my dancing shoes

 doing a meetup event tonight, dancing at the VFW in Bloomington. it did say 'get your dancing shoes on'. well, it will be the same ones that i wear to work. i had one beer all night, it was a cup of grain belt. i had some popcorn as well. it was crowded in this venue, next to a Cub Foods. i did find the group i was with though. for a while i was sitting down in a booth, as i wanted to finish my beer before going onto the dance floor. and it was crowded on the fairly small dance floor. i danced to four songs as i recall, early on it was one by twisted sister and the final one was by Bryan Adams. when the band decided to take a five-minute break i said i was done as i was tired. i had been there for two hours by then. i got some pictures while i was there. one of them was of the helicopter near the main entrance. i am used to retired military equipment being a part of these veteran groups. looks like the building also doubled as the local American legion chapter. after a long day at work, this event was something that i really needed. it was my fourth event with this group since joining it in November. it is still hard to top the first one, bowling, in my book though. but at least i enjoyed it more than the event i had done a month ago. i stayed late at the office to get the overnights caught up, there was over fifty to do. i was contacted by i.t. about printing test checks, but it was in the afternoon. i said it was my busiest hour of the day, trying to get the regular mail tubs to the mailroom to be picked up by the courier. Fargo files arrived late, all were printed but none of them went out same day. i.t. said we could move the test checks to monday morning, fine with me. during my walks i found 85 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was part two of the final episode. once it was done i picked up the paper at a speedway gas station and then it was on to the meetup event. 

prefer single serving

 went to the liquor store, got a bottle of beer, Stella Artois. cashier tried to convince me to get another item out of the discount cart, liquor bottles. but i said i prefer beer as it is single serving and a lot less potent than the liquor. i drank the can of bud ice with the evening meal, so there still are four beers waiting. my weekly visit to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries was moved up one day. i didn't use the express lane this time and i was given three plastic bags, i prefer it all fitting into one or maybe two. at work we finished the special project of all of those overnights from the previous day, there was fifty-three more to do. vacation replacement asked if i needed help, hated having to hand off more of them but i did. i sent nearly half of them to my colleague, still did twenty-seven which is more than many days there. there was one stack of a little over five hundred Fargo checks remaining, i can run them through the machine early the next day. pleased that my boss let i.t. know to contact us on Friday about printing test checks as we really were busy enough already. during my walks i found 1 dollar 29 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Bernadette said 'metrosexual, my ass' about raj after giving him a little dog. it was followed by part one of the final episode. 

overnight requests, century mark

 around midday there was three emails in the shared box. it was a total of one hundred and one overnight requests from just one business line. this was no doubt a spike in volume, and the previous day it was eighteen, and on most days nearly twenty would be considered a spike on its own. i copied my boss on it and at first i said there wasn't enough overnight envelopes available. we were told it was due to replacement checks where the original ones were sent to the wrong payee, and it was a regulatory issue in terms of needing to overnight so many. i noticed many of them were under ten dollars, and the cost of overnighting them is nearly that much. these small checks wouldn't even buy a fast-food meal now, and some were for under a dollar. we went to the mailroom and i found out we had enough as the recent order of two boxes of envelopes had arrived. i didn't get to any in my share because i was tackling everything else. my vacation replacement finished share, which was forty-eight. in addition, the two Fargo files were late, and i printed all of the special handling checks. but the lion's share had to wait, two thousand in all, until the next day. we can only do so much in any given day and my boss let the manager know that not all of them would be going out the same day. it was yet another day of me getting a quick lunch at the convenience store on the main floor, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. this was the second time this week that i have done this. in the morning before things got busy i did find the time to apply for an internal job posting, first time since starting there. purely coincidental as it had been on my list to do so for a week. weird thing that was likely also purely coincidental? when i got off the light rail back at the park and ride, there was some big bird droppings on my car. i used the windshield washer fluid on the part that landed there. during my walks i found 1 dollar 98 cents. in the evening i went to get a small bag of chips at the laundromat vending machine. had to say to the kid who wanted to press the buttons that i wanted to use the machine. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Amy makes a scene with Sheldon, after being coached by penny on how to do so. it was followed by the one where a competitor of Sheldon and Amy's for the Nobel got drunk and exposed his colleague at fermi lab for being a fraud, a plagiarist. 

