the flash sweepstakes entry

 this week while watching 'big bang theory' reruns i am seeing another sweepstakes being promoted. this time it is for the movie 'the flash'. i entered it tonight and now have two entries credited to me. the second was due to watching the trailer from youtube. i had entered one before, when the second 'space jam' movie was being promoted. i got a free ticket from that sweepstakes. tonight the 'big bang' reruns were when leonard attended a wedding with amy. and bernadette makes breakfast in bed for howard, then yells at his mom saying 'he hasn't tried them yet'. i like this one because amy deadpans to leonard about what she wants from him at the wedding. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy start living together, while leonard and penny celebrate sheldon moving out. i had the day off for a dental appointment in the morning. i tried going to the zoo in the afternoon but it was a no-go, the carousel ride is closed two days a week. so i will try again this weekend. before the zoo i went to the copy store and printed a meetup event reservation and a ticket to a st. paul saints baseball game. after the zoo i went home and watched a DVD movie, 'space jam', a recent purchase from the video store liquidation sale. i have bought eight movies so far and there are two that i haven't watched yet. then it was 'jeopardy', where i knew some of the clues that the contestants didn't know such as 'vet' in the 'verbs with a v' category. during my walks i found 70 cents.

wetter felt adjustment

 the tech arrived for the envelope stuffer in the afternoon, just as i was about to go to lunch. tech wasn't there for long, just over an hour, and the main thing done was the wetter felt adjustment when the reason for the service call was the envelopes being inconsistent on sealing. i did speak of jamming from time to time but that wasn't too big of a deal to me. this led to mention of possibly revoking the contract and charging $300/hour if called again for jamming, not the first time this amount was mentioned for an obsolete machine. i hesitate to call, doing so usually when i have no choice because i hate babysitting the machine. i got caught up on running checks through, and the newer business line had just five checks, one of them being a return to business line. the foundation had a file, and three of them were return to business line. i don't see a foundation file that often. all of the big deliveries arrived, the envelopes and then check stock, in the morning. and the two boxes of overnight envelopes were picked up from the branch. the boss was working from home due to waiting for an HVAC repairman. my vacation replacement wandered into the check shop though, no surprise when i have a day off coming up. i accepted a team huddle and then noticed it is on my day off so i declined it and i figure somebody will brief me about what i need to know from it. in the evening i went on a walk and found 71 cents. so i have enough change now to do the carousel ride at the zoo. normally i would spend it on snack foods or cans of beer. although recently the change from these walks paid for a tube of aim toothpaste. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the friends notified the military that the project wouldn't be completed on time. and bernadette spoke to raj's dad, saying she wasn't excited about being a mom.

blue polar bear souvenir

 sometimes the facebook news feed yields some good things. a fellow comic had a posting asking if como zoo in st. paul was open on memorial day, and they are open every day of the year. it prompted me to get there and pick up another mold-a-rama souvenir. i had one from this zoo, but it fell apart. they have four, and i chose the blue polar bear to replace the red seal. so now i have three again. the other two are a black train from chicago, and a red mustang car from detroit. i wasn't there for long, around midday, but i still got a look at some of the animals there. on my next visit i will have to ride the carousel as i noticed the tickets are three dollars, cheaper than what i bought on this visit. i was pleased with what i got done on another day off. in the morning i did the dishes and then took out the trash and placed an e-bay and amazon order. then before i made it to the zoo i dropped off recycle at the capitol. after the zoo i put in a DVD movie, a recent purchase from the video store. it was 'the way back', where ben affleck plays a basketball coach. i watched jeopardy and one of the categories was the rockefellers. shortly after it was done i was on the road again, to a meetup event in mendota heights, a hike through a park. this is one i only do on holidays when it is easier for me to get around on time. then i performed at an open-mic in the evening, heard an 'oh my god' from the crowd during my set which was weird. it may have been after the story about the text that was obviously a wrong number. cul-de-sac spoke of attending a baseball game in cedar rapids. at the end of the night i went on a walk and found 18 cents.

10 years movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from amazon, '10 years'. this was about a class reunion. i got i because i liked reading about kate mara playing a recluse. i recognized rosario dawson in it and aubrey plaza was in it as well. guess this movie is a reminder of why i wasn't enjoying class reunions, and why it was smart move to skip last year's. especially with the jerk trying to apologize to the geeks while drunk. cool to see karaoke in it. guess this was another reason i picked it. this led to somebody performing their own song which was inspired by a classmate. liked hearing a cover of 'tonight tonight', the smashing pumpkins hit, in this movie, by passion pit. after the movie was done it was time to get going, to a meetup picnic and potluck in mendota heights. i recognized it as a place i had been to before when i saw the nearby softball diamonds. an alumni even, a tournament, was there. i brought twinkies to the meetup event, it worked fine. i had some while there and half  were eaten by others. a box of ten and i took home just two. i had a different kind of potato salad there, was used to mustard flavored and this one was bacon flavored. it led to a lady trying to comment to me and i politely got her to knock it off.  there was games, i did the bean bag toss and then ladder ball. tried the plastic horseshoes but the wind was too much of a factor. pickle ball was in the parking lot, this was where i saw the retired postal worker as he likes playing the game. i got out my lawn chair from out of the trunk of my car and sat in it, haven't used it in a while. after more than two hours there i left, wanting to get some things done before the saints baseball game. one of those was ordering a ticket for the next game i would like to see, in june. it didn't look good for the home team for a while, trailing 6-1 in the 7th. but a 9-run inning put them ahead and the saints went on to beat omaha 10-6. a grand slam put them back in the game, little ball put them ahead and another long ball gave them some insurance runs. there was a fireworks show after the game, 'i feel good' by pitbull and others was played then. i like the line 'don't let life live you'. i had grilled cheese and a slushie from a food truck, dine 1 1 after the game ended, was first in line. i know well enough to make a beeline to your preferred truck after they open the floodgates as the line gets long real quick. other notable songs i heard from this holiday weekend while out doing things were by eminem, stone temple pilots, and johnny cash. the third was the karaoke song at the game, ring of fire. STP's interstate love song was playing when i was driving on  a bridge where i get a good view of both twin city skylines. em's 'without me' was playing at a sandwich shop. later on i went on a walk and found 30 cents.

