Microblog

Walked past Hubert Humphrey, mayor of Minneapolis 1945–1948. Generally I dislike statues, but this one reminds me of a person who changed a city that was the “anti-Semitism capital” of the country, and pushed back against blatant discrimination against African Americans.

Kicked off Thanksgiving dinner with our Holiday go-to: warm Brussels sprouts salad. It’s a lot of hand-chopping, which is more consistent than a food processor. It would be raw vegan without the essential bacon, Parmesan, and sautéed shallots(!).Recipe.

On my cycle ride through Downtown, Mary Tyler Moore was back on her perch, tossing her tam, competing for attention with the spiffy, just-opened Dayton’s building. It took over $350 million to transform the department store into office and retail space.

Filled my backpack with exactly what we need, and no more, for Thanksgiving dinner. For us, a small amount of cranberries goes a long way.

Until today I’ve been putting up with a sharp, intense pain in my lower thumb, assuming it was arthritis. Today a physical therapist used her hands to apply a technique called positioned myofascial release to a muscle in my thumb, and the pain has gone. I’m amazed and grateful.

Spent a few minutes building a rig to evaluate a LEGO Mindstorms sensor that measures angles. Spent a few hours trying to read the angles from a computer program. Eventually a simple test suggested the sensor is defective. My next LEGO creation needs to “know” its joint angles.

On my cycle ride: Sheridan Memorial Park. Surrounding plaques honor veterans of ten wars while reflecting on the futility of so much conflict. I appreciate how this memorial focuses on the ordinary people called to fight in wars, rather than leaders.

On a chilly day for cycling, warmed up with an Americano at a community table where earnest young people were chatting with each other or their laptops.

Caught a glimpse of a ski run as we hiked the trails of Afton State Park. The snow probably came out of a cannon rather than the sky.

Took the obligatory photo of Minnehaha Falls while waiting for a friend.

Saved by the bell! Ran out of time in today’s “Phlebotomy as a third language” just before this slide. Next time, I’ll try to break this into manageable parts and rephrase: “…degree to which a set of inherent characteristics fulfills requirements.” Not sure I’ll succeed.

After a dusting of overnight snow and a chilly walk this morning, I was ready to crank up the thermostat and hunker down for the rest of the day.

Chopped and prepared veggies for two dinners: cabbage and onion for a braise tonight, and roasted eggplant and zucchini for a veggie lasagne tomorrow night. One of the joys of travel, for me, is renewed appreciation for everyday home activities.

It’s a joy to be traveling through Schiphol again. KLM hands these Delft houses, filled with Dutch gin, to passengers traveling B. There’s 102 different designs, some fetch over $500 on the secondary market. This evening, I’ll be sipping cheap wine in steerage en route to MSP.

On my walk along the River Tyne: Dunston Staiths, possibly the largest wooden structure in Europe. This was a shipping point for coal from 1893 to the 1970’s. Coal is no longer mined in the area, but a new electric car battery factory promises to provide up to 8,000 jobs.

The northeast of England has some of the loveliest beaches I know. Walked past some of the beaches from Tynemouth to Whitley Bay, towns I knew well when I was a kid. The North Sea was untypically placid and blue today.