Category: Living

Time for Gratitude

Celebrated over grilled cheese sandwiches and beer at Longfellow’s. We had been to my oncologist and agreed to resume drug therapy because my tumor is waking up: the therapy could work for years. As a student, I celebrated poor grades, good grades less so. Grateful for good healthcare.

Vietnamese Baking

Met a friend early (8:00 a.m.) to cycle to an unassuming bakery in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul. Trung Nam, owned by a Vietnamese family, makes some of the best croissants in town. They sell out fast, hence the early start.

Categorized as Eat, Cycle

Home of Breakfast Cereal

In Northeast Minneapolis, cycled past a node in the global industrial breakfast cereal supply chain.

Categorized as Cycle

Model Railroad Sale

Locked up my bike outside the Twin City Model Railroad Museum. In a dark room where the lights had failed, other nerdy old guys were pointing their phone flashlights at tables filled with surplus models that were on sale. I did likewise, looked, but didn’t buy.

Categorized as Play

Veggie Paella

My first (almost) veggie paella tasted pretty good, but I need to cautiously work on developing a deeper, more caramelized base crust (socarrat). Used Arborio rather than Bomba rice (I’ll do that again next time), and chicken (rather than veggie) broth.

Categorized as Cook

Ferns by a Trail

The trails were so lovely today. Ferns on Brown’s Creek State Trail.

Categorized as Cycle

Pedestrian Lift Bridge

Cycled to Wisconsin across a rarity: a working lift bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. Rode in a friend’s truck part-way, then cycled the Gateway and Brown’s Creek State Trails to Stillwater where the bridge crosses the St. Croix River. A new bridge now carries vehicle traffic.

Minnesota-Grown

Leftover mushroom risotto tasted pretty good: made patties for dinner. The mushroom, lettuce, tomatoes, and asparagus are all Minnesota-grown.

Categorized as Cook