there was a request from the Cincinnati file that said use one check but not the other. this is the file where most checks are overnighted. once i was caught up on check printing, i reviewed what i had in front of me. then i reviewed the email. i said 'got it' on what they wanted. the checks had different amounts, this is likely why a second check was cut as there was something not correct about the first one. for this reason, i wouldn't call it 'duplicated'. another check was sent to the floor where most of my colleagues were on, but to a different employee. this time the team lead, who has fishing tattoos. it was a check from the i-pay file. the second file of this kind from the previous day was late, and i got it moved in the morning. two payroll checks were picked up, i had notified that department two days prior.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
dropoff during lunch
at the end of my lunch i decided to walk a rare FedEx envelope over to the drop box in another building, walking through the skyway. when i got back i noticed how my vacation replacement had dropped off some returned checks. thankful i still don't get FedEx that often, but when i do i don't mind the exercise i get. during lunch sometimes i don't walk at all, aside from to and from the bathroom and breakroom, and those are on the same floor as me. sometimes i am aware of the sense of urgency from internal customers. case in point, there was a check copy request where i received an email and an instant message about it. it said it was due to needing to be reviewed prior to their response.
business line move delayed
notable about the workday was hearing that a business line, based in San Diego, would be moving. but this move has been delayed until august. a check to be set aside for the manager who likes karaoke was sent to that floor just before i went to lunch. more people were added to a thread about the earlier envelope order. a new order was submitted, and the earlier one was canceled. i guess this means we found out better about what kind to order and what was available. still a question on when it might arrive.
envelope order issues
at work, there was an envelope order for a business line that we are taking over soon. my boss and the colleague who places the order for me were copied on an email from the supplier, which said it was not available. another email was about a check i had overnighted to Korea that was stuck in customs. i let them know what was inside the package. i had no knowledge of a phone number for the recipient. when a check is going to a foreign land, i have to enter one and i enter my office phone, attached to my laptop. a toner cartridge was picked up from the mailroom, and the ticket was closed. in the evening i went to perform. i did stories about art a whirl, the opera, the offspring song, and the bank.
Monday, May 25, 2026
art a whirl
i went to a meetup event in the afternoon, it was at art a whirl. i don't think i had been to this event before, in Minneapolis. i studied the logistics and decided to take the light rail and then a bus to get there. the meetup event was in the basement of the 'casket' building. i guess this was the name of a ghost business on the outside of the building. they called this place serving beer a 'speakeasy'. i got a can of beer there and walked around the art displays for sale in this building. i bought one item, a postcard-sized print. it had Paul Bunyan on it next to the grain belt beer sign. i went to one other venue, it meant crossing the railroad tracks to get to the Northrup King building. i liked seeing yet another repurposed building, as i knew this was the name of a seed corn company when i was growing up in Iowa. saw a pregnant mannequin there. and i paused when i heard a radio on, the song was 'gone away' by the offspring. for lunch there was food trucks nearby. i got a meat pie from a British-themed truck, then some ben and jerry's ice cream nearby.
pagliacci opera
went to an opera this evening in downtown St. Paul, 'Pagliacci'. i think this was my third opera, and first since seeing 'La Boheme'. i liked the 'show within a show'. but this is done because it was covering how art can imitate life. it resonated with me about the main character, the clown, spoke of needing to go onstage even if not feeling fully up to it as people are expecting a show. seating was good, in the back but the view was pretty decent as i was in the middle of the row and section. one intermission, i walked around for most of it. i played 'tears of a clown' by Smokey Robinson when i got home as i knew this opera was name-checked in the song. for lunchtime i went to burger king in Eagan. wanted the Star Wars-themed meal and got the garlic chicken fries, lower calorie than the whopper. then i got a double scoop at the Baskin Robbins down the road. gold medal ribbon and cookie monster were my choices. i made it to Aldi for groceries before the opera. in the afternoon i did watch some of the UFL football game, but st. louis lost to Houston in a close game. as usual, the observation i have is that most teams have plenty of chances to win, but turnovers doomed st. louis in this one.
two cartridges arrived
i was pleased that two toner cartridges were delivered. it was sent by two different couriers though, not sure why. but both are usable for check printing. the boss said the second one had his name on it, in the afternoon. i had hoped to pick it up when i sent the regular mail tubs to the mailroom, but a colleague said it was preferred to be picked up right away. something about how it would throw off their reporting if i didn't. the Cincinnati file sent me a FedEx label, first time since February and just the seventh overall. i saw that it was put in the box much earlier than those going UPS when the box is farther away, in another building but still able to get there via the skyway. a test check was printed for the Cincinnati file. it seemed to be a lot like those that i already print. it is nearly the same address, but a different business line name and mail code. in the evening i went to Hy-Vee in Eagan for groceries as usual. there was a UFL football game on, Orlando at Dallas, but i didn't watch much of it. notable how it was played on a military base, fort hood. i am picking up some more patriotic items. during the Hy-Vee visit it was firecracker Oreo cookies, as well as a coloring book, since it is the year for america-250.