good, bad, brainy

 in the afternoon i went on a long walk around the neighborhood, first time in a while. i saw a little free library along the way and claimed a book from it. this was a scholastic book, likely meant for kids, but when i saw it as a history book i knew it was worth having. the main title was 'superstars of history' and after this it said, 'the good, the bad, and the brainy'. i had heard of many of these historical figures that are profiled in the book, but not all. when Franklin Roosevelt was profiled, i had to look up the mention of an assassination attempt, where it said the mayor of Chicago was killed. not mentioned by name in the book, but my online search yielded that this was Cermak. i knew that Cermak is the name of a road in the suburbs of Chicago, and in the city as well, during my time living there. i made it back from the walk in time to watch 'jeopardy', and i knew the final jeopardy answer, it was Yellowstone park, about UNESCO sites. in the morning i got some event tickets ordered. this included two St. Paul Saints baseball games in June, as well as a riverboat cruise in that same month. after the tickets were ordered, i saw a survey in my email from the team about the game i had just attended the day before. when i completed it there was another email, an offer on discounted tickets for select games for the rest of the season. except it was just for Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday, and i don't go on weeknights that much. there was another meetup event to attend, at a micro-brewery in the evening, wandering leaf. i chatted with a couple from Sweden, after seeing the 'cool dude' from another event last fall. i liked talking music with him, both then and at this event. i was a little late in getting to a mic to perform at due to this event as i was enjoying it enough. i did stories about my weekend activities, the bank, and an annoying facebook posting. during my walks i found 1 dollar 22 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard's mom died. it was followed by when we meet amy, as sheldon is blackmailed by a hidden dirty sock. 

fire and rain, james taylor

 this was a day of more than one activity, and music was a part of it. when i was leaving the St. Paul Saints baseball stadium after the fireworks show had ended, i heard the song 'fire and rain' by James Taylor. i said this was a good choice as a 'walking out song'. when i got home i looked it up, and found out one of the inspirations for the song was the suicide of the performer's friend. but i am aware of how performers and artists can create something beautiful when inspired by something awful. other inspirations mentioned were Taylor's drug addictions and dealing with fame. two other songs of note for the day were heard at the Saints stadium as well. there was 'titanium' by David Guetta and Sia, during the game. and there was 'rock in the USA' by John Mellencamp, during the fireworks. i am used to hearing a medley of songs that mention the USA or America during the fireworks shows for Memorial Day or the 4th of July. the game had just started when i arrived at the stadium, i walked around for much of it but before the 7th inning stretch i sat down in the general admission section. the Saints lost to Norfolk, 10-4, my third game attended this season. the Saints briefly took the lead, 4-1, on a grand slam. i am used to seeing the long ball fairly often in these Triple-A games as the players have to be good to make it this far. State Farm Insurance had a tent, much like last September, but i already had a bobblehead with my photo on it so i didn't need another one. i ate two hot dogs at the stadium, one was during the game. the other was from a food truck after the game had ended, waiting for the fireworks to begin. it was from 'dine-1-1', a converted ambulance, i had ordered food from them before. around midday i went to a meetup picnic in a park, the first of six for the summer season. i am probably not attending all six though, more likely just three. i had a hot dog there as well, so my total for the day was three. there were some that i enjoyed chatting with there, but some that i found to be annoying. memorable was a man who had the same name as a college in Iowa. i didn't stay long after i was done eating, played a little ladder golf and that was it. i wanted to rest a little before i went to the stadium. during my walks i found 60 cents. 

