nissan sales event commercial

 i have been seeing a TV commercial for nissan cars quite a bit lately. it is a 'sales event ad', and the blonde lady driving the car is going through an obstacle course. she asks 'is this boring?' and at the end it shows a billboard saying 'up to $1000 holiday bonus cash'. the version of the ad found online is longer than the one seen on TV. i think this explains why we see the ad sandwiching another ad, so the one on TV must be 15 seconds long. i had to research who the actress is in the commercial, it appears to be brie larson. i don't know who that is, but there was mention of her being in a movie called 'captain marvel'. looking at her acting credits i saw 'trainwreck', the amy schumer vehicle, i have seen that one. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny gets addicted to online gaming. it was followed by when penny and zac help the friends win a justice league costume contest at the comic book shop that stuart owns.

and there were some other things that happened. i went on a walk late in the evening and found 69 cents. a new years eve show was advertised on facebook and i got the zoom link from the yemen native. bathtub, and button, were also part of the lineup. it was a virtual show, as many things are during the pandemic. bathtub served as the MC. on the news there was a story of a horse that lived a long life, named 'rambo' after a popular movie from the year it was born. the horse liked to drink mountain dew. and on a radio station i am able to get from new prague, i heard what must have been a buck owens song when i was getting home from work. i wrote down some key lyrics and i think it was 'love's gonna live here'. my first answer when searching was 'open up your heart' but based on the lyrics i recall, 'someday my life will shine a light on me', the first result didn't seem to fit when listening to it on youtube. much like on christmas eve, it was a fairly low volume day at work. i didn't mind it being a slow one compared to most other days there. when i made it to walgreen at lunchtime i got a box of christmas cards as i was nearly out after sending off three more today to friends and family. as the saying goes, 'wise shoppers stretch dollars', and the box of cards was half-off. 

faucet inspection

 there was somebody from facilities onsite today to inspect the fire extinguisher in the check shop. i spoke of how it was odd to discover a faucet in an adjacent file room. it led to him inspecting the faucet as well, and eventually somebody was sent to deal with the leak that apparently was happening. i said it was 'above my pay grade' so the best thing to do was to notify someone like i did. i don't have access to that room but i can still hear and see things happening there. i was called by my boss early in the day about one of the check printers being down, it sounds like the tech is recommending replacement of the unit. another call i got was from our tax specialist. i called and left a message about a check to be picked up from the lockbox, and when he called back he spoke of how a family car was totaled. but how the check i called about needed to go out soon so no problem for him to call for the courier. otherwise it was a fairly ho-hum day. i had hoped to get farther on finishing the response to holiday cards but got only one sent, it was inter-office to who sent the candies. i had to take care of the refund checks, high volume, in the morning hour that is usually the slowest time of the day for me. in the evening i went on a walk and found 26 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when leonard and lesley dated, but broke up over scientific differences. it was followed by the one where penny hires bernadette and amy to do her history paper after claiming she didn't want help when leonard wrote it for her. i tried watching reruns of 'the conners' in primetime but i laid down and fell asleep. it was 2 hours worth, and i had probably seen all of them. jimmy kimmel was on when i woke up, so it was after the late local news. i watched a little of the show but not that close, and the walk was after it had ended.  

snowmobile booklet, hunting map

 i went to the minnesota DMV- its official name is 'driver and vehicle services'- as it was a day off and i wanted a lien released on my car title. it meant waiting outside for a little while, as they only allowed 5 patrons inside at a time. when i was done with why i was there i decided to look at a display in the corner. it had a booklet about snowmobile regulations, and a map about hunting in the state. i tried not to take too long looking at them as i knew the next person in line would like to go inside. it was the first time i had been to this facility, in inver grove heights, same town i had bought my car in. one page gives a list of ways to be a safe and responsible rider, and one of these was taking a safety training course. there are some ads, including one about visiting the iron range, must be a good place for snowmobiling. another is for an event called 'hay days', held in north branch in september. the map, it is what it says it is. one section is about chronic wasting disease management and surveillance areas. there was an A and W restaurant nearby, but like most food establishments during this pandemic it was drive-up service only. so i went to a walgreen where i could see the photo guy i know and got lunch there. this included the 'burger in a box' as well as a small bag of lay's BBQ chips. also got a tin can of pineapple juice, hadn't seen one in a while. after having lunch at home i decided to re-copy some notes onto another page, and eventually i wanted to get going again on mundane errand running. the snow was just starting to fall at that time. so i went to a place near the capitol and dropped off recycle, then it was to the post office and there was one e-bay order to pick up. these last two things i am aware i could have done on the weekend, but i had the time today so i was fine with doing them early. i was pleased with what got done on this last day off for this calendar year. in the evening i went on a walk and found 5 cents. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when penny lied about graduating from college, and leonard got it out of sheldon when he was drugged. it was followed by when howard returned from space and ended up alone at a diner and got some free food. 

