light rain, postcard sent

 in the morning i decided to send a postcard to my dad about recent travels. it was a card from new ulm, and i spoke of going there for oktoberfest. then i spoke of going to see art museums in rochester and winona over the weekend. while at the post office i picked up a sheet of hank aaron stamps. and i noticed that light rain had started on my way back to work. this rain continued throughout most of the workday. both of the big supply orders arrived, first was the check stock, not long after getting back from the post office. just before midday, the envelopes arrived. i wasn't thrilled about these being delivered when it was raining, wondering if i could refuse the envelopes and ask it be moved back a day when there was no rain in the forecast. but the doorbell to the check shop rang, it was the branch manager, and the UPS delivery man brought the envelope boxes in. one of many times when both big orders arrived on the same day. looks like the two files now handled by poland employees are caught up, as there was five check files for one and two for the other. the overnight volume stayed low, just five checks to be overnighted. voting wasn't too big of a deal, much like in previous years i did the 'what's on my ballot' search online. there was three 'yes or no' votes to do, one was statewide and the other two were just local. i drove to the precinct and made it with just under an hour before the polls closed. and it didn't take long to finish the process once i arrived. i was watching the election returns on tv for much of the night. after a while i did switch channels to see what the other three had. this was shortly after there was a brief interruption for 'the coach's show' with the gopher football coach. it lasted about a minute. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon decided to tag along on dates between leonard and dr. stephanie. it was followed by the one where sheldon's mee-maw visits and she doesn't like amy. 

copy paper, half-box

 the supply orders for the month are starting to trickle in. the two air cans, and the box of copy paper, arrived around midday. i picked them up from the branch. except the copy paper was in a half-box, five reams. i didn't know they made them that small. this should last for a little while, hard to say how long. the number of overnights were kind of low, just under twenty. and there were two check files that did not arrive, actually one was awaiting approval at the end of the day. it meant the ones requested to be overnighted did not go out same-day. it was beyond my control, all i could do was respond to the email about the overnight list and say i could print once approved. the boss said we could work from home on election day, to allow us to vote. of course, the work from home doesn't apply to me, but i vote after work so i still have it covered. due to the morning rain, and being tired after work, i did not do a walk but i hope to be back at it real soon. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we meet dr. stephanie, and howard got the mars rover stuck. it was followed by the one where sheldon was mean to everyone when ill, then went on an apology tour. but it is also one where we see stuart left out again, finding out he wasn't invited on the party bus to las vegas by accident. 

coffee, and bagels

besides returning the rental car in the morning, i had just one thing on the docket for the day. it was getting to the haunted basement to help out with 'strike', or 'tear down', at the end of this season's run. small production this year, not many actors needed, still wanted to be a part of it. when i arrived i recognized this building, or complex that is. this 'haunted house' had been in the former General Mills complex before. i parked near the magazine cover of the governor on a fishing outing from 1973. found out it was in the micro-brewery on the other end of the complex. i was the first one at this place, explaining why i went downstairs and no one answered the doorbell. then a few minutes later, two others arrived, and we got started. midway through my time there, coffee and bagels arrived. eventually i decided to take a break and have some of these items. with the work i did, the first thing was taking down curtains, and then it was breaking down boxes. i am thankful i got a look at what it looked like in both rooms before we got started. one man walked through it, documenting with a video camera. after the boxes were done it was washing fake blood off of the walls. i spent four hours there and felt good about my contribution to the project. besides the food and drink, i was given a button for helping out. later on, after having some frozen pizza heated up in the oven at home, i went to perform at an open-mic. it was delayed until the football game ended, packers lost to the lions. i was given a raffle ticket when i ordered my beer. i did not only bank stories, but also mention of the volunteer work i had done earlier in the day, as well as annoying things i see on facebook. after performing i went to the hy-vee in eagan, picking up three items. i had meant to get some pumpkin pie ice cream two days earlier, still wanted some. also picked up a bag of ore-ida fries, and a little bottle of egg nog. first of the season i've had on the nog, but i have seen it in the dairy aisle for weeks. i guess it is no longer just for the christmas season anymore. when i got home i did the dishes. during my walks i found 77 cents. there was music playing when i was at the haunted house. notables were 'monster mash', and 'don't fear the reaper'. 

rochester art center

 this was a 'road trip day'. i visited two museums outside of the metro area, first one was the rochester art center. it was inside their civic center building. i had been there before to see the blue man group, but that was over a decade ago. first time at this museum. i wanted to see a limited-run exhibit of celebrity photos that will be closing in a month. naturally i mostly recognized the ones of actors, such as steve martin. his photo was part of the article i found online about the exhibit. others included james earl jones, barbra streisand, and jane fonda. when i first arrived in town i stopped at a caribou coffee. the pumpkin spice coffee arrived right away but the lemon loaf was delayed. after the art museum i had lunch at the taco bell just north of downtown. then it was on to the next museum on my list, the marine art museum in winona, about 50 miles away. i already knew the famous painting, 'washington crossing the delaware', has been gone for more than two years, it was on loan by the then-owner and was sold. it looks like many of the paintings on display were on loan. there were some by ed moran, who did a series of paintings on american history, on loan from the naval academy museum. one of them was about explorer hernando desoto, except one of two captions said his name was 'ferdinand', odd how nobody had caught that one. obviously, one is not correct. there were some ceramic artworks, including of mermaids. the painting i liked most was 'stolen moment', showing a woman with a cap on and her eyes closed. i bought three greeting cards with art on them in rochester, and three postcards in winona. i stayed at the winona museum until just minutes before closing time. then i started my drive home. when i made a stop, it was at a holiday gas station in inver grove heights, for a quick dinner, some chicken sticks. i had been driving for two hours by then so it was time for a break. shortly after i got home i went to get groceries at aldi, then i started watching a football game on NBC. the iowa hawkeyes were home, against wisconsin. it was just before halftime, iowa was up 14-3. the hawkeyes went on to win, 42-10. during my walks i found 3 dollars 74 cents. i was in the car a lot for the day and it meant having the radio on. notable songs i had heard were 'when smokey sings' by abc, and 'nasty' by janet jackson. 

cheeseball discount

 i was getting groceries at the hy-vee in eagan and decided to get some of the discounted halloween candy. this also included cheeseballs. when i was at self-checkout it rang up with a high price, that an attendant changed for me. i got some reese's peanut butter, as well as hershey kisses, the latter having a harry potter theme. haven't read any of the books or seen any of the movies but don't feel like that is a requirement for buying the candy. i bought two pieces of reese's peanut butter during my weekly walgreen visit a day earlier, and a good chance that is it with what i buy for this 'candy holiday'. at work i placed the monthly supply order, first time having to order copy paper as most of my colleagues left the building in july. i discovered stairs that led down one floor, because that door was open. there was a water fountain and a janitor closet beyonf that door as well, and the stairs also lead to the roof. a senior leader's phone said there was fifty-one missed calls. during my walks i found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon went to texas with leonard to meet george at his tire shop. it was followed by the one where howard went as sheldon for halloween, while sheldon and amy responded by dressing up as howard and bernadette. 

beer can translation

 i drank the can of lift bridge with the evening meal, deciding to finish the one labeled 'oktoberfest' before the month was out. i wanted to know what it said on the can so i went to google translate. not the first time i have been to that site. 'prost' is cheers, 'bier' is beer in german. but the bottom of the can had even more. it said 'erhohen sie den moment mit das perfekten paarung'. it means 'elevate the moment with the perfect pairing'. which fits well with what a beer can do. later on i went to the liquor store and got a pryes, so there still are four beers waiting. at work the notable thing was more checks to be pulled out of the oshkosh file and sent directly to the payee. there was four. at first i only saw three, and two were lumped together as they were going to the same place. and it meant i used just one of the two overnight labels given to me as there was one emailed for each of the four checks. when i said there was no check for the fourth form, going to seattle, when i hit 'reply to all' i was told the other would be ordered the next day. then it was said that the check needed to go out same-day, like the others. so a 'special edition' check file was done near the end of the day, it was for one check, and for jsut over $2 million. but i don't bat an eye anymore about printing and sending a check for that amount, i do this all the time. later on i went on a walk and found 37 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was about penny signing autographs and leonard was the 'change daddy'. and meanwhile, sheldon and amy have a dinner party but it slips that it was a practice round and it upset stuart. this is one time where i could relate to stuart, sadly. where he speaks of being left out and forgotten by people he considers to be friends. 

respond with a '1'

 there was a dial-in meeting about check shop functions just after midday, except there wasn't much for me to do. there was two messages sent by a senior leader, and it said 'respond with a 1' so i did. when i was at lunch i noticed these went to my phone as well, as a text message. guess our i.t. guy handled most of the demos for the moderator. it was annoying to get more instant messages from the manager in phoenix about the tax checks to send out directly to the recipients. i had to explain that i can't print the file unless it has been approved to print. and the dude didn't even know what i meant when i referred to the name of the business line those two checks were found in. i think i will like the second i-pay release being moved up, as there might have been more checks in it this time, but not many overnights. i was able to get out earlier compared to the previous day. except i had to let the courier in who was picking up the mail tubs. badge access is still an issue for her, but i said no one can count on me being there to let someone in. i watched the world series in the evening, game five, yankees led early but then a big inning left it tied 5-5. the dodgers went on to win, 7-6, and won the series, 4-1. later on i went on a walk and found 35 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the ladies dressed up as princesses for their trip to disneyland, while the dudes spoke to students at the school howard had attended. it was followed by the one where leonard made it back early from the north sea and tried to be alone with penny but was caught by sheldon. 

