were impostors. it was followed by the one where penny claimed a chair from the street and sheldon had a problem with it. i liked this one because penny answers the door and said 'what's up, buttercup'. then eventually she shows a cushion and sheldon runs away. 

trash bags and bar soap

 alternate plans were found on not only the ATM, but also going to walgreen. both places at or near work served the purpose. the trash bags and bar soap weren't locked up, proving the old adage about 'selection varies by store'. and i held myself to what i had said about the family dollar closing this past summer, how walgreen would be meeting more of my needs. i needed tall kitchen bags, and was used to getting a small box with 10 bags in it. this option wasn't available, so it meant getting a box of 50 bags. guess i won't need to buy them for a while. even when it was 10 at a time, i didn't have to get them that often. same is true with getting bar soap, because i get a 3-pack. when i was done using the ATM a branch employee acknowledged me and i said 'i am not only an employee but also a customer'. at work near the end of the day i picked up two boxes for a colleague that does the mail sorting. one of them was from iron mountain, the other from urbancrest. i am used to the latter being for replacing computer equipment. the former i was emailed about, so i knew to expect it soon, branch manager was copied on it. another colleague said she would be visiting her mom in the hospital and to hold the i-pay checks. guess i printed them early enough that they were picked up right away, she hadn't left just yet. my boss fell on the ice and said he won't be in the office later this week. i responded to an email about picking up the 'inactive printer', saying i prefer not too early or too late in my workday. since i expect it to be like having to help with shipments of check stock or envelopes. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 19 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when a rival company was trying to steal penny, and bernadette had a problem with it. amy was encouraging sheldon's interest in babies and said to raj 'want to bet against me?' this was followed by the one where penny calls raj 'quick draw' and gets a hemorrhoid commercial. also funny because amy said she wouldn't allow penny to move back to nebraska.

atm a no-go

 i went to perform at an open-mic tonight and tried to go to an ATM first. i tried five times, to no avail, to get cash, finally got the response on the screen that the machine wasn't dispensing cash. at first it said 'general error, we apologize' and i wondered if it was due to my card, which has had a crack in it for a while but doesn't expire for a few more months. so it meant paying for my beer with the card, and there is a surcharge for doing so. notable about my set was the one about banter heard between comics. guess this wasn't the only no-go of the day. i tried watching a DVD, a recent purchase, and i watched more than half of the movie but then it got stuck, disc was too scratched up i guess. so i re-ordered. it was the third e-bay or amazon order of the 3-day weekend. and i found some other things to do on my day off. i sent recycle to the capitol, and printed an event ticket. when i was at the copy store i was recognized or performing at the comedy club less than a week ago. then it was on to walgreen, where i hoped to get some trash bags but much like the bars of soap it was locked up. so i didn't get either, hopeful to find a store that doesn't lock them up. i am sure it is likely due to too many thefts. i did get some discounted christmas candy, and the tube of reese's pieces was eaten in the car shortly after purchase. i knew the final jeopardy clue and the contestants didn't, it was about the model-t ford. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when william shatner was a guest star, as part of wil wheaton's d and d game. it was followed by a season finale where leonard finds out priya is moving back to india, and bernadette is getting her doctorate. i like it because we hear howard's mom call sheldon 'the skinny weirdo'.

i wanna dance with somebody movie

 this afternoon i went to see a movie in inver grove heights. it was the whitney houston bio-pic, 'i wanna dance with somebody'. this was two movies in one. the first part i liked, as it reminded me of being in school. singing 'greatest love of all' in chorus class in junior high. as well as the movie 'bodyguard' and the song 'i will always love you' being a hit, during my time at college in iowa city. i saw the movie, but many years after it was at theaters. along with a roommate, from cameroon, saying he didn't like seeing her with bobby brown. but they also covered her self-destructing, with the drug problems and ending up in rehab. those scenes were hard to watch. i would have preferred them doing what bio-pics more often than not do, which is cover the pinnacle of their subject's fame, then stop. very little of what was depicted was positive after 'bodyguard', so in my opinion it was too long. there was a passing reference to whitney doing other movies, but i didn't see the other three, i think all three would be considered 'chick flicks' or kids movies. 

  i got some things done before and after the movie. i did some more shredding of junk mail, so a third bag was filled. then i took out the trash and went to the liquor store. i got a can of modelo so now there are 4 beers waiting. after the movie i went to mall of america and had an ice cream cookie sandwich, hopeful to get airline miles from it like before. i watched some of the NFL playoffs, but not the first game. the second, giants-vikings, was on when i got home. bills beat the dolphins, giants beat the vikings, and bengals beat the ravens. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 97 cents.