payroll temps

 it is hard to keep up with the personnel changing in the payroll department, many of them appear to have been temps. i just got introduced to another one this afternoon when printed paystubs were dropped off in order to be mailed out. the lady called where i work a 'print shop', close enough. it was a fairly low volume on check printing all around for the day. i was unsure of what to expect when it is the first day back after a holiday. odd how i was asked to find tracking numbers for three checks and i knew i had shared it earlier with two of them. no request was found to overnight the third. but i think this is due to working with a vacation replacement for about two weeks, until the start of next week. on the way home from work i stopped at a UPS retail location in my neighborhood and picked up the second item in the hawk shop order. it was the bowl game button, of course the game was just canceled over the weekend. so this will be a unique souvenir. i still wanted it because i had paid for it. i did a virtual open-mic this evening, it included a poet from colorado. this is in addition to a guitar player we've had from gloucester for a few weeks now. notable was the stories about the dancing santa, and being at the laundromat. after the mic was done i went on a walk and found 51 cents. the 'big bang theory' rerun was when sheldon got an assistant, and amy said to penny 'that skank is your problem, not mine'. 

i can see clearly now

 i was about to put a DVD in this morning and a CBS morning news show was doing a year-end event. it included those we had lost this year, one of them being johnny nash, who sang 'i can see clearly now'. so i went to find the song on youtube. i am more partial to 'ooh child' by 5 stairsteps, but both are good songs. in terms of them being uplifting and positive. the song was a number one hit in 1972. the video i found was from 'the midnight show'. when i was out and about i paused when i heard a song off in the distance by a dumpster, i think. it was 'leather and lace' by stevie nicks and don henley. i am thankful i got going early on laundry, as i was able to finish it around midday. it meant i caught most of a pro football game on TV i had wanted to see, bears were playing the jaguars in jacksonville. bears won and control their destiny on making the playoffs. right after breakfast was eaten i put in the DVD i was planning to watch, it was the charlie brown christmas specials. there was the original from 1965, and a second one that was done in 1992. after the bears game was rams-seahawks. i laid down and fell asleep for a while. so i didn't see muvh of this second game. i had dinner and cleared out emails, eventually watching 'big bang theory' reruns as 'the simpsons' wasn't on fox tonight. then i called my dad and this time it went through. during the call he had the news on and there was something about the music city bowl in nashville being canceled as there are covid issues for missouri, iowa's opponent in the bowl game. these are crazy times we live in. i had already ordered a bowl game button from the hawk shop and hopefully it will still arrive. late in the evening i went on a walk and picked up 41 cents. 

boxing at shrine auditorium

 i liked watching some boxing matches on fox tonight, held at the shrine auditorium in los angeles. i am thankful i was paying attention to the brief segment about the history of the venue, as they covered some of the music shows that happened there over the years, including the grateful dead. it spurred me to look up the venue further on wikipedia. it is called 'shrine' because of the fraternal organization known as 'the shriners'. many award shows have been held there over the years, and two versions of the movie 'star is born' have been filmed there (including the 2018 version). and i liked reading how this venue is on the national register of historic places. as for the boxing tonight, all four matches shown ended in knockouts. one of them was in the first round, as a fighter was knocked down three times. another match ended between rounds. the fourth match of the night, the main event, was won by a fighter from the twin cities. he was wearing trunks that said 'armory' on them, referring to the minneapolis armory, now a boxing venue. i saw some matches at the minneapolis armory 2 years ago. 

