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Constellation Fund Bright Night 2024

Tammy and I had an enjoyable evening at Constellation Fund Bright Night 2024. Constellation Fund uses a data-driven approach to fund a variety of non-profits in the Twin Cities area with the goal to eliminate poverty. Constellation takes an approach similar to Robin Hood in New York or Tipping Point in San Francisco. Bright Night is their annual even to celebrate the great work the organization is supporting.

Uptown Theater marquee reading Constellation Fund Presents Bright Night Finding the Stars and Connecting the Dots with lit bulbs and entry doors below.
Bright Night was held at the Uptown Theater amidst a complete chaos of road construction. It was the first time I’ve been there since the massive renovation and it is very nice!

Four people smiling and holding cocktails at an indoor evening event with blue-lit screens in the background.
Hanging out with friends Julie Berman and Hal Kaufman.

Museum-style exhibit with a desk, retro computers, and a large wall display explaining how Constellation Fund uses metrics to measure poverty-fighting impact.
Constellation had this setup to show how they use metrics to drive impact-based decisions.

Uptown Theater venue filled with well-dressed guests at cocktail tables while a singer and guitarist perform on a purple-lit stage
Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the band that opened the evening but they were good.

Illuminated lightbox sign reading Ask An Economist on a railing overlooking a dimly lit venue with a live band performing on a purple-lit stage
I’ve always wanted to…

Audience seated at small round tables in a dimly lit venue watching a speaker at a podium on a blue-lit stage with a Constellation Fund logo on a large projection screen
Andrew Dayton addressing the group and sharing progress of Constellation Fund.

Two men wearing lanyards and name badges smile together at an indoor event venue with warm golden lighting behind them.
Ran into Greg Blasko at the event, one of the founders of SportNgin.

Auto-generated description: A band performs on stage under a sign that reads BRIGHT NIGHT.
Tammy and I were both excited to see that Laamar was closing the night out!

See Bright Night from 2021, 2023, and 2024.

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At St. Olaf enjoying Mazie singing in Manitou Singers for the Spring Concert featuring Andrea Ramsey’s “Suffrage Cantata”. You can watch a recording of the performance.

Large womens choir in teal robes performs in a grand church with pipe organ and stained glass windows, a soloist in pink stands at center
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Recent concert that I most regret not going to — Bruce Springsteen.

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We watched Champions tonight. Great movie and touching story.

Movie poster for Champions starring Woody Harrelson, showing five people sitting on a gym bench with a basketball
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We attempted to solve the Utopia room at Lock & Key Escape Rooms today — alas we didn’t quite get there. It is there hardest room, and we skipped hearing the solution so that we could make a return trip and try again with Mazie there too! 🔒 Room 56!

Three people giving thumbs down in front of a grid wall, one in a Bayern Munich jersey, one in a patterned sweater, one in a black Carlile t-shirt.
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We had a delightful afternoon at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Tulips are blooming! 🌷

Rows of red, yellow, and pink tulips in full bloom at an outdoor garden Rocky waterfall cascading into a pond surrounded by evergreen and golden-leafed trees at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Bright magenta rhododendron blooms with long stamens in close-up, with more flowering shrubs and pine trees behind Japanese garden pond with a small waterfall over rocks, a stone pagoda lantern, clipped shrubs, and evergreen trees
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For fun I added my website to the IndieWeb Webring. 🕸💍 I also added an h-card microformat tucked away in the footer of my site. I styled it not to display but the validator picks it up fine.

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My Morning

  1. Woke up around 5:30a to the chirps of a CO detector telling me the 9V backup battery is low.
  2. Let Lucky out and then realize a neighbor with two dogs is walking down the alley triggering Lucky to start barking and running around like a crazy animal.
  3. Get keys to run an errand and accidentally activate car alarm while putting shoes on.

😬

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Hard Miles

We saw Hard Miles at Edina 4. Based on a true story, it tells the story of a counselor taking four young men in a correctional school on a long bicycle ride to find themselves. Their destination is the Grand Canyon (which kept reminding me of a similar theme in the movie Grand Canyon. I have a soft spot for movies that prominently feature cycling. Plus Matthew Modine who I first remember from Vision Quest was great in it. His character goes through his own emotional journey in the trip as well. Recommended!

Movie poster for a film based on a true story showing cyclists riding a desert highway at sunset beneath large bold title text
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Happy Birthday to Tammy! 🎉 I took the afternoon off for Tammy’s birthday. Mazie wasn’t able to be at home so we drove to St. Olaf and took a nice walk through the Natural Lands with her. We then returned home and got Tyler from school, opened present, had a nice dinner at Pajarito and then a movie at the Edina 4 Theatre! 🎂

Three people smiling together outdoors among bare trees, two adults in dark jackets and a teenager with braces and long blond hair.Three people smiling together holding wrapped birthday gifts in a warmly decorated living room.