tronk, a journey home

 i went to a play in northeast Minneapolis in the afternoon, it was called 'Tronk, a journey home'. this was in the former grain belt complex, same building where i have the fringe festival training. the play was one floor above it. saw the invite on Facebook, sent by the meetup friend, the retired postal worker. this friend made it but arrived after the show began, but i figured he'd still be there when named before the show as a benefactor. the trunk, a big part of the story, was made possible by his donation. at first it was hard to understand the premise, but then i said it reminded me of the Marx brothers and the three stooges. most of the dialogue was gibberish, and before the show began i said i recognized one of the props as a clown horn. i printed a page in advance and wrote the driving directions on it. the show was described here as three bumbling adventurers are on a journey to find a new home, but the magical trunk they use to travel breaks down. after the show i got a look at my friend's car, it had a collector plate on it, a 1955 Dodge. also heard a story about buying another classic car, a Hudson. i spoke of two meetup events i am booked to attend this weekend, hopefully i will see him at one of them. i didn't go straight home after the show. i went to Roseville and had a dairy queen blizzard at the mall, then looked for a trench coat at some stores there and near it. nothing bought yet though. i didn't do much once i got home. i had the evening meal, some spaghetti, and went to get groceries at the Aldi. i watched the baseball game on fox, guardians beat the tigers. i got some things done in the morning as well. i went to the post office, two orders picked up. then i went to the French alliance and saw an art show in the gallery. no kidding on how it was called 'petits souvenirs', little memories in french. these artworks were small, thirty-two of them. i only got pictures of two of them, of the eiffel tower and arc de triomphe. then i went to have a sandwich at jersey mike's. durign my walks i found 1 dollar 28 cents. 

wolves in 5 shirt?

 i went to get groceries at the Hy-Vee in Eagan tonight and saw some t-wolves basketball shirts for sale near the front door. these said, 'wolves in five'. didn't buy one. also saw a sign next to it saying the supermarket chain is a sponsor of the team. no surprise how it is Memorial Day weekend that some patriotic balloons were on display. except one of them said '4th of July'. i got my typical needs there, including a box of twinkies for the meetup picnic i am doing this weekend. at work i stayed late as expected, wanting to see that things were caught up before my four days off, including one for an appointment. it meant some things were put in the shred bin and a list of recipients of tracking numbers for some overnighted checks was put on the wall. i was disgusted with the 'Eva app'. i spent an hour on it during my first attempt at getting a toner cartridge ordered for the small printer, to no avail. i was told to get the business line to order it, and they couldn't. i tried again and the ticket was opened right away and looks like the order has been placed. except the order still might be going to the former location. in spite of it all, i am thankful ti didn't leave me that far behind on doing the overnight labels as there was twenty of those for the day. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we hear embarrassing stories about all three ladies, including the story Amy wrote that was inspired by 'little house on the prairie'. it was followed by the one where we hear the story why the elevator is broken. 

chase the can

 no, not 'kick the can'. i ended up chasing a can across the street at the end of the workday as i went to wait for the light rail. guess it was being pushed along by the wind. i caught up with it after i had crossed and it went into the trash bin. notable about the day was doing the survey about my role. i wanted to stay caught up with my normal duties and i got around to it at the end of the day. there wasn't much time left to complete it, end of the week was the deadline. i had plenty of numbers at my disposal from spreadsheets and such so i wanted to have some of those numbers present. there weren't many things i could select when looking at the duties represented. i mostly print checks so that one was there, along with 'researching exceptions'- i consider that to be the 'pull and shred' as well as check copy requests. i wrote as much as i was allowed to in the space provided about what i do. i even said that i know i do a lot for the bank and take pride in what i do. there was a spike in the overnight volume, just over fifty. somehow i got them all in the box by the given pick-up time though. i drank the can of goose island with the evening meal so now four beers are waiting. during my walks i found 1 cent. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when Sheldon had a houseguest, 'dr. slut-bunny'. 

