Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, Calorie-Dense

Made cookies and cream froyo with lactose-free yogurt and gluten-free Oreos. It came out creamy, thanks to the yogurt, which I had strained through cheesecloth for a couple of hours. Sugar, salt (a pinch), vanilla essence, and a tablespoon of rum all lowered the freezing point.

Categorized as Cook

Growing in the City

Helped Dwight set up his gardening notes in a blog format. He volunteers at a university greenhouse and has been documenting his experiences in a long word processing document. A blog format opens up possibilities.

Free Money

Rebooked a Delta itinerary online because the fare had dropped by about 25%. Received a full refund of the fare difference, almost 29K Delta SkyMiles (about $400) and there was no service fee. It costs nothing to check if fares have gone down, so you can claw back some or all of the fare difference.

Exiting the Guthrie After a Torrent of Wit

Our (almost) secret fast exit from the Guthrie Theater, several floors up, after The Importance of Being Earnest. It beats the crush for the escalator and elevators.

Categorized as Arts

Medical Billing: Entering a Black Hole

Realized that a few of the bills for the clinical study I’ve been on had been sent to and paid by my insurance company, rather than the study sponsor. Reviewed EOBs (Explanations of Benefits) online and found $16,000 in erroneous billings to be reversed and sent to the sponsor.

Categorized as Cancer

Decluttering Our Travel Tech

Emptied out our bulging travel tech box, Marie Kondo-style. Discarded half the contents, including earphones dating back to Continental Airlines and a GPS from 2001. Thanked the GPS for its service, but it was time to let it go. Retained the phone as a backup for solo travel.

A Beacon of Upward Mobility

From a conference room in a beautifully designed Minneapolis school that provides basic adult education, a view of the 1853 Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery. The school is in high demand, with a waitlist of people eager to learn. Below, Lake Street was the scene of protests that turned into riots in 2020.