six people, same name

 in the afternoon at work i didn't enjoy one instant message that arrived. it was a manager who asked me when i was sending the previous day's tracking numbers. i had already sent it and say i hit 'reply to all' so whoever is on the original thread gets them. there were shared boxes on the thread, but this boss wasn't, saying the shared box didn't get it. well i got out a screen snip that proves who was on the thread and said, 'take it up with who sent it to me'. i don't like people coming after me half-cocked but there is not much i can do about it. i know this manager has done it before. even though i got a 'thank you' after this was received it doesn't change my feelings about this boss. first thing i said when wanting these tracking numbers again is how there are six people with your name in the employee directory. both the first and last names were common. i said to try emailing me, then i am more likely to send it to the right one. in the morning the check printer stopped in the middle of printing one of the Fargo files and there was an error page. i scanned a copy to i.t., who said it was likely a server issue. when this happens, i know it is important to take good notes to see that all of the checks are printed, and only once. it stopped before it was halfway done, and it meant the four checks pulled for special handling were in the re-print part. i wrote down which ones so i knew what four i had to pull out as a duplicate. i start off with printign the special handling first, this is why i knew i had to guard against anything being duplicated. this is the fourth time that this has happened in a little over six months. i had saved the other three. backlog on checks went down at the end of the day as there was a little over six hundred remaining. there was a spike in volume on checks to be overnighted and it took a while to get caught up. it led to me taking a later train than typical, and i rode to the same stop with somebody i know from i.t. during my walks i found 55 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny cut Sheldon's hair. it was followed by the one when leonard threatens to quit his job at the university, then gets a great project out of it. raj makes some comments at his planetarium gig that are made fun of in the paper. 'night court' was when dan and abby each have a hand caught in a box that was given by a magician. 

pumpkin pie greeting card

 i made a visit to the convenience store on the main floor to get lunch, a sandwich and a bottle of juice, and decided to get a closer look at the greeting cards. the ones about politicians were dated, did not buy them. i liked one about pumpkin pie for thanksgiving, so i bought that one. it will go into one of the photo albums where i keep other postcards and greeting cards. there was a spike in volume in one of the check files that arrive in the morning, this led to playing catch-up for most of the day. some days the total of the PDF checks is just over one hundred, but one of these morning files was well over a thousand. it led to some of the Fargo checks being saved for the next day, over a thousand, also due to the Fargo files not being approved until midday. this is two hours later than typical. i have had a backlog before but i don't enjoy it much. i went to perform in the evening, there was not just bank stories but also light rail stories and Facebook oddities. during my walks i found 1 dollar, all in quarters. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon and Kripke played basketball to decide who would win an office. it was followed by the one where Sheldon and Amy did sensory deprivation tanks. Sheldon loved it and Amy hated it. 

america: everything you've ever dreamed of

 this afternoon i went to the Trylon and saw a documentary, it was called 'America: everything you've ever dreamed of'. this was actually a collection of short documentaries, filmed between 1971-73, running rime was a little over an hour. i really liked the one about the painters of billboards, it was of a car, the Ford Gran Torino. this would have been the 'sign painters in Brooklyn' mentioned in the description of the film when i made the advance reservation. it began and ended with retirees in Sun City, Arizona, and those segments had some overlapping footage. memorable in those two segments was seeing the 'adult tricycles' the retirees were riding on. not part of the description was 'campus crusade for Christ' but this was a reminder of what i saw in churches when i was young. hearing them sing 'they will know we are Christians by our love' was a familiar song to me. it once was recorded as a way of advertising the church's statewide camp for young people. 'Help-line operators' was part of the description, and it reminded me of my time doing call-center work. when there was mention of 'some people just want somebody to talk to' i was reminded of a call where i could tell that is what the caller wanted, and i said 'i am just an average joe'. it was called 'caustic and deadpan', well i saw the deadpan a lot but the caustic, not so much. it would have been mainly in the segment about 'denizens of a bowery men's shelter'. as those were alcoholics, drug addicts, and former mental hospital patients. there was a segment about 'how to be ladylike' and it showed women how to hold a purse. i had to look up 'comportment' to know what it meant as this was called 'female comportment instructors'. it said, 'how one behaves or conducts themselves'. also memorable were the rooms used by honeymooners in the Poconos, and the executives at 'Musak' who were in the business of music and described what music was best for someone based on their occupation. hard to follow how the segment about Tonga fit as that is not an American territory. it was a stark contrast to the other segments though. not much else to do for the day, picked up a few things at Walgreen on the way to the movie. in the morning i watched three charlie brown specials on DVD. first was 'happy new year' and the other two were Valentine's Day editions. and i did the dishes in the evening. during my walks i found 28 cents. 

jim abbott, keynote speaker

 went to the annual meeting for blaze credit union at the mega-church in Eden Prairie this afternoon. the circus was still part of the opening act, but this time there was a keynote speaker. it was Jim Abbott, the retired baseball player, born without a right hand. Jim even had a catch with Dan Stoltz, the CEO, onstage. but Jim said he didn't want to hit the mascot truck, 'archie', the 1952 ford, so it meant having his back turned to it. when i got home i found out i have four of his baseball cards with the angels. there as a video shown before his speech, it included footage from his no-hitter with the Yankees. i got plenty of pictures there as usual, including one of the St. Paul Saints mascot, Mudonna. being a sponsor of the saints led to name recognition and choosing them when i was looking for a car loan. according to the stats given at the meeting, just under half of the employees were present. i have a friend from meetup groups who is an employee and would not be attending. i sent a text message to this friend when i was having lunch at Taco John's in Eagan before heading for the meeting. before leaving the building and claiming my $25 i saw a sign that pointed where the chapel is. i got a look at it and this 'chapel' looks as big as a sanctuary at some churches! in the morning there was chores and errand running. first stop was the post office, one order was picked up. then recycle was dropped off near the capitol, then on to the copy store. two tickets to Saints games were printed, as well as a confirmation on a member event next month. after the meeting i drove home but didn't have all that much to do for the rest of the day. i had the evening meal, then went to Aldi for groceries. after this i watched a DVD movie, a recent purchase, 'Star Wars e-1'. this completes the viewing of the five discs i had bought from half-price books. during my walks i found 76 cents. 