puppy day

 and there was another event of note at work. it was puppy day. i wanted to stay caught up on work but i got to the venue for 'puppy day' about midway through the time allotment of ninety minutes. when i got there i said 'what are you doing here?' to a dude i recognized from the comedy circuit. found out the dude worked for the animal rescue organization that brought in the puppies. i held one of them and a lady said it was cute so i got a picture sent via text message. i was told the puppy had fallen asleep in my arms. the tricky thing was finding the right set of elevators. i went to the main floor and the first one i tried wasn't it. looks like those just went to the basement. i went to the skyway level and tried another set, and that got me where i wanted to go. first time in the south tower for me. the dude was wearing a Mets baseball hat and i said i recall us doing a Timberwolves game as part of a job fair many years ago. i called that 'my time in the wilderness' as i like working at the bank. i was there for about twenty minutes and i figured that was long enough as i had more work to do. the dude did get a pic of us on his camera phone and i am wondering if that will be posted on 'the book'. i also heard about a show he's doing this summer at a micro-brewery. but as we all know, just being in the crowd isn't good enough for me. i would want stage time if i go there. vacation replacement was in the shop near the end of the day. i said i hadn't done the big survey yet about my role but i knew we have two days left to complete it. i was told it didn't take long, just under thirty minutes. it means trying to set up a block of time to get it done, probably in the morning, even if it means delaying the check printing a little. looks like i now have plenty of things lined up for next week on a day off for an appointment. there is also picking up the gift card from the credit union, an oil change for the car, and lunch at the mall. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the ladies went shopping while the dudes waited for them and ended up crying. amy got to do basket weaving as well. it was followed by the one where sheldon has dinner with the dudes, but also with penny, after being chased by a dog. 

picture day

 at work there were plenty of postings around the building, including the elevators, about picture day. i got it done after a 'team huddle' as i figured it was the best time to do so before returning to the shop. it didn't take long, just had to go to the main floor and i go there to transfer elevators anyway. i am told i will be sent a link to add the photo to my profile in the employee directory, but not sure when. even though i have a photo on my ID badge there isn't one currently in the directory. the bank is paying for the pictures, which made it easier to do. i did another re-boot on the inserter machine as i was seeing issues about a blank screen. this time i looked at the cord and shoved it in a little farther, so hopefully that takes care of things for a while. wondering if vibrating of the machine was causing it. overnight volume was a little higher, over thirty, but i was able to get most of the labels created before the afternoon run of the inserter machine. it is nice to get out close to the normal leave time, although i knew i had to get to the gas station first so i knew my priorities. it meant not seeing a full 'young Sheldon' rerun. in the morning i saw how people prepare differently for the weather as it is still rainy. some had umbrellas and trench coats, but i also saw one dude with no coat on at all. my rain jacket with a hood, given by a former employer, works fine except it is kind of short, barely going below the waist. i did some searching online and it looks like there are some affordable trench coats at various stores, i would want one that at least goes to the knee. i have bought coats at resale shops, so it doesn't have to be bought new. during my walks i found 3 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon ended 'fun with flags', then brought it back, opening a champagne bottle. it was followed by the one where Wil Wheaton breaks up Leonard and penny to win a bowling match. 

gift card, phone tag

 i was checking my phone during lunch and found out i was a prize winner from the credit union event last week. it is a gift card. voicemail said it could be mailed to me or i can pick it up from a branch, i prefer the latter. i left a voicemail about an hour after hearing it, when i had a little downtime at work, so i guess we are playing phone tag about it. at work i liked how the overnight volume stayed fairly low, just under thirty. it was aided by having none in the second i-pay file. one odd thing was the screen on the inserter machine going dark in the morning, but it was still running so i left it alone until all of the checks were run through. then i switched off the power source in the back and turned it back on, hopefully the reboot works for a while. i didn't have another problem with it for the rest of the day. vacation replacement heard about it and wondered if it was caused by a loose cord somewhere. i continued the search for two checks that was a carryover from late Friday, neither one was found. based on the given check numbers, i didn't expect to find them either, even with payee names given. then my boss responded and said those weren't going to be there, so I'm not sure why i had been added to the thread. in the evening i went to perform. i spoke of going to doors open, winning a gift card, a bank story, and a show i attended. i even started off with a reference to a folk singer who went before me, saying it almost sounded like he'd be playing a song by america, 'lonely people'. it was a rainy night. during my walks i found 53 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard got surgery to end his snoring, and sheldon said 'take me to leonard'. it was followed by the one where sheldon got an award and gave a speech while drunk. 

