Andi Beckendorf

If it was ice dancing, I think it was Miaskovsky

That is amazing!! Well done, and I hope you are having a great birthday!

I completely understand!! What kind of apples do you get?

Godspeed! Apples are a good reason to brave the cold!

Agreed! They both look great!

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And I have a second one at the ready just in case Thursday keeps Thursdaying!

I hear you - I cracked into a Dr Pepper at 8:10 am.

And that is based on ~40 years of working in libraries.

The most “innovative” use of books I have ever seen was some folio art books that someone tried to use for traction to get unstuck from a snowbank.

Now listening to Ludvig Irgens-Jensen symphonic works by the Trondheim Symphony.

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A photo of a media cart with a turntable, receiver and speakers, with the album case of “Songs of Insects” displayed on top.

Currently spinning “Songs of Insects” from my college LP collection, working with my intern on a project to evaluate our LPs!

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A bowl of bibimbop with noodles and various meat and vegetable toppings.

A colleague and I had a great experience at Perilla Steakhouse in October. I had the bibimbop and I believe he had the Korean lunch tray.

Starting a constructive thread for the new year - orchestral works that are new to me. Up today is a Swedish Radio Symphony disc of Stenhammer: the Serenade op 31, Chita Suite op 43, and Midwinter op 24.

Ok, looks like a threading error on my part. Replies 7 and 8 are stranded with 5/x. Looks like a resolution for 2026 will be to learn how to thread properly on Bluesky!

Not sure where thread entries 7 and 8 went, if they don’t appear, I will re-reply!

It really was excellent!

The convenience stores also had a lovely selection of ice creams in individual servings, and my favorite (which I ate for my birthday), was a Haagen-Dazs matcha berry bar. 8/fin

…I don’t remember whether there was a menu in English, but there must have been, or there was at least a cheat-sheet on the wall. The ramen was great, and it was a thrill to have managed the order and to just be a part of the hustle and bustle of everyone going about their business. 7/x

…four or five side dishes, and one was an absolutely exquisite cloud of finely shredded cabbage. I believe there was miso soup and another selection with vegetables. The following night in Tokyo, I sought out ramen. I spent some time observing how to make the order on the machine… 6/x

…with a farmer. There were three options to choose from, and I chose the middle one. I do not speak Japanese, so had chosen this restaurant purely by chance. The food was absolutely outstanding and I’m so glad I was brave enough to venture out by myself! If I remember correctly, there were… 5/x

Two of my personal favorites were sharing a meal of gyoza with a small group of students in Nagoya and of seeking out pork tonkatsu by myself in Tokyo. The Tokyo restaurant had a chef who specialized in pork tonkatsu and who had developed his own pork flavor profiles in collaboration... 4/x

Each morning, the guide on our bus would ask everyone if they had tried something new and wanted to hear reports from the students. Everyone was interested in the variety of noodles. The hotel breakfast had a wide traditional Japanese foods, which was a great way to try small portions… 3/x

The students were great about trying things that were unfamiliar and about sharing bento items with each other if there were things they did not like. The pastries and sandwiches at the convenience stores were also fantastic, and included a wide array of options that fit dietary preferences. 2/x