courier at teller line

 at work, close to midday the doorbell rang at the check shop and i found out the courier was at the teller line with the mail tubs. when i was leaving at the end of the day, i saw the other courier as well. both claimed to have badge access issues. i said that no one can count on me being there late in the day if the courier is there to pick up the mail tubs. there was also a quick dial-in meeting with the boss, guess the second i-pay of the day is being moved up because the downtown office has an earlier pick-up time on the mail. i wasn't complaining with the first one that was moved up, as there was just five checks and none of them were overnights. one check file with overnights was late, but it was still early enough that i was able to get it printed and sent out same day. vacation replacement tells me the poland team is handling it, and his friend had a four-hour meeting about it, explaining why it was even later on monday. i would like to think that things will get better with the earlier i-pay, but this day also had plenty of overnights from the mortgage file. in the evening i watched the world series on fox, game four, yankees went ahead with a grand slam and went on to win, 11-4. dodgers still lead the series, 3-1. later on, i went on a walk and found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns are doing halloween episodes this week. there was when leonard tried to hook up with a lady from stuart's comic book shop, but then was too honest about dating priya, even though she went back to india. it was followed by the one where edwin 'buzz' aldrin guest stars, in reference to howard talking a lot about being in space. 

boom! got it

 john madden would have been proud, because when i was researching travel ideas and found a good one i let a colleague know by saying 'boom! got it'. madden was known for saying 'boom!' as a broadcaster. i told myself i wanted to make a daytrip more worthwhile when wanting to see an art museum out of town, so it meant finding another museum or historic site to see on the same day. not in the same towns, but just an hour apart. this means it is doable if i get started early enough. i was researching ideas for where to eat as well, wanting to choose a place i don't get too that often. this narrowed the search a lot, especially when some ideas were crossed off the list when i found out hours of operation. if an establishment is closed on the day i want to go, then keep looking. at work i had to say more than once how a file was not approved yet. surprises me a little how i have to prompt business lines about it, seeing an email about checks to be overnighted. then one file arrived late in the day, and i said it wasn't going out same day because i don't have enough time to get it done. i still imported the file, though. taking this step is still a good idea, since it makes it a little easier for me when i am ready to get it done. in the evening i went to perform and the bartender said i was late but when i did get a beer i am told this will be his response no matter what time i showed up. i said 'ha' about it. in my set i did one about stickers on cars, and bank stories about lockboxes and other annoyances i deal with. i watched some of the world series, game three at home, then listened on the radio, and watched some at the bar when i wasn't performing. dodgers won to go up 3-0 in the series. later on, i went on a walk and found 30 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both about penny's ex, kurt. first was a halloween episode, then there was when she paid his fines at court. 

bunyan and babe movie

 this morning i watched a DVD movie, 'bunyan and babe', a recent amazon order. i chose it because john goodman was one of the actors, voicing paul. and one can't go too far wrong when jeff foxworthy is also in it, voicing babe. at first it appeared that kelsey grammer was voicing the villainous hypnotist, and he did, but the closing credits said he voiced both villains, two brothers, the other being a real estate developer. i think this is one of those kinds of movies where we know what the ending will be, but how we get there, the 'thrill of the chase', is still entertaining. in this case, it means paul and babe save the day. i had a dairy queen pumpkin pie blizzard at mall of america in the afternoon, then it was on to see a play in the twin cities horror festival. saw a play there last year as well. this time i saw one about the 'roll the dice' version of baseball. and since it is a horror festival, it means some of the players get murdered. since i know baseball fairly well i was familiar with the name dropping of players throughout this show, or even the puns and other references to historical figures. the program was put inside a red and white striped popcorn bag. if i had any favorite characters, it would be the main character's boss, who calls every so often, because the boss was dour. i had a craving for hash browns or fries after the play and found some at an arby's. then it was home, where i saw the rest of the bears game, near the nation's capital. bears lost on a 'hail mary'. i watched some of the next game, cowboys-49ers, after getting back from a long walk, where i found 32 cents. 49ers won it. 'the simpsons' was about abe as a private eye. then late in the evening i did the dishes. 

saints mega merch sale

 there wasn't much planned for the day, but the main thing was going to a 'mega merch sale' at the saints baseball stadium. i knew full well that i wouldn't buy much, as i already have plenty of hats, jerseys, and shirts. what i liked was that the souvenir shop wasn't near as crowded as it is on game days. i bought one item, a ball. it was a black and white ball with the STP in the shape of a pig, likely from the 25-year anniversary season. i am aware of how some items from their days as an independent club haven't sold yet, and this must be one of them. it will go next to the other one i have with this styling, which is blue and white. i had lunch there as well, but only one food stand was open. and not much was available, so i ended up getting a hot dog and some cider. i will likely return to this venue for the holiday lights, sometime in december but no ticket ordered yet. i wanted to get my money's worth on the parking fee i had paid, which was two hours. after leaving the stadium i walked around downtown a little. first stop was at a pizza place near the stadium and mears park. i usually pass by it on game nights, having already eaten before the game, or just wanting to get back to my car and leave after the game. i had some sparkling water and a slice of pepperoni pizza. i ended up at rice park, then going past candyland and then back to my car. before then i did the typical errand running. there was three orders to pick up at the post office. then i dumped recycle at a bin near the capitol and went to the copy store to print an event ticket. i had some ice cream at a mcdonald's, after finding out a dairy queen was closed for the season. when i got home i rested some and then got groceries at aldi. in the evening i had a sandwich at jersey mike's, then went home to watch the world series on fox. much like with game one, i was tired and fell asleep and missed some of it. i laid down when the dodgers were leading the yanks 4-1 in the 6th, found out the score held up, as the dodgers went on to win, 4-2. another thing i did was get a look at various things in the kitchen, and decided to take out some of the plastic food containers i wasn't using. i had six, but really just use two. one is for granola bars and snack cakes, the other for canned fruit. so now it is down to three, the others will be sent for recycling. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 59 cents. 

broken coffee mug

at work i was coming back from lunch and had the mail tubs with me. i was a little too careless and i dropped my coffee mug, it fell on the concrete floor in the check shop, and it was broken. this was a mug given to me when working for General Electric. my first idea was to get a replacement, from e-bay. but when i got home i found out i had a plastic cup from 'employee appreciation week' at g.e. so i have found a suitable replacement. i recall when my stoneware container for heating up soup in the microwave oven was broken many years ago, it was replaced with a plastic one as those are less likely to be broken. and i still use that plastic container. long live this cup! actually, i have already had it for a while. it was in the freezer with other souvenir cups from schools and sporting events i have attended, along with some charlie brown cups. it will be taken to work soon. and the mug was the only personal item i kept at work. if i feel the need at some point later on, then i can order another mug from e-bay as there were plenty of listings available. but that mug would likely only be used at home, where i have seven in rotation, changing once a week. it was annoying getting an i.m. from two people about the same check copy request. i had to let them know that at the time it was emailed to me, the file it was in was not yet 'approved to print' and was approved an hour later. i printed it just minutes after it was approved. i let them know when i hit 'reply to all' once the check copy was found how i need time to complete requests. i don't know why that was considered to be the most important check in the file, as it wasn't even close to being the highest value in terms of those i was overnighting for the day. i got groceries from hy-vee in eagan in the evening, nine items. there are some boxes of halloween cereal that remain, four kinds. good chance that some will be discounted when i make another visit a week from now. if i get any more, the edge goes to the apple jacks and rice krispies. i still have eight boxes of halloween cereal i am still working on. i was watching the world series at home, then found it on the radio for the drive to the store. it was a scoreless tie when i entered, and the yanks were up 2-1 when i got out. a man liked my wild hockey winter hat, said so when entering. i watched the game once i got home again, but fell asleep in my chair near the end of it, dodgers won on a walk-off grand slam. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon and amy get together on her borthday, while wil wheaton gets his ticket to 'star wars'. 

cheddar cheese combos snack

 i bought another bag of cheddar cheese combos from the vending machine at work, it was the second i had bought this week. i like things with cheese in them, so hard to beat a baked pretzel. the bag does say there are other flavors available. there is cheddar cheese cracker, and pizzeria pretzel. there is also mention of a web address, 'for more fun'. this is made by mars wrigley, and i was familiar with both companies before they merged. at work the boss was in and stayed longer than expected but still left to work from home. there was mention of more meetings he had. it meant i delayed going to walgreen for a snack, normally that is done at the end of my lunch. when the mail dude did an intro for his fill-in the boss spoke with him as well. guess this will be for two months, visiting his native land. we did put out the question again to the big mailroom, about getting a lockbox at the downtown facility. it had been more than a month since the dial-in meeting about it. and it likely means there will be more meetings about it. taking it with us doesn't seem practical, as facilities would have to un-hook it from the wall, a brick wall no less. i drank the can of michelob with the evening meal so now four beers are waiting. during my walks i found 1 dollar, all in quarters. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we meet ramona, who reveres sheldon but is also controlling. this leads to a rare song being played, 'be my yoko ono'. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy get back together, after sheldon figures out the song stuck in his head was a beach boys song. 