this was an errand running day, and i was pleased with how much i got done. it started with going to pick up packages, although just one of the two i was expecting was at a UPS retail location. two e-bay orders were at the post office. then the other places on my list were food-related. i found plenty of discounted christmas candy at a walgreen, as well as at hy-vee. so i am good on snack items for a while, probably a month. as i now have two boxes of little debbie snack cakes, 21 pieces of candy (mostly russell stover) and one little box of keebler cookies that included a storybook. the candy find at hy-vee was unexpected, but it became part of my weekly order. i went to cub foods twice, first to get a winter carnival button. i returned after finding out hy-vee was out of egg nog. i like it so i got two quarts at cub, along with a snoopy popcorn tin. before i got started on the errand running, waiting for places to open, i had breakfast and then watched a christmas special on DVD, 'the grinch', and its companion 'horton hears a who'. although the latter wasn't a christmas story. when i got home it was time for lunch, so i had the steak and egg burrito from the holiday gas station that i had bought the previous day. i watched some of the first responder bowl, a college football bowl game. it was Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Texas-San Antonio, from Dallas, and the Ragin' Cajuns from Louisiana won. in the early evening i went to aldi for my weekly order, and later on i went on a walk and found 1 cent. i am aware it might be harder to see coins to pick up when there is snow on the ground. 

words on bathroom walls movie

 i watched a DVD movie this morning, a redbox rental, 'words on bathroom walls'. it is about a teenager who suffers from schizophrenia. he is good at cooking and wants to go to culinary school. while at catholic school, he meets maya and they begin a relationship. this movie struck a chord with me. i think it was due to how he understands the need to try to ignore his demons and stay focused. also with just wanting to feel normal. of course it helps that there is a reference to the 'it's not your fault' scene in 'good will hunting', my favorite movie. and i like how it looks like he is talking to the camera in many scenes, but actually it is to his psychiatrist. comparing the disorder to cancer was a good observation, as well as him saying 'being ambiguous doesn't make you profound'. i didn't recognize any of the actors in it at first, but i was thinking the priest that he confesses to is familiar. and i was right, as the closing credits said it was andy garcia, who i also recall being in 'jennifer 8'. there were times when i clapped as he said things i had often wanted to say, or had said before, such as his dislike for his stepfather. there was a notable name-checking of another teen movie in it, 'never been kissed', a movie i have seen. much of the music for the movie was by the chainsmokers, and i have heard of them. also liked how i knew 'canard rouge' is french for 'red duck'. i am also the type that pays attention to the special features, as there was previews for other movies before the feature began. except i was bummed that neither is currently at redbox. it was 'peanut butter falcon', bruce dern is in it and a pink song, 'walk me home', was in the trailer. the other was 'forever my girl', about a country singer, and it appears one of his concerts is at the superdome in new orleans. it would still be nice to see them someday, somehow. 

i did my best to stay busy on this day off for christmas. when i returned the movie to the gas station i also got a paper and lunch for saturday. i made it home in time to watch a church service on fox-9, it had been advertised a lot lately. it was from the our lady of grace catholic church in edina. if the pandemic is still happening by easter sunday then i guess i can take in easter services on TV. in the afternoon i went on a walk and found 50 cents. i also saw a car stuck in the snow, but i saw people there helping out the driver. the 'big bang theory' reruns were when raj's dad visits, notable as normally he is just seen in skype calls. sheldon and amy get each other christmas presents they really like. i hadn't seen this one before but it was a good one. the other was about sheldon going to texas to help with the delivery of his sister's baby. then the friends back home talk about what their life would have been like without sheldon, of course this is like the movie 'it's a wonderful life'. from time to time i was watching 'yule log' on channel 45, a companion channel to ABC-5. but i didn't want to watch it all day as after a while i was hearing some of the same songs again. in the evening i listened to the iowa-minnesota basketball game on the radio, iowa lost 102-95 in overtime. and it was nice to hear from the yemen native from facebook, much like at thanksgiving, as few other comic friends have checked in with me. already have a list of things to do for saturday, seven things in all.