comp tickets, short notice

 this week i was sent comp tickets to an event at the u. of Minnesota, a piper performance. except it was on short notice, sent the morning of the event, so i didn't attend as i didn't see them in time. then a day later, i got a survey about the event i didn't attend. when i first saw the tickets, i tried replying saying i preferred hearing about it a week in advance as it would be easier to plan. there is a number to call on the survey's email, so i guess i have another option on seeing that my message gets through to the right people. what i had said was that it must have been when i won a drawing at the screening of a Buster Keaton movie in February. i was able to meet the organist and see the organ close-up and was happy with that. i didn't do all that much in the evening after getting home from work. i did the after-work routine, then much like the previous day i tried to listen to the St. Paul Saints baseball game on the radio, but this time i fell asleep. the opponent this week is Buffalo. i drank the can of two-hearted IPA with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. there are two fish heads on the can. at work there was a high volume again with one of the Fargo files so a little over a thousand checks are left over and will be run through the next morning. there was a little over twenty overnights for the day, and i liked getting all of them in the box just before the pick-up time. there was no second i-pay, which aided in fewer overnight labels to create. i also got a look at the movies on fandango and i could make it a three-movie weekend, which is not typical for me. but i am also a big believer in 'get while the getting is good' and i don't know if one of them will be at a nearby theater if i wait another week to see it. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon tried to teach a class and only Howard signed up. Amy liked being popular as there was a feud between Bernadette and Penny as one helped the other get a job in pharmaceutical sales. it was followed by the one where Sheldon teaches physics to Penny as she wants to understand the work that Leonard does. 

hot dog at brewery

 this evening i went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery, bear-cave in Hopkins. it was my third event at this venue, first event in this group that i had just joined. most people seemed to be ordering pizza there, i ordered a hot dog as i prefer single servings. i did see one other attendee order a hot dog as well, near the end of my time at the event. i was there for a little over an hour and spoke with both of the event coordinators. upon arrival i first spoke with a man that recognized me from another group, i said i had left that group as i wasn't enjoying their events enough. i still like this venue as one can pour your own beer after getting a card from the front desk. we were outside on the patio, first time there. on my previous visits we were on the upper level, but a small poster i found said a harry potter movie was being shown there. since there was no cheese available for the hot dog i still wanted cheese and found some string cheese at a holiday gas station as i was on my way home. i also got an ice cream sandwich and a small can of pineapple juice. i drank some of the juice and the rest was dumped into the snoopy tumbler with a lid that i have when i got home. at work there was just over thirty overnights to do. i tried to get all of them into the box at the same time but it looks like i had just missed the pick-up time so i guess they will be delayed on going out. the check stock order arrived in the morning, during the time when vacation replacement was in the shop. 

nacho cheese dip

 just before midday i went to the convenience store on the main floor and got some nacho cheese dip as well as a bottle of tea. the cheese dip was enough to finish off the chipotle chips from the previous day. at the outset there was just one meeting scheduled for the day, a team huddle in the morning. not long after it a supply order arrived, most of the envelopes. purchase order was sent and i guess the check stock will be arriving soon enough. in the afternoon my boss said there would be another one, from a business line in st. louis. not the best time of day for me, so i decided to move up sending some of the checks through the inserter machine, nearly five hundred. when i asked my question about special handling i found out the volume likely won't be changing, and apparently the main change is splitting the file into three. a little over a thousand checks were left over from the Fargo file and will be run through the next morning. 'Night Court' had its season finale, with 'Howard' from 'big bang' as the main character's husband. it said, 'to be continued'. guess there was two episodes according to Wikipedia, missed the first one as i was watching the news on another channel. after 'night court' i switched to the twins-orioles game. twins were way ahead and i laid down and fell asleep. during my walks i found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon gets on a train, a season finale, while the comic bookstore is destroyed by fire. it was followed by the one where penny is injured in the shower and Sheldon drives her to the hospital. 

chipotle chips and guac

 in the afternoon i went to the skyway level and claimed a bag of chipotle chips and some guacamole as it was part of the building's Cinco de Mayo celebration. it was one of those events where one must register for it, and i did so shortly after it was announced last week. i went back to the shop shortly after the bag was picked up as i still had plenty to do, especially more overnight labels to create. there was an all-company dial-in meeting in the morning, the new CEO moderated it. some of the questions submitted sound familiar from being in the corporate world for a while. one of them was about layoffs, well i am familiar with how most people care a lot about job security. mention of risk management was a good one as there were warnings given about companies who didn't do this. vacation replacement was in the shop for the day, and three checks that i scanned to a shared box last week were claimed. i had time for the dial-in meeting as the Fargo check files were late, those arrived at midday. those were a low enough volume that i still had the time to complete them by my lunchtime. it was nice getting caught up on things when i got home, it helped that i delayed checking email for a little while. the remaining laundry that was hung up to dry was put away, and i did the dishes and recycle as well. during my walks i found 4 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny and leonard get engaged after penny gets fired from a movie. it was when penny called leonard a 'stupid pop tart'. it was followed by the one where leonard and penny had a fight about a houseguest and sheldon gets a comic book and a robot. 

bonjour tristesse movie

 just before midday i went to see the movie 'bonjour tristesse' at the mall in Eden Prairie. this was based on a French novel, meaning 'hello sadness'. there is another film adaptation from 1958, apparently. this movie was actually mostly in English. a little of it was in French with subtitles but not a lot. one drawing card for me was having Chloe Sevigny in it, who was in 'last days of disco', a movie i saw in suburban Chicago shortly after moving there from Iowa. it is about a family spending the summer at a seaside home, far from Paris. Chloe plays one of the love interests of the main character's dad. the main character is Cecile, who is in love with Cyril. it wasn't the best movie i had seen, but not the worst either. i liked how i got the logistics figured out for the day. i woke up kind of early, for the weekend anyway. this helped with getting started early enough on the laundry that i had it done a little under an hour before the movie began. having advance tickets bought me some time as well. i just needed to enter the confirmation number at the kiosk and it printed. first time using the gift card given by Yemen native a few months ago, easier to use when ordering advance tickets online. after the movie i had some pizza and a Caesar salad at the nearby food court. when i was leaving the mall i heard a song i liked, so i stayed until it was done. it was concrete blonde's 'joey'. guess it met my standard for what i like in a song, as i often say how i like the passion in a song. i wasn't home for long after the movie, wanting to get to a bar to see a basketball game. the Indiana fever was playing the Brazil national team, in Iowa city, on ESPN. i arrived midway through the first quarter. the fever was way ahead at the half, and went on to win, 108-44. this was never much of a contest. i had two bottles of grain belt beer there and some cheese curds with marinara. when i left the bar i got a Lunch-able and a Bismarck donut at the nearby speedway gas station. after the game i went to perform at an open mic and did some bank stories as usual, along with a story about dad and funny words to him. i was tired when i got home again, i laid down and doing dishes will have to be moved back a day. during my walks i found 52 cents. 

secret mall apartment movie

 in the evening i went to see a movie, 'secret mall apartment', at St. Anthony main in Minneapolis. it had been on my radar for a few weeks, after spotting it on fandango. all a matter of if screenings would make it to the twin cities. i knew in advance how it ends, they get found out after living at the mall for four years. but i was still intrigued about it enough to go see it. this takes place in Providence, Rhode Island. i liked how it was about more than just the mall, though. there was plenty about the artist living there, too. guess he had done masking tape art at a children's hospital, at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial, and on New York streets related to 9/11. there was a decent crowd at this screening, i like seeing this. all too often, the crowds are small at the movies i attend. i ate before getting there, having a sandwich at the Bobby and Steve's as there were no little godfather's pizzas when i got there. i didn't do much after the movie, but it was no doubt an active day before it. there was going to the post office, two orders picked up. then i went to the French alliance and bought an anniversary shirt. there was no one staffing the boutique, just saw two kids playing with toys. i went to the front desk and that is who helped me ring it up. it replaced the France shirt I've had for decades, showing the tricolor flag, the words 'La Marseillaise' meaning the national anthem, and 'Marianne', who personifies France as a republic. then i went to Eagan and printed event tickets, four in all. two were baseball games, two were live theater or plays. then i had lunch at the nearby chick-fil-a, down the road a little. next stop was downtown St. Paul and a college baseball game at the Saints stadium. i arrived shortly after the game began, Hamline playing Augsburg. Hamline won, 10-2, in game one of a double-header. i left after the first game ended. i was tired so i decided that doing laundry can be moved back a day. i went to get groceries at Aldi before heading out to the movie. during my walks i found 1 dollar 85 cents. 

