returned canada checks

 still seeing some weird emails. there was one from Canada, finally responding to my sending of an image of a returned check back in April. i said i was unable to reroute the check as i had overnighted it back to the business line in Toronto a week ago. ten returned checks in all from the past year were in the envelope. there was a team huddle in the afternoon, and my lunch was moved up for this reason. some joined remotely due to working from home, vacation replacement was one of them. the senior leader that had sent an e-card this week sent another notable email, this one about the weather. it said 'use your best judgment' related to deciding to work from home. expectations still are at three days a week in the office, although with my role i am already in the office all five days of the week. 

printing from lock icon

recently i had seen an email from a colleague i didn't know about printers. i found out the server was changing for the two check printers. i followed up and said vacation replacement helped with switching over, and now these printers are found on a 'lock icon'. i say this because the icon, found on my task bar, looks like a lock and one can see the keyhole on it. sometimes i am asked to do check copies, but not every time do i find what is being asked for. i did a second look and said nothing was found under the name 'Hitchcock'. i ask for payee, amount and check number, and this leaves me more confident when having all three that I've found the right one. a ticket opened from October was finally closed, after the toner cartridge arrived, but that was not why it was originally opened. the boss wanted it re-opened due to the overflow pages we get on some files, although it just led to aggravation. the printer would be remotely re-booted without advance notice, and in the middle of a big print job no less. and i was fine with printing the overflow pages on the same printer as the main page, which we did for two years when there was no second printer. i have no plans to say that it was closed as there had been no action on it for a while anyway, so the boss wasn't asking about it at all. a senior leader that i rarely see or hear from sent an e-card, the 'best in us' program, as i recall it was about contributions made in the past year to the team. 

filter by zip code

 at work i still see some unusual things each day. two things in particular stood out to me. there was one from a shared box when i asked for a toner cartridge to replace the one sent that was the wrong kind. finally got a response, it was to say that it was delivered nearly a week ago. i confirmed that it arrived, on a day off for me, accepted by vacation replacement. i had also made the request on a ticket that was opened months ago, and i guess it was acknowledged there more quickly. another was the account closure file from Kansas City, i send out plenty of overnighted checks for them. i was told that there would be just one file for the day instead of two. i was given a heads-up as some were missed in terms of needing to be marked as 'overnight'. i take it upon myself to filter out those with no zip code as i know those are 'return to business line'. and the same is true with those over ten thousand, which are to be overnighted as long as it is not going to a PO BOX. i liked how they let me know, nonetheless. some with no zip code were flagged and some were not, as i recall about ten in all were sent to Kansas City. 

walgreen then candy wrappers

 after a morning visit to Walgreen, i stayed busy going through a bag of clipped comedy sets and candy wrappers from the past year. i picked up some cough drops, a greeting card, and cookies. i found out the cookies were not discounted despite being in the same aisle as the seasonal items. i knew i shouldn't let the comedy sets pile up as much as i did, but I've said it before. some things are more fun than others and there always seemed to be something higher priority than that. there are multiple candy wrappers from the variety mic but i pick just one from each week that goes onto the page and then into a sheet protector, and no surprise how multiple pages were filled. i watched some of the NFL games of the day, the final day of the regular season. the bears game had a late-afternoon time slot, and the bears were getting blanked by the lions when i left to go to a bar to perform. then i get to the bar and found out the bears had closed the gap but still lost by a field goal. after i was done performing, i watched some of the Sunday night game, steelers over the ravens. this game also had a wild fourth quarter. when performing i was annoyed at hearing mention of a monument in another state where the comic didn't get their facts straight so i answered the joke. i also did stories about what i did on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, the bank, seeing a movie, and apps on my phone. 

david movie

 in the afternoon i went to see the movie 'David' in Edina at Southdale mall. i ordered an advance ticket, as i am not aware of any other way to use the gift card that Yemen native had sent me a year ago. this finished the balance, and the rest i covered with PayPal. enjoyed the story that was told, especially when he slew goliath. when the movie ended and before the closing credits were shown, there was a request to 'pay it forward' which meant help others pay to see this movie, especially kids. i think this same request was made when i saw another movie based on the bible in the past year, 'king of kings'. musician Lauren Daigle voices Rebecca in it. i am familiar with some of her songs, especially 'you say'. there were plenty of previews as well, one was a 'toy story' sequel. another was a biopic about ben franklin. since we are in the year of the America-250 celebration, no surprise how there will be some movies about the founding fathers. this one is due out in the spring. i even saw a display about a 'scream' sequel, in the hall. when i was searching for the biopic online after getting home, i found another one, about George Washington. that one is due out in early July. i watched the trailers for both on YouTube. in the morning i went to the post office, but no orders were there to be picked up. then it was to the credit union, depositing change. just over seven dollars was run through the change counter. i had the employee confirm that my car loan is due to have its final payment in July, and i like how the end is near. then i went to cub foods and found a quart of egg nog, surprised to see so much there when it is after Christmas. but it does prove that old adage how 'selection varies by store'. i also bought a diecast model car from the movie 'cars', it was the Hudson and has a Santa hat on it. after the movie i had the evening meal at home and then went to Aldi for groceries. for lunch i had a sandwich at Jersey Mike's. in the evening i tried to watch a football game but fell asleep and missed the ending. the seahawks beat the 49ers. 

two emails, one check

 i get back to the office and i am sent two emails about the same check. i found out it was one from the Cincinnati file that i had placed in the overnight bin, but it still hadn't been picked up yet. i was not aware that UPS wouldn't pick up anything on New Year's Eve. i figured that was it after the emails, but it wasn't. i got an instant message and was told that the client was still calling in about it. then i was called by UPS and was told it likely would be picked up near the end of the day. it wasn't going to get picked up any earlier just because somebody kept calling about it. usually when i say i have done my part, i don't hear any more about it. something about the client needed the check to make payroll. i even sent proof of when i was sent the label that i needed as i wanted to prove 'due diligence' here. i did check the tracking number late in the day and it was picked up. it was a fairly low volume day for overnights so i had them all in the drop-box early. i told a colleague that it looks like i have to 'bow out' on the building's food events at work as the registration has now moved to an app that i can't add to my android phone. one voluntary food event a month is not a good enough reason to change phones. thankful the popcorn event does not require registration, but it is canceled this month. in the morning i went to Walgreen for tea and cookies and picked up a discounted Charlie Brown holiday item- blocks that help count down the days. in the evening i went to the Hy-Vee in Eagan, it was a small order, just five items. i watched some of the holiday bowl on TV as well, SMU beat Arizona. 

comic book signing

 went to the comics brunch in Eagan just before midday. i had a scheduling conflict a year ago but no conflicts this time. a small crowd but i didn't mind, as i was less likely to get annoyed with comics that i don't like. i chatted with three comics while there, one of them was the event coordinator, that i knew from being a co-star on a fringe show. two others were the wolf, and the former lunch lady. the wolf had books that us comics could sign, but these weren't 'superhero' comic books. they were ones about local stand-up comics, two of the three were written by a dude that has interviewed me twice. i also noticed a movie ticket was taped near the front of one of the books, as i recall it was 'taken', the movie with Liam Neeson. the wolf apparently told his kids he wasn't going to rescue them like in that movie. in reality, no one should expect that. there was a familiar face at a table near ours, but i think it was a coworker and i wanted to get out of there before i was recognized. i don't talk about performing at the bank, and it had worked just fine to keep those two things separate. i heard from a friend of mine in St. Louis, a text message wishing me a happy new year. earlier the dude spoke of Indiana u., and i knew this school would be playing in the rose bowl. i checked the score later in the day and they beat Alabama.