Worked with an English Language Learner at this workspace in Franklin Library. It’s normally very quiet, but the librarians have put my mind at ease, confirming that it’s okay to talk. We sometimes pause to smile when a group of little kids gathers for a summer program. This is a safe and welcoming space, which I consider important for my adult learner.
Category: Living
Not-so-dangerous adventures: going boldly through a portal
Cycled a short loop up one side of the Mississippi and down the other. At Ole Olson Park, I rode a new section of trail that’s opening soon. Extensive regrading has carved out a gradual slope under a somewhat dilapidated but still operating freight rail bridge. (Yes, I’ve sometimes crossed the river on that bridge.) A permanent steel framework over the trail looks strong enough to protect trail users if the bridge falls apart.
Testing campus doors
A steamy bike ride with a friend took us to three St. Paul college campuses. As is our tradition, we occasionally tested doors. At St. Thomas, we got into the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, shown here. The doors to the Weyerhaeuser Chapel at Macalester were firmly closed, though students could tap in. At St. Catherine’s O’Shaughnessy (arts theater), we could only reach the lobby before hitting locked doors.
A watch that dares not show its face
In a moment of boredom, I decided to build my own watch face. I designed it on a PC then loaded it onto my watch. My goal was minimal form and maximal function, but the result was surprisingly displeasing and best forgotten.
Fireworks and apple pie
Watched fireworks from our balcony. Friends were set to join us, but our colds, sadly, put a stop to that. Still, they kindly dropped off slices of freshly baked apple pie. “Feed a cold with apple pie” is an adage I happily live with.
Homemade biscotti: just what the doctor ordered
We both now have colds, so it was an at-home day, except I dragged myself five blocks to Trader’s. Dwight had promised to make his world-famous biscotti, but we were running low on staples.
Kicking the can down the road
Cycled over to the university for Pluvicto infusion #2. I’m grateful I can keep buying time with new treatments that weren’t available when I was first diagnosed. For the next few days, I’ll try to maintain a safe distance from everyone, including Dwight—a distance about the wheelbase of a bicycle. I’ll show the card I’m holding if I set off a radiation detector.
Did I just glimpse the future?
Spotted this in our neighborhood this morning: low-carbon transit. It looks like a great way for students to earn cash competing against short-distance rideshares while staying fit. And, for now, it’s immune to the onslaught of AI. Given our extensive bicycle infrastructure, I could easily imagine this being faster than a car during busy times.
Cycle ride to Forgotten Star Brewery
Cycled upriver to Forgotten Star Brewery where we availed ourselves of a $10 burger and beer special. During WW2 the building was part of a large naval weapons factory and received awards for being one of the two most efficient and excellent factories in the country during that time. The delicious burgers (on brioche buns, no less) were made in the truck on the right.
Unraveling wiring and taxes
Installed a 3-gang screwless switch plate for friends. Easier said than done: I had to unwire the three switches, thread the wires through a backplane, then reconnect the switches. (This photo is an example in our home.) It was lucrative work: I learned we are paying too much tax on our parking spaces: they’re homesteaded, but tax is less if they’re not homesteaded, which seems upside down.