muppet special magazine

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

allergy issues

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

humidifier reader

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

linus jersey, saints game

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

princess theme

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

insurance gaslighting?

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

green and grain

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

tucker barnhart

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

passwords overnighted

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

tough. lewis capaldi

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

wedding beer cozy

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

manger avec les yeux

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

disappearing famous people

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

hy-vee coupons

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

reformation hoodie

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

twins on fox-9

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

overnight check, second attempt

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

muppet drag brunch

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

sacramento movie

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

pudding at fish fry

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

california tax checks

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

ron leflore story

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

magnet and pocket schedules

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

checking inter-office envelopes

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

using up dividers

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

happyend movie

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

national park movie, redford

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

chiropractor needs

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

adobe apps

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

validate or verify?

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