our lady of lourdes keepsake

 when i was walking to my car in the morning to get to work i picked up what looked like six coins. but later on, i found out it was just five. one of them was the size of a dime, and a religious keepsake. on one side it said, 'our lady of lourdes' and the other said 'pope paul vi'. i may not be catholic, but i am a history major and i know saints are a big part of the history of the catholic church. this one is from france. i looked it up on my phone when i was taking the light rail to work. at work it was another challenging day. the fargo file was big for a friday, due to month end maybe? and i had an issue with the inserter machine again, different error message this time. but it still meant re-calibrating sensors worked just fine. actually, i had to do so twice, was advised to try this when i called for remote help. then the tech said he'd call later in the day. i said i needed to deliver the regular mail tubs first, and by the time the call happened i didn't have much left to do. there were just some overnight labels to create. i did say the tax forms i am running through may be a factor, since i did just over a thousand for the day. and i am aware of how this machine doesn't seem to do as well with copy paper as it does with check stock. in the evening i went to the hy-vee in eagan for groceries. first stop was to their adjacent liquor store. i bought a can of paulaner so now there are four beers waiting. during my walks i found 78 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when priya said she was moving back to india. i think this was a season finale. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy return from their honeymoon and go on a scavenger hunt. 

mutual ugh day

 in the afternoon i got an i.m. from somebody i didn't know. guess this is who calls for a courier for our tax specialist. it was an apology for the courier being late. courier arrived as i was getting back from having lunch in the breakroom, then i went over to the walgreen and got a bottle of iced coffee and some cookies. no ice cream candy bar so it meant lining up alternate plans. not a big deal to me on the late arrival. in fact, it was just as well as around midday i was on the phone with a tech about the inserter machine. found out there is another section of the machine where i can re-calibrate the sensors, the tower part. then i was able to get more checks run through. still a backlog, but it is now smaller than the previous day. i consider my goal of a thousand tax forms to be run through each day as being met, even though the machine said it was just under that. i still had to stuff some envelopes manually due to jams. another i.m. was from a home-based employee, near the end of the day, who said the business line name on the fargo checks was wrong. this would be in terms of how it reads in the return address section. i said you'd have to go to the fargo team about it as i just print them, i don't approve them. same rep said she had already contacted that team and said it couldn't be changed, so i don't know why i was contacted about it then. oh, as for the lady who apologized to me, when i explained the machine issues i was having, she said it was a 'mutual ugh day'. hadn't heard of that before but i guess it fits. i drank the bottle of summit with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. during my walks i found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard's mom was in the hospital. i have named it as my favorite episode, even though i noticed amy isn't in this one. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy are on their honeymoon in new york city. 

post-dated checks

a manager from a business line i had dealt with before, really demanding, wanted to know when i was going to fix a problem with over a hundred post-dated checks from last week. i said i print them but don't approve them. then i got an i.t. rep involved, and i was vindicated, and this was the last i had heard of it. i think the dude figured i was on the hook for it as i had overnighted some checks from that file. it should have been dated January of this year but was dated for December, a big difference. vacation replacement stated by email being ill and signing off for the day mid-morning. i did just over a thousand tax forms for payroll. more than half were Oregon, then i got started on Illinois. envelopes are not great, and some were not sealing and of course jamming the machine. so, some had to be manually stuffed. i did hear from the loft literary center and i guess there is a member/friend event coming soon enough. i have enjoyed doing those before. looks like both of the Oscar-nominated movies i would like to see will be back in theaters soon, can see both this weekend. not many screenings but only need one. and the best game plan is to do one per day. might have to adjust my typical meal schedule, in the case of one it would mean moving up the evening meal a little. but not a big deal, i have done it before. during my walks i found 2 dollars 10 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Bernadette tried to be a double agent on a double date to find out more about Priya, but she got it wrong about penny's fake boyfriend. it was followed by the one where Mark Hamill was a guest star as he became the officiant at Sheldon and Amy's wedding. i clapped when penny stood up to Amy's mom. probably had done this before when seeing this episode. 

next tax forms batch

 the next batch of tax forms to send out for payroll arrived. three different states were in it, smallest volume is oregon, under a thousand. sounds like three thousand in all. i said i would do as many as possible the next morning. the boss was in the shop and was copied on an email from the canada office. it was asking us to send out forms for them, response was due to their machine not working. the boss responded and advised that office to contact the mailroom about it. vacation replacement was not in, was ill and decided to work from home. i spoke of a returned check arriving for our team and was told it would be handled the next day. there was two in the blue company envelope. the other was an oregon check, and i decided to send three oregon checks, including that one, in an envelope to another office as i do that once a week. saw a message in my hotmail account about my membership with the loft literary center, and i  responded to it this time. i didn't when i was asked 'how are things?' in late october when i would have had more time to do an online chat as i had days off to use at year-end. i asked if there would be another member/friend event soon as i like attending those. tried doing surveys for airline miles but the site just wasn't functioning well so i guess i have to wait for another day for that. during my walks i found 14 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we see amy's smoking monkey. sheldon and amy kiss and then amy vomits. it was followed by the one where sheldon and leonard go to texas, and we meet sheldon's brother, george, at his tire shop. 

