I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find it. I searched twice: inside the duvet cover, under the bed sheet, in all the pillowcases, under the bed, and inside the washer and dryer. Then, Dwight, in a stroke of brilliance, climbed on a step stool and fished out the missing pillowcase from the “The Land of Unpaired Socks” behind the dryer.
Category: Living
Temple Plumbing 2024
On my Shikoku 88 temple visits, I have a tradition of photographing the temizuya (purification stations). Here’s the crop from my most recent trip to Japan.
Perspective
Bill Charlap Trio at the Dakota this evening. American Songbook, Gershwin, Sondheim, … . Perspective for earlier in the day when the focus was on being randomized into a clinical study.
Sunday Afternoon Concert
This afternoon, a relaxed chamber music concert highlighting members of the Minnesota Orchestra in smaller ensembles. The program was a mix of old and new, with a modern socially conscious American piece by Kevin Puts, Credo (new to us), sandwiched between works by Rossini and Brahms.
(Not Quite) Minimal Backpacking
Soon we’ll be hiking inn-to-inn in California. We’ll stay 3 nights in a fake British pub with no tea kettle in our room. Confirmed this minimal (8 ounces) setup reaches the ideal temperature range for coffee (195-205°F). The kit includes Japanese-style filters, a trusty aluminum mug from my teenage years, and two slightly younger plastic cups (about 36 years old).
Last Ride Before Repairs
During my bike ride, paused on the Stone Arch Bridge to take in this much-photographed view. Starting Monday, the bridge will undergo maintenance and repairs for the next two years, with half the bridge closed at a time.
Back to School
On my way into my Thursday gig, I was reminded I could’ve come by bike rather than bus. Later, during a phonics class focused on the short “o” sound, I had to concentrate on repeatedly using the American “aw” sound instead of reverting to the ingrained British pronunciation.
Cheap Insurance
Downloaded files from our cloud service to an encrypted 256GB thumb drive which we will keep permanently. Doing this periodically is some protection from worst-case scenarios like being permanently locked out of the cloud service.
Back on Track
The halfway point on the first cycle ride of the year with a friend was the remains of a bridge serving as sculpture. For all of last year, a series of connected medical problems, now mainly resolved, kept my friend from cycling. Being able to plan our next ride for next Tuesday is something neither of us takes for granted.
Keeping Perspective
On the walk home from a lab draw at the University, the result popped up on my phone: my tumor marker is increasing (expected, but unwelcome news) to the point I just qualify for a clinical study (good news). As I sometimes do, dropped in on one of the exhibits that appear in different departments of the University. This one, about LGBTQ history, helped me keep perspective.