analog phone, laptop phone

 the analog phones were picked up, four in all, after being put in a box and sitting in a corner of my office for the two months since i moved downtown. my boss asked me to follow up on an order for a phone tied to my laptop. i did so, and my boss was copied on the email. surprised to hear something right away as the order was placed more than a week prior. guess i have a laptop phone now, at least i was given the number, but i don't know yet how to use it. as usual, i was thinking of staying ahead on my normal duties. there was plenty of PDF checks in the morning, nearly five hundred, so i ran those through the machine early due to the volume. no need to wait until afternoon when i have the time to run them right before or right after the Fargo checks. the ACH-PDF files are also run through early. for lunch, much like the previous Friday, i went to the skyway location for a pizza place, but this time had a slice of sausage. i am probably not going to make this a regular thing, though, as i know it is cheaper to bring cans of soup for lunch. i still eat out some on the weekends though. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries and was recognized by the cashier as i prefer going to the express lane. during my walks i found 76 cents. there were no 'big bang theory' reruns on as state tournament was on, high school girls hockey. it was the semifinals, saw some of the first one before going to the grocery store. Hill-Murray was leading 2-0 over Rosemount at the end of the second, and i hear they went on to win it. no surprise as Hill-Murray was way ahead in the shots on goal category. 

asking for mail code

 at work i had received the alternate address for forwarding some returned checks, that are handled by the Poland team. but then i noticed i didn't have the mail code so i asked for it. this isn't the same as what is on the checks themselves, so it hasn't been updated yet. when it was sent to me i searched it in the employee directory and saw a few names i recognized under it. two of them were from 'out of office' replies that i sometimes see. based on this, and seeing none under the earlier one, i got the checks we had into an inter-office envelope and sent out at the end of the day. i try not to hold onto those for long. there was one PDF check file that didn't go out same day, as i noticed one file that arrived in the afternoon had nearly two hundred checks in it. this was way more than the i-pay file. i wanted to have the time to go through and see if any of them were special handling and none of them were. looks like they were all refund checks, and fairly small, one hundred dollars or so, definitely not amounts that would typically be overnighted. i drank the can of bent paddle with the evening meal. then later on, i went out and picked up three items. this included a small bottle of milk, a small bag of chips, and a can of Michelob, so there still are four beers waiting. i just wanted enough milk to get through the next two days on cereal for breakfast until my typical grocery run. i got the chips from a vending machine inside a laundromat. when i was waiting to get on the light rail to go home i saw a couple taking a picture outside the courthouse, even though it was still freezing outside. then when i got on the train i was near a man who was talking to himself, while he was eating some ice cream. during my walks i found 50 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon caused a power failure and created 'Leonard's day' while Howard got the astronaut nickname 'Froot Loops'. it was followed by the one where the friends did experiments on and with Howard and Bernadette's kids, while penny got an offer from a competitor at a convention. 

unwanted apps

 i looked at my phone tonight and saw plenty of apps that i didn't know i had and didn't want. don't know how they got added, i think many of them were for gaming. so, i deleted them, and kept one that wasn't google, the MLB ballpark app. i still need that one for baseball tickets. i think this freed up twenty percent of memory space on my phone. it was discovered when i tried to add the minor-league baseball app, but when i tried to log in i kept getting kicked out. so, i deleted that one as well. this was due to ordering another ticket for an early- season St. Paul Saints baseball game. i had to sign up for an account first, guess they switched ticket-selling providers. when i looked at the ballpark app, it was a nice reminder of games i have attended when the tickets went there, although not in every case did this happen. when i saw a Twins game through the alumni chapter we were given paper tickets as it was a group outing. so, the only ones i saw on the app were ones i ordered directly and not through a group. i think i found a way to get into the site where i can print the tickets myself so i don't have to use the minor-league app. i am used to 'print at home' anyway. at work there was a dial-in meeting in the afternoon, but the boss and the I.T. people did most of the talking, didn't say anything at all. i saw it as an opportunity to get some of my normal duties done, in this case it was getting Fargo checks into inter-office envelopes. i moved up my lunch a little for it. and i saw a big spill in the breakroom covered up with plenty of napkins. during my walks i found 20 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj thinks he is dating his phone, Siri. it was also when we first see 'fun with flags', where Sheldon and Amy dress like Germans for that flag. it was followed by the one where William Shatner and Kareem Abdul Jabbar are part of a celebrity d and d game with Wil Wheaton. 