platitude tirade

 i had more energy than typical in my set this evening. it started off with a tirade about platitudes. this was prompted by the show runner's set mentioning this word. i even referred to an episode of 'facts of life' where i had heard this word. this wasn't part of the set i wrote out in advance, but it set the tone and i liked how this one went. but i am aware of how i tend to have better sets when i talk about things that annoy me. this included the meetup event this weekend that 'left a lot to be desired'. the show started late, and the official start time will likely be moved back, effective next month. it is still ending early, fewer performers so far. we were about to get to having Kermit onstage and singing 'rainbow connection', then three more people performed. this included the fancy comic, who gave me shout-out in his set. i had to tell someone so i sent a text to Yemen native. at work it was a fairly low volume day all around. there was just under twenty overnight labels to do. vacation replacement was in the shop for most of the day. tax forms for payroll were run through the machine in the morning, just under a thousand. during my walks i found 3 dollars 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were both about marriage. howard proposes to bernadette. it was followed by the one where amy searches for a wedding dress. sheldon goes to las vegas and is escorted out of a casino by a pit boss and two guards. 

babygirl movie

 went to see a movie in inver grove heights, it was 'babygirl', an early screening that began at 11am. i recognized Nicole Kidman in it. this was about a CEO that has an affair with her intern. Antonio Banderas plays her husband, a director of live theater. i laughed when i saw a sign in her husband's theater saying, 'leave the drama on the stage'. surprised me a little to hear two songs in this movie that were released decades ago. it was 'never tear us apart' by INXS, and 'father figure' by George Michael. guess it fit the story they were trying to tell. after the movie it was time for lunch, so i walked over to the nearby speedway gas station and got a sandwich. i ate it and the peanut butter cookie and some taco-flavored chips in the car, then i drove home. good timing on what song was playing on my car radio when i was en route, it was Al Green's cover of REM's 'everybody hurts'. the first of the two football games of the day had already started, eagles went on to win handily over the commanders. eagles led by eighteen with ten minutes left, i turned it off as i wanted to listen to a john wayne CD i had bought at a resale shop. found out the eagles scored twice more. then the chiefs beat the bills in a close one, so now the super bowl matchup is set. i didn't get started on the dishes until after the second game was over. i also logged on to linkedin after getting an email suggesting i add a contact. didn't add that one but another one, and cut four so now i am down to under fifty. i still believe in relevance on my online activity. during my walks i found 26 cents. 

northstar tavern

 in the evening i did a meetup event, at north star tavern in Bloomington. i was delayed on getting there as i made a wrong turn after getting off the interstate. good thing i wrote down landmarks as i knew i was close when i saw the lunds and byerlys grocery store. i am aware that some enjoyed their time, but i did not. it left a lot to be desired due to who i was sat next to. it was a lady that kept telling me to read some book after hearing i had majored in history. and she wasn't listening to me at all as i said, based on her one-sentence description of it, that i wouldn't enjoy it at all. i figured it was done when i went to the bathroom after paying the check, but she tracked me down and then showed me a text message on her phone showing me the title. i still said 'no', and my attitude is that talk is cheap. i didn't see her offering to buy me a copy of it. and seeing the text told me she likely hadn't even read it herself. there was also some dude who kept going on and on about the evils of bitcoin, and how he didn't like the president, among other things. this was another thing that i could have done without. this was my third event with this group, and i will likely hesitate before signing up for another one of their events. i liked doing bowling, but the other two, not so much. i drove home and watched a DVD movie, another recent purchase, it was 'night at the museum'. loved it, probably hadn't seen it since it was at theaters. this included robin williams as teddy roosevelt, of course. i bought five discs recently and there are two of them that i have yet to watch. i did some things in the morning and afternoon as well. there was the stop at the post office, one order was picked up. then on to the capitol to drop off recycle. then to the copy store to print an event ticket for next month. by then it was time for lunch, i stopped at a speedway gas station and got a chili cheese dog. then it was on to the st. paul winter carnival. good thing i ate before going, as there was just one food stand at rice park, and it sold corn dogs. i already had some of those this week. great seeing the ice sculptures there, some of them were still being worked on. i went inside the nearby landmark center as well, but mainly to use the bathroom. while still downtown i went to candyland and got some popcorn. when i got home i got groceries at aldi. during my walks i found 3 dollars 26 cents. 