arnold said 'i'm back'

 at work i saw a meme in an i.m. chat with the tax specialist. it said 'i'm back' with an image of arnold schwarzenegger. then it said 'disregard', so i guess it wasn't meant for me. i did respond with 'haha'. i found out that UPS didn't pick up overnights, as oshkosh let me know that nothing arrived. it wasn't the only business line i heard from, also one in st. louis. so it meant taking all for the day to a UPS facility myself, until they pick up from the box again. i had five tracking numbers and found out all did get picked up so i guess we are caught up again. although it wasn't the first time it has happened this month. i had to let them know that sometimes we get skipped, not much i can do when i am told that drivers are needed. and i don't know unless somebody tells me. a colleague wanted a canadian check, for taxes, sent inter-office, but called it inter-company. i am told there likely will be more soon. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends did an intervention, taking sheldon to the DMV, wanting him to learn how to drive. it was followed by the one where elon musk guest stars and eats some pumpkin pie with howard. sheldon and amy go to an aquarium together on thanksgiving. 

check for suite tickets

 we got things figured out related to the check sent to the hockey team in st. louis. customer service manager was contacted, gave the name of the requestor and said it was for tickets to a suite. this is what i expected all along. when the payee said it was figured out on their end, i knew i could get back to my normal duties. this was handled in the morning, before the big check files were ready. i was sent an i.m. by a colleague asking about a different check, and had to tell them it had just printed. question was why it wasn't sent out by UPS any earlier, i said it is all about when i get it and this is determined by when it is approved. i finished check copy requests at the end of the day. there was one i didn't do because i was asked by i.m. about it and i said email me but i didn't get the email. guess if they want it bad enough, they will comply with the way it needs to be requested. i was playing phone tag with somebody from the minnesota historic society but we got things squared away. i got a ticket ordered for a lecture, they have some each year, six a season. but as usual, only one a season interests me. i am told the i.t. provider will be changed soon, which should make it easier to order online. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj did a photo shoot for people magazine but was obnoxious about it. this was followed by the one where the friends spy on amy during her date with a brit. raj and howard try to find sheldon another lady but sheldon was too picky. 

how was my hotmail found?

 i saw an email about work, related to a check i had overnighted. nothing unusual there, except it went to my hotmail account. i don't know how the recipient found it. and i am wondering why they didn't try customer service first. i decided to forward it to my account with the bank and said i would look at it the next day. it was from a sports team, the st. louis blues. i recall adding 'ticket office' to the address when i created the label, figuring it was for tickets. as for what i saw during normal work hours, there was requests to pull and shred checks from an afternoon file. it was for four checks, three different emails. at least it was before i printed the file. and one of the overnights in the afternoon i recognized the recipient on. it was 'return to business line' and it was lumped together with another check for this colleague. i like saving time, and overnight labels, especially late in the day. in the evening i went to perform. i did some bank stories, annoyances with interactions at home, and the two-movie weekend. during my walks i found 77 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny became addicted to an online video game. it was followed by the one where sheldon was interviewed for a documentary about star trek's leonard nimoy. 

adventure tom movie

 in the evening i went to see a movie at a film festival in st. louis park, it was 'adventure tom'. i had been to this festival before, but it has been a few years. this is the only movie i plan on seeing during this ten-day event. i chose it because it is a road movie, and i like road movies. of those i have seen it is most like 'overnight delivery', starring paul rudd and reese witherspoon, also with a minnesota setting. loved seeing fruit pies from aldi in it, haven't had one in a while so i will have to get one soon. a few scenes in it were predictable, such as the one in a bar ending in a bar fight. but one has to allow for this being a low budget, indie movie. liked seeing them make a stop at mount rushmore, and at a flintstones-themed place in arizona. although i think this isn't the only state with a flintstones-themed tourist site. i picked up a show card after it was done, and it was notable that the q and a had both of the lead actors as part of it. not too often where one gets this much from a screening at a film festival. it was a big enough deal that the writer-director was there. it was getting late so i went home after the movie was over and didn't do much else besides the dishes. at midday i went to a booya at a church in st. paul, called st.agnes. it was the third, and likely final, booya for me this season. i was spotted by somebody i knew from a former job, i think it was the a.a. for a senior leader. i was asked if i still do stand-up, and i do but it is a reminder of why i don't talk about it at my current job at the bank. i prefer to just get my work done and some things need to be kept separate. besides having the thick vegetable beef soup i also had a big cookie there. like some other events it meant buying food and drink with tickets. the vikings-lions game was on at the booya, and at home i saw the rest of it, lions won a close one. and i saw some of the next game on fox, chiefs-49ers, fell asleep for a while when i decided to lay down, chiefs won it. then it was time to get to the movie. during my walks i found 2 cents. 

saturday night (live) movie

 this afternoon i went to see the movie 'saturday night', in eagan. i had seen plenty of other movies directed by jason reitman, a big reason why i saw this one as well. i am also known for sometimes performing stand-up, and i like to see movies about the craft. this was about the premiere of 'saturday night live' in 1975. there were some actors in it that i am familiar with, but those actors didn't have the biggest roles. there was jk simmons, who is in plenty of reitman-directed movies, along with willem defoe and robert wuhl. twice it got a 'single but loud laugh' out of me. the laundry equipment in some scenes looked like maytag, although there was no close-up but i am good at recognizing it since it was my hometown company. it was anything but boring, but when it is about the frenzy of getting ready for a live show then no one should expect it to be. the closing credits had the disclaimer i am used to, how 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. before the movie i had lunch at cane's chicken, also in eagan but at a different exit from 35-e. after the movie i had a pumpkin pie blizzard at the dairy queen near the theater. i got a look at air fryers just before the movie at a nearby target, but nothing was bought just yet. i saw more than one kind, and i am thinking the 'oven' kind would meet my needs better if i am getting one at all. errands included getting to the post office, two orders picked up. ordering a ticket for a history lecture was a no-go, the cashier at the box office was unwilling to help and directed me to try the website, which doesn't work, or to call, where i think i previously would get voicemail. it was nice not having much to do after the movie. there was getting groceries at aldi. i also went to a walgreen to get microwave popcorn, no surprise after being at a movie. i got it there because i wanted a 3-bag box. other stores were only selling a 6 or 12-bag box. in the evening i watched a college football game on NBC, iowa played at michigan state and lost 32-20. later on i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 26 cents. 

blue bloods, tv guide

 this evening i went to the hy-vee in eagan for groceries. i also picked up the special magazine from tv guide, the special farewell edition for the tv show 'blue bloods'. it has 96 pages, plenty of photos. i not only like the character played by tom selleck, but also donnie wahlberg. and i liked mention of the roles that both actors did before this show, since tom is known for 'magnum pi' and donnie being in the band known as new kids on the block. i also liked the two pages about favorite guest stars, although some would be considered 'recurring roles' such as stacy keach playing the archbishop. in terms of the lesser-known regulars in the cast, i like anthony, the investigator that works for erin in the DA's office, and baez, danny's partner. i am not sure how i feel about baker, who is frank's aide. i still recall one line she had about 'being the closest lady to frank, not related by blood or marriage'. what was that supposed to mean? besides her not being at the reagan family dinners? also one time when she tried to advise frank, then we see frank offering her a chance to be PC for the day, and she said 'not on your life'. i know i haven't watched the show for its entire run, as i liked performing most nights until the pandemic hit. i think it was only when i started staying home more during covid that i would watch regularly, seeing it when i got home from grocery shopping. that's the other thing- high school football is on fridays. the games i have seen were all pre-covid, it was one of many cost-saving measures that i adopted. and if i would be performing on fridays, it was usually karaoke, and i would show up whenever, sometimes after the late news. either way, this is a good show so i am thankful i found it. as a history major of course i like seeing the photo of theodore roosevelt in the background at the office, since teddy was a PC before entering politics. at work i didn't mind that the overnights volume was low, just fourteen. the mail dude spoke of missing out on a sale on suits at macy's, hopeful it is there again as a black friday sale. during my walks i found 1 dollar 27 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we see leonard and penny showing off with their dates in the hall, with who could kiss the longest, leonard dating lesley. and the dudes go to the renaissance fair, sheldon as spock from 'star trek'. it was followed by the one where the friends get ahold of amy's phone and choose men for her on a dating app. this i didn't enjoy seeing. i liked the other story more, where sheldon and leonard buy helium on the black market and sheldon calls the can 'uncle harvey', giving it a hat as well. 

bad weather brewing

 in the evening i went to another meetup event, at a micro-brewery, bad weather brewing in st. paul. it is on the way to the xcel center, explaining why i had to careful on where i chose to park. some street signs said 'no event parking, we will tow'. so i parked on west 7th, two blocks down from the brewery. i saw a friend of mine right away upon arrival, before i even got a nametag or a beer. but i did get both shortly thereafter. then i found the event coordinator as well, saying i am thankful for this meetup group as i am finding places i might not otherwise know about. i did speak with others at this event, one was about art imitating life. another once worked at the same place as me. and another spoke of team huddles in football. once i found a friend of mine she spoke a lot about how much she likes her air fryer, even taking it with her while on the road for ski trips and such. i said i have a microwave oven and would need to research air fryers before getting one. i have to see the value in things before making any changes. this friend also spoke about wanting to get a group together and go to a karaoke bar, and i do like singing karaoke. although i don't know yet when or where. after i was done at this event i did get a ticket ordered for a film festival next month, a documentary movie. at work it was a long day, especially when there were plenty of overnights in the second i-pay file near the end of the day. at the outset it was fourteen, i got it down to eleven. two will have to go regular mail, unable to overnight to a po box. and another was lumped together with an earlier check, 'return to business line', going to another bank office, in milwaukee. i got another request to pull a check out of a file, instead of send it to oshkosh like the others. this time i was smarter about it. i said i needed two things. one was to also copy the shared box with the request, in case i am out of the office. the other was to let me respond to the email, with 'check is found and will be sent'. this cuts down on instant messages asking about it. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon tried to pick up a lady in a bar, then spoke with amy in the hall. 