minute you wake up dead movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'the minute you wake up dead'. i recognized morgan freeman in it, as the sheriff. cole hauser was in it as well, somebody from 'good will hunting'. it takes place in mississippi, and is about money lost in a merger that fell through. then it becomes about committing life insurance fraud. the opening scene of the movie is actually taken from much later in the story, a car chase. then the movie actually begins, at a diner. i do like thrillers, and it kept me guessing throughout. the cast listed an andrew stevens, who played the diner owner and had some songs in at as well. after the movie was done i dumped it at the gas station and got a hash brown and a bacon early riser hot snack. then it was on to hy-vee in eagan, where it was a small order, 6 items. then the post office, one item picked up. for lunch i went to a jersey mike's, the sub sandwich shop. i said i was more interested in seeing them make the sandwich as danny devito made it look fun in the commercials. nice getting some airline miles as well. i watched some of the NFL playoff games. i made it to aldi for my weekly grocery store visit before the first game began. 49ers beat the seahawks and the jaguars beat the chargers. the latter was unexpected as the jags were down 20 points at the half. an early interception from a tipped pass led to a chargers TD. i shredded some junk mail, 2 bags filled. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 6 cents.

tired and snowing

 i was planning on going to hy-vee tonight, but i went to the gas station and then went home. i was tired and it was starting to snow. i found the highest priority things at the gas station, not only a redbox rental but also the paper. along with an apple pie, cheese, and chocolate milk. it was just as well that i postponed the grocery run by one day as i checked my phone and noticed my niece had called me, but didn't leave a message. it might have been while i was still driving home from work. i sent a text saying 'i can take a call now', and a few minutes later i was called. she is having a birthday party for her daughter in april, who will be a year old at that time. thankful i heard well in advance as i haven't booked anything for that weekend yet. although every weekend for me through early march already has at least one event booked, or will. i liked hearing her share about her life, of course a big part of it is taking care of the baby but she is still interested in going back to school. i liked hearing how she is reading to her kid, as i am an advocate for reading and she even said she knew me as being big on education. at work we had the team huddle, i was asked to follow up with the supplier about the check stock order. i got voicemail so i also emailed. we later on heard that the order will be delivered a week from now. one check file was late, from west side flats, but i still got it printed as i knew they would want the ones slated to be overnighted sent out same-day. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard agreed to be a sperm donor and then backed out. some other friends went on a simulated space walk, including anu. it was followed by the one where howard's mom is in the hospital, my favorite one because bernadette said 'Me?' about being the first one the mom wanted to see.

peanuts wet and wild

 when i was at walgreen i picked up some more discounted christmas candy. surprised there is any left. in the same section there was some charlie brown and snoopy items, and i i read the package before buying them. both said 'peanuts wet and wild'. one is the doghouse and is a makeup sponge case, the other is a face mist and said 'shake it like a snow globe'. it has sally ice skating on the bottle with snoopy and woodstock. i went online and found out there was plenty of similar items by this company for the holiday season, and what i bought was on the cheaper end of what they offered. one site showing it was from singapore. at work the last of the rent checks from last week has been handled, i was asked to shred it. the team huddle was moved back a day. later in the day i was asked to intercept two checks, one was for much more than the other. i said the second was 'vending machine money'. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 83 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon helped howard and bernadette with a property line dispute by going to the 'zone zone'. it was followed by the one where raj took some meds that had the side effect of taking off clothing in a coffee shop. while i was watching 'young sheldon' i found out i had a guest set at the comedy club if i made it before the show started. so i turned off the TV and got over to the club. university accountant was feature, the canadian was headliner. i said i felt stiff up there but i knew i got some laughs. some crowd members found me after the show and said they liked my set. one even found me during the headliner's set. drank the can of labatt, now there are 3 beers waiting.