streetcar museum, lakewood cemetery

 i made it to two more venues on day two of the doors open event. in the morning it was the streetcar museum. riding the streetcar was just $3 and when i stepped off at the end of the ride i said 'worth it!' i bought two postcards as well, being careful on what to get as i knew i had already bought some on a visit to another railroad museum. i liked seeing the vintage ads inside the car, we were told those were actually replicas. there were ads for Hamm's beer as well as grain belt that i got pictures of. we also got a look at the machine shop, and the library. when this was done i went home to have lunch, a pot pie and some TGI Friday's potato skins. i rested a little as well, then ventured out again for the fourth and final venue on my list. this was the Lakewood cemetery. i went to the welcome center first and i liked having some cookies and water. i got a flyer at the front desk, later noticing it was from last year but not a big deal. then i took a walk and during it i first found where politician Hubert Humphrey is buried. then i walked some more and found the chapel, where the doors open volunteers- and the people counter-were. the chapel is on the national register of historic places. then i saw the ribbon tree near it, as well as two mausoleums. there were some stained-glass windows with bible verses on them in one of these. then i drove to uptown and got some ice cream at the McDonald's and walked past the lagoon movie theater. it was hard to find showtimes for this theater online, some mention of renovation, but when i walked past there were some people inside and movie posters up and times given. although there was nothing of interest to me showing at this time. then i went home and had the evening meal, a pizza. 'The Simpsons' was about Bart and Lisa watching the cartoon 'itchy and scratchy' as well as homer being rescued from Florida. during my walks i found 63 cents. 

house of balls, doors open

 this is 'doors open' weekend in Minneapolis. i had an ambitious plan of seeing four venues in two days. i started off with seeing the 'house of balls', next to a light rail stop, this morning. this is an art studio that specializes in turning junk into art. a standout was framed art saying, 'welcome to America' and it was red, white and blue, depicting a flag, made out of shell casings. i also recognized one artwork that was made out of a wringer washer, probably a Maytag. it was round instead of boxy though. once this was done it was midday, and i made my way to Eagan where i ate at Cane's chicken as it was lunchtime. then on to a Baskin Robbins, which shares the building with a Dunkin Donuts. i had some ice cream there, two scoops, first time at this place in a while. i saw it a lot when going to get groceries at the nearby Hy-Vee, first time inside this location. i spoke of going to one in my hometown when i was young. then i made my way back to do more touring. it was a maintenance facility for the public works bureau. it was cool to see all kinds of vehicles on display. one was for the swat team and another for the bomb squad, as well as a fire engine. when i got home i wasn't there for all that long. i had the evening meal, then i got groceries at the Aldi, and then off to see a play at the history theater in downtown St. Paul. it was called 'whoa nellie', it was supposed to be a biography of a lady con artist. it left a lot to be desired, for one thing only revealing she was a child actress at the end. there were microphone problems as well, and i didn't care for the 'presentism' analysis of life in the 19th century. people lived differently back then, we already knew that. show started more than ten minutes late, and there were announcements that included a plea to 'support the arts because it is under attack'. um, you're preaching to the choir. i did see the list of shows for next season and the one about the winter carnival interests me. during my walks i found 36 cents. 