cereal box puzzles

 i have bought plenty of cereal related to the halloween season and i am slowly using up each box. i know many of them have puzzles on the back. the one i am on now is froot loops, from kellogg. there is finding three different kinds of marshmallows, monster heads ghosts and bats. i have completed those. another is differences between the two trunk or treat cars, haven't started it yet. i still like being challenged so i like doing them. at work i noticed sometimes the PDF files still sometimes are a single-check file. it doesn't make sense when it could be lumped together with a similar file. but i print whatever is there and eventually move the icon to a place outside of the shared box. another thing i see at times is two different kinds of checks for our tax specialist, as sometimes those checks are canadian. two of the nineteen were canadian and i state this when i ask for what address i send them to the next morning. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we hear penny say 'the cat is alive' about dating leonard. it was followed by the one where raj and howard are in a band, and play the song 'thor and dr. jones'. 

too many instant messages

 at work i had more requests to pull checks out of a file and send them directly to the payee. this is from a file where all of them are usually 'returned to business line'. and i was finding it to be annoying how a manager was sending instant messages asking me if i saw the email and if i was sending the check. then i said there were some for the same county, but for the recorder and not the treasurer, and he got confused even though i said the recorder checks were still going back to the business line. obviously, he was only reading half of what i was typing. i prefer being asked to just 'reply to all' once it has been completed. this is what is understood on other overnight requests i get. and nobody else asks me if i saw an email anyway. i found out that UPS skipped the bank's drop-box on friday, after checking some tracking numbers. so i did a 'schedule a pick-up' to increase the odds that what is in there gets picked up in a timely fashion. and all of the overnight envelopes for the day were sent to a UPS store as i didn't want any more complaints about packages not arriving. i hear different reasons why we are skipped. driver was not available, box was jammed, door was locked. all of those are beyond my control. all i can do about a locked door is tell someone in corporate security about it and it is up to them to handle it. when i made it home tonight i checked those three tracking numbers and it looks like all are on the way, as all said 'we have your package'. during my walks i found 85 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the dudes went to mexico in an old van. when the ladies got together it was revealed that penny hadn't told her family about getting married, while amy hadn't told her family about breaking up with sheldon. 

wahlburgers, mall of america

 i had a day off due to the bank holiday, and i know an idea i've done before is to go to mall of america. i hadn't eaten at wahlburgers, although i am used to seeing them inside hy-vee stores. i got a burger with government cheese, along with fries and some tea. i've had bat food before, it compares well with that. and sitting at a bar stool, seeing sports news on tv and the beer taps and liquor bottles, it did remind me of bars i had been in before. i got a picture of a poster on the wall in the back, of the tv show 'blue bloods', as donnie is in it, a show i watch. i am thankful i finally made it to this place, but i am the type that goes to the a and w at this mall. on my next visit, i am likely to go to the a and w, as there is a shorter wait for food. i took a walk around two floors of this mall and there is a good chance i spend at least part of a day off at this mall before the calendar year ends. i also stopped to have a scoop of cookies and cream ice cream as i wanted some airline miles, a place i had been to before near the dairy queen. but it was just food that i bought during this visit. i had the annual physical in the morning, there was a blood draw. in the afternoon after being at the mall i watched some of the baseball playoffs on fox, game two, mets-dodgers. mets got an early lead and were ahead 6-3 when i switched over to 'jeopardy'. then i wanted to see a rerun of 'young sheldon', and i later found out the mets went on to win 7-3. during my walks i found 25 cents. i went to perform in the evening, i did some bank stories and spoke of my time at the mall along with going to a play. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon's sister, missy, visits and his friends try to woo her. it was followed by the one where sheldon does 'fun with flags' about broken-up nations. 

joker 2 movie

 this afternoon i went to see the 'joker 2' movie. it was going to be in edina but the traffic due to construction was too much, and i didn't need to see it as an IMAX anyway. so i checked my phone when it was safe to do so and called an audible, seeing it in eagan instead, at a screening that began less than an hour later. as a lady gaga fan, it shouldn't surprise anyone that i went to see it. since she is a musician i am pleased that she sang fairly often. the pairing with joaquin phoenix was pretty good. there were some scenes that were dark and disturbing, but this should be expected when much of the movie takes place in a mental hospital. twice it got a single but loud laugh out of me. i liked how there wasn't that much to do for the day, really the movie was the only thing on the docket. in the evening i did watch most of the baseball game on fox, mets-dodgers, game one of the league championship series. dodgers were up 6-0 when i laid down and fell asleep. i found out the score held up, as the dodgers won 9-0. i got another small bag of chili cheese chips before the evening meal. during my walks i found 8 cents. 

survivors of the fire play

 in the afternoon i went to see the play 'survivors of the fire'. it was in st. paul in a former church building, and the theater troupe is called 'bucket brigade'. i had seen a card about it at a speedway gas station, and i let them know when i arrived this is how i heard about it. this was about the great fire of 1894 in hinckley, a town i have seen only once, to see a concert at the casino many years ago. the stories being told about who perished were sobering to say the least. also notable was the story of those who survived by getting onto a train out of town, and how the bridge collapsed just minutes after it crossed. there was cups of water given to the attendees near the end of the show. the actors danced around the room during a wedding scene ealry on and i think i was invited to join the line but i did not join it. i recognized some of the songs performed in it, such as 'skip to my lou', 'bringing in the sheaves', and 'amazing grace'. there was a pre-show where we did see music being performed and we were told the band kept playing as the actors needed more time to get ready. there is an ad in the program for the next show by this troupe, around Valentine's Day, a marriage musical called 'til death'. i am pleased with what i got done throughout the day. in the morning i did two things that were 'postponed from an earlier date'. this was taking recycle to the capitol and dumping change into my savings account at the credit union. then i made it to a walgreen for a vaccination, although i wasn't thrilled with the wait time just to get checked in. then it was on to more stops. nothing to pick up at the post office, then i got a sandwich at jersey mike's. after the sandwich i went to the nearby target and got another seasonal cereal, haunted lucky charms. it was one of two cereals bought, as i saw in the same aisle how there are some boxes of chex with charlie brown characters on them for the Christmas season. i got the wheat chex, linus is on it. there are five kinds, each with a different character on the front of the box. my last stop was aldi, for groceries. at first it was hard to find anything to watch on tv for the evening. but then i found 'family feud', for the first hour. then it was three hours of norman lear reruns- 'maude', archie bunker's place', and 'jeffersons'. i went through food wrappers while watching the reruns and it looked like, based on the expire dates on the chip bags, i hadn't done it in at least a year. i did notice how there weren't as many for reese's peanut butter, but i knew i had cut back on how many i was getting from walgreen after each of the four 'candy holidays' once they are discounted. now i can see better what is in that drawer of the fridge, where i keep the cans of beer. i write down how many chip or candy bags i had for each kind. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 9 cents. 

copier picked up

 there was two visitors i helped at work for the day. first one was scheduled a week prior, it was when the copier on third floor was picked up. i liked how i was called just minutes before arrival to know when to expect them, and i liked how it was just before midday. it was picked up by two men in a green and white mayflower truck from mankato. i was allowed to copy the form i was asked to sign, as i wanted something to send to my superiors showing it was done. i am a big believer in 'due diligence'. i let them know when it was emailed how there is one copier that remains on that floor, but a different department was using it. then less than an hour later i helped with the arrival of the envelope order. it was smaller than most months since i only order what i need and we got more than expected last month. this is why it was a smaller truck that delivered it. thankfully it didn't get dumped at the btanch, but it might have if i was dealing with the copier at the same time. the branch manager let me know when the courier arrived so i could meet them with carts at the service entry near the ATM line. in the evening i went to the hy-vee in eagan for the weekly order for groceries, twelve items bought. this included two charlie brown items, a greeting card and a word find book. later on i went on a walk and found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard bought a prop from the movie 'time machine'. it was followed by the one where we see the las vegas wedding of leonard and penny, while sheldon is too pushy with amy so she said they were broken up. 

golf club ad

 i made some more nice finds during cleanup at work. this included an article about a twins baseball game from 1999, on the back of an ad about golf clubs. i liked playing detective, going online to find out what day the game was played. it was a 4-2 win over the cardinals in st. louis, this narrowed the search a lot since interleague play is less common. found out it was on a tuesday in july. other finds included a small catalog for ordering books from 2001 from doubleday. it was a reminder of the call center work i did when starting with g.e. as it was for a shopping catalog and i think one cross promotion was taking doubleday calls. i included a pink ticket for refund checks and a baby picture in the same sheet protector as the baseball game article. i was called by the courier about the upcoming appointment to pick up the copier, i am told it is not their first stop of the day so they are likely arriving around midday. works for me, i said i didn't want them arriving first thing in the morning. there was a check copy request near the end of the day, but i said i needed a check number, payee and amount to search for it. all i was given was account numbers. on a check i overnighted i let the business line know i split the trust and trustee names across two lines and entered the second name first as it appeared to be the actual name of the trust. i drank the bottle of summit with the evening meal and got a can of bud ice, as well as a hamm's, from the liquor store near me so now five beers are waiting. i also went to a laundromat on a walk and got some chili cheese corn chips. during my walks i found 1 dollar 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard's team added lesley in a quiz bowl to go up against sheldon's team. it was followed by what likely was a season finale, where leonard and penny elope in las vegas while amy said, 'goodbye sheldon'. 