johnny horizon

 i had to look up johnny horizon after seeing a 'charlie brown and snoopy' cartoon in an online article that mentioned this character. i found an article from the american historical association, an organization that i happen to be a member of, and it spoke of an 'environmental test kit' made by parker brothers, the famous board-game makers. and mention was made of burl ives, who was in the christmas special 'rudolph' being a spokesman on an ad campaign. but what caught my eye, without a doubt, was one of the links in the article being about snoopy being signed on as well. the 'collect peanuts' site was the link, and i saw promotional materials and giveaways such as a 'pounce on pollution' bookmark and an 'environmental honor roll' poster. another article did say that fictional character johnny horizon, a mascot for the government's 'bureau of land management', looked a lot like the marlboro man. i hadn't heard of this kind of public service announcement before. the wikipedia article said the copyright protection was not renewed in 1982, so this explains why it faded into obscurity. i am familiar with smokey bear, as well as woodsy owl, though. in fact, i recently picked up a smokey bear postcard when i was at the science center to see a movie. the article was from 2023, and it was under the 'everything has a history' section in 'perspectives'. at work i was asked to find more foreign ACH-PDF statements, but from more than a week earlier. i went by the payees listed in the thread and i found some that i scanned. i was also told that techs would be arriving in the afternoon to work on the HVAC equipment, except no one did and i reported this back on the thread. the two check files handled in poland did not send anything, so fewer overnights to do. there were just fifteen overnights, until the second i-pay which had eleven more in it. in the morning, it was odd that someone rang the doorbell to the shop and asked about picking up a package. i got out into the hall and pointed out where the mailroom is. for the second straight day, i had a slice of pizza from the refrigerator in the breakroom. i had it a little earlier than my typical lunchtime as i knew i would have less competition for it then. in the evening i went to get groceries at the hy-vee in eagan, and i picked up three boxes of cereal. one of them had caitlin clark on the box, a hy-vee exclusive. i started off the visit by going to the nearby liquor store and got another can of bell IPA, so there are four beers waiting. when i got home from grocery shopping i watched the end of a UFL game. the st. louis battlehawks were leading, 9-0, in the third quarter and went on to beat arlington, 12-6. during my walks i found 1 dollar 68 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends celebrated May 4, 'Star Wars Day', it was also when bob newhart was a guest star as professor proton had just passed. it was followed by the one where the friends fly kites, and leonard tries to watch football with penny's friends but decides to go back to kite flying at halftime. 

flyer for rapper found

 when i was taking the light rail home after work i saw flyers left on the seats, and i claimed one. it was about a local rapper. QR codes are given for his site on YouTube. i do like finding music on that platform, but this seems to be an odd way to advertise the music. at work the boss dropped in to the shop and asked about the ACH-PDF statements going to foreign lands. i said we don't have that many, and i was asked to find some. all were in the foreign mail pile by then, and the boss decided to send a copy by fax to who was handling trying to move them to the top. it is not a big deal to me to flip through once in sealed envelopes as it doesn't take long to find all of them. another notable thing about the day was the file carried over from the previous day was the only one from that business line, and a smaller one than typical as well. i got those overnights out of the way in the morning before more checks were ready to print. there were some delays, but i did make it to the monthly popcorn social at the skyway level. this time i saw someone i knew, it was a senior leader. it led to me sending an i.m. to the branch manager at the building i was assigned to until December. i said this is a standout for me in terms of how things are different now that i am assigned to a downtown office. i was also spotted by someone who recognized me from performing, it was the first time i had spoken about stand-up at work and i preferred that. i have been there just under five years and i know it works well to keep those two things separate. i drank the can of Budweiser with the evening meal so now there are three beers waiting. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny and Sheldon see a psychic. it was followed by the one where we meet Bernadette, who was fixed up with Howard. 

muppet special magazine

 recently i bought a Muppet special magazine, and i have enjoyed reading it. when the movie and TV franchise known as 'Muppets' has been extensive, i sometimes still think of it as separate from sesame street. but i do recall sesame street characters such as Oscar the grouch appearing in Muppet movies, such as 'Muppet caper'. or big bird in the first 'Muppet movie'. i don't think i have much of the merchandise mentioned in it, but i liked mention of all of the guest stars over the years. one of these was Lady Gaga. and there is an 'a to z' of the characters. when i bought it i saw how there weren't many copies left, so as the saying goes, 'get while the getting is good'. i had seen it for sale in more than one store, at Hy-Vee as well as Walgreen, for a few weeks by the time i decided to buy it. as we all know, i have plenty of these special magazines. these are often made to profile various famous people, or something historic. when i am a history major, the historic ones are no doubt good reads. i got caught up on work again, sort of. more than a thousand checks were run through in the morning, then late in the day a small file with plenty of overnights got approved. it was late enough that i knew there was not enough time to complete it same day so i decided to let it be carry-over to the next morning. i still sent nearly forty overnight envelopes to the UPS box at the end of the day, including one pulled from the Oshkosh file. during my walks i found 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon drunk dials Steve Hawking, and Howard is revealed as 'clog-zilla'. it was followed by the one where raj works with and for Sheldon and a rare song is played in these scenes, 'eye of the tiger', part of it anyway. 

allergy issues

 no, not me. my boss was in the shop and left just before i went to lunch, complaining of allergy issues and would be working from home for the rest of the day. i did hear from one of those on the thread when i reported what work was done in the shop the previous day. i got a 'thank you' and i would hear more soon. i was asked to help with swapping tables in the office that my boss uses in the shop. near the end of the day i saw the UPS courier as i was waiting for the elevator. the courier accepted the seven remaining envelopes so i didn't have to get those into the box on the main floor. the others were put in the box about twenty minutes earlier. as usual, it was a high-volume day for the two Fargo check files. i sent out as many as i could same-day, but the larger file had some left over, more than a thousand. i will run those through the machine the next morning. when the boss was still in the shop, there was two visitors from payroll, who were picking up a check. those visitors talked to the boss for a few minutes, but once i handed off the envelope that had the check in it i had more that i wanted to get done. some of what they talked about was the building we no longer work in, and the plans for it. in the evening i watched 'night court'. the newly minted lawyer was filling in for dan fielding, who was faking an injury. looks like the season finale is next week and will have 'Howard' from 'big bang' as a guest star. i got out a page and wrote down 'plans for the warmer months', as the month of May is here soon. it is helpful on what i already have booked, from May to October. i have a page just like it from the two previous years. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Amy said to Sheldon, 'please pass the butter' and it led to Sheldon being indecisive in an electronics store. it was followed by the one where Howard and raj went to a goth bar and met two ladies. one of them was Sarah, 'not that anyone cares'. i liked Sarah, because i know what it is like to be the forgotten one. 

humidifier reader

 in the morning there were techs in the shop and i was emailed about it. this meant going to the main floor to meet them. i was told there were tools needed and i let them know what floor and room number to find when ready. i had work to do and this seemed to be the best game plan, not wanting to be waiting around. i wanted to write down as much as possible when the tech was leaving so i could report back to others. one thing i noticed was having a humidifier reader, next to the thermostat. along with how the thermostat was a little lower than before, 69 degrees. the cooler unit in the corner is still there, as i am told the main cooler for the building is not running. his project manager would have to follow up with the building manager. in terms of my normal duties, there was another request to send tax checks for a business line. it was five checks, and i had all of the overnight labels and forms needed. looks like these were all going to Washington state, the largest one was over a million. it was going to Seattle, or king county. in the evening i went to perform, and it looks like the start time was moved back again. there weren't many people who performed, i went on early as i knew i was tired. i did stories about the bank as well as being out of state over the weekend. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj had a murder mystery party. it was followed by the one where Lewis Black was a guest star, as a cricket expert. 

linus jersey, saints game

 i began the day in Ankeny, Iowa, at my hotel, the super-8. as usual i like how there's not much on the docket on the last day in town, or in this case the only one as it was a 'daytrip'. there was breakfast, check out of the hotel, and get on the road. i like doing the 'make your own waffle' at continental breakfasts. and i made fairly good time once i got on the road. first stop was at the Casey's in clear lake again. i got a hash brown, some snack cakes, and a bottle of Starbucks coffee. next stop was in Lakeville, almost home by then. it was at the cracker barrel. i got two snoopy stickers and a magnet. i got a look at the apparel as well, but i will wait a little longer to replace the patriotic shirt i bought from there over a decade ago. at this time i plan on going back to the store a month from now, on Memorial Day weekend, to see what they have in that category. there was a similar shirt to the one i have, it was mostly blue and the one i have is mostly white. time was still of the essence so i didn't want to be there for long. i got gas at the speedway and then finished the drive home, but i wasn't there for long either. basically, just long enough to put my bag inside and get my ticket for the St. Paul Saints baseball game. it started in the afternoon. i got a sandwich at a speedway and then it was on to the stadium. i picked up the Linus jersey and blanket from a booth behind home plate. the saints beat Indianapolis, a Pirates team, 5-3. the video board did run an ad for the souvenir shop having Charlie Brown and Snoopy shirts. i got a look at what they had near the end of the game but i already have plenty of Saints shirts, and Charlie Brown shirts, so i didn't buy either kind available. one had just Charlie on it, the other had Snoopy and Woodstock holding flags. i still had some things to do after the game. i went to Aldi and got groceries, then there was return the rental car to the airport. by then i was tired so i laid down. i got a ticket ordered for another Saints game, on Memorial Day weekend. i liked how it didn't take long to unpack my bag from being out of state. the change inside of it was 1 dollar 46 cents. notable songs from the car radio this weekend included ones by Mary Chapin Carpenter, survivor, b52's, and Chappell Roan. 

princess theme

 i went out of state to attend my niece's birthday party for her daughter, who was turning three. we were told the theme was princess, it explains some of the items in the party favor bag i was given. there was two stickers and a small coloring book, along with goodies such as m and m's, smarties, and a tootsie pop. as usual i got gifts that are usable, a snoopy plate i found on e-bay was one of them. the other two were from amazon, a shirt from the 'cars' movie and a Dr. Seuss book. i got started on the drive in the morning after having cereal for breakfast and packing my bag. i liked how i made good time once i got on the road. i made just one stop on I-35, at the Casey's in clear lake. i got a slice of pizza there, along with some snack cakes and a bottle of Starbucks coffee. the other stop was in Waukee, at another convenience store, found out it was across the road from the park where the event was being held. i got a bottle of apple juice and some chicken tenders there. i parked in a lot next to a covered bridge that was a footbridge. i needed to walk a little and guess where it was at the park. i got target gift cards for the two nieces and nephew, but i was told in advance that we were unsure if the nephew would make it and he didn't. my first niece accepted it for him. once the event was done i drove to newton and did a quick tour of my hometown. i got some ice cream at the dairy queen and walked around the outside of Emerson Hough school. it still serves as an inspiration as a writer. i made it over to the football stadium as well, then it was back to the Des Moines area. i checked into my hotel, and it was evening by then so i started searching for a meal. i chose the jimmy john's and got a sandwich there, and took it back to the hotel. i watched a documentary about actor Burt Reynolds, and part of the movie 'Moneyball'. then the news, plenty of coverage of the drake relays. i got some peanuts and a can of Busch light from a nearby convenience store and then wrote about my travels. during my walks i found 51 cents. 