80 for brady movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a redbox rental, '80 for brady'. i recognized lily tomlin, jane fonda, and sally field in it. and sally was why i wanted to see it. i probably use the term 'farce' too much, but it does describe this movie well. because many parts of the storyline are ridiculous and unlikely. but i still like this story of four geriatric ladies at the super bowl. because it was quality time spent with friends, something that most of us can relate to. in an early scene i knew how it would end, because there would be no movie if they can't get their friend out of the retirement home. it was just a question of how they were going to pull it off, and it was still clever and funny. there were plenty of cast members listed as playing themselves, and not just tom brady or other patriots players. no surprise how sally ended up being the most likeable character in my book. once the movie was done it was time to get going. nothing to pick up at the post office, but i hadn't ordered anything either. then it was on to a meetup event, at the sea salt restaurant in a park in south minneapolis. it was a long line but good food, thankful i made it. there was more fries than what i was used to having in my order, so i took half of them home with me. saw a steve martin photo in a display case when ordering the fish sandwich and fries. i laid down for a while after i got back, then i did some more errand running. i went to aldi for groceries, then dumped the movie and went to jersey mike's for a sandwich. the Fox baseball game of the week had just started when i got back, reds went on to beat the cubs 8-5. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 9 cents.

boggs is blue

 i was at the liquor store tonight and bought a can of modelo, and last night drank a can of busch light with the evening meal so there still are four beers waiting. there was one display with baseball player wade boggs in it, a sticker on a glass door that is, for pabst blue ribbon beer. one can partially see a hashtag on a shirt he is wearing, an online search said it is 'boggs is blue'. something about the brewery stole his identity to create a mascot. i have drank that beer before, especially at bars i have been performing at. since it is a bargain basement beer. but this is weird to find this kind of story, claiming there are some demands to be met. i do recall wade while he was playing baseball, even name-checked on an episode of 'cheers' since that show has a setting in boston and wade mostly played for the red sox. although he got the milestone 3,000 hit with tampa. and i have one of his cards with the red sox, surprised i have only one. guess i have seen retired baseball players do ads before, i recall robin yount having his name on a lemonade i tried at a convenience store. at work no tech arrived, did not get called either. so i did my best to get out what needed to go out, and now just one day behind on running fargo checks through. it meant pulling out as many unsealed ones that i could find. i went to hy-vee in eagan in the evening, and saw decorations that seemed more appropriate for fourth of july than memorial day such as 'let freedom ring' and 'red white and grilled'. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 36 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj lives with sheldon because leonard spends plenty of time with priya, but then her parents say she is moving back to india. howard's mom calls sheldon 'the skinny weirdo'. this was a season finale. it was followed by the conclusion of the second wedding ceremony for leonard and penny.

supply order moved up

 there was an email and then a call about the debt ceiling, per a senior leader. the boss asked me to order more check stock than typical because it is expected that the printing volume will go up if there is no debt ceiling deal by the end of the month. so it meant moving up the monthly supply order by one week. i decided that if i was ordering one item early, that it made sense to order all of my needs at the same time. i placed a service call for the envelope stuffer in the morning, as it was inconsistent with sealing envelopes, but no tech arrived yet. got a call in the afternoon saying it will be mid-morning the next day at the earliest. i sent out what needed to go same-day. doorbell rang twice in the last fifteen minutes, same colleague had mail to bring me. hadn't seen her at all until the end of the day. 'young sheldon' was a rerun, about the pastor protesting the video store. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 44 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard's mom was in the hospital. this is still my favorite episode, because bernadette says 'me?' when the mom wants to see her first. it was followed by the one where family starts to show up for leonard and penny's second wedding ceremony.