elephant stamps

 in the early afternoon i went to the nearby post office and got a sheet of elephant stamps. i had seen them the previous day when i went to mail a card to my aunt in wisconsin, my 9th card of the season. i have probably written before about the meaning of elephants to me, as my former boss and mentor had given me an elephant tie brought back from a business trip to india. naturally the writeup i found about the postal service issuing this stamp mentioned the circus. it was a struggle to get my car ready for the drive to work in the morning. there was ice all over, and i dumped a lot of washer fluid on the windows to help chip away at it. i applied more than just a splash, a reminder of the ad campaign. i was asked about a check from last week, i said i sent the file of refund checks to a colleague , i do this once a week. found out it was a check i was asked to re-route to st. louis. and i was asked to intercept a check after i started to close out the day, i stopped the machine to find it as i had just started to run that file through it. during my walks i found 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy meet the two from fermi lab that want to share the nobel prize. it was followed by the one where priya serves as leonard's attorney on the roommate agreement and sheldon decides to start a self-destruct mode to get his way. amy kisses sheldon and then threw up.

hat made of snow

 i made it to the comedy club tonight, first time in a while. what i noticed on the way in was a charlie brown statue which had a hat made out of snow. it was nice to see some people i knew, including bathtub, yemen native, and school bouncer. i first spoke with the show runner at a mic i was invited to after my birthday last year. as expected, it can be a challenge to talk to the newer comics, because i barely know them. but i live for the time onstage, and went on fourth. the notable ones were about a method of payment and things i won't be buying. and i like hearing from fellow comics who said they liked my set. there is nothing like this kind of crowd, because a joke is more likely to do well when in front of a larger crowd. it is one reason why i am fine with staying after the show because i get recognized by some crowd members. and since i want to watch most of the show, it is easier to talk to comics that i like seeing and need to catch up with. one of them spoke of boxing, and i think i will want to see his match later this month. at work i saw a zip tie on a tub when the mail arrived in the morning. still fairly often lately, i am seeing this happen. not a big deal, just get the scissors out and cut it off. and it is nice to have the overnight label creating caught up before heading to lunch, but it also helps to have fewer to do from some business lines such as account closure or i-pay. after being at the club i went on a walk and found 51 cents.

all about coordination

 when i was checking the branch for deliveries there was another employee who was holding the door open both times, saying 'good timing'. because there was plenty of boxes on the cart. i said i did this by myself all the time, it can be all about coordination. as usual, most of them went to fourth floor. looks like iron mountain was there to empty the shred bins at lunchtime, i had just swapped the bin in the shop last week. they usually don't ask the shop for the one in there. it was a fairly low volume day all around, but some files were approved later than typical in the afternoon. i performed at a mic in the evening, notable about the set was mention of seeing the louvre exhibit. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 6 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends do paintball gaming, this time including anu, and denise. it was followed by the one where penny kicks a nerd in the groin and tells him to give sheldon's stuff back. i liked this one because the ladies discuss priya, and bernadette said 'that bitch'.

louvre exhibit, mall of america

 in the afternoon i went to mall of america and saw the limited-run louvre exhibit. when i was getting postcards near the end of my tour i was told it was the last day, it was closing a week early. so i am thankful i made it when i did. my only real goof was going at the same time as the bears-vikings game. but the game had no impact on who made the playoffs so i didn't miss much. i recognized a few of the paintings depicted besides just the mona lisa- the ones of french kings louis 9th, and the 14th. the former was in a youtube video about the city of st. louis, missouri, and the city was named for this king. the latter had a more lifelike depiction of it besides just the tapestry version. another that caught my eye depicted a lady holding a french flag amid the chaos of men with swords and guns, it was by delacroix, an artist i hadn't heard of. having some interactive versions of some paintings was nice. i got pictures of most of the paintings, and the captions as well. i had to stop and clap near the end as i was close to the exit where i could hear the song 'roam' by the b-52s as i was close to the main part of the mall. because they clap in this song. before the exhibit i went to sonic drive-in for lunch, 4 miles west of the mall. i ate in my car and then went to the mall. in the morning i watched a DVD about yankee stadium, a companion to a book about the venue. in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 12 cents. in the morning i also went to the nearby liquor store and got a bottle of grain belt so now there are 4 beers waiting.