on the house napkin

i am still finding some things at work during a cleanup. this included some napkins that said 'on the house', literally. it depicted liquor bottles on top of a house. some other things found included a computer printout with an old bank name on it, from 1984. along with another item with an old bank name, a datebook from 1995. more food items were found, but those were tossed in the trash. it included some ritz crackers as well as some pieces of candy. the bag of candy said it expired nine years ago. in other issues, the branch manager sent me a toner cartridge for the check printer, still has the wrong contact name on it. i did not see the courier, because i was in the branch at the time talking to the branch manager about plans for the bank holiday on monday. i was asked by a team lead to look out for an IRS envelope but i haven't seen it yet. last time i saw one i was told to send it to atlanta, so i don't know why we ever get those. reminds of the old joke i have, asking if we are an airport. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon got a young rival, from north korea. it was followed by the one where the moms of sheldon and leonard met, along with howard raj and stuart sing 'hard knock life' from 'annie' when doing chores. 

lumaris survey

 there was just one item in the mail, a letter from lumaris, inviting me to do a survey. there was a dollar bill inside, and said i would be paid ten dollars by doing the survey online. i am hopeful this means an amazon gift card, but i will find out soon enough by email. i did, but said no to more of them as i already do plenty, for airline miles. it said it was an invitation to represent your community, and many of the questions were about where i live. at work, the envelope order has not arrived yet. i checked the branch just before midday and the branch manager said the courier would be sent to me upon arrival. one thing seemed to work with the inserter machine, re-calibrating the sensors. i did it just before i ran through the fargo files. vacation replacement sent an i.m. in the morning, another reminder about using vacation days before year-end. i said i have a dental appointment next month, and last year i used one day a week in december. this would take care of five of the seven remaining days. during my walks i found 31 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was ill and the friends went to a 'planet of the apes' marathon. it was followed by the one where leonard gave a commencement speech remotely. 

cutout from envelope window

 at work the inserter machine was acting up near the end of the day. i was doing my best to clean the sensors and when reaching in i felt some paper. it was a cutout from the envelope window. the fargo envelopes tend to have those more than the others. i am trying to think of what else i can do, and my best guess is to re-calibrate the sensors, haven't done this in a little while. i like it when the machine hums along, as it takes away a lot of time from other duties when i have to figure out how to clear any error messages. thankful that the overnight volume was fairly low, just over twenty. in the morning i got an appointment booked for next week, on a bank holiday. check stock order arrived in the morning, and the courier used his own collapsible cart to bring them in. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 77 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and leonard invent a cousin to cover up their lie for not wanting to attend a performance that penny invited them to. it was followed by the one where penny tried to audition but then was reminded of why she didn't miss acting. then it meant doing a thank-you dinner for bernadette for the drug company job. 

click an image to select

 i had plenty of things on my list to do for the day, and the final one i got to was going to the mall in roseville and doing the photo booth. i started this annual thing as part of oktoberfest weekend during the pandemic. and i kept hearing 'click an image to select'. well i wanted a good look at what was available, chose a background that included a microphone as one of the four on the strip. no surprise when i am a stage performer. as usual, i held up a page saying what year, and this time mention of how the jacket is from ragstock, as i had bought it there in may. besides my two strips i claimed the one left behind by others, two ladies on it. i have done this before. looks like calendars for next year are already for sale, but i don't get one this early. i like knowing there is a charlie brown calendar available though. one thing on my list will be moved back a week, dumping recycle in a bin near the capitol, as it was marathon weekend and that is the finish line. but i got to the other things. after having breakfast and returning the rental car, i got to it. there was getting groceries at aldi, then doing laundry. it was midday by then, so i went to an ATM and went to a booya, except the booya was sold out. i got two hot dogs instead. on to the copy store, where i printed three pages about events i am booked for. then i went home and folded and put away laundry, and the next stop was the mall. i wasn't home for long, putting a frozen pizza in the oven for the evening meal, then going to a mic to perform. i was on near the end, nice seeing the d.c. native there, who is headlining this venue soon. newsboy hat was part of the mic's lineup as well, wearing a champion belt from winning a recent contest. after the mic i watched some pro football, the cowboys-steelers game, then laid down for a little while. when i got up i did the dishes, then retired for the night. during my walks i found 1 dollar 7 cents. 

bulletproof, godsmack

 there were plenty of songs that i heard during this day, my annual visit to new ulm for oktoberfest. but the standout was 'bulletproof', by godsmack. i was in my car and was about to change the radio station but thankful i didn't. sometimes heavy metal works for me, and i am more likely to find a good one from that genre in outstate minnesota, and this was from a mankato station much like last year. the lyrics that stood out to me were 'want it, need it, bulletproof, too far gone' and it was enough to find the song when i googled the lyrics once i found a safe place to do so. i was coming back from sleepy eye, to see the linus statue, which had an orange pheasant hunting hat on. there were billboards saying the town hosted the governor's hunting opener. one thing of note that i did in new ulm was doing the schell's brewery tour, first time in likely over a decade. i made it to town and it was close to 1pm by then, so i had lunch at taco john's and then went to the brewery to purchase the tour ticket. i know those tours sell out on the weekend of a big event like this one, so 'get while the getting is good'. i got some souvenirs from the brewery tour, a small drinking glass and an extra token. there was two in it and in turned in one for another drink, after having five samples. i chose grain belt, the smaller samples were all schell's. while waiting for the tour to begin i went to the middle of town but the main thing i did there besides plenty of walking was get some popcorn from the wagon next to the museum. after the tour i saw the show from the glockenspiel, then popped over to sleepy eye. when i got back i saw my brick in german park and took a ride on the gravity rail swing, and let out a healthy scream, then said 'worth it!' then a quick stop at turner hall, got a picture of a song on the wall inside. then on to the hotel where i had food and beer, ti was a bratwurst with sauerkraut and potato salad, also had some chocolate cake. i watched the band performing there, and when i was leaving at the end of the night i was asked if i was from the paper, by one of the costumed narren performers, i was not. i made one stop on the drive home, about halfway, in jordan at the holiday gas station. i got some pumpkin spice coffee and then resumed the drive home. i picked up two e-bay orders from the post office in the morning, after getting the rental car. during my walk after getting home i found 26 cents. 

expired nutrition bar

 while doing a cleanup on another floor, i am still finding some weird things. one of those was a nutrition bar, that expired in 2010. naturally it was tossed in the trash. but some of the other findings were worth keeping. there was a sheet of fun food and drink stickers, personified. a cup with a straw is playing guitar, and a box of fries is playing a horn. i also like seeing pizza, ice cream, a taco, and a donut on this sheet. i had to let a colleague know that the supply orders hadn't arrived yet. looks like one of them still needed a purchase order. only one that arrived was sealing fluid bottles, which has to be ordered by a senior leader, and both were picked up from the branch near the end of the day. vacation replacement heard about the copier on another floor and how it will be picked up soon and asked about a coffeemaker. i said i saw two in the breakroom and neither one was plugged in. in the evening i went to get groceries at the hy-vee in eagan. i saw a banner about the store hosting a trick or treat event later this month. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 83 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard gave a speech without sheldon and at the end the two get into a fight that is put online by howard. it was followed by the one where howard meets his half-brother, while sheldon and amy build a fort out of blankets. both of these serve as a reminder of how i like the episodes that have amy in them more than the ones that don't. thankfully more than half of the twelve seasons had amy as part of the cast. 

key box moved

 at work my boss showed me how to get into the key box, as the copier on another floor will be picked up soon. one thing i noticed is that this was moved. it had been inside the building near the elevator, but now it is next to the badge scanner by the front door. i said a few things had been printed at this copier in error since most moved out in july, i sent those to the shredder. guess the courier will pick it up in a little over a week. two days were given, i said either one is fine but i will have to tell them it was good thing that the first one was chosen. because the second is a bank holiday. the boss left before midday, i am used to this by now. i spoke of how the paystubs are back but have been low volume so far. i drank the can of bell's with the evening meal and got a can of michelob at the liquor store near me so there still are four beers waiting. i got some things booked as well, ordered two event tickets for this month. also booked a vaccine for a little over a week from now. later on i went on a walk and found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon and leonard went to skywalker ranch and were denied entry and then detained. 

under investigation

 at work we heard more about the test checks sent to canada. it was that it is 'under investigation'. this was shortly after my boss asked me about it through i.m. i said the only email i saw was his inquiry about it. there was also an email about carpet cleaning at the downtown office, that i have not moved to yet. but i see plenty of emails like this that aren't relevant yet to me, although relevant to most people on their mailing list. in the evening i got a good look at the pages i had printed, ideas for events to attend in the near future. nothing booked yet but plenty of good planning done, such as deciding which one to scrap. now it means ordering tickets for two of them soon. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 55 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny's friend, 'the whore of omaha', shows up and of course howard is interested. it was followed by the one where the final meal made by howard's mom was eaten by the friends, while sheldon and leonard feud over credit on a science paper. 

