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An envelope, addressed by hand, was waiting for me in our mail box today. Judging by the return address, it contained Covid-19 antibody test results from a clinical lab affiliated with the University of Minnesota. I found myself wondering if I should even open the envelope. I try to be disciplined about this kind of… Continue reading Should I Open This Envelope?

In early May, I rode my bicycle past a scene that’s etched in my memory. At that time, George Floyd was alive, but Covid-19 was already disproportionately affecting the poor and people of color. The scene was something I had never seen before: a line of people carrying possessions, appropriately socially distanced, waiting outside a… Continue reading Out of Sight…

When we mapped out the floor plan for our apartment, we included a closet just off the den for hobby materials and practical stuff. Two rolling carts would sit against a wall: one cart would hold boxes of my LEGO Technics and Mindstorms parts, the other would hold my partner’s Architectural LEGO bricks. I investigated… Continue reading Using Airline Service Trolleys to Organize LEGO Parts

Stay-at-home orders have led to a boom in decluttering, closet organizing, and generally improving the home. We tend to get used to things being a little out of whack in our homes. With that thought in mind, I wandered around with a critical eye, trying to see things as if for the first time. I… Continue reading Naked Desks

The elderly white woman periodically topped up our wine glasses. When she decided we were sufficiently lubricated, she turned the conversation to race, specifically African Americans. “They need to get over it,” she announced, repeating with added vehemence, “Get over it.” That conversation has been reverberating in my head as I’ve been looking at street… Continue reading Minneapolis Protest Street Art

I pay attention to the news; too much attention, some would say. We have digital subscriptions to the New York Times, Washington Post, and our local paper, the Star Tribune. We’re members of Minnesota Public Radio and the local public television station. My long list of online news sources includes Politico, BBC, NHK (Japan, in… Continue reading A Day Without News Media

‪We woke up this morning to see our immediate neighborhood on the front of the New York Times. Last night we looked down from our home at mostly peaceful protesters breaking curfew, while hundreds of police performed a well-orchestrated pincer movement. 150 protesters who chose not to disperse, despite stun grenades and tear gas, were… Continue reading Seeking Justice

This week I’ve been thinking about rectangles inside rectangles. It’s a comfortable enough notion, a place of safety when times are not normal.