insurance gaslighting?

 i saw mail from Allstate and it said, 'we are unable to offer you coverage'. i don't recall asking about quotes from Allstate lately. i did switch my car insurance to State Farm last year, because my provider was going out of business. it gives a number to call Allstate about it, though. i wonder if this would be considered 'gaslighting' especially when there is mention of being declined coverage due to things about my credit history that i know full well aren't true. at this time, it is in a shoebox where the other junk mail items are and will be run through the shredder eventually. i know sometimes i still get text messages saying i could contact people about cheaper insurance rates as well, another holdover from last year. i did get two event tickets ordered, one is for a Twins baseball game in July and the other is for a play next month. another event, still not sure if it is happening. the ticket ordering link was 'not found' when i tried to use it. but i was told when i called the venue that i could ask the ticket office in person on my next visit. at work i dealt with some dude that kept asking me if i was going to overnight checks from a file that was approved late. it was approved Thursday evening, after i had left for the day. i have dealt with people like this before, they think it is acceptable to rattle my cage just because 'some client' is bothering them about it. i let this dude know that i send tracking numbers when they are available, and UPS picks up from the box only once a day, near the end of the day. then i was asked if those checks would still go out, and i said it is on them now after i put them in the box. some people don't seem to understand how things work. i can only do so much, and i had done my part. i still felt the need to remind him how the issue was the file those checks were in was approved late, and that is beyond my control. after work i had a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. then i went to get groceries at Hy-Vee in Eagan. i picked up a can of bell from the adjacent liquor store, so now four beers are waiting. during my walks i found 61 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Amy hit it off with dermatologist Emily, after Amy was asked to 'talk up raj'. it was followed by the ones where the friends have returned from the arctic. 

green and grain

 at work i had something different for lunch. i had registered for a food event sponsored by the building manager, it was with green and grain. it meant my lunchtime was moved up a little. these were wrap sandwiches, there was three kinds and i had the two that were chicken. the third was vegetarian and we were only allowed two. this was in the same area as the march madness pizza party last month, on the main floor. i got to the end of the workday and another file was left waiting. this time it still wasn't approved yet, as opposed to the previous day when it was approved late. i let the business line know, as there is not much else i can do. i still had plenty of other things to keep me occupied. vacation replacement dropped in to the shop near the end of the day. i said all i had left by then was essentially 'cleanup' as the regular mail tubs were delivered and the overnight envelopes were already in the box. some mention of no one being on the floor and feeling more comfortable in the shop. i was asked about applying for other roles with the bank and said i had, but i didn't get an interview. in the evening i drank the can of Paulaner with the evening meal so now there are three beers waiting. i tried ordering two event tickets but was locked out on both. i will try again the next day by calling the numbers that i have. during my walks i found 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Leonard got a table where all the friends could eat at but Sheldon and Amy refused to eat there. it was followed by the one where the friends go to the arctic for three months, likely a season finale. 

tucker barnhart

 i ended up in downtown St. Paul tonight, and i picked up a baseball card on the sidewalk at the farmers market across the street from the Saints baseball stadium. it was Tucker Barnhart, a catcher who played for the reds and this card shows him in his first year with the tigers after a trade. odd seeing such a thing near the stadium? no. but on some level, it was as it wasn't a Saints or Twins player. saints were playing Indianapolis, second game of a doubleheader. i did not go in but i was fine with milling around nearby. found out on my car radio when driving home how the saints lost this game but won the lid-lifter, so it was a split. my first stop was a micro-brewery, for a meetup event. i had been there before, gambit brewing. i spoke with a few people there, first one annoyed me, and i moved to another group. this included a dude wearing a White Sox jersey and found out he had once lived in suburban Chicago like me. i was there for about an hour, then did the walk that led me to the stadium area. actually, i got a late start on the event as i wanted to watch the final two episodes of 'the conners' first. it had the same feel as some other final episodes of other shows, where characters move away and other things change as well. first memory of a final episode was 'happy days' where the leading man breaks the fourth wall. tonight, this happened as well, as john goodman's character, dan, says 'good night' at the end of the episode. as we all know, dan was the main reason why i watched. and it was nice to see Louise, his second wife, return for the final episodes. she deserved to be more than just a 'recurring' character. i sent text messages to three friends near the end of the event, heard from one of them. something about being sued for a skiing incident. i said i didn't know how to respond to that but i could be there as a listener. at work i liked getting caught up on running checks through in the morning. i went to have some cake on another floor at the end of my lunch, it was a retirement party, but for a colleague that i didn't know that well. i wasn't there for long and no one spoke to me, but this is what i wanted as i preferred getting back to work right away. during my walks i found 37 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon and Amy spend Valentine's day on a train with Howard and Bernadette. it was followed by the one where Stuart and penny ask Leonard for advice about stuart's next date with penny. 

passwords overnighted

 sometimes i am asked to overnight something besides checks, but not too often. my boss was in the shop and a senior leader showed up. this led to me overnighting forms that i recognized as passwords, saw them during the pandemic. two sets went to Marshall; third set went to Atlanta. i was told all of them had to be in separate envelopes, as it was a security issue when it is passwords. i was also getting annoyed with emails about checks i didn't overnight-because the file those were in arrived on Thursday. had to ignore words like 'wanting accurate information' and being dense related to a 'binary' issue. if it wasn't overnighted, that means it was sent regular mail. it was a high-volume day on check printing as usual for the two Fargo files, over a thousand remain but i will run them through the machine in the morning. inserter machine was throwing an error in the afternoon, but i found a way to rig it up. error was about being low on sealing fluid, so i hiked up the bottle a little with boxes of plastic gloves. thankful it managed to last through the end of the day, then i can handle opening another fluid bottle in the morning when i have more time to handle such a thing. when i got home in the evening i watched part of the news on fox-plus, then 'night court'. which was about bidding on evidence locker items. during my walks i found 27 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when James Earl Jones was a guest star. it was followed by the one where the friends hire a hooker in Las Vegas for Howard. 

tough. lewis capaldi

 i went to perform tonight at an open mic. i saw the wild guitar player near the end of the show, who did a Lewis Capaldi song, 'tough'. sounds like it was played in memory of his grandpa. another song by Capaldi, 'before you go', i liked, first time hearing this one. had to listen to it on YouTube and look at the lyrics. this is another profound one. 'Trying to mend a heart that keeps breaking' and 'i know i need to outrun the memories'. i did ones about the recent drag brunch, a bank story, mention of the art exhibit, and some stories about historical figures i had recently discovered. at work i liked how the overnight volume stayed fairly low, twenty-five. i know this was aided by another day of nothing sent by the two files handled in Poland. vacation replacement was in the shop and helped find a unit number so i could re-send a check that was returned by UPS. when i went to another floor to deliver a check, paying off a corporate card for a senior leader, i was given some inter-office envelopes i can use. i did some research on events of interest to me. one of them is a play that starts a month from now, an idea i co-opted from a meetup group. and i got a look at when the next art exhibit will be at the french alliance. during my walks i found 2 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard and raj went to a rock show with bert in place of amy. it was followed by the one where leonard said 'take me to a bar' and goes with howard and raj. 

wedding beer cozy

 i went to an easter church service in downtown St. Paul, and after it was done i took a walk around the area. i saw a beer cozy and picked it up, looks like it was given out at a wedding nearly ten years ago. i have other beer cozies, first time i had heard of one being made for such an event. another thing picked up was an unwrapped piece of gum, 'Dubble Bubble', made by the tootsie roll company. there was an easter egg hunt after the service, don't know how this made it outside near the sidewalk. during the time in the fellowship hall i had some crackers and apple slices and a little muffin. i also looked at a framed item about John Calvin. odd how it said, ' his fame is second to none' and yet, did not mention Martin Luther. as i recall, at Sunday school once said how Calvin was a schoolboy at the time of the ninety-five theses. all about who is writing the history, i guess. there wasn't much else on the docket for the rest of the day. i had a pot pie and potato skins for lunch when i got home and watched a Charlie Brown DVD. it was the disc that has 'easter beagle' and 'arbor day' on it. i try to watch as many of these Charlie Brown specials as i can on an annual basis. there was another united football league game, on fox, starting in the late afternoon. it was San Antonio at D.C., San Antonio won. another sparse crowd, so i stand by what i have been saying how the outlook for this league is 'cloudy'. the game ran long, and 'the Simpsons' rerun was joined in progress, not much left of what appeared to be a 'Halloween episode' by then. also notable about the day was joining another meetup group, essentially replacing one that i had left a day earlier. i had attended six events in a group i had joined a little over five months ago because i wanted to go bowling. i all too often wasn't enjoying myself enough after that first event. during my walks i found 24 cents. 

