We’re saving this lone ripe tomato from our balcony plant for a ceremonial tasting at dinner. About sixty others are still green. We did this mostly for fun; we also have herbs in pots, which are far more practical all summer.
Category: Living
School’s Out
After last night’s imagined English Language Learning classroom, I stepped into a real one today for the final day of summer school. School starts again early September when I’ll continue working with the same teacher. I enjoy working with her: she prepares thoroughly, she uses my time well, and the students love her.
Exploring Who We Are
Tonight at the Guthrie: English, set entirely in an English Language Learning classroom in Tehran. I couldn’t help comparing with my own experience–the teacher was overcorrecting and there was a level of emotional intensity I’d be uncomfortable with in a classroom–but that was missing the point. Ultimately it was about identity, and that felt authentic.
DQ, Practically Breakfast
10:00 a.m. A leisurely catch-up with friends over ice cream. I usually go cycling with one of them, but he’d broken his fibula in a bicycle accident and is getting a plate inserted on Thursday. DQ offered a flat, accessible path from the car to our outdoor table. His wife also broke a bone earlier…… Continue reading DQ, Practically Breakfast
The Purple One Slept Here… in a Movie
On my random cycle ride, noticed The Kid’s House was being refurbished. In the 1984 movie, Purple Rain, the Prince character (The Kid) lived in this modest house with his mother and abusive father. It sat empty after Prince bought it in 2015. His estate recently signed off on it being an Airbnb ‘Icons’ property.…… Continue reading The Purple One Slept Here… in a Movie
Balancing Act
Built a self-balancing two-wheeled robot, a copy of a design I found on the Internet. It wanders around autonomously ‘seeing’ with an ultrasonic sensor and maintaining balance using a gyro sensor. After about ten minutes the robot suddenly accelerates and falls over, hence the carpet. I need to slow down and understand the algorithm from…… Continue reading Balancing Act
Fast-Forward to Fireworks
Aquatennial fireworks from our balcony capped off an evening of Olympic action. We’ve splashed out $15 for NBC’s (proud as a…) Peacock service for commercial-free on-demand access to every event. Paris is 7 hours ahead, so we can fast-forward through the boring bits.
Train and Smoke
While cycling past the BNSF Northtown Yard today, watched a freight train roll by. The air quality is noticeably poor due to wildfires in the West and Canada.
Classroom and Greenhouse Care
Wet-wiped eraser dust and pencil marks from classroom tables, as I do every week before class. Meanwhile, Dwight cleaned the drains at the greenhouse.
Quiet Morning at Lake Harriet
Cycled a favorite loop today, including breakfast sandwiches at Bread and Pickle overlooking Lake Harriet. Plane traffic approaching and departing MSP had been shifted to the southeast, so we didn’t get to watch planes. Coincidentally, actual ducks were also absent.