The god of manufacturing

A hotel restaurant in a converted neoClassical bank lobby. They kept much of the original decor, which all celebrated labor in serious friezes and sculptures.

Cruisin'

Back at the same indoor playground we visited almost a year ago. I was going to link to the blog post, then I realized that I never actually put that picture up. This local mall's playground is something we're really grateful for as winter stretches into its third month.

Guest blogger

Your guest photoblogger today is -- Ellen! She took her Fisher-Price digital camera (!) to preschool for show and tell. This is one of her better compositions. Email me if you want a lot of pictures of the floor. I can hook you up.

Talk of the town

Even though I'm working at home on my consulting gig, I seem to be too busy to get out much. Today, I treated myself to lunch out at a favorite place. (No bacon-infused bourbon for me, though.) Got back just in time for my next conference call.

Flu

Even though we got our flu shots, we all came down with the lingering evil spirits for almost two weeks. We went out for brunch one morning when we were all feeling relatively well. Poor Ellen slumps against daddy's leg as we wait for a table.

Classic

Lunch at Peter's Grill, a vintage downtown Minneapolis institution. Time has passed this lunch counter by. Time had not, unfortunately, passed our waitress by. She appeared to be about 90.

Think again!

I love the World War II exhibit at the Minnesota Science Museum.

Guitar Heroine

At Best Buy, Ellen insisted on "playing" Guitar Hero. She doesn't know what she's doing, but I think she loves Metallica.

Irreconcilable differences

Am I the only man in America who has to cut a pizza like this? Rachel likes hers in pie slices. I like mine square-cut. This is my solution.

Yikes

And here's that lovely -25 degree day now. The exhaust fumes from cars freezes instantly on roads, so they turn into ice rinks. Here's one of several nasty accidents I passed on the way to day care. The highways were even worse.

Foreshadowing

Just a hint of what's to come. It got down into the -20s the following week.

Vocational preschool

Ellen says she is learning how to be a waitress. And I thought preschool was all about coloring and naps.

Reading Rainbow

We had brunch with a family of professors. They have a broad and deep selection of literature and reference works on their shelves. Sorted by color. Not topic, not alphabetically, not Library of Congress ... color. Even down to the shade. They claim that a "friend" came by and did this.

Suuuuure.

This pic is just a small sample. I found the entire wall section devoted to shades of red particularly moving.

Dummkopf

So, I see this guy in the airport at LAX. He's got a portable DVD player on his lap, and I see what looks like a cop and an Army officer. Gee, I think they look a lot like Sergeant Schultz and Colonel Klink. Nah... it couldn't be. I look closer. It is! He's watching Hogan's Heroes on DVD.

I have to marvel at this. Who would actually choose to own and watch that pretty much unredeemable dreck? Is this guy a cast member or the president of the fan club?

Take a close look at his open briefcase, on the floor next to his chair. Two plastic-sealed vintage Hogan's Heroes magazines.

You be the judge.

Scene from the new Star Trek film

You know that new Star Trek movie trailer, with the Enterprise in construction scaffolding? This isn't it. This is Encounter, the iconic UFO-shaped restaurant at LAX, surrounded by fog and bizarre scaffolding.

To infinity and beyond (on foot)

I love the D.C. Metro. Love it. Except when it's time to catch a plane. Northwest leaves from Terminal A, a ridiculously long walk from the Metro stops. This endless hallway is just a small part of the trudge.

Dungeon

My little, drab interior "office" at the college I'm consulting for. I have an antique computer with 13" monitor, ancient laser printer, and some crappy furniture. I'm glad I am not making this a permanent home.

Checking in, again

It's becoming a ritual now. Every month when I visit D.C., I have to check in on the construction of the round theater building. Not as much progress as I would have expected.

Cool beans

My hotel room in D.C. has a kitchenette, complete with coffee maker, grinder, and beans. You can keep your spa services and million-thread-count sheets. This is the best hotel ever.

Rat race

Ellen and assorted other toddlers pulled a bunch of chairs into a ring and then ran around and around and around on it. Free fun for all.

As a parent, I really enjoyed this. I didn't have to do anything at all, and she was busy tiring herself out for a nap. Win-win!