manger avec les yeux

 i went to an art exhibit at the French Alliance in Minneapolis in the morning, it was called 'Manger Avec Les Yeux', French for 'eat with your eyes'. except not all of the art was of food, some of it was of flowers. and yet another artwork wasn't either, it was clothes hung out to dry. nineteen paintings on display were for sale, two had already been sold. the cheapest ones were the smallest ones of course, but still over three hundred dollars. a table near the gallery, which i saw on the way out, had prints for under fifty dollars. one of them depicted flowers in a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer can. the gallery also had displays about Haiti and voodoo. i wasn't there for all that long, under an hour. i did get an idea for my next visit, though. i saw some shirts on display for sale, honoring the organization's 50th anniversary of being incorporated as non-profit. i wanted to wait on buying one because i preferred to see what i had at home at first that was old and ratty and could be thrown out. when i have plenty of shirts, it has mostly been 'one for one' when i buy a new one. i found four that were good candidates to be ripped up and tossed in the trash, and no big loss in terms of still having others of that same theme remaining. the four were: Maytag dairy farms, St. Louis Cardinals (stadium giveaway), a charity walk, and snoopy. all of them were at least fifteen years old, so all had a long and full life. i also decided to get four that were in storage into the lineup. there was a long sleeve from a polar plunge, renaissance festival, France (bought when living in suburban Chicago), and from a Minneapolis bar (now closed) that i had visited. my first stop of the day was the gas station, then the post office, where two e-bay orders were picked up. after seeing the art, i went to have lunch at taco bell in Eagan, where i had 'locos tacos'. i had discovered those when the fast-food chain had done the 'steal a base, steal a taco' promotion during the world series a few years ago. i also went to McDonald's and got a shamrock shake, surprised those are still available when usually it is just a seasonal thing and is done at the end of march. i also printed an event ticket at the nearby copy store. when i got home i watched part of a united football league game, St. Louis lost in a game at Arlington, on ABC. next game i watched was on fox, it was baseball, also from Arlington. rangers beat the dodgers on a walk off home run. then another football game, on fox, Birmingham beat Houston. before the second football game i had the evening meal, some chicken and rice, then went to get groceries at Aldi. during my walks i found 2 dollars 83 cents. 

disappearing famous people

 recently i found an online article about thirteen famous people who had disappeared, or at least some of them became famous due to disappearing. two of them i had heard of before, Glenn Miller, and Amelia Earhart. but not the others. i spent some time looking up more information about the others. all about who makes the history books, who is writing those history books anyway. i liked collecting world's fair postcards. one of them, Richard Halliburton, was trying to reach a world's fair. i had heard of Henry Hudson, the explorer who had a river in New York City named for him, but not that he had disappeared. it was due to a mutiny, being cast adrift. another was Mike Rockefeller, son of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller. the most compelling to me was Judge Joseph Force Crater, because of how it ended up in the comedy world. Wikipedia said 'judge crater, call your office' was a gag for nightclub comedians for a while. i just realized some of this is the 'New York media bias' in terms of who was making this article. at work, it was nice that the overnight volume was low, just under twenty. being good friday might have made a difference, as two files were not sent to me. those are now done by people in poland. despite the two fargo files being late, the volume was low enough that i still found the time to get them run through the machine. in some ways it was dumb luck, due to the aforementioned files that 'took a day off'. i was asked to pull another check from the oshkosh file, but it wasn't a tax check this time. in the evening i went to hy-vee in eagan for groceries, and i got a 'cat in the hat' greeting card for an upcoming event. during my walks i found 65 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny was disappointed that her scene was cut. it was followed by the one where penny gets a rival in the building and howard prevents leonard from breaking up the 'cat fight'. i capped the lenten season by getting a filet-o-fish sandwich and fries at mcdonald's for the evening meal. 

hy-vee coupons

 there wasn't much in the mail as usual. i did see a big card with Hy-Vee coupons. i do shop there, but all of these are only good from Monday through Thursday and i don't shop there on any of those days of the week. one side has offers for a 'grilling bundle' and for 'steak night'. the other side has coupons for various items including frozen pizza, milk, and apple juice. these are for five weeks, beginning next week. at work the file to be overnighted to Oshkosh arrived late. i had just enough time to print it and print the UPS label for it as well. another file will wait until the next day, but it was the court file. not the same ones as the previous day that was late, and a smaller volume as well. business lines have been made aware of how there is a cut-off time for files to arrive if they are to go out the same day. it no longer bothers me if files arrive late, as i have plenty of other things to keep me busy. and i can only print what i get, when i get it. the proverbial 'beyond my control'. i did a skyway walk to the Walgreen in the morning, getting a bottle of Starbucks coffee and some twinkies. but since the cupcake was waiting from the previous day, the twinkies were sent home and will be eaten this weekend. it is not a big deal for me to send some snack item home as i have my lunch bag that i can put it in. and i am used to getting at least two items when i go there. i drank the bottle of Stella Artois with the evening meal and picked up a can of goose island at the nearby liquor store so there still are four beers waiting. also in the evening, i ordered a free ticket to an event through the credit union next month. and at work i got signed up for a networking event that is also in May. during my walks i found 92 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon retracted a discovery and made two visits on a radio show. it was followed by the one where the friends helped make 'penny blossoms'. 

reformation hoodie

 when i was riding the light rail home after work i saw a man wearing a hoodie, it was celebrating the reformation's 500th anniversary in 2017. i have seen hoodies all the time but this is the first time i had seen one like this. it did remind me of a mashup i once heard, jay-z's '99 problems' with Luther's 95 theses. and i had seen an exhibit at the Minneapolis art institute about that anniversary. at work some of the check files arrived late. one of them was printed before i left but did not go out same day. the other was approved but i decided i will print that one the next day. it meant some overnights did not go out. we had an early lunch as there was a birthday celebration for the boss. we went to a nearby burger place in the skyway. i was given part of a cupcake that i ate there, and a full cupcake that i will eat the next morning. the mailroom rep arrived with the empty mail tubs just minutes before i needed to leave for it, meeting my colleagues on the main floor. vacation replacement wasn't there, working from home after getting food poisoning from undercooked food this week. i watched 'the conners' which is nearing the end. looks like there are two episodes next week and those are the final two. still not great except for john goodman, whose character still hasn't done the deposition yet for the opioid lawsuit. during my walks i found 40 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Leonard wore an itchy sweater to prove a point. it was followed by the one where the friends rode a train to San Francisco and a 'terminator' actress was on the same train. 

twins on fox-9

this evening i watched some of the Twins baseball game on fox-9. it had been promoted a lot lately, having some games on local TV. Twins beat the Mets, 6-3. i watched part of it after watching the news- on fox-9 plus, and then 'night court', (on NBC) which was actually a rerun. no tickets ordered yet for a game this season. i actually fell asleep in my easy chair for a few minutes when i was watching it. at work there was the one on one with the boss in the morning, it had been postponed from an earlier date. it led to asking about a social media app i was added to, internal within the bank. i wondered if i could get out of it as it wasn't my idea to be added, and i showed one posting which wasn't really work-related. whenever there is a posting, i am emailed about it. i found out it was one of three groups i was in, but this is the only one that ever sends me anything. i found a button that said 'leave' so i was able to take myself out of the group. high volume of Fargo checks as usual for this day of the week. there was just over a thousand left over at the end of the day. during my walks i found 1 dollar 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Bob Newhart guest stars and said 'back off, bowtie' to bill nye. it was followed by the one where penny shoots a couch cushion with a paintball gun. 

overnight check, second attempt

 two checks going to the nation's capital were returned on Friday, and this morning i heard from a colleague who found this out and asked these checks to be sent to an alternate address in the same city. i said i would send the tracking number when it is available. there was another request to pull a tax check out of the Oshkosh file and overnight it to the payee, but this time it was to Pennsylvania instead of a California county. thankfully it was only one, and as usual the UPS label and form to go with the check were emailed to me. but i don't enjoy seeing how the department i am in is cleaning up messes for another department, having to hurry up and send it to avoid penalties. vacation replacement was in the shop for the day, and in the afternoon spoke of feeling sick from whatever was eaten for lunch. but i guess that if there was a need to vomit, it wasn't done in the shop. the overnight volume stayed kind of high, just over thirty. i did find some time during the workday to research some things. one of them was a tourist site at a mall in the suburbs of St. Louis. i will want to do a car rental this time during my annual visit so i can get there and to a few other places, such as a karaoke bar. and after the drag brunch, i was reminded of how i have a free ticket to use at a comedy venue in the theater district. now it means finding out when i am eligible to use them, and i likely should fairly soon before i forget about even having this voucher. or, even worse, lose the envelope. i performed in the evening, and the show runner from when i played the santa 'sent to duluth' was there. i went on after the fancy comic, and did stories about the bank, meetup events, and a saints game. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon published a paper and later found out he was wrong on the math. it was followed by the one where leonard's mom visits and leonard gets drunk with penny. 

muppet drag brunch

 i attended the Muppet drag brunch in downtown Minneapolis, my ninth brunch. since i had grown up with the Muppets, this i knew was a good one to attend. i had just missed one train to downtown and knew i still had enough time to drive there and be on time. it meant paying for parking, but i didn't want my seat given away and that likely would have happened if i was late. when putting in my food order, i joked how miss piggy wouldn't like it if i had a pulled pork sandwich. even though i ended up getting a burger with bacon on it. these shows get me to smile and laugh, when not many things can. i think i finally put my finger on it as to why. before i discovered drag brunches, i liked attending burlesque shows at a venue where i also performed at their open mic. those two genres have some things in common. i like the 'tongue in cheek' interpretations, and the costumes are good, too. and of course there is plenty of music. standouts from this show include katy perry's 'ET', the beastie boys doing 'fight for your right to party', and green day's 'American Idiot'. this was when performers were dressed as gonzo, animal, and Sam Eagle. i knew this was no doubt a real good song for Sam Eagle, who i like because he is dour. there were some songs from Muppet movies that i recognized as well, such as 'rainbow connection' and 'moving right along', both from 'the Muppet Movie' which got me started on liking road movies. and there were the Muppet versions of 'bohemian rhapsody' and 'forget you' although both of those don't have that many lyrics in them. i didn't do that much for the rest of the day after i drove home. there was a united football game on ABC from St. Louis, the Battle Hawks lost to the DC defenders. too many turnovers were why. i do like how the crowds are good in St. Louis, but it still sounds like this is the only city in this eight-team league where attendance is decent. i got a shamrock shake at McDonald's, surprised i could still find one when it is no longer the month of march. and some animal crackers at Aldi, where i was in line with a couple that had moved from southern Missouri and i said i visit St. Louis annually. then i did the dishes late in the evening. during my walks i found 2 dollars 14 cents. 

