Journeys 3.1

​A friend and I made up a route as we went on a cycle ride through Nordeast Minneapolis. At Casket Arts, a former factory that once mass-produced caskets and other funeralia (a word I made up), we stopped to check out current sculptures by the artists who work there. In one piece, “Joe’s Auto Parts,” salvaged car doors arranged in a grid, capped by three vintage roof ventilators, become a sculpture.

​We had a lovely Japanese dinner at Misono with my sister-in-law and nephew D, catching up on family news and gossip. Nephew C is now in college, and nephew D will be leaving the nest next year. During the meal, a notification popped up on my phone showing that the report from Friday’s PET scan was available. I ignored it until we got home. It’s not good news, but life is good, and we’ll take this one day at a time.

A day with multiple events that are not medical is an extra good day. This morning we walked over to the Guthrie for a workshop on staging Waiting for Godot (which we’ll see next week), then picked up veggies from the adjacent farmers market. This evening, it’s the Minnesota Orchestra featuring Stravinsky’s The Firebird, paired with projections on Orchestra Hall’s signature acoustical cubes by London-based video designer Tal Rosner.

I’m familiar with the prep for today’s PSMA PET scan. A technician is about to inject the radioactive tracer, which comes in a heavy radiation-shielded syringe. The tracer binds to a specific antigen on the surface of prostate cancer cells, emitting positrons that the scanner converts into a reasonably detailed image. It’s an expensive test, but I didn’t hesitate to ask for it at this point in my journey, and I’m grateful my insurance agrees.

Today is National Punctuation Day, a great day to walk to our local movie theater and meet two friends for the 4:00 p.m. (and only) showing of the documentary “Rebel With a Clause.” (In the UK the period is placed outside the quote.) Nearly every seat was taken by people who presumably care about the Oxford comma, possessive apostrophes, and the difference between “further” and “farther.” Highly recommended!

My cycle ride took me past the annoying Pioneers Monument, which whitewashes our history. The Park Board has finally responded to feedback from many people, including me, that it is offensive and untruthful. They are now deciding the best way to dispose of it. My choice would be reusing the stone. Occasionally, people throw red paint at it, which explains the red residue.

On a walk with a friend, we came across The Bell of Two Friends sculpture, which neither of us had noticed before. It’s a large-scale half-mold replica of an ancient Japanese dōtaku, a clapperless bronze ritual bell from Japan’s Yayoi period 2,000 years ago, based on an original found in Minneapolis’s twin city of Ibaraki, Japan. A hanging cord operates a functional bell, which we both rang for good luck.