paradise city movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, 'paradise city'. i recognized john travolta and bruce willis in it. the setting of this movie was maui, hawaii. bruce played a bounty hunter and john played a power broker. notable was a man going to relieve himself in the grass and then we see the inhabitants of the remote place known as paradise city, where the movie gets its name. the closing credits said it was also filmed in georgia, so that must have been the indoor scenes. i found it to be annoying when bruce and his ex-partner want to bicker about something that happened years ago when it should be more important to get out of a dangerous situation. but otherwise the action was good. and i liked seeing some out-takes in the closing credits, as not every movie shows them. good thing i started the movie early, in order to get to the credit union before it closed. i made my quarterly deposit of small change, over 10 dollars. it was one of six stops to make, along with dumping the movie at the gas station. also made it to the barnes and noble near the credit union, in eagan, and got another 'space jam' item, with some figurines inside. surprised that i am still seeing merchandise for this movie as it was at theaters over a year go. other stops were at the post office, where i saw the loopy employee, one order picked up, a 2-CD set. then there was printing tickets at the copy store, and taking recycle to the capitol. then it was time to have lunch at home. shortly after lunch was done i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. then i watched some of the pro football game on ABC, chiefs-raiders, chiefs were way ahead at the half. so i shut it off and laid down. when i woke up it was evening, so i had some pizza. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 68 cents.

rich and bold cheese cubes

 i did my weekly visit to hy-vee in eagan tonight. i liked seeing a different kind of cracker barrel product, this time it was just cheese- rich and bold cubes. before if i wanted single serving, it meant getting cheese with crackers. for the drink i got cinnamon toast crunch flavored milk. no cereal this time, trying to use up the christmas cereal first. at work the special project is down to one check. i was asked to shred one- going ACH- and no requests to overnight any. a check was picked up before i went to lunch, the colleague had returned to the office. i liked hearing how she had seen 'church basement ladies' many years ago, i am told that franchise started well before i moved to minnesota in 2004. and the then- venue was in chanhassen. i saw one show there, the patsy cline play in 2009. i spoke of seeing 'basement' plays at plymouth, and then burnsville. it was in reference to how the next one in the franchise will wrap up in a little over a month. before long i will want to get a ticket for it. this was the second time the doorbell to the shop rang, i joked about how i like knowing it still works. for much of the week nobody rang it. the first time it was rung for the day was when the envelope order arrived. during my walks i found 12 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we have a crossover with 'young sheldon' as the VHS tape that sheldon wanted to view was taped over. so we see a halftime speech from his dad. it was followed by the one where leonard gets contact lenses because priya requested it. and there was the annoying story about how sheldon didn't get howard's card trick.

employee directory

 i use the employee directory all the time to confirm information. during this workday i did so after i was sent an i.m. and all it said was 'hi', from somebody i didn't know. i said 'it says you are in cincinnati'. found out a colleague gave my name as this employee wanted to re-activate their UPS account. i gave the name of who i did training with, remotely, although i haven't spoken with them since i did the training more than 2 years ago. there were some people in the office, but nobody i knew that well. another department had hot chocolate packets on a table. nobody rang the doorbell to the shop. the special project is down to two checks, i overnighted one and was asked to shred another as it is going by ACH instead. at walgreen i was surprised to still see some discounted christmas candy. so i got some, one was a tube of hershey's kisses with a grinch theme. in the evening i went on a walk and found 81 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy were upset that their theory was disproven. it was followed by the one where sheldon said his new friends were having fun wrong, so he went where his real friends were, at raj's, since leonard is dating priya. liked how 'young sheldon' had a storyline where we see the dad as a football coach, although he is upset when somebody else gets credit for the win.

an inspiration

 i made it to work just fine despite the winter weather, parking in the strip mall across the road as i noticed the upper level employee parking lot wasn't plowed out yet. it was by midday though. a colleague asked by i.m. about the roads and this lot, and said i was 'an inspiration'. i said there wasn't much mail waiting in the tub. so she decided to continue working from home for the day. looks like most did aside from the branch employees, not many seen there either when i was checking for deliveries. i heard from three colleagues by i.m. one asked me to send a morning fax, usually somebody else sends it before i get there. another was notified about a check to be picked up, but as expected i was asked to set it aside until another day. the checks from the special project are now down to four, as two were overnighted. in the evening i went on a walk and found 25 cents. i noticed there was a small crew shoveling out the parking spots in front of the nearby liquor store. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon tried to bond with amy's parents. raj ends up showering with anu. it was followed by the one where we meet mrs. latham, who is interested in leonard, besides just giving money to the university. when penny sees him in the morning and said 'good morning, slut'.