celsius wild berry drink

 at work i noticed a can under one of the vending machines. i fished it out and noticed it was a wild berry drink by celsius. i drank it with lunch and it tasted fine. it claims to be a clinically proven dietary supplement and accelerates metabolism. it also says to not exceed two servings per day. no problem, only had one. there was a spike in volume for one of the morning files, well over a thousand and there are days when it is barely a hundred. most of the zip codes started with a 9 so it must be the california factor. during my lunch i went over to the video store and bought two more movies so i have bought eight since the sale began. signs now say the tentative closing date is now the last day of june, so it appears there will be another month. in the evening there was the jeopardy tournament on ABC and it must have been the final round as the winner was awarded a half million. later on i went on a walk and found 15 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bernadette tried to be a double agent on a double date to find out more about priya dating leonard. it was followed by the one where sheldon goes on a rant about line cutting when waiting to see a movie. i heard from my niece by text about a facebook posting where people were showing up unannounced. also heard from the yemen native by text, who is traveling to new york city.

branch manager exchange program

 there was an interoffice envelope that arrived, addressed to the branch manager, except i did not recognize the mail code. so i brought it to the branch manager, and somebody different was in there. she said she is normally based in st. anthony. and trading places with the main one for a week to see how each one works from a different perspective. i liked being shown how to look up mail codes in the employee directory, i had only been looking up by a person's name before. also at work there was a team huddle in the morning. looks like there is some re-organization of the reporting structure happening soon. also where i submit the supply orders. i responded to a text message to let them now it was the wrong number. some mention of wanting their windows tinted. from the newer business line i was trying to avoid confusion by telling them what checks were being returned to the business line. i had to tell them that UPS declared them 'un-deliverable'. i didn't know i would have to spell everything out for them. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 9 cents. told a shirtless man i saw in the bushes how i didn't have any money. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon played dirty to get what he wanted on the roommate agreement. after a night of dancing with the ladies, amy kisses sheldon and threw up because she was drunk. it was followed by the one where the friends go to a wine tasting, except for the pregnant bernadette who plays d and d with sheldon. zac points out that their science idea could be used by the military. raj finds a way to screw things up with clare.

davanni's pizza, roseville

 after work i went to a pizza party at davanni's in roseville, sponsored by one o the organizations i have joined. i was one of seven there, including the event coordinator. one dude did most of the talking, about subjects like being a salesman at best buy, the retail store near their home office. i did take home some of the leftovers, some salad as well as a big slice of pizza. at the end of the event i got a good look at what is nearby, not only the motel 6 but also the former joe senser's restaurant, which is now a 'community medical services', connecting recovery and healing communities is their mission. those two buildings remind me of when i first made a visit to the area when looking at housing. then it was home, but just long enough to clear out emails. then it was on to perform at an open-mic. i spoke of sheldon getting on a plane and how it reminded me of songs that mention getting on planes. three dudes after the show liked meeting me, saying they couldn't do what i do. i was offered a drink but said no, needed to get home. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 4 cents. at work a morning file was over seven hundred checks, so most of them were run through early. normally the file is saved for the afternoon so i don't have to switch envelopes as much. overnight envelopes volume was low, just fifteen, but i didn't mind.

blaze movie, ethan hawke

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase, 'blaze'. it was about a songwriter from texas. i noticed how ethan hawke was involved with many aspects of the film. listed as a producer, writer, and the director. along with having a small role as a DJ. the story is told in flashback, when his friends are in a studio being interviewed. much of it was about his love interest, who became the inspiration for many of his songs. some of it was about his performing, and being kicked out of venues for being drunk. and of course his death is covered as well. i was unfamiliar with this musician, although more famous ones are mentioned such as merle haggard and willie nelson. there is even a quote from willie at the start of the movie. after the movie was done it was close to midday. i went to the gas station and then to a 'booya'. a thick vegetable beef soup was being served at a park pavilion nearby. i had a cup, along with some A and W root beer, a nut goodie candy bar, and some popcorn. then it was home. the memorial service for football coach bud grant had already started, but i still got to see an hour of it. the event was being shown on Fox. later on the same channel had a USFL game on, generals-gamblers, i watched some of it but fell asleep and missed the ending. between these events i went outside and did some walking, including going to the liquor store. i got a bottle of heineken so now there are four beers waiting. 'the simpsons' had lizzo as a guest star. i watched some of the episode that was on an hour prior, where nelson was an enforcer at ice hockey games. i posted on facebook about the season finale of 'young sheldon' in the morning before watching the movie. later on in the day i found the clip from the season finale four years ago, aired the same day as the final episode of 'big bang theory', showing younger versions of his pasadena friends. hadn't seen that clip since it first aired. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 56 cents.

gambler movie, mark wahlberg

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase, 'the gambler'. i recognized not only mark wahlberg in it, but also john goodman. the latter is why i said i wanted it when i saw it at the liquidation sale. there is a young brie larson in it as well, playing a student of wahlberg's in his college literature class. at times it was hard to understand the storyline, such as having to take money from his mom to pay off his gambling debt, then gambling that away as well. but then the movie would have ended too soon. i liked the observation that goodman's character had about having money in the bank, how one could be in the comfortable position of being able to say 'no' more often. once the movie was done it was time to get to the post office. there were two orders to pick up. then i went home and had lunch, a turkey pot pie. i had seen a last-minute announcement of a show through meetup, it was called 'red herring'. it was a free show. i went in the afternoon. the retired postal worker was there, it was in the warehouse district of st. paul in the same building as a micro-brewery. i said it was better than some of the things i have seen at fringe festival. it was a film noir, explaining often using an overhead projector for silhouettes. this reminded me of 'hot air', which i saw when a friend was going to new york city to seek her fortune. i did have a beer after the show. on the way home i was stopped at a light and some younger dude i could tell was filming me with his camera phone. so i put my window up. then i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. then it was time for the Fox baseball game, mariners beat the braves 7-3. i had hoped the cardinals-dodgers game would be shown in this area, but it wasn't. only got updates. i was tired, but i managed to last through the game and then laid down. when i got up again i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 4 cents.

