The Minneapolis City Council devolved into chaos Thursday during a debate over whether it should spend time weighing in on global politics, like the U.S. blockade of Cuba.
The news feeds on my phone keep talking about the ongoing blizzard in the midwest "including Wisconsin and Minnesota." Maybe out west somewhere? In Minneapolis today (Monday) it is a beautiful winter day of the sort we have had way too few of this year. The sky is blue, the air is still, and sunlight is glinting off pure white snow.
But at least half of the snow that fell on Saturday and Sunday is gone already, which is odd considering that the temps are in the teens. The snowplows had already cleared our side of the street by the time I got up. I re-shoveled the carriage way to the street that the snowplow had filled up and moved the car back to the even side. Then I went out back and finished shoveling the back stairs and a path to the parking pad where we'd put the van. There was only about 5" of snow on top, and most of the snow had already melted off the windows on the south side. The alley is already plowed, so we could actually take the van out if we wanted to. But the streets still have a treacherous bed of ice under the snow, so I'd rather not.
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Thanks to a tip from Nico I finally connected with the 40th and Lyndale group. I've seen them now and then when I drive by, but was unable to discern the pattern for when they appear. Turns out is pretty obvious if you are paying attention - they come out every Monday 4:30-5:30 pm. I stopped on my way home from the gym and joined in for the last 20 minutes. It's a sedate and convivial group organized by Judson Baptist. Some very beautiful signs and even a couple of Portland-style inflatables. Now that I know the drill I might go back next Monday.
The AirPod charging case is the usual elegant Apple design, gleaming and smooth with a nice heft and rounded edges everywhere. It looks great and feels good in your hand. But a flat bottom would have been more practical, so it could sit upright for ease of use. So I rummaged around in my Box of Tiny Boxes and found one that fit perfectly. Cut some cardboard off the flap of a middle-sized box to add a supportive infrastructure, and... voila! Now I can easily plunk the AirPods in and out without having to pick up the case and open the top.
The moral? Don't ever throw anything away. 
.... by buying a new scale. The one on the right. OMG when did balance beam scales get so HUGE???
So of course instead of tackling the backlog of Important Projects waiting for my attention, I spent a happy hour or two with Google AI trying to answer that question, and figure out just how old that little scale really is.
Well, about 50 years old, it turns out. Not only are these cute little "waist-high" models no longer made, this one is EXTRA SPECIAL! The classy orange-on-black numbers identify it as the premier "High-Visibility" version of Health-O-Meter model 230 (1975-1982). And that funny little bubble-level is actually a high-end feature making the reading more accurate than the usual swinging pointer in the modern one. Well, originally, anyway. It's not terribly accurate now, which is why I bought that ungainly replacement.
But it's a rare Vintage Collectible, G-AI enthused! Sure it weighs 5-6 pounds high, but "to a collector, a 5lb error is just a 'mechanical adjustment' needed. They will love the exterior aesthetics much more than the internal accuracy." So if anybody knows a collector of vintage scales who might like this, please let me know. Or if you want to try fiddling with the innards or rebalancing the arm with a couple of small magnets, it's yours.
G-AI volunteered the following "Adoption Bio" if I want to try listing it on Nextdoor or something:
I’ve been putting a gallon of water in my Instapot, heating it up, and then leaving it on simmer all day in an effort to warm up my very cold kitchen a little bit and get some moisture into the air. It’s still bone dry and cold, but it would probably be even worse without that extra 3 or 4 quarts of warm water vapor
Operation Metro Surge, in which more than 2,000 federal agents have arrested undocumented immigrants in Minnesota over the last seven weeks, has become a political disaster for the Trump administration.
The Jan. 7 slaying of Renee Good by an ICE agent was the turning point, of course. And if Republicans lose statewide races this fall as now seems likely, they will look back on that day with the agony they have so far failed to express over her death.
National polls since have shown plummeting support for ICE and for President Donald Trump’s entire approach to immigration. Last week, an Economist/YouGov poll found a sudden surge of support for abolishing ICE. And 61% of respondents in a New York Times/Siena Poll published Friday said ICE tactics had gone too far.
Is something going on at Lake Harriet? I was sitting quietly in the Peace Garden around noon when this helicopter started buzzing back and forth over the north end of the lake and vicinity. There were a lot of people strolling toward the bandshell, some carrying signs.
Someone in that group even greeted me by name but I was on a bike and passed by before I could see who it was. If it was you, “Hi.”
BAD NEWS: my beloved old bike was stolen on Thursday from outside a hair salon on Nicollet. It was locked, but not particularly securely - they left the seat behind, chained to an iron bar. I'm not sure why anyone would steal a battered 30-year-old bike that they couldn't even ride away. The bike luggage was certainly more valuable than the bike and would have been easier to steal without the bike attached to it. Hell, the SEAT (which I had just replaced a year ago) was more valuable than the bike, and they left that behind.