linkedin job postings

 i have various email subscriptions in my Hotmail account, and i have done my best to unsubscribe from those that are no longer relevant to me. for a while i was just looking at those job postings from LinkedIn and saw very little of interest. sometimes there was something from my current employer, the bank. this evening i saw one that was of interest, and now it means figuring out how to apply for it. i haven't inquired much about transfers since i started as i like what i do. at work there was two meetings in the morning. one was about the ACH files that just went PDF. i was still waiting for those to finish printing when it began. then right after it was the team huddle, first time since i had moved downtown. some colleagues were working from home due to the subzero weather. later on, i had a quick meeting with the boss about a pay raise. i was given the printed page. in the evening i watched 'night court'. roz returned as a bailiff. i do recall saying when watching the original 'night court' how i wanted snappy comebacks like that character, along with carla from 'cheers'. inspiration for my eventual foray into doing stand-up. during my walks i found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and penny 2.0 began, which often meant fighting but also having sex. it was followed by the one where leonard tells wyatt, penny's dad, to back off. it was in reference to the offer to be a sperm donor for her ex-boyfriend, zac. 

becoming led zeppelin documentary

it was a day off from work, due to the bank holiday, and i decided a good way to stay occupied was to go see a movie. i went to see the musical documentary, called 'Becoming Led Zeppelin', in Edina at Southdale mall, mid-morning. before i made it there i first went to a Walgreen and got a vaccine done. as the title suggests, it is mainly about how the band was formed and then the band's early years. i was pleased with all of the music in it, first was what inspired the band, then it was songs from their first two albums. of the three surviving band members, it was mostly Jimmy Page being interviewed, but this made sense as it was Jimmy who formed the band after the Yardbirds broke up. there were audio interviews with the late John Bonham, the drummer, as well. notable was when the band passed the Beatles and became number one in album sales. i liked what frontman Robert Plant said about songwriting can be hard, as it means being intimate and exposing yourself. i know i have said this about the performing i do, as i usually do sets about my own life. after the movie was done i drove to Mall of America and had lunch, at Hooters. i was flattered when i got carded, but they likely have to card everybody. i had ordered a beer, a Surly. for the food part of the order i had the fish sandwich and fries, no complaint at all about the fries as it was more than most places i had been to. there were four songs i noticed while at the mall, three while having lunch. there was Alanis- 'hands clean', Pitbull- 'give me everything', 'Everclear- 'wonderful', and Selena Gomez- 'love you like a love song'. the fourth was while i was looking around inside the Five Below, but didn't buy anything on this visit. i did get some ice cream at the American Cookie place though, as i like ice cream and earning airline miles. i walked around most of the mall, doing a lap around floors one through three. when i got home i placed two calls, one was to discover card, the other was to my health insurance provider. then i watched jeopardy. the final jeopardy clue was about diseases mentioned in novels, i correctly guessed it was scarlet fever that was written about in little women, and little house. in the evening i went to perform, and i did speak of my day off as well as bank stories. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Amy got a tiara from Sheldon, laughed a lot at this one. it was followed by the one where Leonard has a dream that he eats Bert, then Raj. 

cameraman movie, buster keaton

in the afternoon i went to the u of Minnesota and saw a silent film, 'cameraman', with buster keaton. it was at Northrop auditorium. i had seen events there every so often since moving to the twin cities, including a robin williams comedy show in 2008. most recent event before this one was a Christmas edition of cirque du soleil just over a year ago. i showed up early as i heard there was popcorn available, and i got some. i also put my name in a drawing. this 1928 movie was on my list as i had read how a scene was filmed at yankee stadium. i liked it, especially when buster tricks a man into picking up something off of the pavement, then kicking him into the water. even though there was plenty of slapstick, it was a good setup in many scenes in terms of wanting to avoid making the same mistake, and this was also good.  after the q and a with the organist who backed up the movie, there was the aforementioned drawing. i was the winner of getting to meet the organist and get a close-up look at the organ. it was truly a case of 'must be present to win' and i was drawn for an earlier prize but no one responded like i did when the later names were drawn. the event moderator said she was calling an audible and awarding it to me. when i said 'works for me', there was a smattering of laughs from the crowd. sounds like i still get the other prize too, which is two tickets to another event at this venue, but don't recall which one. guess i will hear more by email soon. in the morning i ordered two more items on e-bay, a postcard as well as a CD. the former is of the winter carnival, the latter has charlie brown songs on it. i didn't do that much after getting back from the movie. there was a delay of about ten minutes after getting on the light rail. i tried to watch the anniversary special of saturday night live but laid down and missed some of it. later on, i did the dishes. during my walks i found 76 cents. 

nucky's speakeasy

 this afternoon i went to an event at Nucky's speakeasy in Anoka. it was my second time doing speed dating, and the first time in two months. the time allotment was for six hours, but it didn't last that long. the speed dating part wrapped up around 6pm, and the scheduled start was 3pm to be signed in and get a drink. during my time there, i drank one beer and then had some ice water. guess there was an Elvis impersonator performing later on, but i noticed most people left shortly after speed dating was done. this was one reason why i left when most others did, also because it was getting crowded there and i got sticker shock when looking at the food menu. i pulled one from a wall caddy and the bartender said that one wasn't in force for the night, which didn't make sense to me at all. i would like to think there is a better chance that i get a match this time, as the organizers said we can pick five instead of three. i recognized one date from the event of two months ago but didn't let on about that. either way, i know it is important to do events like these as i haven't done internet dating in years. it was time to eat the evening meal and when i got close to home i stopped at a popeye's chicken place. the super bowl had just been in new orleans so that place was on my mind. when i got home i watched a DVD movie, 'catch-22'. it was a recent purchase from barnes and noble. due to the event in the afternoon, my visit to aldi for groceries was moved up. i went there shortly after getting back from having a sandwich at Jersey Mike's for lunch. in the morning i went to the post office, one order was picked up. i also went to the copy store and printed a receipt for a ticket to a st. paul saints baseball game that had just been ordered. when i got home i found out the actual ticket was in a separate email that went to the junk pile. i moved it to the main inbox and will print it on my next visit. during my walks i found 12 cents. 