golden girls candies

when i was at hy-vee tonight i saw some candies inspired by the TV show 'golden girls'. i do recall that show and i am surprised that it is still popular, but likely due to the longevity of betty white. the first kind i saw was in reference to an episode i do recall seeing first-run when i was young, where her character wanted a teddy bear back and said 'sometimes life just isn't fair, kiddo'. i didn't buy any but i got a picture of it. at work it was a fairly slow day, but i didn't mind. at one point i went over to the nearby video store and bought another movie from their liquidation sale, along with some microwave popcorn that i ate shortly after getting back. this is the sixth movie i have purchased since the sale began. a benefits employee showed up for checks in the afternoon and we chatted a little. especially about memorial day weekend which is coming soon. during my walks i found 29 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny helped get sheldon his stuff back by kicking a dude in the groin. and it was when bernadette said 'that bitch' when penny complained about priya. it was followed by the one where raj was too involved with howard and bernadette as expectant parents, by bringing over a big teddy bear for the unborn kid.

three sticker books

 when i was doing my walk late in the evening i saw three sticker books at the bus stop. so i got a picture of it. i like doing this as it is a way of taking it home without actually taking it home. these three were titled farm, animals, and colors. always seems sad as to what gets left behind, what gets wasted. during this walk i found 54 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon couldn't figure out howard's card trick. it was followed by the one where sheldon plays taps for his computer, then shows amy his storage locker. it was the season finale for 'young sheldon', there was two episodes. it was about which parent would go with him to germany for the summer, then a tornado rips through town, wrecking mee-maw's house. also notable about the day was registering for another meetup event, so now i am doing three on memorial day weekend. there was an email about 30 minutes later saying it was number 50 for me since joining more than seven years ago. there was a coupon sent to me but it didn't interest me at all. at work there was the one on one with the boss, sounds like i will be doing some job shadowing in june, i spoke of having toner cartridges we can't use, since they aren't MICR, wondering what will be done with them. i got a better look at the fox baseball schedule for the season for when the st. louis cardinals will be on, besides just this weekend vs. the dodgers. when it is regional coverage i am aware of how multiple games are listed for each given day so they aren't necessarily being shown in my area every time. i drank the can of wabasha with the evening meal so now there are three beers waiting.

postponed due to flooding

 i have an event ticket and i found out this morning that it has been postponed due to flooding on the mississippi. this is a cruise sponsored by a radio station. it was schedule for this weekend so i guess i will be doing something else now. i can stay in that evening and watch the Fox baseball game as it sounds like the cardinals-dodgers game will be on. not thrilled how it was moved to a weekend in august because it is during the fringe festival, but i will find a way to make it work. when i went to just four shows last year, it may not be too big of a deal. fringe has two weekends and i can go on a weeknight if need be, for not only attending shows but also the ushering shifts to get the free tickets. and i noticed how the drag brunch i have a ticket for next month continues to be a popular seller as five of the six shows are now sold out. all but the one i am attending. at work i needed to swap out a toner cartridge on a check printer, then realized i put one in that was just a laser jet but not a MICR. there was actually two spares like that. but three spares total, so not a big deal on finding the right one. but i still need to find out what we do about the two we can't use. it was the second straight day where the boss emailed us about working from home. i asked to confirm the address for overnighting an i-pay check because we are unable to send to a po box. and the one given in the comment section was incomplete. i didn't want to guess the city name and the zip code. in the evening i watched two more editions of a 'jeopardy' tournament. later on i went on a walk and found 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon tried making new friends but then said 'they were having fun wrong'. it was followed by he one where the friends have a patent idea but the university would keep most of the money made from it.

nobody gets me, sza

 after work, i was at a liquor store tonight and i had to pause to listen closer to a song i was hearing. it was 'nobody gets me', by sza. when the song was finished i was done looking around and paid for my purchase, a can of bauhaus, a craft brew. so now i have four beers waiting. later on i found the song on youtube. the video takes place on a rooftop in a big city, and the singer is wearing a new york jets jacket and a hat with the 'have a nice day' smiley face upside down. i like how it is mostly filmed as a close-up since this makes the song look more intimate and personal, and of course we all know i like passion in performing. i went there after finding a few more coins from walking around the area. it meant i didn't watch much of the local news, or the second rerun of  'night court'. at work i noticed there were some things left over for me, still disappointed about what does get left behind but i know this is more likely when it is just one day off. and i requested the day off for the next appointment. i moved some boxes of computer equipment being returned to ohio to the branch area. and at the end of the day i saw a thin fed-ex envelope left at the employee entrance next to the UPS box, and brought it to the branch manager as the  directory said it was for a branch employee. better than just leaving it in their slot in the mailroom. the newer business line had just eight checks to overnight. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard said to bernadette 'i choose you' and howard's mom was paranoid about sex criminals invading the home. it was followed by the one where adam west was a guest star, at sheldon's birthday. i liked it because penny stopped the argument between amy and leonard about who should talk to sheldon when he has a panic attack.

