Microblog

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.

Coffee and a pastry with a friend at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota, East Bank. Then, we walked through the gorgeous entry hall sharing memories of performances we’d seen.

Spent much of the day on two head-to-toe body scans, including this PET scanner. Same thing, again, every 12 weeks for the study as long as I’m in remission. The study seems to be showing Lutetium-177 PSMA therapy can be effective for men at my stage in the prostate cancer journey. I’m grateful.

Bettye Lavette sold out the Dakota tonight. We’ve been following her for 20 years. Even at 77, she keeps developing her art.

Bedtime. I hadn’t taken my photo of the day yet, so here it is. Except when there’s a full moon, we keep the blinds half open. If I get up in the night I like to catch a glimpse of the city.

Worked on my LEGO gantry crane. Spent way too much time trying to get different versions of different software to play nice with each other across three computers.

While cycling along a North Minneapolis residential street, I came across a stupa (the bulbous white structure) and the sitting Buddha in the yard of a house. Elsewhere there were dozens of lotus sculptures and prayer flags. Via Google I learned this is a monastery.

Dwight found a wallet lying in the street containing 22 cards. There was no phone number or email address inside. Found phone numbers online and sent each a text asking the recipient to describe what they had lost. So far, no taker. Click through to see an official, easy way to return a wallet.

My friend and I walked on elevated boardwalks through Mill Ruins Park, which tells the story of the early days of Minneapolis when wood and flour mills lined the Mississippi River. The bent remains of an iron railroad trestle once supported steam locomotives.

On my cycle ride, came upon a cardboard village and castle. A camp counselor explained this was part of a summer camp, and the kids were on the other side of a hill practicing sword fighting. Later, one team will storm the castle while another team defends it.

I’ve cycled past Traxs Studios in a residential neighborhood many times. Today, I stopped and Googled it. It has no Internet presence and just a handful of mentions with no further explanation. Click through to see what I saw when I peered through a door.

I prefer not to cycle through puddles so I went for a walk. Here, Hennepin County Government Center frames Minneapolis City Hall, a juxtaposition of 19th century form and 20th century efficiency.

I played with LEGO while Dwight worked on the apartment garden. It’s a lot of work to keep all the plants happy. He recently acquired some new epiphytes, Tillandsia (rootless air plants). Here, the automated misting system is providing them with the moisture they need to thrive.

Prototyped the x and y axes of my minimal gantry crane. Next up: z axis (hoist) and a pneumatic grabber. I’ve written a Python program to pull it all together and to interface with a PlayStation controller to help me test as I build. The final product may look nothing like this.

Met friends at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. We walked to the Rose Garden and then the Peace Garden, where we stopped at this origami bronze sculpture, “Spirit of Peace.” This week marks the 78th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Cycled over to the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus for a lovely morning of tea, scones, and conversation in a garden used for teaching. Dwight volunteers at a teaching/research greenhouse, and I got to meet a fellow volunteer, two research students, and the Curator.