cloth flower

 there were cloth flowers being handed out near the elevators in celebration of valentine's day. i got one and said it would go into a vase that i was given at my grandma's funeral. i knew there already was a flower in it, but it was dead. as i recall, it wasn't the one from the funeral though. i know sometimes people go into bars to sell flowers, and i got a yellow one when i was singing karaoke. i checked out a key to get into the shop for the third, and final, day. a tech was already working on the door when i arrived on that floor, and i didn't need to use the key at all. the door was fixed by mid-morning, and i was asked to help with testing it. i scanned my badge three times and the door worked properly. i still kept the key until the end of the day, though. i wanted to stay caught up on my normal duties. i did leave the floor at lunchtime as i had seen a sign in the skyway saying there was a happy hour discount at a pizza place. one dollar off on pizza slices after 1:30pm until closing time, so i got one, along with some spring water. emergency phone was tested in the morning, a call out to my boss. there was a dial-in meeting mid-morning, about ACH statements going PDF. in the evening i went to hy-vee in eagan for groceries, and while there i got some valentine-themed cheerios cereal. it was in a cart with other items for this unofficial holiday. i went to a walgreen as well, as i wanted the paper and they were sold out at the grocery store. i bought the last copy at walgreen, and some snoopy-themed candy, hershey kisses. during my walks i found 60 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when we meet the scientists from the fermi lab who stole sheldon and amy's idea. 

emergency phone installed

 at work a tech showed up to do the emergency phone installation. it was in the morning, and this took up half of my workday. i wanted to see that all were fine with the placement. and it meant having my boss sign off on it, who was onsite and arrived from another floor. having it in the room where my laptop is, that wasn't practical. building manager said it had to be near the main door. it was placed on a different wall than the check printer and inserter machine, but still close to the door and to the exit sign. guess it can be used for more than just emergency calls, although once programmed it is lit up red and says, 'dial 911 for emergency'. a different contractor also showed up, related to the door, but i was told that there would be a return visit the next day. not much has been done about the door yet and it still means picking up a key and giving up my driver license to get it. when i turned it in at the end of the day to get my license baclk the guard made a big deal hearing how i have printed checks in the millions. i ran through over a thousand tax forms and let the payroll manager know where i was with it. i said if i don't finish what is in the shop by the end of the week then early next week. i drank the can of Michelob with the evening meal. i also went to the nearby liquor store and bought a can of bent paddle so there still are four beers waiting. during my walks i found 76 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Stuart went on a date with Amy, a movie. Sheldon shows up and Amy said he used a 'quadruple negative'. it was followed by the one where Zac asks Leonard to be a sperm donor. 

basquiat movie

 tonight, after work i went to the trylon cinema and saw 'Basquiat'. this was part of the 'sound unseen' series, which also has a film festival in November. i did see one in the film-fest, at bryant lake bowl in uptown Minneapolis. the trylon is a much better venue for a movie, though. i attended with the retired postal worker, who gave me the idea through a text message. the venue claimed that the screening was 'sold out', but we sat in the front row and there were some empty seats. i was largely unfamiliar with the subject of this biopic, but i did read up about this painter in advance. like some other famous people, died of a heroin overdose, at age 27. the cast had plenty of notables in it, including David Bowie (as Andy Warhol), along with Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Courtney Love, and Parker Posey. when the closing credits start rolling, we hear 'hallelujah', the john cale version. this movie was in black and white, except for a scene after the credits rolled, in color. i recognized this scene from earlier in the movie, it was when he uses a big paint roller. i correctly guessed one scene as announcing when Warhol had died, figuring that based on the time period being covered that this would be mentioned somewhere in the story. my friend suggested seeing another movie in this series sometime soon, and i am up for that. i think this was our first in-person visit since the state fair in august. after i got home from work, i wasn't there for long. i dropped off a few things and had a snack and then i was gone again, wanting to eat at a burger king before making it to the movie. i went home after the movie, knowing i was tired and wanting to do my after-work routine of going through emails and such. at work i was waiting at security for twenty minutes due to access to the check shop being changed when the door was locked. i was escorted into the shop and later on was given a key but needed to give my driver license for it. i got it back when i turned in the key at the end of the day. looks like we will have someone looking at the door the next morning. just under a thousand tax forms went out, besides the checks. vacation replacement was in the shop working some more on updating the written procedures, i was asked to proofread the one about a file that went PDF. during my walks i found 26 cents. 