sacramento movie

 in the afternoon i went to see a movie, 'Sacramento', at the mall in Eden Prairie. i like a good road movie, and this seemed to be described as one. although not much of the story actually took place on the road. but there was a classic Chrysler Lebaron convertible that the two friends drove to Sacramento. i recall well what i said at times while watching the movie. things like 'you're going to break it' when a dad-to-be kept rocking the empty crib, and he did. and then 'what are you doing?' more than once later on about what the same dude was doing. even though his friend was supposed to be the irresponsible one, being a compulsive liar and often bailing on people, as well as showing up announced. but somehow, he found a way to help the dad-to-be calm down about fatherhood. rickey, the one who had the idea for the impromptu road trip, was played by Michael Angarano. had to look him up, i had seen one movie of his before, this was 'final season', about the baseball team from Norway, Iowa. not only the star, but also the director and co-writer. this movie was all right, but there are other road movies that i have enjoyed more than this one. i had a dairy queen blizzard after the movie, a common thing to do at this mall for me when it is close to the theater. i chose the blizzard of the month, confetti, which has been in the TV ads. after the mall, i went to a nearby micro-brewery, fat pants, for a meetup event. but not with the brewery group, it was with the group i joined in November for a bowling outing. i liked how it was close to the mall, MapQuest said it was a mile west of it, but it was closer than that. i got a beer early on, but it was too early for food. later on, when i got food, it was a Reuben sandwich and tater tots. i left shortly after others started to leave, about two and a half hours after i made it there. when i got home i had just enough time to get groceries at Aldi before closing time. i liked how i got most things on my errand running list done, starting with going to the DMV in Inver Grove Heights early to get the license plate renewal done on my car. then the post office, one order picked up. dumped change into my savings account at the credit union, over three dollars of dimes that were rejected at another branch a week earlier. i liked finding a foreign coin there, googled it in my car and found out it was a Japanese 50-yen coin. my previous finds for coinage of that nation were two 1-yen coins. then i dumped recycle in a bin near the capitol, and by then it was midday. i had a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. i didn't do much after the meetup event and Aldi, as i was tired. during my walks i found 2 dollars 28 cents. 

pudding at fish fry

 i didn't stay home for long after work as i wanted to get to a fish fry. this is one i had been to before, St. Matt's in St. Paul. notable about this one was pudding as the dessert option. i chose vanilla, it was served in a cup. i sat at a table where a young couple was already eating, and they spoke about plans to attend a Timberwolves game. i spoke of attending the University of Iowa, and i guess the dude did as well. one more Friday in lent, and i will cap it with a fish sandwich at McDonald's. at work there was one more California tax check to send out, but thankfully only one, going to Ventura county. the overnight volume stayed kind of high, close to forty, but i like how i am still getting out at a decent time. it helps to start on those as early as possible. after the fish fry i went to a meetup event at summit brewery, also in st. paul. i had one beer, i stayed for about an hour, and then i left to do grocery shopping at hy-vee. i did more listening than talking there, but i was getting bored when the subject became 'the news of the world'. but it was time to leave by then anyway. it was a small order at hy-vee, just seven items, but i buy what i need. no more, no less. during my walks i found 25 cents. 

california tax checks

 at work there was another set of California tax checks to pull from a file that is sent to Oshkosh each day. there is a sense of urgency when this happens, and overnight labels as well as forms to send with the checks are emailed to me. it was eleven for the day, the previous day it was five. i used all but one of the overnight labels as i noticed there was two tax checks going to San Diego. when this happens for any internal customer, those checks are lumped together. it meant that i sent more than fifty envelopes to the UPS box at the end of the day. nine of those eleven sets of forms were waiting for me upon arrival so i got them printed early, although the file wasn't approved until the afternoon. i liked how many of the other checks to be overnighted arrived fairly early, as i had more time to do those labels and get them out of the way. much like before, once it was completed i said 'all checks were found, and all are in the box waiting to be picked up'. a colleague from the mailroom made a return visit saying a 'blue company envelope' that had been dropped off a few minutes prior had to be re-scanned. these have returned checks in them. during my walks i found 1 dollar 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Leonard tried to manipulate penny by saying he was sad due to his mom. Sheldon and Amy had a fight about favorite shows, 'Indiana Jones', and 'little house'. it was followed by the one where sheldon tries to go rock climbing with kripke. 

ron leflore story

 there were five baseball movies in a row tonight on the network known as 'movies!' when i got home from work i watched part of the first one, 'Ron LeFlore story'. i recall buying a paperback copy of the book that inspired it from a resale shop when i first moved to the twin cities many years ago. i watched some clips from this movie found on YouTube in advance. it looks like this made-for-TV movie from the 1970s filmed at the actual ballparks he played in. tiger stadium in Detroit looked familiar. i made it there in its final season of 1999. i haven't been to the stadium in Clinton, Iowa, one of the minor-league teams that Ron played for. but i have been to some other stadiums in that state, as i am an Iowa native. attended games in cedar rapids and davenport, in the Midwest league, the same league Clinton was in at the time. knowing about it in advance it prompted me to order one of his baseball cards, but with the expos instead of the tigers. the next movie was 'kid from left field', the original one from the 1950s. found out the one with Gary Coleman that i watched as a kid was a remake. the team in the original one is the fictional 'Bisons', in the remake it is the San Diego Padres. as expected, i didn't watch all five, essentially just the first two. for one thing, i knew that one of them didn't start until after midnight. i had seen 'it happens every spring' before so i knew the premise to it. i watched the first few minutes and then took a walk, noticed that one of the actors playing a college student was Alan Hale, 'skipper' from 'Gilligan's Island'. and i have 'Pride of St. Louis' on DVD as i recall. this left 'it happened in Flatbush', about a Dodgers team from the 1940s. it serves as a sad reminder of how there haven't been that many popular baseball movies in recent years, as the newest one of the five being shown tonight was the first one, more than four decades old. the 1980s was a good decade for baseball movies- with 'the natural', 'Bull Durham', 'major league', and 'field of dreams'. but since then, not so much. the only standouts seem to be the biopics about Babe Ruth, and Jackie Robinson. and with both of those, not the first biopics about either. but i think this proves of how times changed. some still call baseball the 'national pastime' but i know football has become really popular for various reasons. at work the check printer shut off during printing of Fargo checks, but a little later than the previous day. i had to hit re-print on just over two hundred and fifty checks, those were carried over to the next day as i wanted to confirm that all of those were there. no more, no less. during my walks i found 5 cents. 

magnet and pocket schedules

 attended a St. Paul Saints baseball game tonight, it was the first one of this season for me. as expected, magnet schedules were available, so i claimed one from the information desk- which is where team rosters are also found- before i went to find food. i got a chili cheese dog, a bag of old Dutch chips, and a Killebrew root beer. later on, i got an ice cream sandwich, smores flavored. near the end of the night i got some hot chocolate after claiming a bag of peanuts during the 7th inning stretch. Saints lost to Omaha, 3-0. i spoke with some of the ushers, one still recognizes me. i said i am not a season ticket holder but go to a decent number of games. hard to say how many this year, but i am thinking at least seven based on what i am seeing for promotions. it was a chilly night, not much of a crowd there, but i was dressed for the weather. still have a winter coat on and i put my winter hat on over my blue Saints hat. i asked about pocket schedules, not available yet but likely will be later this month. i walked around for most of the game, figured i could stay warmer that way. i called an audible on the parking due to the construction in the downtown area. i found a ramp with a weeknight rate, works for me. at work the adobe app works fine, only needed to log in once. thankful i don't need to log in each time i want to print a file. there was a one on one scheduled on short notice, in the afternoon when i am getting close to delivering things. when i pointed it out this was changed to next week and in the morning. nice that the overnight volume is staying low, twenty-five for the day. during my walks i found 1 dollar 1 cent. 

checking inter-office envelopes

 i check inter-office envelopes just before i close the mail tub and put the zip-ties on. good thing i do each time as i noticed one of them didn't have a name and mail code on it. i pulled it out and added it, and it will go in the next day's mail. didn't want to hold up all of the day's mail for just one envelope. i don't know what would have happened otherwise, if it still would have made it to the intended destination as i hear the next stop images some mail. i liked how the volume of overnight labels to do was low, just over twenty. vacation replacement was in the shop and asked about the adobe app, i said it was approved by a senior leader. there was an email later in the day, will see how much more i can do since this access was granted. preview and quick print are nice but normally i am able to do more on PDF files. i saw announcements for two events at the Saints stadium that weren't Saints games. one was college baseball, the other a concert by a cover band. closer to when these events happen, i think i will order tickets. both are general admission, and more than a month away. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Bernadette and Amy went to a conference together and Bernadette is critical of Sheldon, saying Amy had options. it was followed by the one where Sheldon goes to the movie theater where Leonard and Dr. Stephanie are on a date. 