the cajun grill

 i found things to do on my day off for a dental appointment. i ate in the food court just before it at a place i had eaten at before, but not in a while- the cajun grill. i still recognize some of the places from working downtown, but the food court has more empty storefronts now. earlier i went to the mall of america and had an ice cream cookie sandwich, to get airline miles. i got a flyer from the illusion museum, which just opened this month. and before that i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from the liquidation sale, 'american underdog'. i recall how i could have bought it at target but it was expensive as a new release, so i am thankful i waited until a better offer arrived, because why pay more if you don't have to? so now i have seen this football bio-pic three times- at theaters, a redbox rental, and now my own copy. after the appointment i didn't do much, i went to the speedway and got gas for my car along with some cheese and banana strawberry milk. then it was 'jeopardy', where all contestants got the final jeopardy clue correct, about rolling stone magazine. i performed at an open-mic, and the muppet lady was next to the show runner giving me an intro that sounded like maracas. also notable was how i spoke of going to the meetup event at the micro-brewery. later on i went on a walk and found 88 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny saw leonard do the 'walk of shame' after a date with a contributor to the university. it was followed by the one where the friends do karaoke after bernadette tells howard she is expecting.

king of comedy movie, doors open tours

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent amazon purchase, 'king of comedy'. i recognized jerry lewis and robert deniro in it. this was a dark movie about celebrity worship, and i knew this going into watching it. one reason why i chose it, besides being a performer, is knowing the pretenders song 'back on the chain gang' is in it. only part of the song is heard, in an early scene. i did say 'what are you doing?' when the wannabe comic just decides to wait for somebody in the reception area, even though they weren't due in for hours. some of the things depicted in it were extreme, but likely inspired by things that have actually happened. such as the wannabe comic acting like cardboard cutouts of famous people were real. one doesn't see that much stand-up comedy being performed, it is more about trying to get onto the show. once the movie was done it was time for lunch, and then i knew it was time to get going to doors open tours. it was the second and final day for this event. i went to four buildings. the best one had to be the first one i saw, an art-deco jewel box theater that is the home of a puppet and mask theater- with a koi pond. i said the ambience reminded me of a new orleans mardi gras parade. then i made it to the nearby midtown global market, in the former sears store. then i drove a few miles to uptown and was recognized by a comic who was on the way to get groceries. i toured another theater, and then tried to see a rec center but it was closed. i got a good look around the rest of the building though and saw umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. and i liked hearing alessia cara's 'scars to your beautiful', this was inside the former calhoun square. then i got ice cream at the nearby mcdonald's and went home. i laid down for a while and had the evening meal while watching 'the simpsons', about a clown college. i liked getting more things crossed off my list, such as getting recycle to the capitol and adding to my bus pass, after i had been to the doors open event. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 32 cents.

immigrant movie, bearcave brewing

 in the morning i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase, 'the immigrant'. i recognized joaquin phoenix and marion cotillard in it. there was somebody playing caruso in it as well. some of it was subtitled, but this didn't bother me much. i noticed how some important parts of the story that weren't explained early on, were later on in the movie. and then things made more sense. in some cases it was when she goes to confession. i liked seeing the statue of liberty, and ellis island, in it as i have been to both places. but in the end this story was a love triangle, and it led to a fight. i think i recognized some of the actors in smaller roles, one of the cops looked like a regular on the TV show 'blue bloods'. after the movie it was time to get started on errand running. i picked up one order from the post office, and printed an event ticket at the copy store. then it was on to jersey mike's for a sandwich. after i got home i went to aldi for my weekly grocery order. 

  i still attended a meetup event even though i was on the waiting list. the retired postal worker was there and it was at the bear-cave micro-brewery, in hopkins. after parking my car i noticed a snoopy statue, so i got a picture of it. this looked like the one that had been outside the children's museum in downtown st. paul. now it is near a performing arts center, and the venue's logo was added to the statue. notable about this brewery was how it was self-serve, hadn't seen this before. one is issued a card linked to their debit card, and i wanted a receipt when i turned in the card at the end of the event. i tried three different kinds, the first had a logo reminding me of grain belt beer. hadn't seen this friend in a while, probably first time since the state fair. first event in this group that i had just joined less than a month ago. tried to talk to others, but it was hard to do when it looked like there was nobody my age attending it. one of them was a lady that seemed only interested in how i am a performer, and i had to explain i was covering my mouth because i didn't want to spit on anyone. then there was a dude who spoke ill of iowa and i said 'bye' and moved away from him. after the event i walked around the area, saw multiple antique shops. it was time to eat, and after some time driving i got the idea to stop at arby's in my neighborhood. then i watched the rest of the baseball game on Fox, padres-dodgers. the dodgers won 4-2. later on i went on a walk and found 61 cents.

