Microblog

Walked through a university campus on my way to medical appointments, noting the earnest students. Where was the rebelliousness of youth? Then, a student shouted “thank you for your service” towards an ROTC cadet dressed in fatigues. I decided this was disingenuous.

A few weeks ago I got this freebie from LEGO to celebrate The Year of the Rabbit. Decided it could impersonate the Easter Bunny, so I assembled it today. It sure seemed to have more than 194 parts.

On my Downtown walk snow was being transported to a melting machine. This method decreases carbon emissions by minimizing the use of trucks and driving distances. I appreciate not having to climb over piles of snow.

On Sunday mornings houseplants receive extra care and attention. Here, they’re lining up to take a gentle shower. All the plants happily survived six weeks of drip irrigation while we were in California.

This weekend we’ve been catching up with our season tickets. This evening: Born with Teeth at the Guthrie, Shakespeare and Marlowe face off in a pub back room.

Emerged from Orchestra Hall to the sound of a snowblower, a stark contrast to the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Chorale, and vocal soloists. The snow had started during the concert.

My walk today took me to three food stores: Kramarczuk’s for Ukrainian sausage for Sausage Saturday, Surdyk’s deli for bread, and Lunds & Byerly’s for supermarket stuff. In Palm Springs we prepared most of our meals, but cooking in our own kitchen is always the best.

Economy, aisle, right behind First, a favorite seat with excess leg room. A lovely flight attendant gave me a rather generous pour of the wine they’re serving up front. This is a treat, I’m grateful, and just mildly numb.

Nightfall after a surprisingly good tip-the-fridge dinner. Tomorrow evening we’ll be home.

While Dwight jogged, I wandered around the Palm Springs “mini financial district” with its listed mid-century bank buildings. This monument to mammon is influenced by Le Corbusier’s UNESCO-World-Heritage-listed chapel at Ronchamp, France.

Watched the sun set over San Jacinto from our balcony. The area in the foreground looks like jungle, but it’s residential. An ordinance prevents buildings from overlooking neighbors’ swimming pools.

Complex Surfaces: Man and Disk; carbon fiber, automotive paint, Dwight; Palm Springs Art Museum. Elsewhere little kids interacted with art, giggling uncontrollably at breasts in a painting. Some adults walked, talked, oblivious to their surroundings.

Paid 50 cents senior fare to ride a city bus to Desert Hot Springs on the other side of Coachella Valley. Walked through a land of strip malls. This honors a childhood tradition: my Aunt and I would ride a bus to the end of the line to see what was there; usually not much.

Crossed the road in the steps of people who bring our community together. Actually crossed many roads, grateful my errant knee felt good after 7,000 steps.

Today I’m reading about the opening up of Japan to the world from 1853 to 1873: Western gunboat diplomacy, the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, the beginning of the Meiji era, a time of rapid change and modernization. This period keeps popping up on my Japan travels, it’s interesting.

With my wings (or, more precisely, a knee) clipped on this year’s snowbird trip, planned next winter’s trip. Reservations opened up today for our outbound travel day: used SkyMiles, Seattle layover (much cheaper than nonstop), exit row aisle seats on an otherwise empty seat map.