Microblog

Feeling a bit lazy today, reduced Sunday dinner to an assembly operation. I like to cook bean dishes a day ahead as they improve by standing. Ingredients include ham shank and hot-soaked beans from the freezer, and fresh mirepoix (ready cut up from Trader’s). I’ll sweat the mirepoix and freeze half for another time. Rice… Continue reading Sunday Dinner: Some Assembly Required

I’ve cycled past the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis many times, but had never been inside. Tonight, we saw Johnny Skeeky, a modern interpretation by Theater Latte Da of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Comic elements included greedy relatives, a corpse, and rewriting a will post mortem. Earlier this week we streamed Puccini’s short comic opera, performed… Continue reading A Night at the Ritz

Picked up mail-in ballots for the upcoming US Senate and Minneapolis School Board Primary from the mail room downstairs. Today we celebrate the ratification of the Declaration of Independence, rejecting the idea of a king who is above the law.

Fourth of July (tomorrow) looks like a rainout, but today was perfect for a bike ride on half of the Minneapolis Grand Rounds. We cruised the mostly quiet trails (why were the trails quiet?–It was a perfect day to play hooky) and ended with a late lunch/early dinner at our neighborhood watering hole. Here, Minnehaha… Continue reading Post-Hooky Cycle Ride

Came home from a medical appointment with a two-month supply of Enzalutamide costing about the same as a small Tesla. I’d never buy a Tesla, so the comparison is moot; besides, the study is paying. I alternate between this for two months then the study drug for two months — rinse, repeat. So far, the… Continue reading Turning the Tables on Tumor

Cycled up one side of the Mississippi from Downtown to Interstate 694 then back down the other side. We’ve rarely seen the river this swollen. Flooded paths were not a problem, but Fletcher’s Ice Cream, closed on Mondays, was a disappointment.

Tonight: wild salmon from Alaska on a cedar plank on the barbecue. Snap peas and new potatoes from the local farmers market. Parsley to go with the potatoes, ultra-local, from our balcony.

Walked around what seemed like the biggest Pride Festival, ever, in Loring Park with 650 vendors and hundreds of thousands of attendees over the weekend. Retreated to the peace of our home, our Pride shrine, and a quiet evening.

Kicked off Pride weekend festivities at a gathering in our building’s game room with LGBTQ+ and ally neighbors.

Volunteered at an adult summer school program teaching ELL (English Language Learning) and then PCA (Personal Care Assistant) training, which equips people to help others maintain independence in the community. Meanwhile, Dwight tackled greenhouse duty, specifically de-bugging (washing plants) in the tropical section alongside this thriving African vine.

Substantial dinner after planning a trip to Italy next spring with my sister- and brother-in-law: pork ribs, pork belly, walleye, roast Brussels sprouts.

Biking with a friend, followed parts of a new light rail route, under construction. We stopped at a chain-link fence, trying to understand this elaborate structure connecting the road bridge overhead to the platform below. It looks like it’ll have stairs and elevators for pedestrians. The station is a short walk from Bde Maka Ska,… Continue reading Bridge to Platform

On my cycle ride, looked for signs of last weekend’s celebrations of the 40th Anniversary of Purple Rain. It’s hard to believe I saw that movie 40 years ago when the Minneapolis Sound was a thing. For me, it’s a so-so movie held together by Prince’s charisma and great music. Took this photo at First… Continue reading Remembering Minneapolis Royalty

Bedtime, looked out at the route of our regular Sunday morning walk: up one side of the river, back on the other. Sunday afternoon I read on the couch, occasionally glancing outside at the swollen river. Dinner was cooked on the barbecue: chicken and sweet potato. In the evening, we blocked the view to watch… Continue reading Simple Sunday Routine

Celebrated Pride with the Minnesota Orchestra playing works by LGBTQ+ composers.