kar's trail mix

 sometimes i get snacks from the vending machine at work. recently this has been kar's trail mix fairly often. i liked seeing the story of the company on the back of the package, starting out selling nuts outside tiger stadium in Detroit in 1933. this week i got the cranberry almond delight. it has peanuts, dried cranberries, and almonds. i like this more than the one that has seeds in it. i am still noticing not only a slightly different lineup of snacks offered in the vending machines i have found, but also a difference on price. i go a floor below where i work, taking the stairs inside the breakroom, and get them there where it is a dollar cheaper. sometimes i also get a Kellogg nutri-grain bar, lower calories. the boss was in the shop in the morning and helped with getting the laptop ordered when the pop-up arrived. sounds like i.t. was able to get the ship-to address changed to the downtown office where i am now based. the first of the tax forms arrived, i said those would be done early next week. easier to do in the morning when there are no check files to print. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. i liked seeing some metallic balloons with smiling faces on them for various fruits. i bought two boxes of Chex cereal and finally noticed the variation on the lettering between the regular-marked boxes and the ones with the charlie brown characters on them. there still are some with charlie on the box, the corn-flavored kind. this was one of the two i bought, the other was peanut butter. i also got a look at the tax form sent by the credit union. no surprise how the interest rate yield was way higher on the certificate of deposit. for the year, the interest payments on the savings account was well under a dollar. this was something i realized a while back, and decided to start moving as much as i could into a certificate. still pleased how i have already more than doubled the amount in there since i opened it over four years ago. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny kicked a man in the groin for sheldon and said 'give him his stuff back'. it was also when bernadette said 'that bitch' about priya. it was followed by the one where we meet denise, who works in the comic book shop. 

inbound, pumpkin ale

 this evening i had the can of inbound, pumpkin ale, with my meal. i recognized this as the brewery i was going to attend a book fair at this month but the line was too long to get in. found this one in the discount cart at the nearby liquor store. it says it is a 'samuin harvest'. couldn't find anything under that word but i did for 'samhain', the Irish or Gaelic celebration of Halloween. it is called an 'autumnal treat'. i also got a can of bud ice so there still are four beers waiting. at work there was a pop-up less than an hour after logging on in the morning about ordering a new laptop. i pressed 'remind me the next day' and notified my boss about it. i was told to say something when it shows up again the next day. i also saw three separate emails asking for a total of twenty-five checks to be overnighted. except one is slated to go to a p.o. box. the companion file wasn't ready by the end of the day, was told due to server issues. i can only send out what i get, i know i have said it before. during my walks i found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when priya told leonard to cut the cord with penny. it was followed by the one where the friends go see dr. wolcott in the woods, while amy gets drunk and passes out early at her bachelorette party. 

delta skymiles anniversary

 i saw an email in my Hotmail account saying it was my anniversary for delta SkyMiles. of course, when i started it was a northwest airlines account. i have had it for 20 years. it is one of three frequent flyer accounts that i have with airlines, the others being American, and southwest. this serves as a good reminder of checking the miles balance on all three soon. i know American has the most by far. i am still adding to all three periodically. when i get sandwiches at jersey mike's those miles go to delta. and most of the online surveys i do go to southwest. i do surveys with American once a month so the two-year period continues to start over as i understand that miles expire after two years of inactivity. there was an old commercial on TV that said, 'you have a frequent flyer account, but don't fly frequently'. that describes me. i see it as hedging my bets, where if i am flying then the miles should go somewhere. i know one reason why the American airlines account has more miles is that i have done free trips with the other two, but not that one, in a while. i do see offers for credit cards from some of these, but i don't need another one. at work the boss was in the shop for part of the day but left for an appointment in the afternoon. i asked about getting my location updated in the employee directory. it was hard to tell, but one thing seemed to say it would be changed effective sunday. guess if i need to do more, then i will be notified. i was told by a branch manager about updating through workday, where my timecard is. i would prefer that over going to the 'not much help desk'. a business line said their address is changing, from kansas city to overland park. i recognized the new one, as it is the same as two other business lines i handle. this means the 'hub strategy' that led to me moving a month ago is happening in other metro areas as expected. during my walks i found 2 dollars 12 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon said his new friends 'were having fun wrong' so he went to see his friends, who were over at raj and priya's place. it was followed by the one where sheldon, as leader of the tenant association, had a food truck move. 

alternate printer

 i liked getting caught up on the overnight labels before deciding to go to lunch, over twenty of them. but then i found out the secure printers were down. this meant re-printing with the alternate printer, the check printer, and swapping out the check stock to do so. not a big deal, i've done it before. but i am aware that not everybody has this option available. a senior leader asked about scanning something in the shop, didn't know at the time if we could scan anything. vacation replacement was in the shop for most of the day, said it was cold on another floor, and handled a check copy request near the end of the day. found out we could scan on the main printer. when i handed off the tax checks to the tax specialist in the morning, i was told that access had been granted on the badge to the building. it was tested and worked fine. this makes it easier for me when i have tax checks as i won't have to leave the floor with them. during my walks i found 56 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and priya were together and raj forbade it. howard said to bernadette that 'i choose you' after his mom kept asking if whoever was at the door was a sex criminal. it was followed by the one where bill gates was a guest star. 