using up dividers

 this was a day to get a lot of little things done around the home as there wasn't much else on the docket for the day. one of those was using up dividers, getting them into some of the trading card albums. i had claimed some dividers from the office that we left behind in December, two packs of eight each. i used up one of those packs and noticed the baseball card albums had some that were unused and unlabeled, three in all. now the non-baseball album and the miscellaneous baseball albums have sections. one is all St. Paul Saints cards from various stadium giveaway editions. other sections are about Charlie Brown and Snoopy cards, as well as Simpsons cards. both of these categories were cards i had found on e-bay. some other small things done was running the paper shredder, plenty of junk mail was shredded, filled one plastic grocery bag. also got some souvenir pages from work into sheet protectors in a binder. this included some mail code labels once placed on the mail tubs as well as a ticket from the recent pizza party. in the early evening i went to perform at an open mic, i closed out the show. the final joke about bathrooms went over well. late in the evening i did the dishes. during my walks i found 90 cents. 

happyend movie

 late in the evening i went to see a movie at the Edina theater, it was part of the MSP film festival. i saw 'happyend', a Japanese dystopian film where the main characters are high schoolers. it was subtitled, i prefer this over dubbing. at times some words seemed to be the same as in English but i know how words are 'borrowed' from languages all the time. one scene stood out, where the principal told the students how it is wrong to waste food. i did pick up literature at a table near the entrance that had blurbs about all of the movies being screened at the festival, over a hundred. good chance this is the only one that i will be seeing, in terms of what interests me as well as what fits my schedule. i am hopeful that some of the movies in this festival get a wider release outside of it as each movie gets just 2-3 screenings across the 12-day event. i liked how the Edina theater is a venue this year, one of their four auditoriums is being used for it for seven of the twelve days. plenty of parking available in a ramp next to the theater. i didn't do much after getting home due to the late start on this movie. i did plenty before it, though. there was the weekly stop at the post office, three orders picked up. surprised how one of them was the amazon order but then i saw the return label. it was sent from Shakopee so when it is in the same metro area, then it wouldn't take long. i dumped some change into my savings account at the credit union, but not as much as i had hoped. the counter was rejecting most of the dimes but over four dollars was counted. i made it to the copy store and printed a ticket for an upcoming Saints baseball game. then it was time to get lunch, and i went to the nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken, all of three of these places are in Eagan. when i got home i laid down for a while, then had pizza for the evening meal and went to the Aldi for groceries. during my walks i found 69 cents. 

national park movie, redford

 in the evening i went to the science center and saw another movie, it was about national parks and Robert Redford was the narrator. i did well on getting there early enough to find parking. it covered many parks that i haven't been to yet such as Yellowstone. i liked seeing mention of Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir about conservation and creating the national park system. i did a fish fry at a church near Cretin Derham Hall before i made it downtown. sister roz, the locally famous massaging nun at Saints baseball games, served the fish. there was a scrimmage going on the baseball field next to the church, cretin was playing two rivers, f/k/a Henry Sibley school. i was really busy throughout the workday but i got out close to on time which gave me more time to do the fish fry and the movie. during my walks i found 1 dollar 11 cents. it meant doing overnight labels early, over thirty were done before i went to lunch. after plenty of delays, the h.p. rep arrived in the afternoon with the maintenance kit. i did point out how i asked for much earlier in the day as when he arrived was close to when i needed to start delivering things. thankful it didn't take all that long. when walking through the skyway in the morning i was recognized, this was on the way to the Walgreen. it took a few minutes but i figured out it was a fellow comic, just someone that i hadn't seen in a while. 

chiropractor needs

 no, not me, my boss. there was mention of needing a chiropractor when leaving the shop in the early afternoon. before this i found out i was able to print pdf by doing 'preview' and 'quick print'. and now i have my ticket exchanged for a Saints game next week. i called the office and got it done in the afternoon. there is over a thousand Fargo checks left over but i can run them through early the next day. both of thr big supply orders arrived in the morning, within the same hour. check stock was second but it came right to the shop. except it meant having to wait for the freight elevator to become available, found out there was a medical emergency and the EMTs were using it. but it was my excuse for finally seeing the loading dock, first visit although i had heard about it off and on for the four-plus months since i moved to the downtown office. i still had to get the envelope order from the mailroom, i used some of the check shop's carts to move those out. during my walks i found 10 cents. big bang theory reruns were when the friends played d and d while raj was on a date with lucy. it was followed by the one where penny got strikes for touching Sheldon's food. 

adobe apps

 i still find some annoying things at work. around midday i find out i can't print PDF files and my boss said i need to call i.t. about it. now i guess i need to log into each PDF file through a new adobe app, even though before i just hit 'open' and then 'print' for those check files. it meant vacation replacement had to print those files for me. i can still print anything from the main app that we had before some checks went PDF. it meant getting a sandwich and bottle of juice and chips from the convenience store on the main floor as i didn't feel like heating up a can of soup. and sadly, these i.t. issues left me behind on all of my other duties such as the overnight labels. i went to another floor to deliver part of a supply order. our team lead had ordered some letter openers, but not the kind i use which look like knives or i call those the 'stabbing kind'. the ones just ordered are smaller ones, and mostly plastic. i had a check returned by UPS to deliver to that floor to the customer service boss as well. in the evening i got a look at the amazon wish list for a birthday party that my niece invited me to. i ordered two items, no surprise how one of them is a book. i figured i should order fairly early to allow for delivery time as i would like to be the one that puts all gifts into one box. since i had a gift card balance it took care of most of the price of the order. 'The conners' was about trying to convince dan to file a lawsuit against the drug companies over Roseanne's death. i am still watching mainly due to liking this character, as i like john goodman. i have been getting a steady stream of Facebook friend requests in the past week, some are from the same hometown as me. except i haven't accepted any of them yet. i have cut back on the friend list over the years, now down to less than two hundred. during my walks i found 91 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Bob Newhart made his first appearance as professor proton, then asks Sheldon to be his fill-in while still in the hospital. it was followed by the one where we hear the song 'be my Yoko Ono' as Sheldon gets an admirer, Ramona. 

validate or verify?

 the Fargo business line asked me to pull another check and send it to the email thread. did they say it was to validate or verify? either way, i said i was holding all checks until a got a green light. thankful it was just one check i had to do a 'twin copy' for as i didn't want to black out credit card numbers on a live check. i got the green light i wanted, but it still meant not all checks went out same day. the backlog from the previous day, a little over a thousand, was done in the morning. one big file went out same-day, as usual i print and run through the smaller one first. but it meant the larger one, over two thousand, will be carryover to the next day. if i get started early enough on it then it won't take long at all. as expected, with the first of the month the ach-pdf file was a big one due to rent payments, nearly a thousand pages. although some were overflows so that meant it was actually a little lower. i got one idea for a show i would like to attend next month, it would be to see a preview as it is cheaper. as usual, i am often trying to plan things out fairly well in advance. 'Night Court' was a weird one, a big inheritance going to a horse. i liked how dermatologist Emily from 'big bang' was in it, of course this would be Laura Spencer. during my walks i found 1 dollar 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon had delayed closure on things like dominoes. it was followed by the one where the friends have an 'intervention', saying Sheldon needs to learn to drive. 

fresh popcorn, candyland

i am looking at this empty box and it says, 'fresh popcorn'. i went to Candyland this evening after finding out there was no open mic to perform at. i knew this was possible, even said so to the bartender, as there was no Facebook invite. much like the previous day, i had already paid for parking in downtown St. Paul so i decided to walk around a little and get my money's worth. although after about thirty minutes, i got back into my car and went home. there wasn't much open aside from bars and restaurants, and i had already eaten. but i like popcorn, and i have been to Candyland before to get popcorn so that is why i went there. i got a larger box this time, usually i get the smallest. at work, vacation replacement was in the shop. there was an email request for a tracking number, except there was no check number given. after doing an 'alpha search' i found out it was a check that we didn't have yet, it would be ready to print later in the day. i liked how there weren't that many overnights to do, just over twenty. most of the Fargo checks did not go out as i was asked to pull one percent of them. guess the business line had made some changes and wanted to see what the checks looked like. i had to do 'twin copies' as i needed to black out the credit card numbers since the system won't let us send copies with credit card numbers on them. it was late enough in the day when we got the 'green light' that i just decided to let the Fargo checks carry over to the next day, a little over a thousand. it won't take long to run them through the inserter machine. during my walks i found 37 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon organized Howard and Bernadette's closet, and it led to finding a letter from Howard's dad. it was followed by the one where raj did a people magazine photo shoot. 

cuba movie, science center

 plans at the outset were to attend the St. Paul Saints baseball game, although i knew the weather didn't look promising. i was wearing a winter coat, after all. i made it to the venue an hour before first pitch and the gates were locked. two men were also there and checked their phone, it said the game was already called off. it means i have a rain check, and i will have to figure out when i will be using it. already have a ticket for a game about a month from now. i decided to stay downtown as i had already paid for parking and went to the science center. there were two movies of interest to me at this place, and i was able to see one of them this afternoon, the documentary about Cuba. it appears to have been produced by the BBC back in 2018. a big part of the story was a ballerina, along with searching for answers from the coral on this island. i ended up at the landmark center after i bought the movie ticket as i had some time to fill as the start of the movie was over an hour away. there was a free event about Guatemala, and in one room there was art from some young artists from local high schools if i am not mistaken. some of it was pretty good, i got pictures of the ones of a young lady holding a parasol as well as a red-haired girl looking into a mirror. plans are to make it back to the science center in less than a week to see the other movie, i bought that ticket already. and i got a good look around in the souvenir shop. four items bought, one of them was a smokey bear postcard. the other three were 'Charlie Brown and Snoopy' items. one was a small bag of candy, then there was a beagle scout button, then a magnet of Snoopy and Woodstock in space. i didn't do much when i got home, watched part of the college basketball game. Auburn beat Michigan State so now the final four is set. in the evening it was 'the Simpsons', Homer and Flanders feuded, and it led to couples counseling. later on, i did the dishes. during my walks i found 27 cents. 

