Jamie Thingelstad

In 2010 Cutizens United.

The court held 5–4 that the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, nonprofit organizations, labor unions, and other associations.

14 years later…

Elon Musk said that swing-state voters who sign a petition “in support of the constitution” will be entered into a lottery with a daily prize of $1m. The Trump-supporting billionaire previously promised $47 to anyone who convinced a swing-state voter to sign. The legality of the move is unclear. Seeking to “induce or reward” voters for “engaging” in acts “necessary to cast a ballot” is illegal. — The Economist, Oct 21 2024

Sometimes it feels like we are on a straight line to just buying votes.

Tammy and I made our first batch of candles for the Things 4 Good 2024 Candle Fundraiser! Tonight we poured Just Crackle and Winter Wonderland and drained 8 gallons of wax. 🕯️

We saw Mike Birbiglia‘s newest performance The Good Life at the State Theater tonight. He is an incredible performer — so many laughs.

“The Bean”

Breakfast at Wildberry is a tradition for us in Chicago.

Prairie Grass Cafe had “Chicago Magazine’s #1 Sirloin Burger” on the menu and Tyler and I couldn’t pass up an award winning burger. It delivered — so good!

Browsing the Ebisu Life store at Gurnee Mall. All Japanese products.

After our flight simulator we went to Sixty to Escape and did the Mystery Manor room. It was a great room with interesting puzzles. We had to use one clue and won the room in 47 m 30s!

Tyler and I had a blast at Extreme Flight Simulation flying a 737. Tyler got the pilot chair and I took the co-pilot spot. We did a full pre-flight routine making sure everything was good to go. We then took off, did a quick fly around 5,000 feet, followed with a landing. We got to pick our airports:

• MSP: Our home airport. I wanted to see if the terrain was familiar. The lakes and most roads were where they should be, but the buildings and downtown wasn’t very current.
• CDG: We thought it would be fun to see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe — which we did!
• HHX: Tyler picked this as he knew it had a particularly difficult landing. You have to come in from a totally different heading and right at the end do about a 30° turn at 500 feet or so to land. We landed it but it wasn’t pretty.
• LGA: Our last airport and we started in the air for this one and then landed. I wanted to land here since I’ve landed at this airport for sure over 50 times and it was very realistic. This was our best landing by a ways.

We got to finish by doing a full shut down of the 737. It was a great time.

This morning we made our way to Arlington Heights and met CJ Chilvers for breakfast at Scratchboard Kitchen. I have followed CJ’s blog and newsletter for years and have a ton of respect for how he approaches his craft. It was awesome to finally meet him in person!

This Waukegan, IL Tesla Supercharger is the largest I’ve ever seen. 20 charging stations with Gen 3 capacity. ⚡️

We had a great time having our minds blown seeing Siegfried Tieber doing a guest performance at Dennis Watkins’s Magic Parlour.

We had an incredible dinner tonight at Perilla. The Korean styled steakhouse was amazing.

Great but short time exploring the Museum of Science and Industry upon arriving in Chicago today.

Ferrofluid under magnetic pull. Super cool to zoom in. Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Captured with 5x camera on iPhone 16 Pro.

My cousin Josh’s column today, Night Riders Lament, was really good.

Friday

• Drive to Duluth.
• Pizza and beer at Ursa Minor Brewery.
• Ice cream at Love Creamery.
• Check into Airbnb just past Duluth.
• Hot tub & homework.
• Pre-order donuts at World’s Best Donuts in Grand Marais.

Saturday

• Drive to Grand Marais.
• Stop at Fika Coffee for delicious coffee.
• Pickup donuts at World’s Best Donuts.
• Traipsed around Artist Point taking photos and exploring.
• Walked out on pier to Grand Marais Light.
• Shopping around Grand Marais: Lake Superior Trading Post, Joynes Ben Franklin, The Sweetwater Co., Great Gifts, The Big Lake, The Market, Sivertson Art Gallery, and Drury Lane Books.
• Last customer at Crosby Bakery.
• Surprising rush of dining demand at 4pm — dinner at Angry Trout Cafe.
• Ice cream at Superior Creamery.
• Return to Airbnb.

Sunday

• Send Weekly Thing 296.
• Check out Of Airbnb.
• Get candy to bring home from Great Lakes Candy Kitchen.
• Fabulous lunch at New Scenic Cafe.
• Delightful time at Gooseberry Falls.
• Visit Glensheen Mansion.
• Dinner at Va Bene in Duluth.
• Drive home.

We’ve driven by Glensheen Mansion many times and finally we stopped and took a tour. It is a pretty incredible residence. Worth stopping!