video store liquidation sale

 i made my second visit to a video store that is having a liquidation sale. i bought one movie and two days prior i bought two, along with some popcorn. during those visits i saw customers buy way more movies than i did. hard to say how many more movies i will buy there, but the final day is the end of the month. i should watch some of these i just bought before getting more. i let a colleague know, the one who first informed me about the place, and the response was to get there soon to look at their video games. not my thing, but to each their own. it was funny on some level to me to see a james bond movie poster on the door for the adult movie viewing room. i had done some rentals there, but not in a while. today i went because i was needing change for the dairy queen, so it served a dual purpose as there was one movie i had passed on during my first visit. then i went back to dairy queen, just before midday, and got a peanut butter blizzard. this is part of the ad campaign that is using baseball players. this was my last day before a day off. i had to leave behind the tax checks as it was in the second i-pay. i let my vacation replacement know about it. and i ran the pay-stubs in the morning. i let the retired postal worker know i was still on the waiting list for a meetup event and was told i could be the 'plus one', i don't hear that too often. i was at hy-vee when the text came through. it was another small order, just eight items. later on i went on a walk and found 70 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon takes acting lessons from penny, then breaks down and penny has to call his mom. it was followed by the one where raj breaks up with red-haired emily just before valentines day, then calls during 'fun with flags'.

sia in top 40

 from time to time i look up songs online that are of interest to me. i had read how sia's 'unstoppable' became a sleeper hit in the past year after being used in a commercial, and in tik-tok videos. an article said it was sia's eighth hit in the top 40. i was familiar with some of them, but not all. three were with other artists. 'guts over fear' was with eminem, 'titanium' was with david guetta, and 'wild ones' was with flo rida. i once found a CD of popular songs on it, but acoustic versions, including 'titanium'. the other five were as the lead artist, and i have both CDs those are from. this includes 'chandelier' and 'elastic heart', from 'thousand forms of fear'. the others are from 'this is acting'- besides 'unstoppable' there is 'the greatest' as well as 'cheap thrills', her number one hit. i understand 'elastic heart' was in a movie, but if it was 'hunger games' i haven't seen that. she does do movie songs fairly often. i once suggested that sia be a theme for a drag brunch as i do attend those every so often, but looking at the themes done i am not sure if there is enough hit songs to fill out the show unless coupled with another artist. when i wasn't sure if i had heard 'wild ones' i went to youtube and listened to it there. it sounded familiar but since sia is only featured on it then it wasn't as obvious that she was part of the song. at work there was someone else sorting the mail in the morning, and got to it before i did. i took ownership of one item and checked the employee directory, finding out the recipient is in rockford. so i sent it inter-office there after emailing to find out preferences. otherwise there wasn't too much out of the ordinary. i decided to move some boxes of envelopes closer to the wall to maximize the space, these are the ones left over from a special project. i drank the can of pirate water- a margarita- with the evening meal. last week i drank a wabasha, so now there are three beers waiting. 'young sheldon' was about finding the money to send sheldon to germany for the summer, as well as pastor jeff's niece showing up. later on i went on a walk and found 89 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was the 'travel god' and penny meets bernadette's ex at the conference. it was followed by the one where sheldon's mee-maw shows up but she doesn't like amy.

jeopardy, in prime-time

i switched over to ABC but 'the conners' wasn't on, it was an edition of 'jeopardy' in prime time, hosted by ken jennings. this was another tournament of champions, but they were playing for points instead of dollars. and the audience was given a preview of where the daily doubles were hidden. i had seen some of these contestants before. there was two shows in one as it ran for one hour. and after it was a celebrity edition of 'wheel of fortune', with both 'jeopardy' hosts and vanna as contestants, but i didn't watch it. it is less fun for me to watch a celebrity edition of any game show as i see it as less competitive, since the contestants are playing for their charity and usually guaranteed to win a certain amount. some of them just plain goof off. at work the branch manager brought over somebody who was inspecting the printers, i said the check shop had three and because of this i know i use some of the printers that are not typical. there was a dial-in meeting in the morning, it was a quarterly update about the business. i like being able to get work done such as hit print and let the printer run during that time because it is a dial-in meeting. most of the fargo checks were printed by the time it was done. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny said 'take your sheldon back' to the friends. it was followed by sheldon going on an 'apology tour' in order to go on a trip to las vegas.

movie rewards card

 when i saw a movie this weekend i was given a rewards card for their loyalty program. i like having it because i know i will eventually get something free like a movie ticket. also because there is a quote from the movie 'up in the air' on the card. except when i tried to register the card online, i did not see the purchase on it. so i emailed the theater company. sounds like it has been added, but i was unable to view it when trying to log in so i am asking for a password reset. and i signed up online for another movie theater rewards program as there are two theaters in nearby towns i go to regularly, but they have different owners. at work i did chat with who picks up the mail in the morning, who is back from visiting africa for two months. he said it was his first visit in 28 years. my boss asked me about check printing volume for april, i ended up forwarding one email about the fargo files, our two business lines with the highest volume. one lady showed up around midday to pick up a check, just minutes after i sending an i.m. that it was there, but hadn't seen the message. she had asked earlier in the day about it because of plans to be on vacation soon and wanted it to go out by the end of the day. 'night court' had the case dismissed against abby the judge. dan becomes a judge in louisiana, where roz- the bailiff from the original series- was in his courtroom. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 16 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj and howard try to wrestle, while amy is attracted to zac. it was followed by the one where leonard and penny see the same shrink, but on separate visits. 

