Microblog

The setting sun bounced off a prototype LEGO pneumatic machine I’ve been building. Today, I finally got it to go through all the correct motions. Now, comes refinement, which may involve taking the whole thing apart and starting afresh, yet again.

When Dwight drives up to Fargo to visit his mom, I cycle out for tonkotsu ramen, or watch a musical, or fly to Chicago, or some or all of the above. Today I cycled to moto-i for tonkotsu ramen, with sumo on the side. Next up: a musical.

Cranked up the endorphins with sun, warmth, and the first cycle ride of the year. (Garden of Iron Mirrors, University of Minnesota, East Bank Campus.)

A mechanism was not working to my satisfaction this afternoon, so I worked on improving it. One step forward, two steps back.

Yum. Breakfast at Farmers Kitchen and Bar: ingredients from MN farms, owned by the MN Farmers Union. Dwight then went to his Thursday gig (volunteering in a University of MN greenhouse) and I went foraging for best prescription medication prices for both of us at two pharmacies.

Met friends at the Mall of America to walk the three main levels, about 3 miles, chatting all the way. I last visited in 2011.

At the furthest point on my walk, the heavens opened. Kept my head down as I headed back home. A hot shower made it all good.

Connected a friend’s VCR to her new TV using a video-to-HDMI converter so she can play one tape: an exercise routine she enjoys. The aspect ratio is wrong (stretched) but it’s not distracting: Richard Simmons has had many girths over the years.

I love my Zoji, Japan’s leading rice cooker brand. Fuzzy logic and induction heating produce great rice. However, the fuzzy logic doesn’t detect the type of rice and I forgot to change the setting from (short-grain) brown to sushi. It was edible, but rather aggressively cooked.

Posted Settling in One Place for a Month.

It always seems like a special occasion when we have paella. Made veggie paella for no particular reason. I’m still working on getting a good socarrat (deep fond), but this one tasted pretty good and delaminated from the pan nicely. Recipe.

Felt the need to be looked after, so we walked two blocks to Maxwell’s for Reubens and beer for dinner. We hope this lovely, well-maintained, old-time bar won’t fall to redevelopment. Our home was built on a former railroad yard, but there are buildings nearby worth preserving.

Picked up cookies from Rustica (the best) en route to a medical appointment. Back home they mysteriously disappeared from the kitchen counter. Eventually found them in Dwight’s secret hiding place on a high shelf. I expect one cookie will be metered out with a cuppa this evening.

Capped off the day with a short concert by the Minnesota Orchestra. Here, they’re warming up, and the “shut off your cell phone announcement” has yet to be made.

Registration for summer activities: a hopeful sign. On my chilly walk to get labs drawn, thoughts of summer sent my mind to a happy place.

Spent many happy hours putting together a multi-day hike we’ll complete in April. Much of the hike is countryside, but on the last day we cross the Golden Gate Bridge towards San Francisco. The challenge was aligning cheapest days to fly with availability in two isolated inns.