Found a fine spot between flights at LAX for refreshments. The glass wall is open at the top, so we get doses of fresh air and whiffs of aviation fuel. Our flight leaves tonight (Tuesday) and touches down in Auckland on Thursday morning.
Category: Living
-8⁰F
Woke up to -8⁰F (-22⁰C), a good day to stay in and check in for tomorrow’s flights to a warmer place. While I watched a Japanese drama series on an exercycle, Dwight hit a treadmill with a podcast. We’ve truly tipped the fridge now: dinner tonight is Leftover-Sausage-Saturday Musubi™.
Dinner and hard truths
Snowy walk to meet friends for a “modern take on authentic Mexican food.” Because people are afraid to go out lately, the restaurant has had to shorten its hours. We received great service from our server, and we chatted at the end of our meal. She shared her well-founded fear of being dragged off by ICE goons on her way from work because of the color of her skin, despite being an American-born citizen.
Extreme cold and extremist provocation
There are two reasons to stay inside today: first, it’s freezing; second, Proud Boys and other wannabes have come in from out of state to march through Downtown and harass the Somali-American community in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Since some ICE goons are known to be Proud Boys, we can only hope they’re busy marching rather than abducting brown people.
How to shorten a tree… from the bottom
Dwight just posted about a tree he worked on at the university greenhouse where he volunteers. It was pushing against the roof, so it had to be shortened. They actually shortened the trunk itself, which I find amazing. Click through for a link to the post.
Curved steel and high rails
Our closest river crossing, Bridge Number 9, reopened today, so we went for a walk. It gives us a straight (well, curved) shot to the University’s East Bank and medical campus. The new railings are now well above a cyclist’s center of gravity and serve as a suicide deterrent.
This is not normal
We heard stun grenades in the distance as we lay in bed last night: ICE was showing their displeasure with citizens exercising their constitutional rights. At school this morning, a guard station had been set up to prevent goons from entering the building. We kept the classroom door locked. Some learners opted to join the classes remotely. As I left the building, a helicopter was circling just a few blocks away.
Voices against occupation
On my walk, I decided to pay my respects to the Father of Waters (statue) at City Hall. To my surprise, a press briefing was just starting, so I stuck around. I listened as local and state leaders bore witness to the violent ICE occupation of our city; instead of dividing us, their presence has only brought the community together.
Mansion walk
After our successful elevator doors walk last week, a friend and I went on a ‘mansion walk.’ We braved the icy sidewalks to explore a Minneapolis neighborhood featuring a scattering of mansions built by families like the McKnights (3M) and the Pillsburys. Today, most of these properties serve as offices and event spaces.
Travel essentials
Started gathering items for our upcoming trip to the Southern Hemisphere summer. The currency is left over from a trip in 2020. We use the detergent sheets both at home and while traveling; there’s enough here for 14 loads. The Japanese coffee filters have become an essential part of our gear. Our entire packing system relies on Ziploc freezer bags ranging from one pint to two gallons.