sign in then handshake

 i made it to the bar tonight and somebody wanted a handshake but i said i needed to sign in first. so i made it back after i was signed in to perform. i knew them as a drummer from a venue i once performed at, with a french name that reminded me of visiting montreal. hopefully i get to see this performer do their thing at this mic, but it wasn't tonight. apparently this was somebody that the muppet lady also knew. i did another bank story and the one that went over real well was the one about visiting the diner. i did let the co-worker know about visiting the diner and was told she needs to get there again sometime soon. it was a low volume day of check printing but i was still tired at times. there was an email asking me to confirm was an overnight package was sent. i said i am aware of how sometimes the system changes the city name for me, likely due to the zip code entered. this is more likely to happen in high population areas, where the address is a suburb but still recognized as being in the big city. and vice versa. i ordered a ticket for an event that will take place in just under two weeks, the site said 'limited' so it was time, meaning it was likely to sell out soon. after performing i went on a walk and found 27 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny tried to fake being with leonard to impress her dad. it was followed by the one where the friends go see the 'star wars' movie and will wheaton  takes sheldon's place since sheldon is with amy for her birthday. i still like this one because amy said to her friends, 'you shut your mouth!' when hearing what sheldon's present would be. also because bon newhart is a guest star. 

totally rad vintage fest

 after doing the laundry in the morning, i met some friends and went to the st. paul saints baseball game. actually it was a double header. the theme was a 'totally rad vintage fest'. a comic friend showed up after our main group did, the bathtub comic, and decided to look around there. he bought a 'simpsons' VHS tape and some packs of trading cards. i got a look there myself but i noticed it was mostly clothing. there were some CDs but most of those discs i recognized were ones i already had. it is rare to get invited to an event with comics away from the clubs so i welcomed it. i was invited by cul-de-sac and his companion. the double header was a split. saints took the lid-lifter, and the nashville sounds took the nightcap. when i spoke of seeing the 'san diego chicken' or 'famous chicken' perform at an iowa cubs game vs. nashville when i was just a kid, it made me feel old when the other comics didn't know who that was. had to look up that performer and found out he still performs, but not too often now. i know i didn't pay too much attention to the games compared to when i see it by myself, but i didn't care too much since i was around people i have seen less often since the pandemic began. i was wearing the long sleeve charlie brown shirt i bought online from cane's chicken, inspired by when those characters were in that food outlet's ad campaign. bathtub wanted a picture of it. and i got in a group photo with mudonna, the saints mascot. the other comic there i didn't know as well, who has a joke about the movie 'coming to america', but it sounds like we work for the same company, different locations. in other issues i checked facebook and got a response to my message from the alumni chapter, asking if there is a twins game outing this season. i am told there will be one in july, and it is a weekend where i had nothing planned just yet so it is likely that i can make it. during my walks i found 95 cents. 

george foreman movie

 at mid-morning i went to see the bio-pic about boxer george foreman. the character i liked in it the most was his trainer, played by forest whitaker. this was the only actor i recognized in it. it covers the highlights of his boxing career, and getting into preaching, except the mention of the grill bearing his name was just a passing reference. it was a sparse crowd at this screening, in eagan. i had noticed this week when checking fandango that even though it was just the second week at theaters, there weren't many screenings in the metro area. so i knew i had to see this movie quick. also notable was the preview for the documentary about baseball player yogi berra. it is starting in new york and los angeles in less than a week and i would like to think it will get a nation-wide release shortly after that. after the movie, i drove to the hi-lo diner in minneapolis on lake street. i had the dish called 'gary cooper', which was fried chicken in gravy on top of a house donut. this was such a big donut that i used a knife and fork to eat it. there was an older couple next to me that said it was their first visit as well. the man saw my leather jacket and spoke of gloves he still has that he bought the year of the moon landing. after i got home i took out what was stashed under the front seats. this included the two e-bay orders i had picked up at the post office before the movie, as well as the event tickets i had printed at the copy store. i also found some things under the front seats. there was a lens from ray-ban sunglasses, and two receipts. one was from a gas station in st. anthony in 2010, and the other was from taco john's in new brighton in 2011. in the evening i watched the baseball game in fox, sort of. i was online for part of it so i wasn't paying too close attention to it. boston beat philadelphia 7-4. during my walks i found 78 cents.

eagle token

 i check the change counting machine when i go to hy-vee in eagan, and tonight there was an eagle token in it. on the other side of the coin it said 'no cash value'. i still like keeping those as souvenirs. it was another small order, eight items. but i get only what i need. at work it was a day of seeing i was caught up by the end of the week, so it meant sending out returned checks. three of them were overnighted to kansas city. usually i wait for a live check to send with them but there haven't been any lately. there was some emails about a check 'with no funds' when presented at a bank to be cashed. i had overnighted it as part of the newer business line, but i was not immediately aware of what i could do. it was positive paid on my end. still trying to do some event planning for the summer. i am aware of how all things are subject to change, and of course i might cut an event or two off my list when it gets closer. i am considering two county fairs, although i haven't been to one in a while because it is just easier to attend the state fair. during my walks i found 8 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends were being chased after stealing the special screening of an indiana jones movie. while the ladies do girl talk, as well as truth or dare. it was followed by the one where a beach boys song gets sheldon and amy back together. 

