Microblog

Cycled to REI Co-op to pick up ponchos that also cover our backpacks. The coating on our old ones was disintegrating, and I couldn’t find a good way to remove the old coating then apply a new coating. I thanked the ponchos for their long service then launched them down the chute.

Our hiking jackets were getting a bit ratty, so we decided to head over to Patagonia in St. Paul. Naturally, we both ended up choosing the same style. We’ll be modeling the jackets in a couple weeks when we go hiking through England’s border (with Scotland) country.

Walked over to our local izakaya, a Japanese bar that also serves food. They had emailed me a $5 discount for my birthday, but I didn’t need an incentive.

Knowing great donuts awaited us on the other side was a strong incentive to seek out this “secret” passageway in the Minneapolis North Loop.

Watched this protected bikeway being extended towards our home, still a few blocks away. I appreciate being physically separated from traffic. About 200 miles of on- and off-street bikeways make Minneapolis one of the most bikeable cities in the country.

As temperatures nudged towards 100, cycled an abbreviated route along almost deserted trails. *The title probably originated in the UK as a spoof of a tabloid headline.

Another slice of my once-a-year Princess Torte. Since I was born in a time zone six hours ahead of Central, I got to enjoy my first slice yesterday evening.

We cooled off on a hot day by walking around the Guthrie Theater with family. On the very yellow ninth floor, where all the windows are yellow, there’s a section of glass floor where our grandnieces showed no fear.

Spotted this unusual industrial building on my random cycle ride. The curved brick corners suggest that it was built in the 1930s. The name of a company founded in 1931 was displayed above the entrance. Today’s occupant, Noiseland Industries, supplies millions of vinyl records every year, custom-manufactured by a partner in France.

Wandered around the outside of the House of Balls behind Cedar Riverside LRT Station, a good place to kill a few minutes with a friend before his train arrived. The artist who works here specializes in found objects.

Cycled through the University of Minnesota past large groups of impossibly young students here for Welcome Week. Classes start next week.

Worked on a spreadsheet to apportion hotel and rail expenses for a five-day hike we’ll do with two friends in the North East of England in September. If we take turns paying for hotels, everything almost balances. I don’t entirely trust my numbers, so I’ll return to this another day.

I like to leave Mondays unstructured. Started the day slowly, reading and sipping coffee. Went for a bike ride with more coffee and a donut. Took a nap after lunch. Finally, successfully connected a PlayStation controller to my pneumatic hoist and gripper via a computer program.

Our VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) adapter decided to brick itself, and no amount of coaxing could bring it back to life. It had saved us a bundle on phone calls over the past 11 years but it was time to order a new adapter.

Tonight, we’re having sweet corn. Good local sweet corn has been in short supply this year because of the dry weather, but a friend picked up a supply at the farmers market and passed it on to me. We’ll cook all of it, and shuck what we don’t eat tonight for a salad or wrap another day.

Finished replacing X Posts (formerly Tweets) embedded in my blog posts with the corresponding Microposts from my Web site. Last year I exported all my then Tweets to WordPress. My site now has no X (formerly Twitter) dependencies, so I now have the option to close my X account.