beaches, beabadoobee

 this morning the last song i heard during the drive to the office was 'beaches', by beabadoobee. i had heard it the day before, but figured the title might not have been enough to find it in an online search. i paid closer attention to the lyrics the second time, so i had something to write down and look up right away. this performer's real name is Beatrice Laus, born in the Philippines but arrived in Great Britain with her family at age three. not only does it sound good, hearing the guitar and drums as well as the lyrics, but reading the words is nice, especially 'who knows the actual truth?' and 'i'm sure now'. score one for changing the radio station in my car to 89.3, the current. plenty of indie music on that channel that i don't hear anywhere else. this was also where i found the one called first aid kit, the two sisters from Sweden. at work there was a one-check file, it was overnighted to the caymans, a reminder of John Grisham movies where people offshore money there. why it wasn't sent to i-pay, i don't know. for my purposes it was lumped together with i-pay since i had to print the Fargo files first and i had the i-pay file by the time i was done. my boss put me on an email thread, asking where the test checks were that i sent to Canada. no response yet on the result since i overnighted them. and i was asked to get another computer monitor from the deserted third floor, for a colleague. it is now in the check shop next to the other one, don't know when either is getting picked up. in the evening i watched the debate between the two candidates for vice president. this one was more civil than the two presidential debates. later on, i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 15 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and lesley hooked up but lesley said she was good until new year's. it was followed by the one where raj was caught snooping when dermatologist emily had to go to the hospital. 

charging phone, sharing pics

 when i went to hook up my phone to recharge the battery this morning i noticed a friend from meetup events had sent me a kid pic. not sure why i hadn't seen it earlier as it was sent the night before. i figured i should do the same in the evening, it was the one i had just acquired at a family event a week earlier. at lunchtime, once my phone was charged up, i got a better look at the photo sent to me and the text with it. this was when i said i would reciprocate. and then when i was at the bar writing out my set i got a response to it, was told it was 'cute'. while there it was great to see newsboy hat at the bar, i asked a question about how to handle non-performers. as i have decided to withhold information more often since i am afraid that non-performers might not understand 'the need to perform'. sounds like she agrees with that stance, in terms of not needing to be too open about myself. and my question was if she has also done this, and she has. in my set i not only did some bank stories, but also mention of comments on a facebook singles group, and the aforementioned photo sharing. i heard a 'whoo' when i spoke of seeing the 'beetlejuice' movie. i followed the poet, and started off with mention of doing poetry slams at local libraries before i did stand-up. at work it was surprising to send out three mail tubs to start the week, usually it is just two. a business line from kansas city that does account closures normally sends two files but sent just one. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon's mom shows up to help him get his job back. it was followed by the one where the friends do the 'love test' on others to see if it works. i like it because leonard said to penny, 'tag, you're it' in terms of caring about sheldon's needs.  

beetlejuice movie

 saw the movie 'beetlejuice' movie this afternoon, at the highland park theater in st, paul. if i had seen all of the first one, it wasn't at theaters. saw this one because it was promoted as a sweepstakes through the 'big bang theory' reruns i watch after work. it was a little boring at first, but then it got good once somebody said his name three times and he shows up. it wouldn't be much of a movie if no one did, so i think most attendees expected this to happen. i like danny devito, from various movies and the jersey mike's ads, and this actor had a small role in it as a janitor. when the movie ended i heard a man talk with his kid about the possibility of a third movie in this franchise. i agreed with the man, who said there would be another one as this one is doing well. it was projected to place second in ticket sales this weekend, and it was number one its first three weeks. my guess is it will take a lot less time to do the third than the 36-year gap between the first and second. after the movie i went to the nearby 'little target' and got some cheese and bread. i think this was due to wanting popcorn at the movie but it was more than what i wanted to pay. the cheese and bread was cheaper, and i used quarters to pay for those two items. then i printed a reservation recently made at a copy store. around midday i went to the czech and slovak festival in st. paul, and had lunch there. also attended this event last year. there wasn't much of a line for beer, i got a pilsner urquell. but there was a long line for food, getting a sausage in a bun. the baked goods were inside the building, and i got an apricot pastry. i had two tickets left, and when i was leaving i got a can of orange fanta, which had jenna ortega on it, promoting the movie i was about to see. in the evening i watched some football, parts of two games. along with doing the dishes. and after seeing the caitlin clark segment on '60 minutes', i took a long walk around the neighborhood, where i found 89 cents. 

matt walsh documentary

 this afternoon i went to see the matt walsh documentary, called 'am i racist?' this was in inver grove heights. when i said to the ticket seller i wanted to see the documentary, i found out there was two, the other being about mr. trump. i did see a trailer before attending this screening so i would be aware of what i was in for. simply put, this movie attempted to show DEI at its worst, where people are just trying to be profiteers. at times while watching i was getting annoyed with how mr. walsh was trying too hard to make a point, for lack of a better term, with hyperbole. i did like the statements made by interviewees in a biker bar, along with a shop owner that was an immigrant, both of these in the south. it led to the best point being made my walsh, how the claim of racism is kept alive by those who sell the idea of it as a disease that has no cure in order to profit from it. this was also evident with those interviewed and how high the fee was for the interview. it does remind me of being at an ACLU event many years ago, and i spoke with a man who claimed racism was still prevalent in america, and i pointed out how obama was president, and the man said that wasn't enough. same man claimed to commit relentless honking at the office of a republican politician, and claiming to get away with it, although i don't see how as this would be disturbing the peace. and this is kin to another documentary i saw a few years back, 'no safe spaces', where there is too much labeling and name calling in politics, liberals trying to outlaw the opposition. in both cases, it was sadly all too familiar, either from being at the comedy clubs or at college in iowa city. i am still thankful i saw it, although i would have liked seeing more about DEI programs in corporate america, as that would be familiar to many. i was pleased with the other things i got done before the movie. i went to the post office, picked up two amazon orders. went to target to get undies as well as two more boxes of halloween cereal, now up to eleven. then baseball socks at jc penney, then snacks at a place called grab and go, same mall as jc penney, in roseville. got a bart simpson keychain that will be a christmas tree ornament, and the snack items were some lay's chips and a bottle of starbucks milk. both snack items had asian characters on them, not sure what nation they were from although an item i didn't buy there said it was korean barbecue. i know i paid more for these snack items because they were imported. then it was on to jersey mike's for a sandwich, and then the movie. didn't do much after the movie, there was getting groceries at aldi, the evening meal, and baseball on fox. orioles beat the twins, 9-2. during my walks i found 38 cents. 

free rocking chair

 i got another picture of something i saw while out for a walk. i was on my way to my car and saw a rocking chair next to a dumpster that said, 'free'. except the seat part was broken. no wonder why it was free. it has been said before that we learn a lot about a society by what they throw out. at work i returned from lunch and was asked by a business line based in sr. louis not to send out checks i had already printed. i was sent another file later in the day, got it in time to send it out same-day, helped that it was a small file. the main difference appeared to be check numbers, it was the same number of checks and amounts as well. but i don't question what a business line sends us, i just send it out. also saw in the second i-pay file how there was a 'return to business line' check, i think it was the same one from an email thread earlier in the day. i said i am unable to overnight to a PO BOX but i did speak of 'return to business line', sending to another bank office, that is, as something i've done before. i sent out payroll stubs, first time in something like a year. in the evening i went to get groceries at the hy-vee in eagan, and got two more seasonal boxes of cereal, so now up to nine. this included the one known as 'kelce mix', with the kelces, the two brothers that play pro football, on the box. i will start on these boxes soon but there is one ahead of it. and there are a few more i want to acquire. i wrote down the ones already bought on a page i printed, after getting a good idea of what is out there. later on i went on a walk and found 2 dollars 44 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny went on a date and leonard hit his head while under the table. it was followed by the one where howard's mom died. 

animal quest figurine

 i make it to the walgreen near my workplace once a week. sometimes i get more than just ice cream and a drink. this time i also got an animal quest figurine, as there was a buffalo or bison. it reminds me of emerson hough, an inspiration to me as a writer, who helped protect the buffalo at yellowstone park. i have been inside the school that is named for him and there is some framed art related to buffalo there. when i got back from lunch, and from walgreen, there was an i.m. from the payroll boss about the paystubs. i had notified around midday how the envelopes had arrived. these were in boxes that were closed with zip ties. then late in the day the file arrived, and i said i would print it the next morning. i had done these dial-in meetings with my boss before, not a big deal. also notable about the day was how both of the envelope orders arrived before the mail tubs did. branch manager rang the doorbell, and those two boxes were brought in by the courier. the boss was not in the office, not too surprised when he likes working from home and had shared with us being ill the previous day. vacation replacement emailed the team and spoke of leaving early, after telling me of how his head hurt. i had the can of hamm's with the evening meal so now four beers are waiting. later on i went on a walk and found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when the ladies found embarrassing things about each other. for amy it was fiction inspired by her and sheldon, as well as 'little house on the prairie'. 

small foosball table

 i see all kinds of things when out for a walk. this morning next to a dumpster i saw a small foosball table, so i got a picture of it. i like doing this as this is a way of taking things home without actually having to do so. at work some of the check files were late, specifically the two largest ones, the fargo files. i still got them done by the end of the day but i was essentially idle for a while. it is beyond my control, though. i am told there will be envelope shipments soon, after stating the box of canadian check stock arrived i had to ask about other outstanding orders. vacation replacement was out ill, and the boss spoke of having stomach flu. found out both by email. in the evening i went to the liquor store near me and got two cans of beer, a 56 and a bells, so now five cans are waiting. during my walks i found 77 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon was trying to drive himself crazy to make himself more productive in his science work, and amy threw him out because he wouldn't take off his stinky cap. 

question from facilities

 first day back at work after a day off. in the morning i heard a facilities employee get into the check shop with a key. i was asked why i was still there and said even though most of my colleagues have moved to a downtown facility, my workspace still isn't ready yet. still doesn't bother me any. vacation replacement was working from home, and said i should wipe down the counter. i said i do wipe it down but not every day. thankfully, not much was left over, just two checks. one of them i was told to send regular mail, still waiting to hear about the other one. the boss emailed and spoke of having stomach flu. i spoke about my travels with the mail dude, who also spoke of having friends from university and said some of them are now in the legislature, or parliament, in his homeland of somalia. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 21 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were the second half of the final episode. it was followed by the one where sheldon and leonard hold purses while their ladies go shopping. raj and howard go to a hindu temple. 