alpha searches

 at work i needed to find some checks and the typical way of searching by the comment field was not available. but i found out sorting them alphabetically worked, but having to print them one at a time took a while. there was 23 checks to find and nearly 400 in the file. my boss was confused when i said i did 'alpha searches', i explained that at a former job if i wanted to search alphabetically i had to enter this term in the system to do so. most of them have been overnighted, still waiting for a physical address for some of them. 15 were overnighted, 2 sent regular mail, this leaves just 6. the boss wanted to have a meeting about these checks, although i had found most of them by then, calling a vacation replacement. it was determined that the system really didn't allow me to search by the comment field for this business line. one went to the ACH file, but i found all of the others on the list. the project leader added one to the overnight list, although it appeared to be for a trust und and not for rent on a property. also notable about the day was having two meetings, involving the entire department, about 'return to office'. although neither one went the full time allotment. saw some cars stuck in the snow during my commute home, so i am thankful i made it fine. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon takes acting lessons from penny. raj has a fantasy about bernadette.

eminem special magazine

 i was pleased with what i got done on my day off, there was plenty of reading. not only did i finish reading the failure book, i also read another recent purchase, the special magazine about eminem, the musician. the former was all right, plenty of stories in it, but the more enjoyable reading was the latter as i like reading about musicians. there was mention of how it was the 20th anniversary of the movie '8-mile', and the upcoming induction into the rock and roll hall of fame. much like with billy joel, i found out there had been a suicide attempt, before becoming famous. plenty of pictures in it, hard to ignore when i was used to reading the captions by the numbers. not every album or CD was mentioned, but most were. i have the 'shady XV' album, a compilation, but it wasn't mentioned. sounds like most have been number one sellers. we hear about the man known as 'proof', played by mekhi phifer in '8-mile', and how he had been killed by a bar bouncer. hard to say what the next 'special magazine' i will get. i did get the world war two atlas, produced by national geographic, probably will read that one soon enough. i watched 'jeopardy', the final jeopardy clue was about the theft of the famous painting, 'mona lisa'. i didn't go anywhere as i didn't need to. i didn't watch much of the bowl games, as only the citrus bowl was on ABC, most were on ESPN. i caught the tail end of the citrus bowl, LSU was way ahead and went on to beat purdue 63-7. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy was pulled off a study, also when howard and raj gushed over each other's accomplishments at the planetarium. it was followed by the one about the big sur symposium, and bernadette sees an ex.

happening movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from amazon, 'happening'. this is the french movie about abortion when it was still illegal. i had seen 'juno' but i hadn't seen anything like this one before. i wanted to see it at theaters but it was limited release and i got lost getting to a theater showing it in the spring and decided not to attend because i was late. so it was in the back of my mind for a while and i was checking online to see if there was an affordable DVD copy. the thing i recall from looking at the listing was which version was not playable in north america, so i was paying attention about which one to get. the story is told in segments, starting with 3 weeks, referring to how long the main character had been pregnant. we do meet her partner, but only after we hear she is pregnant. besides the attempts at getting an abortion, we see her at home with her parents, as well as at school in another town apparently where she is getting ready to take exams to enter a university. she studies literature, and we hear of victor hugo at one point, also sartre. there is mention of her partner being from bordeaux, so she is likely well outside paris. i had seen plenty of french movies before where the setting is paris, but i am aware of how there is more to the nation than just its capital and largest city. she tries to hide the truth for a while, but eventually she can't. 

i chose to watch the movie today because it is shorter than the other recent purchase, 'boogie nights'. it fit my schedule better as i wanted to get to a comics brunch in eagan, which began at 12noon. i was familiar with the venue, i think it had been there before but like many things there was a hiatus due to the pandemic. and it is near the hy-vee where i often get  groceries. i knew many of the people there, including the resistable comic who was the event coordinator. this is who i said hi to before i chose a seat and got a plate. i sat near chalm-skinn and the wolf showed up later on and sat near me as well. the santa wrangler moved down to chat with me, hadn't seen this comic much lately, who spoke about studying for a real estate exam. others i recognized included louisiana as well as the ox. i got some comedy material while there, kind of expected that, and i am sure i was not alone in this department. after the brunch i went to the nearby hy-vee liquor store and got another can of schell's so now there are 4 beers waiting. i watched the end of the bears-lions game when i got back, bears were way behind by then. i was tired and laid down for a while before i finally decided to do laundry. when i was done 'the simpsons' was on where the family did an 'opal interview', of course an oprah knockoff. i got a ticket ordered for a mall of america exhibit that i will be attending in a week. i was pleased with what i got done and i have another day off to finish my list. during my walks i found 1 dollar 24 cents.