so long, woody guthrie

 when i logged onto YouTube tonight, i saw a Woody Guthrie song, 'so long' (it's been good to know you). not sure why it was there, aside from choosing some Bob Dylan songs recently after seeing the Bob Dylan biopic. this did answer one long-dormant question though. i recall when a Des Moines newspaper published its final edition and this is what was on the headline. i guess we choose things all the time that have resonance, and a popular movie, tv show, or song title will fit this description. another title was 'dusty old dust', i know this was in reference to the 'dust bowl' during the great depression. there is also mention of the library of congress recordings. i know one of his songs, 'this land is your land', was on the soundtrack to a favorite movie of mine, 'up in the air', albeit performed by someone else. at work i did some exploring in the skyway at the end of my lunchtime. i walked down a part of the skyway i don't see much, saw a cookie place but there was no coffee, so i kept walking. i turned to a building i hadn't seen before and stopped at a convenience store. i found a bottle of Dunkin donuts coffee and one of those Smucker's un-crustable peanut butter sandwiches. in the morning there was an instant message sent before i had arrived for the day. it was about scanning and forwarding a reject fax from another floor. i said i like to get the PDF check files printed before i leave the shop. also, how i had been handling it on Fridays for a month now, and no one needs to tell me to send it unless it isn't in the shared box by 9am. i got it done before 9am. in the evening i went to do grocery shopping at the Hy-Vee in Eagan. i saw someone who looked a lot like an old friend from the comedy circuit, the big dog, but i knew it wasn't him. this dude had the 'woodman' (not tin man) look with facial hair and a winter hat. then i liked how i was recognized by the cashier, who had helped me before, and was asked what i was doing for the weekend. when i got home i watched some of the united football league game on fox, Memphis at San Antonio. it was tied at 20 at the end of regulation, i decided to watch the news on another channel, found out Memphis won. still not much of a crowd though. during my walks i found 60 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends had a prom, and it had the same amount of drama as a real prom. it was followed by the one where the friends act out their version of 'lord of the rings' by fighting over a ring. 

go to the stairwell

 there was a tornado warning in the afternoon, and my boss was in the shop doing some meetings when this happened. i said 'does this mean we need to move?' when i heard the siren. we took the elevator to another floor where the rest of my colleagues are and went to the stairwell as there are no windows in there. i said i was taking my phone with me, and the phone did say the tornado warning wouldn't last long, about twenty minutes. i was moved to this building just under five months ago and i think it was the first time i had been in any of the stairwells as i am usually taking the elevators when i need to get somewhere. i said it was a good thing that i had plenty of the overnight labels done by then as the emergency didn't put me all that far behind on my work. i still was back to work in time to get the afternoon checks run through the machine and make the delivery of two mail tubs at the end of the day. not all overnighted checks went out same day as there was just over fifty, but well over half of them were in the box by the pick-up time. in the morning i did my walk to Walgreen and there was more this time in the refrigerated aisle. i got a bottle of Starbucks coffee and some cookies. i am thankful i saw a different cashier this time on the upper level as i likely would have avoided that grouch if he was there this time. i drank the can of Sapporo with the evening meal and got two cans from the nearby liquor store so now five beers are waiting. i bought a surly, and a Michelob. i also saw invites for six picnics through meetup. i was wondering if there was going to be one for Memorial Day but it finally was scheduled. probably not going to all six though, as i like my proximity. right now, i am only signed up for the one on memorial day but will likely sign up for others closer to when they are happening. no need to sign up too early as the others are over a month away, and the final one in the series is labor say. during my walks i found 1 dollar 77 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when billy bob thornton was a guest star, followed by when stan lee was a guest star. 

tax survey

 i do online surveys for the airline miles. tonight, i did one that was largely about taxes. i answered 'don't know' to many of them as i don't know much about taxes. i pay whatever i am told to pay and it is hard to answer what the tax rates should be for small businesses when i don't own one. i completed the survey and got the full allotment of points, so i can't complain too much about it. on many surveys i do not qualify and get booted early, getting only the minimum allowed as a 'thank you for your time'. i fell asleep when watching the news and when i woke up, '48 hours' was on. i was in the other room so i could only hear it but i knew it was about a Georgia cop who got life in prison for the murder of his wife. i probably should have gotten up a lot earlier in the program to turn it off but i was too comfortable in the laying down position. i got up to shut it off at the end of the program though. at work i was asked to print test checks during the first hour of the day, and it led to a meeting about it to be canceled which didn't bother me any. the fewer meetings, the better. still a day behind on the Fargo checks being sent to us, so a backlog of just over a thousand will be run through the next morning as it was a high-volume day. i sent out three mail tubs so i sent out as much as i could while balancing things such as the time needed to do the overnight labels. it was nice to get all of the overnights in the box a little early, as it meant i could leave close to my scheduled leave time for the day. during my walks i found 83 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and raj tried a mining simulation and it didn't last long. it was followed by the one where leonard goes to switzerland on valentines day but takes raj as penny is ill.  