zapps voodoo chips

 i am used to seeing mostly frito- lay products in the vending machine at work, so it surprised me to see something from zapp's, which is owned by utz. since i loved visiting the big easy, i bought the only bag of zapps chips i saw, voodoo new orleans style. it was barbecue flavored but i could taste the vinegar as well. the bag is really colorful, i liked that. it was a low volume day on check printing, the fargo files totaled under a thousand, usually it is not that low. but it meant i had more time to do the overnight labels, and there was ten to do for the newer business line. and there was some refund checks to send to another office, a thing i do usually once a week. i am still finding ideas for meetup events, one of them is a museum tour but it is after labor day so i haven't signed up yet as it is more than four months away. i think i will stick to just seven groups for now, even though i got a look at some others. i was getting emails when events were announced saying i was close to RSVP number 50. i joined a little over seven years ago, no surprise it is taking me that long to get there as i have mostly been doing weekend walks. and i have other interests to pursue that exist outside meetup. and i co-opted a few ideas, so that also kept the number of events attended kind of low. 'young sheldon' was about sheldon accepting a summer program in germany. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 47 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when an FBI agent interviewed the friends about howard. it was followed by the one where some friends decided to spy on amy's date with a brit, but get caught when they hit his car. 

back-to-back shipments

 i was wondering if this month's supply order was held up by a senior leader approval, but this morning i found out it no doubt had been placed. first the envelope order arrived, 30 boxes, and a few minutes after completing it the call arrived for the check stock, 33 cartons. i do prefer the morning for handling shipments as i have more time to get caught up on my normal duties. and the backlog of running checks through the machine has been eliminated, aided by a lower volume to print for the day. i did some more research about the meetup group i just joined and it looks like some of their events fill up quickly, months in advance. after being wait-listed for the first event of theirs that i signed up for, i hesitate to sign up for another where i know i will also be wait-listed. i have ordered a ticket for a st. paul saints baseball game on memorial day weekend, so now i have two events to attend on that holiday weekend. i found two more festivals of interest to me by going to the explore minnesota website. and i will try some other sites to get more ideas. i have ideas on events for most weekends through oktoberfest in new ulm, although i am being careful on not ordering tickets too far in advance. so far it is just an event in late june, aside from the end of this month, where i have already booked it and paid for tickets. 'the conners' was about mark's graduation, and it showed high school senior pictures for other cast members, including john goodman's which i had seen before. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 85 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard has a fling with priya while she has a layover. it was followed by the one where leonard nimoy's son interviews sheldon for a documentary, and reveals he had a ring for amy and was ready to propose to her when they broke up. 

duplicated meetup events

 one of the lines on my to-do list was to send a text to a friend i know from meetup events. it was the retired postal worker. i was looking for recommendations on groups. i said i had left a group due to seeing how it was duplicating events from another. based on this, i joined one group and left three, so now i have seven groups i am in. and i signed up for two events for this month, although i was wait-listed for one of them. i checked the events in groups i had left, in some cases it wasn't just duplicated events, it also was ones i wasn't attending such as i am not a gamer. so it goes back to 'stressing quality'. at work it was a high volume day on check printing but since the machine is humming along i got most of the checks out the door. it was four full mail tubs put out, just two stacks of checks remaining. one colleague asked if i can pick up outgoing mail from the bin i leave incoming mail in, i asked why they couldn't put it in the tub in the mailroom. i said i wasn't going to pick up from it that often, as i check the floor for deliveries just twice a day. for another department, i found out that manager is out of the office for now, but i had plenty of refund checks to drop off so i let someone know that i was going to leave plenty in their bin. 'night court' was a 'to be continued' episode where dan decided to leave for his native state, and abby the judge is arrested. later in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard is fixed up by howard and bernadette, but she was awful. it was followed by the one with 'uncle harvey', the helium tank that sheldon and leonard bought from a man in a parking ramp. and amy's phone is hijacked by her friends, who make jokes about the dudes on the dating app.

flushing hydrants

 when i was out for a walk at the end of lunchtime i saw a city employee flushing some of the nearby fire hydrants. so i got a picture of it. i did my best to avoid stepping in the water when i was crossing the street. i haven't done many of these walks lately to see the nearby businesses. not too much out of the ordinary at work aside from putting in the monthly supply order in the morning. and late in the day i put in one for more stick-on pouches for the overnight envelopes. looks like the boss is working off-site for much of the week. i am doing my best to plan out the summer by writing down the events that are of interest to me and printing an online page to remind me as well. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and bernadette had guest stars trying to tell the when to 'make the move'. while raj and sheldon try to work together but end up acting childish. it was followed by the one where the friends learn fencing from kripke.