Hiked part of the Superior Hiking Trail above Duluth before checking in to a hotel for the night. The trail was sometimes obscured by fallen leaves, but blaze marks on the trees—blue for the main trail, white for spurs—kept us on track.
Category: Living
Cheap Tix
Booked a round-trip to Japan using miles earned from a United Airlines credit card I opened earlier this year. The sign-up bonus and other perks covered the cost. I’ll be flying with ANA on the transpacific portions, which generally offers better service than United. My outbound flights will take me to Asahikawa, Hokkaido, a gateway to Daisetsuzan National Park. Traveling on the cheap adds to the adventure!
Data-Driven Healthcare
Tomorrow, as I do every four weeks, I meet with my oncologist. Rather than speculating about lab results, I like to cycle over to the University the previous day for a blood draw. Results then trickle in to an app on my phone over the next two hours.
Fall From a Bridge
On a walk with a friend, stopped to take in the view from the Boom Island-Nicollet Island Bridge, a former railroad bridge, now a pedestrian bridge.
Autumn’s Last Hurrah
Took our usual Sunday morning walk and enjoyed the lingering fall colors.
Orchestra Hall at 50
At Orchestra Hall, admired a LEGO model of the venue, part of a display celebrating the building’s 50th anniversary. The model captures the auditorium’s angle relative to the rest of the building and the street grid, a tricky feat with LEGO. Inside the auditorium, we enjoyed a concert featuring Shostakovich, Bernstein, and a recent commission by Chinese American, Zhou Tian.
Exploring the Elusive Nature of Home
A visit to the Walker always transports me. Today, the draw was a new exhibition, “This Must be the Place,” exploring the multifaceted concept of “home.” Anything I would write on this worksheet seemed pretentious, so I held onto my thoughts about home being more of an idea woven from experiences, relationships, and memories for this aging, gay, technocratic, married, …, immigrant.
Celestial Sign
Woke up to a supermoon setting over Downtown, ushering in a beautiful fall day.
Scratching for Dollars
Finally got around to scratching my birthday gift from my sister-in-law. The first card revealed I’d won $2. In the end, my total winnings were $7.
Colorful Greens
Picked up a bunch of local Swiss chard to stir-fry with dinner. Normally this veggie is not on my radar, but Dwight suggested I should look out for some.