urban growler brewery

after work i went to an event at urban growler brewery in St. Paul, first time there. not that easy to find as it was in the warehouse district and the MapQuest directions weren't good enough. when i arrived i cared a lot about getting food as there was some available. i liked the meatballs as well as the fries and tater tots. i had a small ham sandwich as well. i liked how the event's sponsor, the credit union that i am a member of, gave me a drink ticket. i had a passport to complete and it went into a box for drawings. one of the prizes is St. Paul Saints baseball tickets. i picked up a chip clip as well as a beer cozy. both of these items has the credit union's logo on it. i spoke of attending events at various micro breweries due to a meetup group i am in, not sure why i hadn't been there before. when i see the event coordinator again i will see if this one is on the radar. i know there may not be enough parking but the 'barrel room' we were in is likely big enough for our crowd. i didn't do much after the event. at work i was asked to log into the test check printing system by an I.T. rep to see if a password worked that i was given, and it did. guess i will be using it the next day during a meeting. most of the overnight envelopes were in the box before pick-up time, a few more were sent there when i left for the day. i got a bounce-back on a check copy request, was told it was an encoding error that led to a future date being on the check. i did a search by payee name and let the requestor know that no other checks had been issued, so far just the two that were requested earlier. during my walks i found 51 cents.

not my pepsi bottle

 when i went to perform in the evening, i saw a nearly full bottle of Pepsi on the bar and when i ordered my drink i said 'it wasn't my Pepsi'. as usual i got a beer. i did jokes about a posting on a Facebook singles site, my visit to a Walgreen, the bank's breakroom, a three-movie weekend, and a meetup event. i also gave my take on a line in a story from an earlier performer, reminding me of family. i was tired and left for home shortly before the show ended. at work i was surprised to see vacation replacement, as an email said my colleague would be working from home for the day. but then, upon arrival, i am told that his family is going to Wisconsin to see 'house on the rock' and working from home would be moved back a day. also, something about the family using his SUV, I've heard about that happening before. some Fargo check files arrived, but only one day's worth so still a day behind. i knew this because of the dates on the checks. in the afternoon i saw an email from the team lead in customer service about a check, and it was in the second i-pay file for the day. looked like this colleague was already out for the day by then so i said i would go to that floor to deliver it the next morning. during my walks i found 1 dollar, all in quarters. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends talked about investing in Stuart's comic bookstore, after visiting another store. it was followed by the one where we hear 'intruder alert' after an anti-burglar device is activated on Sheldon and Sheldon then tries to move to Montana. 

king of kings movie

 it was a two-movie day and i got started kind of early, went to see 'king of kings' in Lakeville. i am not that religious but i noticed who was in the voice cast and said it is worth seeing. this included Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, and Pierce Brosnan. it was more than just a story about Christ as it was also about the storyteller, author Charles Dickens. the author was telling the story to his young son. i wiped away a tear during the scene depicting 'let he who is without sin cast the first stone'. why, i don't know. i think this movie was produced or distributed by the same company as the one i saw on super bowl Sunday, about the teenager that was adopted by his teacher. i say this because both asked for donations in the closing credits 'in order to increase the reach of the movie'. after it was done i found a quick lunch at the speedway gas station nearby. then i drove to the cracker barrel store, four miles north on I-35. i bought a patriotic shirt to replace the one that I've had for over a decade. this one has one big flag on it instead of plenty of small ones and has text from the declaration of independence as well. then i drove the rest of the way home. in the evening i went to the Trylon and saw 'hardcore', starring George c. Scott. it was part of the Peter Boyle series. shortly after it had finished i said it was 'sobering, to say the least'. because it was about a private eye, played by Boyle, hired to find a missing girl, and she was discovered in a porn film. then her religious dad tries to find her, and it shows quite a bit of the sex industry along the way. there was a promo before the feature presentation about another series coming up, 'bleak week', in June. i will have to see if there are any in that series that interest me. during my walks i found 51 cents. 