american outlaws movie

 in the morning i watched another DVD that was a recent purchase, it was 'american outlaws'. the storyline may have been about the james-younger gang, but it seemed largely fictionalized. early in the movie we hear that the civil war has just ended. kathy bates plays the mom of frank and jesse james. a decent story, and it included some romance as there was a character known as 'z', the love interest of jesse. and tim dalton, who had played james bond, was mr. pinkerton, head of the detective service hunting down the gang. after the movie was done i watched the inauguration of the president, since it was a bank holiday i had the time to do so. i don't think i had seen these too often before. i wrote down some of the songs that i had heard during this event. many of them were patriotic, one of them i knew was the air force anthem. one of them was a church hymn, 'for the beauty of the earth'. once the chopper left capitol hill that the outgoing president was on, i figured it was time to get some other things done. one of those was going through my comedy sets from the past year and getting them onto blank pages and into sheet protectors in a binder. along with souvenirs, usually candy bar wrappers. these were clipped together by each visit. not all were taped onto pages, but now i am just over two months behind. not sure why i let them pile up for so long. i got six pages in all into binders, three each for the sets and the souvenirs. then i watched 'jeopardy'. in the evening i went to perform at an open mic. i did stories about movies i had watched at home, attending a memorial service, a song i had recently heard, and weekend errands. during my walks i found 60 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard sleeps with mrs. latham, a contributor to the university. it was followed by the one where sheldon and amy find a wedding venue. 

clint eastwood, out of the shadows

 i watched a DVD this afternoon, it was 'clint eastwood, out of the shadows'. this documentary was a recent purchase from half price books. this is the first of five discs that i recently bought. morgan freeman served as narrator. not all of eastwood's movies are covered, but the hits were. this doc was released in 2000, so it made sense that the most recent movie covered was 'space cowboys'. i was living in suburban chicago then and recall how a reviewer called it 'grumpy old astronauts'. i did like how a decent amount was mentioned about getting into directing. this was due to working with don siegel, who directed 'coogan's bluff'. i do recall renting 'play misty for me', the first film eastwood directed, many years ago. in the scene index, it listed the 'spaghetti westerns' as the 'leone trilogy' and 'every which way but loose' as 'monkeyshines'. i am thankful i found this doc, but we all know i like documentaries and biopics. i did watch some of the NFL playoff games of the day. due to watching the disc first it meant the first game i 'joined in progress'. eagles beat the rams in the first, and bills beat the ravens in the second. i fell asleep for a little while after the first game ended, and it was halftime when i started watching the second game. it is subzero weather again so i didn't want to be outside for long. during my walk i found 75 cents. 

memorial service, inside a bar

 recently i saw a facebook invite from the fancy comic about a memorial service inside a bar. i had performed there before, but it had been a while, definitely pre-covid. this was in arden hills, and there was mention of a comedy show after it. it was a cold night, but i decided to go anyway. thankful i did, and not just due to the stage time. i also saw a comic that i recall performing with at a saints game many years ago, at that event he was dressed up as 'gumby'. when i arrived i said a man with a guitar, from the side, looked like former WCCO news anchor don shelby, but i found out it wasn't. in the break between the memorial service and comedy show, i ordered the evening meal. i got a bottle of grain belt, along with a reuben sandwich and fries. i largely did my set 'from the hip', usually i write down what i want to do. i spoke of printing checks at the bank, not talking about stand-up at the bank, seeing the movie 'major league', and the song 'pink pony club'. there were two NFL playoff games, watched only part of both. when i saw the time this event started, i knew i had to get on the road right away. the first game ended when i was at the bar. i didn't see much of the second game there, but i did once i had driven home from the bar. the chiefs beat the texans in the first game, and the commanders beat the lions in the second. it didn't look good for the lions when i got home, already trailing by ten at the half. i hear it was the turnovers that doomed the lions. i stayed busy in the morning as well. i went to pick up the toner cartridge, at the bank location i was formerly assigned to. i picked up a bottle of Dunkin donuts coffee from the nearby Walgreen as well. then it was on to dropping it off at my current office. had to call security to get buzzed in, since it is the weekend after all. when i got it up to the check shop, on a small cart, i opened the box and saw there was two cartridges inside. so i can likely afford to skip a month on ordering those. i paid for one hour of parking near the building, but i think i was in and out in about twenty minutes. it was what i preferred as i had other things to do. then it was on to the post office, one order was picked up. and i had a sandwich at jersey mike's. i opted to move it back a week on a movie i'd like to see at theaters and watched a DVD movie at home after getting back from the sandwich shop. it was 'major league', i recall seeing it at theaters decades ago. the movie still works for me. i watched some of the special features as well, including an interview with bob uecker, who played the broadcaster in it. after this was done i got groceries at aldi. during my walks i found 1 dollar 1 cent. 

