Microblog

The LEGO Chinese New Year rabbit I assembled a few days ago doubled as the Easter Bunny today. Here, it’s a little too close to a tray of micro-green shoots. As I was born in the Year of the Rabbit, it may reappear as itself on my birthday.

Pumped up the tires, lubed the chain, and reacquainted myself with a favorite urban route. Avoided puddles and potholes and piles of snow. With temperatures climbing towards 60° it felt good to be out.

Recently I managed to destroy a video cable, so today I replaced it. This was easier said than done, as I had to remove wall plates and thread it down a conduit inside the wall. The computer is 13 years old, but with some simple hardware upgrades Windows 10 performs well.

At the end of my walk, grade school kids had arrived on a yellow bus to play in the park, a sight we were denied during the height of the pandemic. Teachers were calling to them to collect their brown bag lunches. Later, I expect they were going to a classroom at the nearby Guthrie.

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.