takis fuego

 in the morning i saw vacation replacement, who had been to the vending machine, and was told that an extra bag of snack food dropped. this was Takis Fuego, hadn't heard of it before, but i know the second word is Spanish for 'fire'. i made it through the bag, slowly, and got water to help me through it. taking it slowly made this spicy thing more manageable. i got the drive mapped out that i needed, by using the 'Eva app'. i used it to create excel spreadsheets that report the stats on the checks printed by me each day. and it helps me with where to move the check files that went PDF, once those are printed. then i got the laptop boxed up and to the mailroom, and the UPS label was slapped on the side of the box, in the afternoon. i took out the additional items in the box, some cords as well as a docking station, and only sent them the laptop. sounds like this was all that was being requested. we did see a tech related to the '911 phone' installation, but not as early as projected. found out a cable is still needed to get it done, so it means a tech visit has to be rescheduled. the check stock order was delivered as well, and this led to me creating another work order on the door as the courier got inside the shop without any help from me. i did see a tech in the afternoon, but the door isn't fixed just yet. tech left before i had completed all of the overnight labels, i was behind due to the high volume of checks from the Fargo file. there was a flurry of emails about it, and two colleagues, including vacation replacement, kept asking about it. the other was the team lead, as the boss was ill and was absent. 'Night Court' had the bailiff get a pie in the face as there was plenty of clowns in the court. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when Sheldon and Amy set their paper on fire, and it led to the shower curtain catching fire. this was also a cross-over episode with 'young Sheldon' as we see his football coach dad, and his brother, appear on a VHS tape.  

laptop return prompt

 near the end of the workday i saw an email from a colleague who said i needed to return the older laptop. the newer one i have had for a little over a week now. i was still using the older one as i didn't have a drive mapped out just yet that i use every day. i had seen this colleague on occasion related to the check printer. i then asked where the box to return it was, as i was used to seeing a small oblong one. there was no response by the end of the day. guess it means using the one the newer one arrived in, as i did find a return label there. i was pleased to get another thousand tax forms for California employees run through the machine and out the door. there is just one box remaining now. in the evening i went to perform. there is still a smaller crowd, even after moving back the start time by thirty minutes. i started off with mention of 'old man and the sea', saying i only knew it as the name of a Hemingway novel that i read back in college. show runner, when doing the announcements and ground rules, said it was also the name of a long song. i did some bank stories as well, and mention of a movie i saw on super bowl Sunday. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Sheldon's mom visits and Sheldon gets caught out in the rain. it was followed by the one where Howard translates a Russian paper and finds out this disproves Sheldon and Amy's paper. 

brave the dark movie

 around midday i went to see 'brave the dark', at the mall in eden prairie. this movie is about a homeless teenager that is adopted by his teacher. it was hard to watch, to say the least. i wasn't sobbing, but i cried a lot. i did see someone leave the auditorium, but if it was a 'walk out' or a bathroom break, i don't know. there were some reminders of unhappy things from my younger years. i didn't recognize any of the actors in it. i know one thing i saw in the closing credits wasn't typical. it was asking for donations on their website in order to get more people to see the movie. after the movie i went to the nearby dairy queen and had a blizzard treat. i looked around inside the barnes and noble book shop as well. i spent a while in there, finding one DVD, 'catch-22'. i had hoped to find another item of interest to me, but couldn't. then i went home, and not too long after that the super bowl began. eagles won, 40-22 over the chiefs, after leading 24-0 at the half. i had hoped for a close game, but it wasn't. no commercials really stood out to me. it was a lot like the lineup of previous super bowls- plenty of ads for cars, beer, and snack foods. in the morning, i got started early on laundry as i knew i had to move my car for the snow ordinance. but i didn't  mind as it meant i was done well before midday and was still able to get to the movie. during my walks i found 35 cents. 

blue collar movie

 in the evening i went to see the movie 'blue collar' at the trylon in Minneapolis. Harvey Keitel, Richard Pryor, and Yaphet Kotto were in it. this was about auto workers who burglarized their own union hall, and what was found in the safe besides petty cash. i knew it was produced by Norman Lear's company, then known as TAT, and this explains why three clips from TV shows in scenes of this movie were from his shows- 'Jeffersons', once, and 'Good Times', twice. i recognized product placement in it, as Harvey's character was wearing a McDonald's shirt, the song about what is in big macs. Yaphet's character was all right, but i found Richard Pryor's character to be too extreme. Harvey's character reminded me a little of my dad, with a '30 and out' hat, and the short-sleeved sport shirt. my dad was a labor union man as well. i also noticed the name change of their labor union, to AAW instead of UAW, in this case 'auto assembly workers'. i liked seeing something in the background in a toy store, as it was Linus with his blanket, on the wall. i didn't stay long after the screening was done, as the snow ordinance was just about to take effect. i took a picture of the sign saying what movies were playing that night, then knew i had to 'get out of dodge'. i didn't do much after getting home. in the morning i went to the post office early, one order was picked up. then it was on to get an oil change done on my car in inver grove heights. then i went to lunch at the McDonald's a few miles away, but returned after noticing the wiper blades were skipping a fairly big part. i got an adjustment done. i rested a little at home, watched the ending of a college basketball game, Iowa's men's team lost to Wisconsin. i dropped off recycle near the capitol, then ate at home before watching the news and then heading to the movie. during my walks i found 1 dollar 75 cents. 