pink pony club, chappell roan

 i have been listening to music less often on my car radio, due to shorter commutes to work. but i found a good song when i was coming back from a visit to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries. it was 'pink pony club' by chappell roan. with lyrics like 'it's where i belong' i found it to be relatable, in terms of me being a stage performer. i watched the video on YouTube, and it does show her dancing and accepting dollar-bill tips. i also read how it was inspired by visiting a gay bar in west Hollywood, along with a strip club in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri. i liked one site that said it is a 'metaphor for a safe space where you feel free to be exactly who you are'. with mention of leaving behind family and moving out of state, another way i saw it as relatable. another song i liked hearing on this radio station, 89.3 the current, was 'bad luck' by social distortion. i have seen them in concert twice, i have just their self-titled CD but that song is not on it. i was a little later than typical on my grocery run as i first went to a meetup event at a micro-brewery in downtown St. Paul. i did an event there a year ago as well. i spoke with various people for a little over an hour, but it was a small bar, and no doubt was crowded there. at work the branch manager said the toner cartridge box arrived, so i said i would see about picking it up when i have the time. thankfully there was no 'crisis before the holiday', although it looked like there was going to be one. i said what the deadlines were on getting an approved file to me. this was a business line where i overnight all of their checks and had already overnighted eight of them that day. then i was told there was no need for what was originally spoken of. fine with me, as i had plenty of other things to keep me occupied. i read an article in the paper about baseball great bob uecker. who had just passed on thursday. it not only mentioned various appearances on johnny carson as 'mr. baseball' but also the sitcom 'mr. belvedere'. during my walks i found 28 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj daydreams about bernadette. it was followed by the one where howard and bernadette's second kid was born. 

skyway walk, then tech

 i went on a skyway walk at the end of my lunch over to the walgreen, where i got an ice cream candy bar and a bottle of starbucks coffee. when i got back i saw a missed call on my phone, and an instant message. found out a tech had arrived and i needed to get to the guard station on the main floor. this was for the other machine, the check printer. a maintenance kit was sent as well, but i pointed out we already had one when swapping out was necessary. but the one the tech brought was the one put in. the warning related to the kit was gone, but the icon is still there in reference to empty trays, not a big deal. we also looked at the level on the toner cartridge, already at half, and was swapped out last week. good thing the rep finally ordered this item, although it sounds like it is going to the former location. i was advised to call the help desk on getting my location updated. i figured it would get updated on its own in the employee directory, and with UPS, but i guess not. in the morning i found the time to do a big check copy request for the colleague that places supply orders for me. there were thirty-three checks to find, once i found the correct date, back in september, most were in one file. all but one, that is. i am a credit union member, and i just got registered for their annual meeting that will be held next month. in the evening i drank the bottle of heineken with my meal and went to the liquor store and got a bottle of summit, so there still are four beers waiting. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went to a symposium in big sur and kept switching hotel rooms. it was followed by the one where howard was on 'professor proton' with wil wheaton. 

letter from prison?

 i see all kinds of things when working at the bank. today was a weird one though, as it was a letter from a penitentiary. it spoke of a check i had overnighted, and there was some kind of error on the amount. i just print checks and send them out, i don't approve them. when it arrived, vacation replacement brought it to me, i searched for the check and found it in the system. this meant scanning it and letting the business line know about it. same was true with a check that a branch employee from nebraska had sent me. the boss was in the check shop for much of the day and wanted me to help with moving things around. it meant swapping tables so the larger one could be used as a desk instead of for boxes of check stock. some boxes of check stock were moved to another room, as those would serve as the 'reserve boxes'. i was largely caught up with getting checks sent out by the end of the day, this time four full tubs ended up in the mailroom. i was also asked for verbiage when sending an email to the service provider on the inserter machine. when the tech had arrived there was mention of a credit hold, i said there was a grounding wire that was re-attached near the conveyor belt, but it only took five minutes and not two hours. later on, it was said that a case would be opened to cancel the invoice. this led to a delay on my lunching, so i decided to get a sandwich from the nearby convenience store. during my walks i found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and penny worked on an app for finding shoes. it was followed by the one where raj meets the husband of a patron from the planetarium, the two were only separated and not divorced yet. 

tracings on envelopes

 tech arrived mid-morning to get a look at the inserter machine. it was determined that the issue was the envelopes being used on our largest business line. tracings were done to show what was best, acceptable, and not good. in terms of what would jam the machine, of course. and it meant trying the envelopes from a different month, and the more recent ones worked. the way the tech worded it was the ones from other business lines were fine, just put the fargo return address on those too. my boss said let the supplier know. tech was there for half of the day. vacation replacement helped with getting most of the checks run through. four tubs went to the mailroom at the end of the day, but the fourth had very little in it. just a thousand checks were not run through when we left. so it won't take long to get caught up again. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when amy met zac and said 'hoo', as she was turned on. it was followed by the one where raj, howard, and bert played in a band, and played 'six tons of granite'. the 'night court' episode had mayim bialik, as herself, guest starring. it didn't do much for me. one reason is the overkill on mentioning she is a scientist, once would have been enough. having mayim as herself was likely done so the 'blossom' dance could be performed. 

annoyed, three times

 this was a day that i felt annoyed at work, three times no less. there was finding out i am still not getting the part i need for the check printer apparently, as it needs a spare toner cartridge. but the notes say the other side cares about something else more. then there was the inserter machine acting up. although it was doing so only on the fargo envelopes. but this is something i couldn't ignore as this is our highest volume business line to process. service was called for, but the tech will not be arriving until the morning. then there was dropping off the mail tubs in the mailroom. one colleague there asked me if i was watching the game, figured she meant the vikings playoff game. then she insisted it was going to be on fox, even though i know full well that monday night football is on abc and espn. i finally said 'i don't have the time for this' and left. and i didn't, because i had some more overnight labels to do. in the evening i went to perform. the mic was moved up two hours, but the crowd was light due to the cold weather, and likely the football game as well. i watched part of the game at the bar, vikings lost to the rams. this was a game moved from los angeles to the phoenix area due to the wildfires. i did stories about the bank, but also going to a book shop and to see a movie. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny fake a relationship for her dad. it was followed by the one where amy said 'bestie!' after penny said 'you're an idiot if i am not your maid of honor' then amy hugs penny. 

