It was time to bring out our Everyone is Awesome LEGO model for Pride Month. This year, it feels less like a celebration and more about asking what we can do to stand up to the discrimination flooding out of Washington.
Category: In This Together
Sunday dinner with family
Dinner with my sister-in-law, two brothers-in-law, and a nephew at Misono Asian Bistro, which is midway between our homes. Caught up on life’s events over sushi (one of two trays shown here) and various starters, including gyoza.
School’s out, but plants rest for no-one
As we do on Thursdays we compared our volunteer experiences—he in the university greenhouse, I at the school. I’m cautious taking photos at the school, but Dwight went full-throttle photographing over-the-top orchids, including this one. Today was the final day of school, but I’ll be assisting with Summer School later this month. Meanwhile, the greenhouse needs constant attention.
A day for indoor activities
This morning, woke up to a smoke-filled view of Downtown. When I stepped outside, I could taste and smell the wildfires in Manitoba. Definitely a day for indoor activities.
Feeling at home at the Minneapolis American Indian Center
After my gig at Franklin Library deducing words from context, I stopped by Gatherings Cafe at the beautifully remodeled Minneapolis American Indian Center. While primarily serving the local urban Native community, I felt very welcome as I ordered a bison melt with a side salad. The delicious food is organic and made on the premises from scratch, including the bread.
Using AI to generate worksheets for vocabulary deduction
I’m constantly discovering new applications for AI. Tomorrow, I plan to guide an adult learner through exercises focused on deducing the meaning of challenging words from their context in both single sentences and three-sentence paragraphs. Creating two worksheets—one with 30 sentences and another with 30 paragraphs, ensuring the same difficult words appeared in both—took about two minutes.
Debutantes and the civil rights movement
Walked past the Guthrie, where we’re seeing The Nacirema Society tonight. It’s a comedy set in 1964 Montgomery, Alabama, in the home of a wealthy Black family focused on an upcoming debutante ball. A comedy set during the Freedom Struggle should be interesting. My only experience of Montgomery was on business in 1977, where I witnessed blatant racism and de facto segregation.
Not your grandmother’s park
Cycled through the newest park in Minneapolis, Graco Park. This building, The River Hub, is net-zero with rooftop solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling. It houses high-tech equipment for a variety of activities including media arts and makers. I wanted to poke around, but it’s not open on Mondays. The area in front is for storm water runoff.
It’s our community
Today I was back in the classroom and found a card waiting, signed by my students. It’s a two-way street; I get so much out of it. Meanwhile, Dwight was at the University greenhouse today and has recently added a gig at Hennepin County Medical Center assembling kits (needles, condoms, etc.) for people with substance use disorder. I’ve also just added a gig: tutoring an adult learner in reading comprehension.
A pedestrian/cyclist freeway
We modified our usual Sunday morning walk along both sides of the Mississippi because three out of four bridges are currently being repaired or replaced. Here, a new pedestrian/cyclist trail is being built above the entrance to a dock then through a tunnel under Plymouth Avenue (just beyond the crane). The tunnel will lead to a recently opened park, Graco Park. The Minneapolis park system is a big reason we live where we live.