waterloo sparkling water

 there were some goodies at work in the morning near the elevators. this included cans of waterloo sparkling water. i had seen it before but hadn't drunk it before. it tasted fine, about the same as any other kind of sparkling water i've had before. i also got some Knott's berry farm cookies. this was part of heart month, and i saw some cards about it. technician was in early about the inserter machine but was told there is still an issue with the software. i was shown how to change hoppers when i am running checks through. some of the rollers were cleaned as well. in the afternoon my boss shared an email about intercepting some Canadian checks. getting the tax forms out the door is still moving right along, another thousand. now there is just over one full box left so it is likely to have them all done by the end of next week. in the evening i went to get groceries at the hy-vee in eagan. this included getting a three-pack of bar soap, and i knew the trick that would work is to write it down. usually i go to the store without any kind of list at all. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when we see two 'betrayals'. brent spiner guest stars and sheldon sees it as a betrayal when leonard goes to wil wheaton's party. then bernadette tells howard's mom about his plans to go to space. it was followed by the one where raj showers with anu. sheldon tries to bond with amy's parents, and amy's dad isn't good at magic. 

popcorn social

 finally did my first event offered by the building manager since moving to the downtown office. it took more than a month. it was a popcorn social, at skyway level. there was candy available as well, on the table, three kinds. i had some of the m and m's. hearing the popcorn machine reminded me of visits to movie theaters, except i don't get it there that often as popcorn can get expensive at the movies. i also asked about other events, and found out it was best to go to the management office on the main floor. i hadn't seen any emails lately, and said i was unable to get signed up for those that required it. i am told that sign-up events often fill up quickly. i liked how the inserter machine hummed along, little or no issues since adding some more configurations. i was notified about the arrival of a supply order, envelopes. nine boxes were brought over to me, and i was fine with going to the mailroom to pick up the other eleven boxes as i had carts to use. in the evening i watched some YouTube videos about the move of the NFL's Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis. most of them mentioned one important factor, how the government wanted to pass a law to invoke 'eminent domain' to seize the team and prevent them from moving. this led to the owner deciding to move the team in the middle of the night, when media attention was less likely. i was just a kid then but recall the headline. it was 'Colts trot off to Indianapolis in midnight move'. looking at it this way, this does make more sense. i once went to my rep in the state legislature, disappointed that a business in my neighborhood would be closing, and was told 'i can't force anyone to do business in the city'. correct. what government can do, is offer incentives, such as tax breaks, making it easier to do business. this is part of what i am used to seeing during the course of my life when sports teams move. the two most important factors are: ownership, and the venue. teams will move if another city gives them a better deal. fans might be passionate about their team and get upset when a move happens, but fans don't have a vote. the league approves the move of any teams. i have also noticed that when teams move after a city refuses to build a new venue, then the city is willing to build a new venue to get another team. i drank the can of miller with the evening meal and went to the liquor store near me and bought two more cans, so now five drinks are waiting. one was a mix of Coca-Cola and Jack Daniel's; the other was bent paddle. during my walks i found 1 dollar, all in quarters. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj dates deaf Emily. his parents say that the choice is the money or the lady, and 'you're an idiot' when raj chooses the lady, at first. but then the relationship ends. it was followed by the one where Howard and Bernadette build a playhouse for their kids, and Bernie goes there when stressed out and it becomes a 'secret club' where penny and Amy join her. 

air conditioner swap

 when i arrived at work in the morning i noticed the air conditioner was on and blowing out cold air. so, it meant that facilities had been there. a few minutes later, i did see a tech and heard more about it. the unit had been swapped out. i was used to the previous one shutting off every so often. later on, i was having issues with the inserter machine stopping a lot, saying 'envelope too deep'. vacation replacement was able to get some alternate configurations going. after this the machine just hummed along. another case of my colleague taking a lot off of my plate. the boss asked about it on a visit to inspect the air conditioner, wasn't expecting my colleague to be there. still waiting to hear when the e-911 phone will have installation done, and when four 'inactive phones' will be picked up. those phones have been in the corner of the room i work in since i moved there over a month ago. i checked movie times for the weekend and now i have a 'super bowl movie' to attend. there is an early screening available, starting around midday, which will wrap up well before the game begins. i am not interested in watching those pregame shows, just want to see the game. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Amy attended a wedding with Leonard, while Sheldon stayed home and played with toy trains. Howard and Bernadette hear 'in or out' from Howard's mom. liked this one as Bernadette said 'he hasn't tried them yet' about the pancakes. it was followed by the one where Amy us upset about being pulled off her own project- by Sheldon, and the university president. 