to die for movie

 in the afternoon i went to see another classic movie at the trylon cinema in minneapolis, it was 'to die for', part of the nicole kidman series. i chose this one because gus van sant directed it, who also directed my favorite movie, 'good will hunting'. along with other things, including a music video for the red hot chili peppers. i do like a good 'mock-umentary' or 'satire' so this one worked for me. and i recognized two young actors in it, casey affleck and joaquin phoenix. it was about a lady that relentlessly pursues stardom as a newswoman in new england. i knew it was loosely based on a true story, and i was paying attention to the credits. found out it was based on a book by joyce maynard, who i had met at a special screening for a movie based on another one of her books. this was through my membership with the loft literary center. i noticed she had a small role in the movie, but i am used to a movie adaptation finding a role for the author. due to being interested in the promos, it is likely that i will make more visits soon. two more movies of interest to me are slated to be shown at this venue next month. i bought a small popcorn and a can of 7-up at this screening and still like getting food and drink at this theater as it is decidedly cheaper than at a first-run theater. i did watch some of the pro football games of the day, but only parts of the three games. buffalo, philadelphia, and washington won. i fell asleep for a little while in the evening, and watched some of the third game when i woke up. but i also needed to get the dishes done. during my walks i found 25 cents. 

alternate bookstore visited

 plans for the afternoon were to go into minneapolis on the light rail and attend a book fair at a micro-brewery. when i arrived i saw a long line to get in, and said i like books, but not THAT much. even said so to a college roommate, when i sent a text on the way home. it was just a few blocks straight north of the twins baseball stadium from the light rail stop. on the way there i saw a holiday gas station so i decided to get lunch there. it was mostly heat-lamp items, but it works for me. this was crispy chicken tender-stix, hash browns, and a small apple pie. i didn't feel like waiting until i got to the food truck that was in front of the brewery. i was still interested in looking at books, somewhere. this meant going to a half price books, where there was no waiting in line to get inside. when it is the middle of winter, who wants to be waiting outside for long? i found a big baseball reference book, 'more than 150 years'. i also bought five movies on DVD in their clearance section, all found on the lower level of the store. before i got on the train i went to the post office, two orders were picked up. when i got back from the book shop, i watched some of the football playoff game on TV. texans beat the chargers, aided by four interceptions. in the evening it was college basketball, the iowa men were playing indiana and iowa won big. during my walks i found 56 cents. 

caitlin clark, wilson basketball

 i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan in the evening for groceries and decided to get a Caitlin Clark series Wilson basketball as well. i had seen them for sale for a few weeks but noticed they were moved to another section of the store. i figured it was time to get one. there were multiple styles available and i chose the one with my school's colors, Iowa Hawkeye black and gold. i have already noticed how these are being listed for much more than what i paid, just $20, on sites like e-bay. good thing i got one for this price, i guess. looks nice in the box, and it will likely stay there for a while. reminds me of other items that were 'signature models'. there is my little league glove, a ted williams signature model that my dad bought at sears. of course, i bought a Caitlin Clark shirt at Scheel's less than a year ago, but i decided to use it and have worn it some already. and there is a trading card that i bought on e-bay. next thing is likely the little golden book, but i hear that is not due out until April. at work the backorder on two black and decker fans arrived in the early afternoon, just before i decided to go to lunch. also notable about the day was the second i-pay file being well over a hundred checks, but only one overnight was found in it. late in the evening i went on a walk and found 3 dollars 16 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the friends went to see 'indiana jones' and sheldon steals the movie so no one can see it. the ladies have a slumber party, the first for amy. it was followed by the one where raj gets a job at the planetarium. sheldon and amy decide to do a courthouse wedding but then call it off at the last minute. 

cardboard by freight elevator

at work we did hear about what to do with cardboard that had been piling up. it is fine to leave it in the freight elevator area and it will get picked up nightly. i said 'works for me!' then wheeled it out at the end of my day. i heard from the oshkosh business line, sounds like some overnight packages are arriving late. i checked tracking numbers and noticed some said they were picked up really early. best idea i had in the short term was to get their envelope in the box as early as possible, as usually only that business line will contact me as i send them a daily file. at the end of the day i noticed it said the envelope was picked up about thirty minutes after getting it in the box, so i still need to find out who to contact about it. the sign on the box says '5:45pm' for the pick-up time, and this week apparently it has been picked up two hours before that time. i like how i don't have to call that often. in the morning when i don't have any check files to print would be the best time to call about it. tax checks were picked up by a courier before midday. i was called in advance and found out couriers have access to the floor as the check shop is on the same floor as the mailroom. and i went to the floor most of my colleagues are on, to pick up the two bottles of sealing fluid for the inserter machine. much like before, i made it count on leaving the floor i am on. first time i brought the recycle bin and emptied it into a secure shred bin on that floor. second time i sent as many overnight envelopes as possible to the UPS box. since i have to go to the main floor to switch elevators it made sense to drop off envelopes at that time. this was just before lunch, and it worked fine to get over to the walgreen through the skyway. all about going from memory on which ways to turn. i drank the bottle of grain belt with the evening meal so now there are three beers waiting. the news had coverage of the state funeral for ex-president carter. i have visited the nation's capital before, four times, but haven't been to the national cathedral yet. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon cost howard a security clearance and it led to giving up his spot on the couch. it was followed by the one where the friends try to find bitcoin on a laptop, seven years later. 

