On my walk, I stopped by Seward Community Co-op, owned by over 23,000 households, including our own. The large bags on the left contain teff flour, a staple for many customers with Somali heritage. On the right there’s a well-managed produce department where I can pick up a single potato if that’s all I need. I left with a heavy daypack filled with root vegetables, lamb chops, and crusty bread.
Category: Living
Walking the talk
I’m glad to report that diversity, equity, and inclusion were thriving in the classroom today. Our words and actions align.
Helping myself to help English language learners become caregivers
Tomorrow, I’ll be helping English language learners prepare for their Personal Care Assistant (PCA) certification test. So, I decided to take the online course and test today to earn my own PCA certificate. I’m grateful for the people willing to do this work. It can be challenging, and the pay isn’t ideal.
Tibetan shrine room at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
Today, we visited the Tibetan Shrine Room, a temporary exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Buddhist artifacts are arranged as they might be found in an affluent Tibetan home. Buddhism’s emphasis on kindness to others is a valuable lesson for our times.
Reimagining common spaces in a digital age
Retreating from the cold wind, I sought refuge in the skyways. Here, I’m walking through the Central Library, a place I rarely visit since I primarily borrow e-books online. My mind drifted to the stunning Mediatheque in Sendai, Japan, designed by Toyo Ito. I enjoyed a Sunday afternoon there, sheltering from an inbound typhoon, experiencing how libraries can be reimagined and be relevant and popular in the future.
LEGO logic gates: a reliable binary adder
Serendipitously, I discovered a novel LEGO machine designed by Hiro Labo, a professor at a university in Osaka, Japan. This conceptually simple machine reliably performs binary addition on two single-bit numbers, without the excessive joint play and gear backlash I’ve experienced in other designs. Naturally, I had to replicate it: the plates on the left stack to form the adder on the right.
My first baby shower
Well, that was something new for me today: I attended my first baby shower. Our nephew and his wife, who are expecting a daughter, flew up from Houston, TX, for the event at my sister-in-law’s house. It was a chance to reconnect with family and enjoy some cake.
First encounter with an 88-foot loon
Rode the LRT to St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood, then walked to get a haircut. Along the way, encountered a loon (our state bird) with an 88-foot wingspan in front of the Minnesota United soccer stadium. This was unexpected. I learned it was designed by an artist from Scotland, a country devoid of loons.
By the dawn’s early light, self-evident truths
Looked up at these simple truths as I waited this morning for the bus to a school where immigrants, regardless of their legal status, are highly motivated to learn. In my first class, I worked with learners preparing to become certified nursing assistants, addressing a critical need in Minnesota.
Snowbird prep: keeping houseplants happy
The outside temperature this morning was -18°F, meaning another day indoors. Made use of the exercise room and daydreamed about our upcoming six-week trip to a warmer climate. Our large deionized water tank won’t be enough, so I connected a second tank–usually reserved for outdoor plants on the balcony–to our system. A pump transfers water from the smaller tank to the larger one.