a new leaf movie

 in the evening i went to the Trylon cinema and saw 'a new leaf'. no surprise how i liked the leading man, Walter Matthau, more than the leading lady, Elaine May. the lady was clumsy, and slapstick doesn't do anything for me. i did recognize Doris Roberts in it, as one of the lady's staff. i noticed Conrad Bain, Mr. Drummond from 'different strokes', in the wedding scene but that actor was un-credited as it was a non-speaking part. the premise wasn't the best one, but i still grew to like the story. a playboy who has no inheritance left and must marry to avoid selling all he owns to pay debts, at the outset doesn't sound appealing. but i had seen other movies starring Matthau and figured it was still worth seeing. and i get it where the title is derived from, as the leading man 'turned over a new leaf' by taking care of his wife. even though the plans at first were to kill her for her money. because he takes over her finances and fired her dishonest staff. along with her being a botanist and discovering a new fern. this was the proverbial 'double entendre'. i didn't do much after the movie, stopping at a Walgreen on the way home. i noticed a Sport clips i have had haircuts from has closed, parked near it. best indicator from a distance was seeing the letters gone from the outside. but i knew it was closed for a while after the pandemic began. i did plenty before the movie, though. in the morning i went to the post office and picked up two orders. one of them was a little golden book about basketball player Caitlin Clark. then it was on to downtown St. Paul and a meetup event at union depot, in a place that doubles as a coffee shop and a bike shop. i not only got coffee, but also a pastry and three postcards. first coffee event in this group mainly known for going to micro-breweries. after sitting down to eat the pastry, i liked chatting with an archaeologist, who i think had just moved here. i pointed out where the bathroom was near the end of the event. then i went down to track level and found the snoopy statue. i had only paid for parking for an hour and a half so i knew it was time to get back to my car and leave. it was past midday, so it was also time to get lunch, and i went to get a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. after it i watched some of a united football league game, Michigan stunned Arlington, scoring the tying touchdown after calling timeout with one second left, then a one-point conversion. then eventually i was off to Aldi for groceries. during my walks i found 4 dollars 77 cents, and three dollars worth of those quarters paid for the cup of popcorn i had at the movie in the evening. 

billboard greeting card

 in the morning i did a walk over to the Walgreen in the skyway and got a bottle of tea and some cookies. i liked seeing a greeting card as well and bought it, too. it depicts a billboard saying, 'you are human, loveable, strong, and enough'. it says the creator spreads a message of hope on billboards in Kansas City and beyond. makes sense when it is a hallmark card, which is based in Kansas City. i let the cashier know i would prefer getting bottles of coffee but didn't see any, don't know why the dude was acting disgusted with me. i moved up this walk as there was a dial-in meeting scheduled about test check printing, guess more will be happening next week. the Fargo check files did not arrive at all, and it didn't hear anything from the business line when asking about it. the PDF checks now have some email verbiage on them, as of the midday i-pay file. i guess it is a way of encouraging payees to switch to something besides checks. in the evening i went to get groceries at Hy-Vee in Eagan. first stop was the liquor store next to it, and i picked up a can of Paulaner so now there are four beers waiting. i listened to some of the Saints baseball game on the radio, but they were way behind, against buffalo. when i got home i watched some of the united football league game on fox, D.C. was playing at San Antonio. i fell asleep during the fourth quarter but later found out D.C. won. during my walks i found 52 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Howard tried to throw out a first pitch at an Angels baseball game. it was followed by the one where Sheldon gets incredible hulk hands when agreeing to go on a double date with raj. i also found out 'night court', a show i had been watching, has been canceled. guess the ratings just weren't there. i also looked at the venues for the upcoming 'doors open' event, just over a week away, and found four venues of interest to me. two others i can see outside of the event, and there were two that i had to eliminate as tickets were required for the tours and were already sold out. 

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.