readers companion, american history

 i began the day in ankeny, iowa, at my hotel, the super 8. as usual, i liked how there wasn't much on the docket for my last day in town. have breakfast, check out of the hotel, and get on the road. i had another make your own waffle, as well as pb and j on toast. the drive on i-35 back to the twin cities was largely uneventful, making a stop at the casey's in clear lake. then again in eagan at the hy-vee, although my order there was small. but i got more cereal ideas, after buying two more boxes. i am up to seven halloween cereals, soon i will have to start eating some of them. then there was returning the rental vehicle, about an hour after getting home. i picked up a slice of pizza and a slurpee at a speedway when i went to fill up the tank. close to my home i saw a box of books and claimed one of them. it is called 'readers companion to american history'. as a history major it looked like one i should have. it is a thick book, and not the only one i claimed from this extended weekend. when i was in chariton i claimed one from a little free library, called 'shoeless joe and me'. the author has done other books in this series, one became a movie and another a play. of course, i still needed to get caught up on some things like chores, i did the dishes in the evening and went to get groceries at aldi after watching 'jeopardy'. nat hawthorne was the final jeopardy answer. i went to perform in the evening and did not only some bank stories, but also about my time in iowa. during my walks i found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were the first half of the final episode, where sheldon and amy learn they've won the nobel. it was followed by the one where levar burton guest stars on 'fun with flags', while sheldon decides to end the show and then re-start it. 

aunt's birthday party

 in the afternoon i made it to chariton, iowa, for my aunt's birthday party. in the morning i enjoyed the continental breakfast, make your own waffle. then i took a walk around the area, and i found 1 cent. when i made it back to my hotel i watched two movies. one was 'i, tonya' about the figure skating scandal, then i saw the original 'rocky'. the former was on HBO, the latter began a marathon of movies in that franchise on BBC america. 'rocky' still works for me, i like the passion in it. at midday i had lunch at the nearby arby's. when i made it to town i said the sign on the front door was locked. then i was advised to try the back. i got a twins baseball jersey from my stepfather, doesn't fit him but it fits me. and some pictures. one was of my grandparents; another was me at age five with my siblings and i am wearing a snoopy shirt. i spoke with many people there besides my aunt, also mom, another aunt, and my dad. when i was done i did the drive north, on highway 14 to newton, where i had a dairy queen blizzard. also got pictures of emerson hough school, and the house i grew up in. then it was on to des moines to see my college roommate and give him a vikings flag i had found at work when we were cleaning out storage rooms. we spoke about various subjects and watched the sunday night football game, chiefs beat the falcons. then i went back to my hotel and wrote about the day while having a beer. 

semi truck caught fire

 this morning i walked over to a nearby gas station to get some milk for the cereal i have for breakfast. there is the typical chores and errand running to do later on, including going to the post office. the skies are saying it is getting ready to rain so i will allow for it when i venture out again. after errands were done i picked up a rental car and started my drive to iowa for the weekend. on the way there on i-35 i saw a semi-truck that had caught fire. i listened to some of the iowa vs. minnesota football game on the radio. iowa was ip 7-0 when i got to the hotel, and iowa trailed 14-7 at the half. but iowa went on to win 31-14. i didn't do much after the game ended, watched the news and not much after this i fell asleep. during my walks i found 25 cents, before i hit the road. 

seven days in may movie

in the evening i made it back to the trylon cinema in minneapolis for the movie 'seven days in may'. usually my visits aren't this close, less than a week apart. but i looked at my schedule and said i had to go to an early screening this time. i had seen other movies starring burt lancaster and kirk douglas, including 'gunfight at the OK corral' and 'tough guys'. this helped with wanting to see this one. this was a thriller about trying to stop a military coup related to a nuclear treaty. one actor in a small role appeared to be john houseman, but when searching online it said he was 'uncredited'. one of many. i am aware of how it was based on a book and i had to search for mention of a general walker that was mentioned in the movie. there was such a person, and this was one of the inspirations of the book, 'false prophets'. i made it just minutes before the movie began, picked up my ticket and got a can of 7-up and some popcorn. then after the movie i made it to a walgreen and got a smoothie and a lunchable. it was a long day at work, as usual staying until the overnights were caught up. vacation replacement was in to see that all things were running well. at midday we went over to the mcdonald's to pick up his order from an app, i went along as he needed some help to carry things. there were four drinks, i got one of the two coffees, pumpkin spice. there were breaks on walk back to the office, mention of his knees. when we were at a bench about halfway it reminded me of a poem i read in school about 'old friends, old friends, sat on the bench like bookends'. when searching online what i found was a song by simon and garfunkel. then in front of the office, i was told to go inside with the drinks while he needed another break. i got some of the fries and the apple slices from the happy meal as well, i was thankful for those. there was a dial-in meeting in the afternoon with i.t. people, related to me reporting an error page from the check printer when it stopped printing in the morning. then i just decided to resume printing but had to request re-print of some checks. i didn't do much after the movie, i drove home from the walgreen and watched the news and that was about it. during my walks i found 1 dollar 25 cents. 

envelopes runneth over

 around midday the branch manager rang the doorbell and it was to direct the courier to the check shop. there was an envelope order to be delivered. nothing unusual there, except it was more than expected. i ordered 26 boxes this month and already received 15, so i figured there would be just 11 but it was 26 that arrived this time. truly a case of the envelopes have runneth over. guess it means i will be ordering less of these fargo envelopes next month, as i only order what i need. i was informed that no other boxes arrived, and this means there still are some outstanding orders. this was after the boss had left for the day, i am getting used to seeing the boss for one day a week but then just for half of that day. there was a question that was duplicated from a business line, and i said i have 'returned to business line' before. i just need to know which checks. in the evening i watched the 'young sheldon' rerun, george's funeral. then it was over to baseball on fox, caught the ending of the diamondbacks-brewers game, d-backs won 5-1. i drank the can of schell's with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. later on i went on a walk and found 65 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy got proof that one of the fermi scientists was a plagiarist. it was followed by the one where the friends had a prom, and it had just as much drama as a real prom. 

but did you document it?

 i was sending two overnight envelopes to the branch manager's office and noticed a wall hanging there. it said 'but did you document it?' and i liked it as i know how important this is. two other notable things at work were things i finished. there was eight written procedures to review and this was the final day to submit it- according to what the team lead said, who had assigned them. two of them did not look familiar at all, so i had no revisions or updates to pass on for them. for others it was saying that we haven't done this since covid, or i haven't worked with that employee. i did add mention of our tax specialist to one of them, relevant as that is the main reason for having the courier lockbox. then there was submitting another round of five test checks to oregon. there was a member (or friend) event at the loft literary center in minneapolis after work. i was running late so i did not get there in time for the hour of chatting, with food and drink. i arrived shortly after the main program began where the open-mic happened. there was one story about a kiss from an orangutan. i didn't stay long after the event ended, wanting to get to the nearby bobby and steve's to get a burger and some juice. later on i went on a walk and found 25 cents. 

hot potato check

 in the afternoon the customer service boss emailed me and said there was a 'hot potato check'. found out it was a 'garden variety' overnight request. it was marked as such so i liked how this made it easier to find. it was in the second i-pay, near the end of the day, and i sent the tracking number once the label was created. all in a day's work, is what i would have to say about it. i liked how the mortgage file had a manageable number of overnights in it due to more than half being 'return to business line'. there was seventeen checks but just eight labels to create. i got started on looking at the written procedures, prompted by my vacation replacement asking questions about it by i.m. there are eight sections for me to cover, i have read through six and made notes about them. some of what is in there is outdated, especially when employees who no longer work for the bank are listed. in the evening i went on a walk and found 15 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy did the sensory deprivation tank, sheldon loved it and amy hated it. this was followed by the one where sheldon and raj try to do a mining simulation and last just eleven minutes below ground. 

elephant keychain

 many years ago, my 'ohio friend' gave me a plush elephant keychain, found at FAO schwarz. for some reason i looked inside the bag it was in tonight and decided to move it to a place i would see it more often, making it a christmas tree ornament. i once kept it at the office, at a former job. i value most things given by friends because i like the reminder of who gave it. i must have been thinking of recent online orders placed, and a few more of interest to me. i have some plush met life snoopys in that same bag and just ordered another one. it was nice that the overnight package volume was low, although the number of checks for our tax specialist stayed high. branch manager at lunch spoke with a colleague how a bank employee from another office asked to use a conference room in our facility, and of course we have plenty to use. especially after most of the employees assigned to this building were moved to another one. as i recall, there are eleven conference rooms. in the evening i went to perform, and went on after the wild guitar player, who did 'house of the rising sun' and hallelujah'. i did some bank stories, as well as covering how there was plenty to do on sunday. later on, i went on a walk and found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the scientists from the fermi lab went on the 'ellen' show. it was followed by the one where the dudes try to work, then end up watching 'ghostbusters'. the ladies go to las vegas, where penny studies while amy and bernadette get drunk. 