alto knights movie

 in the afternoon i saw the movie 'alto knights' in Eagan. i wanted to use the second of two birthday offers for popcorn, and this was it. i don't go to the Emagine chain as often as AMC though, but i like how their loyalty card has a quote from the movie 'up in the air'. notable about this one was seeing Robert DeNiro playing two roles. this movie covers plenty of gangster history, including mention of what was later known as the 'black sox scandal'. one scene does have the radio broadcast of the 1957 world series in a barber shop, i guessed that one after hearing mention of some Braves players such as Hank Aaron and Yankees players such as Yogi Berra. and they covered the music of the time as well, including Little Richard's 'Tutti Frutti'. part of the story was the upstate New York 'gangster meeting' during that same year as the aforementioned world series. i was wondering if it would be part of the story. this event was depicted in another movie, 'analyze this'. it was essentially the climax, and in 'analyze this' it was at the beginning. i got a shamrock shake at McDonald's after the movie and then i headed home. there as a steady rain by then so i knew i had to be careful on getting everything inside. besides the popcorn tub, i also had the cup with some Pepsi in it from having a sandwich for lunch at Jersey Mike's. and there were the two e-bay orders picked up from the post office. i printed an event ticket, and an invite, at the copy store before i went to the sandwich shop. in the morning i got a good look at the schedule for an upcoming film festival and ordered a ticket for a screening at the Edina theater. i was pleased to find out this was one of the venues as it is easier parking than St. Anthony main. considering the ticket prices are a little more at a festival, it is probably just as well that i plan on seeing only one during this twelve-day event. i am hopeful that some others of interest get a wider release outside of the festival. this includes a Minnesota-filmed movie that has Amy Madigan from 'field of dreams' in it. three screenings, two of them are sold out and the third is in Rochester. after getting back from the movie, i watched part of a united football league game on fox. i would say the long-term outlook for this spring football league is still 'cloudy'. i noticed a sparse crowd when i watched a game from houston on the same network the day before, opening weekend for this season. then i watched the local news on WCCO and then got groceries at Aldi. when i got back i watched baseball on fox, Astros beat the Mets 2-1. during my walks i found 74 cents. 

violin player, fish fry

 i went to a fish fry at a catholic school this evening after work. notable was seeing a violin player on the stage. hard to tell what the other instrument was, but probably a 'concertina' since it looked like a small accordion. while waiting in line i saw someone pouring beer out of a pitcher to some patrons. i got plenty with what i paid for, including a breadstick. the one thing i would have preferred is the jugs being labeled so one wouldn't have to guess what drink was in it. there was three, and i wanted water and it was on the left. another patron said try that one if i wanted water. i didn't stay long, after i got food i was out the door in ten minutes. i wanted to get to the science center and see a movie in the omni-theater but i didn't make it in time as i knew part of being there was finding parking first. i learned a valuable lesson and will try again next week. what i wrote down was 'do not turn on TV when i get home or go directly to the fish fry and do not go home at all'. considering the wait in line for food, this would have given me the ten extra minutes or so that i needed to find parking in downtown St. Paul. it was a 'young Sheldon' rerun, where the mom is mistaken for a student at Sheldon's college orientation. pastor jeff gets a motorcycle ride from the dad as the episode ends. during the college campus scenes, the song 'two princes' by spin doctors is playing. this show did have music playing way more often than 'big bang theory' ever did. anyway, after the science center was a no-go i just went to the Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. cashier thought it was a little odd that i wanted the paper, i said i still like reading it once a week. and i pay attention to the music while there. two songs i heard were Demi Lovato's 'heart attack' and then 'my city was gone' by the pretenders. at work there was two notable things. tech arrived in the morning, and we found out the problem with the inserter machine, was told it was 'hot product' after seeing the error message. this means just let it cool down a little between pulling it off the check printer and then running it through the machine. during that same time my boss tried to call me. it was about the ACH-PDF file. i did find two statements going to foreign lands but those did not 'go to the top'. during my walks i found 30 cents. 

march madness pizza party

 yet another food event at work during employee appreciation week, probably the final one for this week. it was the march madness pizza party. i went around midday to the main floor and showed my ticket as i had to register for it in advance. i had two slices of pepperoni, as well as some pink lemonade. i did shoot some hoops but it took a while to get two in. i chose a foldable frisbee with the bank's logo on it, along with the name of the building management company that co-sponsored the event. also notable about the day was the inserter machine. it threw the same error message nearly ninety times in the morning, then i shut it off and went to the pizza party. and much like many other days, i turn it on again a few hours later to 'close out the day' and it hums along just fine. over a hundred checks left over from the morning were run through in the afternoon. when i reported it to the tech, who is due back the next day, i said it was 'baffling to say the least'. after work i went over to a building i had visited for a member event last week and got a look at a limited-run exhibit that is closing in a few days. i got three pictures from the exhibit, one mentioned the Yellowstone River. my head hurt after being there as i wanted to read all of what i was seeing, as usual take a good look around. i am used to art exhibits being mostly pictures instead of words. not sure why this one was the opposite unless it's because book publishing is done there. i have already changed my weekend plans, but it was no big deal to do so as it was an event that i hadn't bought a ticket for just yet. i wanted to see a college baseball game at the u of m, but due to the weather report the schedule of the three-game series has been shifted, moved up. it became a single game today and a doubleheader on the next day, not important enough to me to knock off work for it. i will just go see a movie instead. after the exhibit i went to eat at the nearby Bobby and Steve's, a chicken dinner, likely the first time doing so there. usually, i just get a little godfather's pizza or a burger. then i went home on the light rail. during my walks i found 1 dollar 10 cents. 

potbelly sandwich

 more food events at work, and at lunchtime i went to claim a potbelly sandwich at the potluck as i knew the bank's management bought those. pretty good, i got a pizza melt. i liked getting in and out of that floor without anyone noticing i was there. then i ate it back in the shop, along with the typical goodies i bring, the little box of raisins along with some animal crackers. in the morning there was a food event as well, on a floor i hadn't been to before. there was fruit, bagels, and coffee, with caribou coffee cups. there was a request from a colleague to add a note on checks being sent inter-office, or inter-company, that the mailroom not image them in hopes they would arrive a little quicker. i let them know that i was fine with them being held for pick-up, and two of them i recognized from before the move showed up to pick up those two checks. i was seeing instant messages about how to get it done, including from the payroll boss. in the evening i went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery, dual citizen in St. Paul. some people there were fine to talk with, but near the end of the night one i found to be annoying and said, 'this conversation is going nowhere' and then i moved to another table. i didn't stay for long after that as it was past the event's time allotment anyway, i had more things to do at home. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny ruined Valentine's Day with her jealousy and Sheldon made Amy his emergency contact. it was followed by the one where Sheldon moved in order to keep penny's secret. it was a good one as raj, then Howard, dumped him on another friend by saying 'tag, you're it'. during my walks i found 75 cents. 

bagel, no plate

 the goodies for the day were bagels. i got to that floor a little earlier compared to the previous day. i used strawberry spread as the only other option seemed to be 'plain'. i saw no plates on the table, so i went to the nearby breakroom and got a paper towel for it. another activity around midday, another dial-in meeting, this time it was trivia. but i didn't dial into it at all. there was way more checks to print. there has been a plea to have more people sign up to bring a dish to share for a potluck. i haven't done many potlucks since i started there nearly five years ago. when there is mention of the company's management team bringing sandwiches i am more interested in having one of those. tech arrived to look at the inserter machine in the afternoon, but no jamming was happening. i had noticed it before, where it was happening in the morning but then i shut it off before lunch. then i turn it on again for the final run of the day and it hums along just fine. the tech spoke of making a return visit in the morning, on Friday, in hopes of 'catching it in the act'. because of the machine issues, i was behind on getting the overnight labels done and had to stay longer than i usually do to get them all done. i heard my phone ring before i made it home when i was at gas station. it was an Iowa number, and once i was home i checked it against saved numbers from text messages and noticed it was from my niece. when i made it home i asked 'how can i help?' and found out i am invited to an event next month for her kid. she spoke of what her kid likes, and some of those things i also liked when i was young like the cookie monster. during my walks i found 1 dollar 1 cent. 

employee appreciation week

 this week is all about employee appreciation week. there were donuts on another floor, i went to go see if there were any left once i had done some work for the day. i got a jelly donut and there wasn't much left by then, just four remaining after i chose mine. there was bingo on a dial-in meeting at midday but i closed out of it after ten minutes, wanting to stay ahead on my normal duties. there will be more activities throughout the week. when i checked the weekend box office i found out i had seen four movies in the top 35. besides 'eephus' over this weekend, also the Bob Dylan biopic, and two documentaries- 'October 8' and led zeppelin. i am probably going to theaters more often when i know that seeing it as a redbox rental is no longer an option. i was curious about what other cities had screenings for the baseball movie and no surprise how many of them were in the Boston area, where it was filmed. one of them is in Iowa, in Des Moines. and in St. Louis, a city i visit annually, it is at an arthouse theater near forest park. no surprise how the box office winners are often animated movies for kids. sometimes i those at theaters, but not too often. in the evening i went to perform, and did stories about the bank, seeing the baseball movie, and a bathroom mirror sign. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Howard and raj bought a 3-d printer. it was followed by the one where penny has a birthday party for Leonard, and penny goes to an electronics store with sheldon to try to find a gift. 

