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Nearly Halloween. 🎃

Hundreds of orange pumpkins spread across a lawn beneath fall trees with golden leaves at an outdoor pumpkin patch.
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This three minute video recap of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission highlights so many incredible achievements.

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Ten minutes with items from the recycling bin and I made a DIY “ramp” to place in our mail slot! Envelopes kept getting mangled and jammed when they caught on the bottom edge as our mail carrier shoved them through. Even worse, it left the mail slot open with winter air streaming in! Fixed!

DIY cardboard ramp made from blue painter's tape inside a metal-lined wooden mail slot mounted in a wall.
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Mazie and her Cousin Nora wanted to bake this afternoon so they both decided to do something ad hoc featuring Nutella. Both were very tasty treats. 🤤

Crumbly Nutella dessert bars with butterscotch chips served on a colorful striped glass plate beside a larger serving plate Chocolate chunk cookies with flaky sea salt on a colorful rainbow glass plate, with more cookies on a round plate behind it.
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Tammy and I made another four dozen Things 4 Good candles for next weekend’s fundraiser!

Rows of handmade candles with wooden wicks in various containers on a red and white floral tablecloth, viewed from above.
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Having this frustrating issue with iOS 18.0.1 on my new iPhone 16 Pro where it refuses to connect to any Bluetooth devices — even my Apple Watch. A reboot of the phone solves it. Particularly annoying when this is the key for my car!

iPhone 16 Pro Bluetooth settings screen showing six paired devices all listed as Not Connected, including two Teslas and an AirPods
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My Mom and I made our way to St. Olaf tonight to see Mazie perform in the Chapel Choir tonight. It was great performance titled I Want to Go Home: Reflections on Where We Are, Where We’ve Been, and Where We’re Going.

Large choir in burgundy robes performing in a chapel with tall pipe organ pipes, directed by a conductor in white at a grand piano.
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Money and Elections

In 2010 Citizens 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.

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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. 🕯️

Dozens of freshly poured candles in colorful containers with wooden wicks arranged on a floral tablecloth Black pitcher sitting under the spigot of a DigiBoil wax melter on a wooden stand, resting on an Escali kitchen scale showing 212 grams. Large stainless steel brewing pot viewed from above, nearly empty with measurement markings up to 8 gallons and 30 litres visible inside.
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We saw Mike Birbiglia‘s newest performance The Good Life at the State Theater tonight. He is an incredible performer — so many laughs.

Auto-generated description: A comedian performs on a stage with a spotlight, standing near a stool with a cup on it.