Microblog

Tonight, after braised sausage and cabbage (it is Sausage Saturday): “House of Gucci.”

The setup tonight at Orchestra Hall for the Minnesota Orchestra and a 90-voice choir. It’ll take time to process a piece written in 2015: “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed,” the last words of seven Black men who were killed by authority figures.

Today I was reminded how lard makes pastry light and flakey. Out cycling with a friend, stopped to pick up Cornish pasties at a serving hatch. Savored the melt-in-the-mouth crust and tasty filling upstairs and outside at a picnic table.

When Dwight was in his working years, I liked to welcome him home to weeknight meals that had an illusion of complexity. Tonight we had one of those quick weeknight meals. Rice from the rice cooker with veggies and tilapia cooked in a broth of coconut milk (from a can) with Thai curry paste (from… Continue reading Fast Food

I enjoy gadgets. Today, I squealed with delight when my first WhatsApp message popped up on my watch and I replied with a tap of an OK button. Eat your heart out, Alexander Graham Bell. And heart is what this wearable gadget monitors for the next two weeks… just playing safe. I resisted asking if… Continue reading Gadgets

We cycled a loop: Hiawatha LRT Trail, Midtown Greenway, Chain of Lakes, Minnehaha Creek, back up the Mississippi. On a weekend, this route is busy, but not on a Monday. Stopped for a late lunch at Longfellow Grill, greeted by staff who’ve worked there since before the pandemic. Spring comes late here, and the section… Continue reading Off-Peak Cycling

Early Sunday evening, dining table undercroft.

On my cycle ride, stopped to walk around the outside of this abandoned grain elevator to take in its undulating form. Silos like this started to be built in the early 1900’s. Their forms strongly influenced the International Style that emerged in the 1920’s and 1930’s. I’ll miss this bold structure when it’s replaced with… Continue reading International Style

Towards the end of my cycle ride, the Mississippi was unusually wild, thanks to the violent storms this week.

Google Web Stories bear more than a passing resemblance to Instagram stories: they’re a little gimmicky, superficial, and geared towards monetizing content. However, I wanted to explore the format, so I created a Web Story about one scene from cycling with a friend yesterday. A swing bridge across the Mississippi seemed like a good candidate.… Continue reading My First Google Web Story

Cycled with a friend through South St. Paul intending to refuel with Mexican ice cream. The store was closed although we were there during posted hours. Fresh pastries at a nearby Mexican bakery saved the day.

Started evaluating refillable toothpaste tubes. We generally travel with just carry-ons, so we end up buying small tubes of toothpaste to meet TSA requirements. Refillable tubes seem less wasteful, and the adapter makes it a breeze to transfer our regular toothpaste.

Sunday morning: While listening to BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time, Dwight misted plants to highlight cobwebs. He found none thanks to two types of beneficial insects he’d ordered online. Thursdays: He volunteers at a teaching/research greenhouse at the University of Minnesota.

It’s Sausage Saturday, its a warm day, it’s time for our first barbecue of 2022. I picked up the bacon brats at the local farmers market. We also barbecued (in foil) cabbage with soy sauce, butter, and garlic, and carrots with olives and olive oil.

Cycled to an optical store to get my glasses straightened. Bent them recently when I had chest pain, staggered towards Dwight, then face-planted. It was like a scene from an Agatha Christie murder mystery. A trip to the ER pointed to a culprit: an ongoing potassium issue.

Deployed a new version of tomwilson.com. It may not looks so different, but under the hood it’s a modern approach to WordPress. I was motivated by “Less is More.” “Less” turned out to be more work. Next up: fix loose ends, Search, and improve Mobile Responsiveness.