supply room found

 my boss approved the order for copy paper, then said how going forward it would be easier to get copy paper out of the supply room. i said that means showing me where it is. vacation replacement showed it to me, and i got some paper from it. there was a code to enter in order to get inside. noticed some small baskets there, was informed it was for storing personal items for employees. colleagues got a look at the check shop just before then, and i carried out a box of envelopes to be shredded on the same floor as the supply room. first time using the shred bins on that floor, and i knew it was good to make it count on how i got things done. the emptied box held the copy paper when i went back to the check shop. still waiting to hear about the shred bins that were requested. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when priya arrives and has a fling with leonard, while sheldon spoke of the pinky swear about priya from five years earlier. it was followed by the one where the friends do their version of the edison-tesla rivalry. 

intro at pizza party

 attended my first pizza lunch at the bank since moving downtown. followed the advice of a colleague, who said to get in line early. i was in line just before 12noon and got two slices and some salad. i was in line behind a senior leader, we did an intro there. later on, i asked about some envelopes that were moved over from another facility, found out that function was moved across town. i was wondering due to the signs in the hall by the elevator said it was on that floor. hadn't used the envelopes in a while, it was a function inherited by our department due to the pandemic. since i started during that time, i knew nothing different for a while until 'return to office' happened eventually. then that function was taken back. this means we no longer need that box; those can be sent to a shred bin. i had only known her previously from dial-in meetings. also notable about the day was printing some test checks from the fargo files. i was fine with it even though it was a high-volume day as it wasn't that many, just six. it was three each for those two business lines. one of them was a file from december, the other dated just the previous day. my boss and vacation replacement both were absent due to illness. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard got a date by being fixed up with bernadette's friend. it was followed by the one with a rare song in it, 'almost paradise'. it was due to sheldon working with bert, but then sheldon annoyed bert so leonard worked with bert instead. 

be careful with clicking

at work i learned a valuable lesson, about being careful with clicking. i was trying to remove printers no longer needed, and changing another to the default, and removed all three. it meant calling for service, but somehow i found a way to re-add it on my own. what i noticed was when it was set up a little over two weeks ago, it was under the universal printer's name. now it is under the more customary name, with the codes in it such as the floor we are on. it meant vacation replacement printed the early PDF files for me. the overnights were taken out before i got them, and at the end of the day i took out the ones with overflow pages. but things worked just fine after this happened. i plowed through the overnight labels once i got started, just before lunchtime. there was a dial-in meeting about test checks, but it lasted eight minutes as more information was needed to go further. i did some more fact finding about the chair massages, looking at the video board on the main floor near the guard station. looks like it is offered by the building management company, twice a month, four hours at a time. there was mention of signing up through a QR code, although i am not a fan of those. hopeful i can find another way, through an email as the building manager sends those periodically. the next one is in a week so i likely still have some time to figure it out. late in the workday i had to notify on two overnight requests that those checks would be sent regular mail. our deadline to get the regular-mail tubs to the courier was moved up, so the cutoff time for the special requests is moved up as well. one of the checks was for way more than the other. in the evening i went to the liquor store near me and got a bottle of heineken so now there are four beers waiting. during my walks i found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when howard hid from bernadette but they got back together. sheldon and raj were feuding over a big desk brought into sheldon's office. it was followed by the one where howard gets a vasectomy, and we see bob newhart because sheldon didn't want wil wheaton playing professor proton. 

fill-in emcee

 i went to perform at an open mic in the evening, and there was a fill-in emcee. she had the same name as a comic that gave me a role in a fringe show. before i went to get beer i did watch her set, finding out after the show that she has been doing stand-up for a year. pretty good, i said, in reference to a story about private messages where i had heard the same thing before. i was on near the end and did stories about the bank, seeing a movie, and a drag brunch. and i spoke of a story like the emcee's as well. i liked how i didn't have much to do for the day, only getting into my car in the early evening when i went to perform. there were football games on, the final week of the regular season. lead-off game was bears-packers, and the bears won on a last-second field goal. although it shouldn't have been what decided it, but the bears fumbled late and the packers kicked a field goal to go ahead, briefly. that old saying about letting a team hang around for too long was true, as the bears got points off a punt return and a turnover, leading at the half and for most of the game. second game was chiefs-broncos, but the chiefs were resting many of their players, having already locked up their division and number one seed. since it was one-sided, the network switched away from it eventually. the evening game was vikings-lions, and it was on when i was at the bar. when i got home i watched it there as well. didn't do much else in the evening, just doing the dishes. during my walks i found 1 dollar 25 cents. 