software upgrade for hoppers

 we had a tech look at the inserter machine in the morning, found out there was no call as the only number on file was the former location. tech said a software upgrade was needed to use the other two hoppers on the machine. it made sense to ask for this when there are three hoppers in case we ever need to switch to another one, as i sometimes did on the previous machine in order to get checks out as quickly as possible. in the afternoon was my 'one on one' with the boss. some of these other meetings were also done in the shop. in the evening i saw how the local baseball team, the Minnesota twins, had announced their promotions schedule. there is one that is of interest to me, so i might want to order tickets soon even though the season hasn't started yet. hopefully the other local team, the St. Paul saints, also releases a promotions schedule real soon. i go to more of their games. during my walks i found 75 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when Leonard did skype calls with Priya. penny claims a chair and Sheldon doesn't like it. this is when penny does 'what's up buttercup?' and the scene ends with a cushion being shown to Sheldon. it was followed by the one where Bernadette and penny have dinner with anu, raj's lady friend. i also watched 'night court', and it involved a polygraph. 

fluid bottle cut open

 vacation replacement was in the shop as expected, and first thing i mentioned i needed help with was the fluid bottle. couldn't get it open, so the bottlecap was cut open. this should take care of our needs in this area for a while as the bottles last for over a month before needing to swap it out. tried to use the laptop that just arrived friday, but it took a while to get all of the mapping done on it, what i need to get my work done moved over from the one i was using. so it was just left on and moved to another table. for the third straight day, the inserter machine went down close to midday, sensor issues. don't know what my colleague did to override it, moved some knobs that i usually don't want to touch is all i know. this was after i had called for a tech. i was told i would get a call within two hours, except no one called at all. but i guess we didn't need them, at least just yet, when i got all of the checks run through. i am still wondering if it has anything to do with the tax forms i am running through in the morning. my colleague did copy one configuration where i could run tax forms on an alternate hopper, there are three hoppers. i had already met my goal for the day so i said i would try again on running tax forms this alternate way the next morning. i was getting annoyed with a mailroom employee when i went to the breakroom for water before having a granola bar just before midday. i ended up hearing more than i really cared to hear, as this man often seems to be angry to me. guess i have the option of just avoiding him more often by going to a breakroom on another floor. during my walks i found 25 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when the only advice that leonard gets from his mom was to 'buck up'. amy has a sleepover with penny. it was followed by the one where amy said 'what the hell, penny' after penny said she didn't want kids. 

basic instinct movie

 still working my way through the DVD movies recently purchased from half price books. this morning it was 'basic instinct', with Michael Douglas, and Sharon stone. i had heard about this one for a while, including it being name-checked on an episode of 'young Sheldon'. and now an episode of 'the simpsons' made more sense when groundskeeper willie crossed his legs, showing no undies, which would be a parody of this movie. it is a thriller, and i do like thrillers. this one did keep me guessing until the end. when a sports car was wrecked i said 'waste of a good car'. this was when someone tried to kill the cop, played by Douglas. it had some other cast members that i recognized, including Chelcie ross, Wayne knight, and Jeanne tripplehorn. liked seeing a Bart Simpson keychain in it, and a clip from an episode of 'the Jeffersons'. the show's theme song was also listed in the closing credits. since it was made more than thirty years ago, a few things in it now make it look dated. this would be using a public pay phone, and the cop driving a Plymouth. of course, one is largely obsolete now, and the other is a now-defunct car brand. thankful i finally saw this one. when it finished i got started on the next thing right away, watching a college basketball game. my school, the Iowa Hawkeyes, were on fox, playing USC, women's basketball. the game had just barely started. Iowa raced to a big lead, but USC closed the gap and led by a point at the half. but Iowa found a way to win by seven, on the day of the retirement of Caitlin Clark's uniform number. hard to understand how at times that Iowa seemed baffled by the other team using full-court press, when that can be overcome by just passing. there was mention by Caitlin how her pro team, the Indiana fever, would be playing a game in Iowa city. i found it online, this is an exhibition against the Brazilian national team in early May. hopefully it will be on TV somewhere. in the evening i went to perform, including bank stories as well as 'weird interactions with the general public'. i called my dad late in the evening, one thing notable about it was hearing more about his favorite uncle. during my walks i found 1 cent. 

conclave movie

 in the afternoon i went to see the movie 'conclave' in eden prairie. i recognized john lithgow in it, and the voice still sounds familiar. and as my old man would say, usually the one thing that doesn't change is a person's voice. once this movie got some oscar nominations, including best picture, i put this one back on my list. decent crowd for this screening, likely aided by having just one for the day at this theater. it is described as a thriller, and it doesn't disappoint. there were plenty of twists and turns in it. i had a sandwich at jersey mike's before getting to the theater, and after the movie i looked around inside the mall. there was a newer store that was of interest to me, once finding out there were some charlie brown items. it is called 'miniso'. i got a 'paint by number' and a foldable shopping bag. and i got a dairy queen blizzard treat as well, french silk pie. when i got home i went to aldi for groceries. i considered going out to eat for the evening meal but i was tired and just got some pizza at a speedway gas station as i needed gas for the car as well. in the morning i went to the post office, two orders were picked up. still doing some planning as usual, there is another oscar-nominated movie i would like to see. so far i have seen two of the best picture nominees, the other being the bob dylan biopic. but i checked the schedule online and it looks like the other one on my list was moved back a month, just before the awards ceremony, in terms of being in theaters. not a big deal. i already have, and will have, plenty of other things booked until then. during my walks i found 1 dollar 12 cents.