seconds movie

 there were three events for me for the day, and the third was a classic movie at the trylon cinema in south minneapolis, it was 'seconds'. this was a sci-fi and thriller movie from 1966. i wanted to see it due to who stars in it, as i had heard of john randolph, and rock hudson. although i was more familiar with the former, who had played dads on the tv show 'family ties' and then the movie 'christmas vacation'. the latter, i mainly knew him for being name-checked in a song from the movie 'grease'. shortly after the movie ended, i said it was a weird one. it was about a man who decides to assume a new identity, except he doesn't adapt to it all that well. i liked how the opening scene was from grand central station in new york city, a place i have been to before. and it was cool to see an early ford mustang car in it, which would have been new when the movie was filmed. i already plan on getting back to this cinema soon, in a week. the first event of the day was massage therapy, in edina. it was moved back a day, was called and was told how the therapist was unavailable so i had to reschedule. i had done massage therapy before, but not much in recent years as i have cut spending across the board. hard to say if i will return to this place as there was too much of a sales pitch on this first visit. i am not signing up for a membership. event two was my first booya- vegetable beef soup- of the season, at a park in st. paul. the vikings football game was on when i arrived, and they went on to win over the 49ers. i bought one cup of booya, and a man i didn't know gave me another one although i noticed it must have been sitting out for a little while as it was lukewarm. i still finished both though. then i went home for a short time, and when i went out again it was to the cinema. in the evening after i ate i took a long walk around the neighborhood. during my walk i found 53 cents. i also bought a can of schell's at the liquor store near me, so now there are four beers waiting. when i was doing dishes later on i noticed one of the corelle bowls was cracked, so i replaced it with the plastic cardinals nacho bowl i picked up in st. louis this season. the bowl looks a lot like the st. paul saints bowl i have been using for over a year. 

edward hopper art

 in the evening i was looking at the writers almanac entries from garrison keillor, and saw mention of edward hopper, the artist. i liked what i read and decided to search his work online. i had seen 'nighthawks' many times before but was unfamiliar with his other artworks. as i recall that one was in 'ferris bueller' as the friends go to the chicago art institute, where it is kept. recently i went to the walker art center in minneapolis for the keith haring exhibit, and a hopper painting is there as well, called 'office at night'. when i was looking online i said that one looked familiar. it led to me ordering a book about his artwork from amazon, free to me since i had some gift cards to use. as a stage performer i was impressed with how one of his paintings is called 'two comedians', guess that was his final painting. i do have a postcard of 'nighthawks' and i am aware of how it has been parodied often. there wasn't a lot to do for the day. i went to the post office in the morning, two orders picked up. had to go to the window as a card not for me came back, even after i wrote 'return to sender' on it. then it was on to the copy store, an event ticket and some reservations were printed. then it was midday and time to have a sandwich at jersey mike's. i turned on the TV to some college football but didn't watch much of it, notre dame thumped purdue, i laid down pretty early and fell asleep. in the early evening i went to get groceries at aldi. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 65 cents. 

nerf turbo jr. football

 when i was taking a walk late in the evening, i saw a foam football. it was a nerf turbo junior ball and was blue and green. i scooped it up and during my walk i tossed it onto a playground, hopefully a kid will find it and enjoy having it. at work i liked being able to eliminate the backlog on running checks through the machine. it helped that the volume stayed low, and i sent out just two mail tubs for the day. there was a spike in overnight requests from the i-pay file. thankful i saw one was going to a p.o. box so that one still went regular mail. in the evening i went to hy-vee in eagan for groceries and picked up two more boxes of halloween cereal. now i am up to five, and there are twelve of interest to me. there was a 13-hour sale, in reference to friday the 13th. during my walks i found 2 dollars 92 cents. with all of the quarters i have there is more than enough to get some popcorn on my next visit to the cinema, which is this weekend. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends did experiments on the two kids that howard and bernadette have. it was followed by the one where penny meets red-haired emily and the two ladies said at the end 'i hate her'. 

stray pallet jack

 when i was out for a walk i noticed a pallet jack, nothing on it, just looking like a stray. i got a picture of it. i have used these before at work and there has to be a good story as to how it ended up there. i see all kinds of things while out walking but wasn't expecting this at all. mostly i see trash, and maybe a grocery store cart. at work my boss was in the office, but left after about a half day, due to gout acting up. it was explained shortly after noticing his walking with a limp. i said my college roommate has had it and said it was painful, wanted to cut his toe off but didn't. i had seen these emails before about working from home due to gout, first time i had witnessed it. there was a dial-in meeting mid-morning with mail services, some questions were answered then and with an email later on. but not all. a contact was given about a lockbox for tax checks at the next facility. the other question was about where to send the mail tubs at the end of the day. already had a question answered earlier about where the UPS box is. as for running checks through the machine, i reduced the backlog a little more. i had hoped to eliminate it but there were other things competing for my attention such as dealing with test checks, sending them to canada, something my boss wanted done. and there was plenty of overnight labels to do. i noticed the toner cartridge needs replacement and i put up a note at the end of the day to swap it out the next day. i had some labels printed by the check printer because there was a streak in the middle where it was faded. i drank the can of bud ice with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. during my walks i found 77 cents. 

employee discounts

 i had just heard from a colleague from a former job through linkedin and was asked if there were any employee discounts with the bank i work for. i said i was not aware of any, aside from when i saw a twins baseball game from the bank's suite. i let my vacation replacement know about it and was told there is a site where i can register to see employee discounts. didn't take that long, had to look up my employee number on a paystub to complete it. there are some of interest, but in some ways, it reminded me of groupon. used it once in april for a circus ticket and haven't used it since. i saw movie tickets there, i do go to movies on occasion. a car rental agency was also listed. some restaurants as well, but i stopped scrolling after it looked like jersey mike's wasn't listed. those were listed in 'alpha order'. hard to say how much i will use it. also notable from the day was how it took a while to see the two fargo files, so i was largely idle for a while. i did finally see them in the afternoon, after i returned from lunch and said i usually have heard something by then. thankfully it was a fairly low volume, and i had enough time to send out all of the smaller file. all told i sent out just over half of the checks from those two files, the largest of the day, same-day. the backlog at the end of the day was cut in half from the previous day. before lunch i went to a dairy queen and had a french silk pie blizzard. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 38 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when bernadette was part of a simulated space walk 'to prove a stupid point'. it was followed by the one where sheldon tries to be an instructor but only howard signs up for his class. i ordered a ticket for a play that will be opening soon, i will be seeing it a month from now. 

waiting for parts

 i saw an email forwarded to me near the end of the workday and it said my move to a downtown office has been delayed, again. transition team said we are waiting for HVAC parts that are not due to arrive until october, so i am told i may not be moving there until december. not a big deal for me to be at my current location a little longer. two other notable things about the day. one was a call from a hotel in canada, and i let them know if changes need to be made to a check to contact customer service. good chance i was contacted because i overnighted it to them. then there was an email in the shared box that my vacation replacement handled. something about a stop payment or a void request on a check. response was that the business line has to do it themselves, even if their boss is out of the office at this time. it got a laugh out of me when my colleague compared it to something ridiculous. i watched the presidential debate tonight on ABC, held in philadelphia, although it was like too many other debates that i have seen. not much of substance was covered, there was plenty of arguing, and the fact checkers were having a field day. later on i went on a walk and found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon went to the 'zone zone'. it was followed by the one where sheldon ends up in arizona after his sabbatical of riding the rails. 

a drink with friends

 when i was heading out to go perform this evening i saw a neighbor, who asked how i was. i don't know my neighbors that well, i said i felt better after falling asleep and said i was going to have a drink with friends. this was true, and it sounded better than performing, for those who might not understand 'the need to perform'. i said the same thing to another neighbor before, except that was one where i was inside his place helping him move some things. when i made it to the venue i noticed the fancy comic was there, who did a story about biking. there was a new bartender there, same name as a regular one. i did a bank story, also about getting a bobble-head and going to some food events. at work i was asked to print some test checks and put them in a ruler and send them through the inserter machine. then after hearing they looked fine i was asked to send them to the testing place off-site. i haven't done this in over a year and near the end of the day i sent an email to both places, to see that i had everything i would need for it. correct, two places, as some are canadian checks. when i entered a vacation day request for later this month i let my vacation replacement know, who encouraged me to take some more days off and pursue a hobby. i said i still need a good reason to take time off, but being out of town is one of them. later on i went on a walk and found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy met the scientists from fermi lab who proved their paper. it was followed by a season finale, where the comic book store caught fire and sheldon decided to ride the rails. liked this one as we see penny kiss sheldon on the cheek and wipe it off. 

reagan movie

 in the afternoon i went to see the movie 'reagan'. when i got back from the movie i looked at the ticket more closely and noticed it was kind of weird to have seen 'reagan' in eagan, almost the same name. i was familiar with much of the story of this man once becoming president, as it was in my lifetime. it makes me feel old to see a biopic about somebody who was famous in my lifetime. i was less familiar with his life before becoming president, or even governor. although i have bought postcards on e-bay from his time as an actor, a cigarette ad (i had first seen it in a history book) and another while wearing an apron that was an ad for Pabst blue-ribbon beer. both of these are briefly shown in the movie, along with hosting a show sponsored by General Electric, my former employer. i am used to seeing the disclaimer at the end, how 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. i liked seeing the genesis song, 'land of confusion', in it. i saw a family connection on one song being included, as 'wild thing' was in it, written by chip taylor, and his brother, jon voight, was in the movie as the storyteller. a good crowd for this screening, sometimes i go to movies and the crowd is really small. after the movie i got some groceries at the hy-vee, delayed two days due to performing, then went home. after having the evening meal, a pot pie, i took a long walk around the neighborhood and found 88 cents. at midday i went to st. stan's church in st. paul and had a turkey dinner. also bought a history book from the garage sale.