Here's a picture of good old Esmeralda from 2021 (without the pricey new bike luggage). She was the first new bike I ever bought and the difference between just riding any old bike that came my way and a bike that actually FIT me was a revelation! I bought her at Erik's Bike Shop, which back in 1995 still carried a variety of bike brands, including Univega. This one was the only one in the shop that felt right. I bought another bike in 2007, because even then I could see that Esmerelda was getting a little weak in the knees, but I kept coming back to her. 
GOOD NEWS. Now I get to buy a new bike! Poor old Esmerelda was really past her prime, but I didn't have the heart to get rid of her, and didn't really have room for more bikes in the shed. So I spent the next two days doing pretty much nothing but bike shopping. As I feared, this has gotten a lot harder in the last 18 years. A lot of bike shops have closed their doors (tragically, including the magnificent worker-owned Hub Bikes on the West Bank). Most of the ones that are left have narrowed their focus to one or two brands, and half of those are e-bikes (looking at you, Erik's). Smaller bike shops mostly do repairs and sell a few kid's bikes, mountain bikes and "comfort cruisers" to the neighborhood. Some of them don't even know what a hybrid bike is (follow the link if you don't know, but are curious). Most of the major brands still carry one hybrid model, but finding even ONE in my size that was actually in a shop available for a test ride was a real challenge.
I spent a lot of time online trying to learn the new terminology and looking for leads. ChatGPT turned out to be surprisingly helpful. If there's anything ChatGPT loves, it is shopping! The guy at Freewheel Richfield was as helpful as he could be without having a single size Medium hybrid bike in stock. Little Tangletown Cycle turned out to have an impressive range of brands along with another friendly and helpful salesperson. But I didn't find quite what I was looking for until ChatGPT sent me off to Mendota Heights to an all-Trek shop I had never heard of (One Ten Cycles). By that time I suspected that my best option was probably one of the bewilderingly variable Trek FX models if I could just find one in my size to try out. And sure enough - a match was made! ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
minnehaha was right - sometimes you just know.
The Trek Verve had some interesting features, but was too upright with big mushy tires, and just felt cumbersome. The Rolls was a helluva bike for $900, but felt a little too much like I was riding a restive stallion that just wanted to run. The Jamis was okay, but a little too traditional - by that time I was on board with the idea of the new disc brakes and simplified gearing system. But the medium Trek FX just felt balanced and compact and nimble, even with those terrible straight handlebars on it. It's still a Trek, and Trek isn't really happy unless their riders are leaning into their ride, but I feel confident that with an adjustable stem and back-swept handlebar, this little honey will be perfect. The guy at One Ten (David) spent at least 45 minutes combing through product listings on his computer to find me the right combination of stem and handlebar, which they will install when the parts arrive. So I don't have a picture of the final bike, but it should look something like the picture below.
Silver Sneakers DOES let you join more than one gym at a time, unlike the similar but different Silver and Fit where you have to choose just one. My Medicare Advantage program switched us to Silver Sneakers a couple of years ago, but I just figured out this new wrinkle. So now I can go gym shopping without having to give up the obviously most practical health club choice (YMCA).
So now I am embarking on an exciting new round of Gym Tourism. I've always enjoyed trying out different Y locations, but now I can expand my horizons. On Wednesday I joined LA Fitness and did a little workout at their Richfield location at 65th and Lyndale. Here's my review.
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LA FITNESS RICHFIELD (65th and Lyndale)
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LA Fitness seems to be an unremarkable mid-tier health club with a national footprint and a dozen Twin Cities locations. They accepted my Silver Sneakers ID with no fuss and I was a member within about 5 minutes. The bored young receptionist showed no interest in welcoming me to the club - no offer of orientation session, club hours, class schedules, or even "the locker rooms are over there.". I guess it's all in their phone app (doesn't EVERYBODY have a smartphone?) so no point in using IRL communication tools (like your voice, or even hours posted on the front door). So I just treated it like a video game where you wander around and take in clues from the environment.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The main room past the front desk houses the exercise machines and a very large weight-lifting area in the back. It is spacious, quiet, cool, and surprisingly uncrowded at 4:30-5pm. The weather outside is unpleasantly hot and sticky, but the A/C is doing a spectacular job in here. There are no TVs hanging overhead, no sounds from the mostly empty side rooms. It feels... restful. There's a cute little juice bar off to the side selling tempting protein-fortified fruit smoothies. There is a large mat room for stretching out, and a full set of exercise machines. There isn't a great deal here that interests me, but it feels like an inviting space, especially on a hot day. I can imagine dropping in here for a short workout and leisurely stretching session and then treating myself to a mango smoothie.
ODDITIES AND DEFICIENCIES
It’s Lake & Bryant Cafe (again). On steamy days like today I sometimes 🚴2 Breakfast here before it gets really hot and treat myself to their amazing breakfast sandwich. This plucky little cafe opened in the heart of the pandemic, and continues to do its part to revive Uptown from the edges inward. It’s never crowded, but doing well enough to expand their hours and menu. Give it a try.
branchandroot