a complete unknown movie

 in the afternoon i went to see the movie 'complete unknown', the bob dylan biopic, in inver grove heights. i arrived just five minutes before the screening began and was warned that there weren't many seats left. but i said i was fine with sitting up front. there weren't many actors in it that i recognized, just ed norton as pete seeger. and i liked seeing someone playing johnny cash. i was aware of how the source material was a book, this explains why the time period covered was fairly short, just four years. but i didn't mind as there still was plenty of music in it. this movie was a reminder of how i am more familiar with other performers recording songs that bob dylan wrote. this definitely included hearing 'it ain't me babe' as i knew this as a johnny cash song. same is true with 'hard rain's gonna fall' which was on the soundtrack for the movie 'born on the fourth of july'. leading up to it, i was reminded of having seen bob dylan in concert at the saints baseball stadium in st. paul in 2005, with willie nelson. but i was mainly there to see willie. the movie was longer than many that i have seen in theaters, over two hours. this might explain why i needed bathroom breaks, not one but two. i know i was quick with both of these breaks so i didn't miss much. i found out after the second one that there wasn't much left. i am used to seeing the disclaimer in the closing credits for movies like this one, based on a true story. 'some scenes and characters were invented for dramatic effect'. not much left to do after the movie was done. i went home and got groceries at the aldi. then i went to have a sandwich at jersey mike's for the evening meal. normally this is a lunch thing but i ate at home for lunch due to the plans for seeing the movie. i got the errand running done in the morning. there was going to the post office, two orders were picked up. then i dumped the recycle at a place near the capitol. finally, there was going to dump change at the credit union. just over ten dollars went into my savings account, and as usual much of it was pennies. during my walks i found 86 cents. 

skyway meeting, tax specialist

 this was the first time i handed off checks to the tax specialist in person since the move downtown. the dude is based in a nearby office, so it meant walking over in the skyway. found out he doesn't have badge access to the building i am in, but will be asking for it. only the second time i had met this colleague. the volume on the overnights went up, but i knew well enough to get started fairly early on creating the labels. and for this reason, i still got done close to the normal leave time. the file from kansas city was some big files, likely making up for the days where there wasn't any. also notable was cleaning a dry-erase board that was moved over two weeks ago. and finding 'helper forms' that i put in an inter-office envelope. in the evening i went to hy-vee in eagan for groceries, and this included a bag of ore-ida fries. for some reason i had a craving. later on i went on a walk and found 1 dollar 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon and amy argue at the lunch table and break up, then his mom uses reverse psychology and gets them back together. it was followed by the one where howard and amy work in the lab together, and bernadette uses a tom sawyer trick to get sheldon to do chores. 

fast moving donuts

 vacation replacement was in the check shop for much of the day. i was advised to get to another floor early once the donuts arrived, and i did. good thing as there weren't many left. i also had some orange juice. thankful how there wasn't that many overnight labels to do, aided by one business line not sending any checks. still in the holiday mode i guess, only a matter of time before i get their checks again. looks like another food event at work, the pizza party, was postponed to next week. some mention of people had the option of working from home on that day, friday. of course, this option is not available to me, but i don't mind. i like how i am finishing earlier than before, closer to my customary leave time in my schedule. guess that knowing i need to get the mail tubs out earlier makes a difference. the boss called me and asked about how much i order each month in terms of check stock and envelopes. i drank the can of budweiser with the evening meal so now three beers are waiting. during my walks i found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when sheldon was using a virtual presence device. it was followed by the one when sheldon and howard try to launch a rocket in the desert. penny tries to bond with leonard's mom. 

shrek drag brunch

 at midday i rode the light rail to a drag brunch, the theme was the movie 'shrek'. it was the eighth drag brunch i have attended, still averaging about one per year. good thing i got out and listened to two cd's, the soundtracks to the first two movies in the franchise. it reminded me of songs from those movies. costumes were good as usual, and it was nice to hear recordings of lines from the movie. enjoyed hearing 'love the way you lie' by eminem and rihanna, i understood how it fit the theme as the dancer had a Pinocchio outfit on. i ordered beer with the burger and fries, a blue moon, and noticed many others were having mimosas. agreed with what the emcee said about 'you are here to have a good time. leave whatever troubles you for outside of these walls'. also notable about the day was going through neckties, i have seven. i decided to get the charlie brown tie moved to where the others are, previously it was in a box with other charlie brown items. and i did some sewing on my winter coat, one of the buttons was loose and about to fall off. and i discovered a scheduling conflict in the morning, it meant i was unable to attend the annual comics brunch in eagan. just as well, as i didn't enjoy the one from a year ago. reminded me too much of class reunions i have attended. in both cases, i was there to see two or three people and there was just as many people that i found to be annoying. during my walks i found 29 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny was chaperone on sheldon and amy's date. it was followed by the one where raj and stuart were competing for bernadette's coworker. while sheldon and amy were trying to plan their wedding.