Pazzaluna
Pazzaluna, the beloved Italian restaurant in downtown St. Paul, has reappeared after four years ... at least temporarily. After twenty-two years, Pazzaluna closed in May 2020 just months into the…
Random Learnings #48
During Game 2 of the NLCS, the announcers remarked how the New York Mets' team colors were chosen to represent the Brooklyn Dodgers (blue) and New York Giants (orange), teams…
Random Learnings #47
Czechoslovakia first came into existence at the conclusion of World War I and the collapse of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. The new country immediately needed to create a working government, establish…
Tipping Sleight of Hand
I can't you how many times I've seen this: your check arrives with suggested tips - for your convenience, of course! The recommended tip is based on a percentage of…
Death of a Tree
Our neighbor's tree has not had a good summer. The left-most branch cracked during a storm, dropping its canopy on their porch roof and slightly breaking a window, loud enough…
Unexplained Career Trajectory
Technical recruiters and their firm are a mixed bag, to say the least. For ever recruiter who listens to their client and submits only qualified, viable candidates, (too) many tech…
No Tips, Everyone!
The US tipping culture has, no pun intended, tipped over. At restaurants you're expected to tip 20-25% - and watch out for those pre-printed amounts, which often include taxes or…
Random Learnings #46
"A Peasant Leaving His Landlord on Yuriev Day" by Sergei V. Ivanov I thought that Russian serfs were essentially slaves - a belief supported by many English-language references - but…
Nuclear Power Isn’t The Answer
The Brittanica Book of the Year 1972 included a special report Nuclear Power - Promise or Peril? (a oft-used title, if my. web search is any indication) which discussed -…
Meandering Thoughts #39
The end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade shows Indiana filling the Holy Grail with well and healing his father from the gunshot wound, followed by happily-ever-after as Indiana,…