Microblog

Walked with a friend through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on our way to ice creams at Sebastian Joe’s.

Posted Edging Toward a Minimalist Wardrobe. (I’m not there yet.)

Ran out of things to put in boxes. We don’t start moving our home until next week. Meanwhile we need stuff for daily living.

Stared at traces of the past while I sipped coffee at Mill City Museum’s café.

Until today, I had never explored this tunnel running under downtown Minneapolis for several blocks. I now know where to go if my senses need to be deprived. I plan never to walk through another tunnel which connects the county jail to the courthouse.

I had never walked down to the Lower St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam until today. This facility is a few hundred yards from our home, but is somewhat hidden, and reached by a circuitous path.

Used a crowdsourced map to find this spot, identified as “Machine Gun Nest.” It’s actually an abutment of the former Washington Avenue Bridge. I’m looking at today’s double-deck Washington Avenue Bridge which connects University of Minnesota campuses across the Mississippi from one another.

Posted Lake of the Isles: Always Something New.

Paused preparations for our upcoming home move to seek comfort (food) at our local Japanese restaurant, Zen Box Izakaya: tonkotsu ramen. NHK (Japanese television) was showing a segment about cleaning airport toilets. “It’s good to think of others,” declared one of the cleaners.

Walked with a friend through the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota and surrounding neighborhoods. Found this original settlers’ home and windpump on the edge of the State Fairgrounds.

Explored the consequences of nationalism in pre-World War I Europe with an ESL student. Restrained myself from drawing parallels with today’s world.

Surly Furious and Summit EPA (local brews) plus Reubens. Lunch at our local (Maxwell’s), New Year’s Day 2019.

On our walk home from dinner…

An elderly woman asked me what I thought of “Nimbus,” a toroidal sculpture being installed outside the Minneapolis Central Library. I said I was trying to like it. She was less circumspect: “It’s a rusty piece of junk.””It is rusty,” I agreed.

Walked past football fans heading to the game at First Bank Stadium.

As I do every year at this time, replaced baking powder, baking soda, and spices that are a year old. Total cost: about $3.