eephus movie

 this afternoon i went to see a movie, 'Eephus', at St. Anthony main in Minneapolis. this is a baseball movie. the funniest lines in the movie weren't from the players, but the umpires and spectators. i saw it as a farce, as the game continued even after the umpires left, and it got dark. as a big baseball fan i knew i would see it if it got a release to theaters. there were some quotes from greats such as branch rickey and Yogi Berra in the transitions, or the beginning of each 'chapter'. plenty of classic cars in it, including a Plymouth Road Runner and a Chevy Camaro IROC. and i noticed a General Electric boom box in the dugout. one spectator had a white nacho bowl at his table. i have some of those, i found them at baseball games and use them as cereal bowls. the premise was one last game between two 'beer league' teams before demolition of the venue. i did get a small popcorn and a small drinking cup, i put fruit punch in it. i picked up a card as well, it was all i could find to remind me about the upcoming film festival at this venue next month. although the card was about membership, instead of being about the festival. the movie is named after a rare pitch. i guess there were some notables that made cameos, although i was unfamiliar with most of the actors in it. the radio announcer happened to be a former red sox announcer, and bill 'spaceman' lee pitched one inning in the game, a former red sox pitcher. i have some of his cards. no surprise there, as usually the only role that a non-actor will play is themselves. i had lunch at Ikea, using a birthday offer, free cake. i had the meatball meal. i called an audible on which screening i attended, as i knew i didn't make it in time to find parking. i decided to go shop at Rosedale mall in Roseville, and attend the next screening, three hours later. i bought three items there. first was a dairy queen blizzard, the flavor of the month, mint Oreo. then there were some shoes-using two gift cards- at JC Penney. finally, a pack of baseball cards out of a vending machine. i said 'worth it!' about the cards as it was just five dollars. it was the cheapest item in the machine, likely due to being ones that were already two years old. i didn't do much after the movie, besides having pizza for the evening meal and doing the dishes. i did laundry in the morning. during my walks i found 1 dollar 1 cent. 

long days journey into night

 in the evening i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase from amazon, 'long day's journey into night'. i wanted to see it as Katharine Hepburn is in this film adaptation. i had read about Eugene O'Neill, who wrote this play, and seeing this movie i saw how much of it was inspired by gene's own life. this was no doubt true when we hear the background of the dad, mention of his being an actor and playing the same role for a long time because it paid really well. Katharine was good in this one, especially in scenes where she fell on the floor and struggled to get back into her chair. in one scene, i said 'guess she finally found the wedding dress she had spoken of'. other things that stuck with me were scenes when people drink from a liquor bottle and then replace it with water, then eventually the dad catches on to how it was watered down. another was when the dad tried to play a card game with his younger son and they ended up arguing, never really got the game started at all. i had heard of both actors playing the sons, but i recognized Jason Robards as the elder son better than Dean Stockwell as the younger one. the voice was familiar with Robards. in many cases, i said what was discussed by the family could be described as 'you can't handle the truth', a line from a different movie of course. this wasn't the only thing on the docket for the day. there was also going to a bar to see a basketball game before midday, in the national tournament. the Iowa women were playing Murray state, in the first round, in Oklahoma. i didn't make it in time for the start of the game, as i was at a copy store printing an event ticket. but it was near the end of the first quarter, so i didn't miss much. Iowa led by twelve at the half, and went on to win, 92-57. they really poured it on in the second half. i looked up one thing on my phone while there, about their opponent. Murray state is named after the Kentucky city the school is in, and it started as a normal school or teacher college. around halftime i ordered food, liked the mushroom and Swiss burger. also had some grain belt beer in the bottle. during my walks i found 96 cents. 

fool's errand?

 at work i started off with a weird i.m. it mentioned fire drills and i was lost as to how that pertained to me. then finally this man asked me to go to another floor and try to re-boot a computer so it could be used remotely. at least i said i wasn't on the same floor as the others on this team. i found out the floor was largely deserted, saw just one employee in a cube and there was someone handling the recycle bins. i was given limited information, was told it was near a whiteboard on wheels. i found a computer where it said 'press escape' but after i returned to the shop i found out that wasn't it. i made two more visits, after being given the two serial numbers to look for. i found just one of the two and was unable to re-boot it. i only had the time to work on it during the first two hours of the day, as i had my own normal duties to handle. it seemed like a fool's errand, but later in the day i was given points that i can put towards an amazon gift card. this was the first time in over a year where someone had sent me points. so, i guess i won't complain about trying to do something that wasn't my job. i know this can happen a lot when i am onsite all the time, unlike most of my colleagues who can work from home on many days. there was a quick dial-in meeting just before i went to lunch, mention of a function moving to our team and it means having to hire someone for it. i had done part of this function, handling the refund checks, during the pandemic. i was the one that overnighted these once a week to an office on the other side of the metro area. i liked how i got out of the office at a decent time. it still helps to do as many overnights as possible before i have to run the machine late in the day. i had to call an audible on what fish fry i attended. i tried going to the one at the Ukraine center, had done it as a take-out order before. i saw a line wrapping around the block, i parked. then i asked someone near the front of the line how long they'd been waiting, was told forty-five minutes. i said that don't work for me, i wanted to eat right away. i went to an Arby's and found a fish sandwich there. the fish was big, plenty of it sticking out from the bun. i made it back to the Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries after skipping a week. during my walks i found 1 dollar 41 cents. 

prop rod placement

 i ran my car into the shop after work and i had a question about prop rod placement. i am used to it on most cars i have owned being anchored down somewhere, except this one wasn't. the tech said it was fine to have it where i've decided to keep it. i guess it was supposed to be anchored down but something must have been broken over the years. i got a loaner so i can still get around until it is done. i didn't like waiting a week to run it in but i know there has been a wait at other shops i have been to as well. sometimes there is a personnel shortage. at work the overnight envelope volume was just over forty, but i like how there wasn't that many to do late in the day. i do my best to plow through and get most of them done before the late afternoon running of the inserter machine. and it helps when there is little or no overnight requests in the second i-pay file. this time there was one, but i recognized it as a label i had already created. three checks going to the Polk county sheriff in Des Moines, Iowa. and it became four, i like it when i am able to lump together as many checks as possible. for the second straight day i bought something at a nearby store during my lunchtime. today it was the skyway walk to the Walgreen, the previous day it was a shorter walk to the main floor for a sandwich and juice and a greeting card with turkeys on it. one check was set aside for in-person pick-up except i haven't heard from this colleague after sending the i.m. i even said when i go to lunch to ward off this colleague showing up when i know i wouldn't be in the shop. in the evening i had another can of Sapporo with the evening meal, and now there are four cans left from this six-pack i started with. during my walks i found 51 cents. 

bathing prohibited

i went to an event after work and after it had ended i used the bathroom. a sign on the mirror said that bathing and body washing was prohibited. this seemed weird to me. this was a member- or friend- event, and it included an open-mic for readers. i was on after a no-show, and did some poetry i had just written a week earlier about riding light rail. one reader after my turn did an excerpt about her son who had a drug problem, and she got choked up twice during her short time at the mic. i like the cheese and meat discs and crackers there, although i got a burger and some strawberry milk at the bobby and steve's after it was done and ate the burger on the walk to the light rail. the drink i had at the event was a mixed one, cranberry juice and ginger beer. i could taste the cranberry in it, haven't had ginger beer much before if at all. at work i had a check intercept request where the combined value of the three checks wouldn't even buy a fast-food meal. when i got home i tried watching the news but fell asleep and when i woke up, 'comics unleashed' was on. for once i recognized a guest that wasn't famous, it was Arizona Chicago. a few of her jokes sounded familiar, she is one of my 'ring of honor' photos. another guest was Jon Lovitz. during my walks i found 50 cents. 

cascading hoppers ended

 at work my vacation replacement was in the shop, and noticed the machine was stopping a lot. after some testing, it was decided to end the cascading of the hoppers as there was something wrong about the programming of it when the tech was in to set up the cascading. all about whatever gets the checks through the machine and out the door in a timely fashion. one business line responded to the list of tracking numbers i had sent, asking when those would be sent out as overnights. i said there is an early pick-up time given on the box, and i get them in the box as early as possible. those would likely get picked up later that day. having that question is just as annoying as when i am asked if two checks are being put in the same envelope. the team lead wanted to exchange phone numbers near the end of the day due to a senior leader telling us about the impending snowstorm. even though there are many days, snow or otherwise, when i don't see team members at all during my workday. and according to the weather report, it sounds like there will be some snow but not a blizzard. it was nice seeing the customer service boss when i was leaving the building, getting ready to take the light rail home. 'Night Court' was a rerun, involving a lie-detector test. during my walks i found 35 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Amy liked being taken of by Sheldon when she was sick, but she gets spanked when caught in a lie. it was followed by the one where Sheldon gets a new rival, a teenager from north korea. 

pitbull and bon jovi

when i was driving home from performing tonight, i heard a song on my car radio that was catchy. it was by Pitbull and Bon Jovi, a remix of 'it's my life', retitled 'now or never'.  as we all know, i like songs that say, 'it's my life'. it might have been the first time for me performing on St. Patrick's Day. i know it is not too often that i see an Irish flag brought to the entrance of a bar anyway. i liked hearing the show runner doing some Irish drinking songs, and it meant seeing some people join him onstage and drinking a Guinness. there was the lady that brings the Muppet getting onstage as well, she sang 'Danny boy'. it reminded me of the song being in my favorite movie, 'good will hunting', as well as a college choir singing it when i took a trip to Seattle many years ago. i tried to make it until the end of the show, but it was running late and i was tired so i left with two performers remaining. the people i knew had already performed. the comic with an alliterative name, an occasional visitor to this mic, led to me being mentioned when a third comic went up. it was said that i stay to watch other performers and this one did not. at work there was one small PDF file in the afternoon that was carried over to the next day as i got it printed late. i was trying to get caught up on creating overnight labels. and one ACH-PDF statement, a dozen pages, was carried over as well as i wanted to have more time to seatch for an envelope to send it in. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and howard feud over a parking space. it was followed by the one where the friends go to a 'planet of the apes' marathon when sheldon gets sick.