Jamie Thingelstad

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! 🔒

See list of escape rooms.

We had a delightful afternoon at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Tulips are blooming! 🌷

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.

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 shows on.

😬

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!

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! 🎂

Today was a particularly fun session of blog gardening:

• Realized that we walked the High Line in New York exactly 11 years apart and didn’t know it, first in 2012 and then in 2013.
• Shared 1-year anniversary of a milestone with SPS team.
• Reminded of the Cherry Blossoms in Kyiv.
• Linked all five High Line blog posts together.
• Fixed three photos that had been lost in past blog migrations.
• Used Internet Archive to fill in missing information from a conference I attended in 2016.
• Added a photo from Lightroom that had never been on my blog because it was hard to do that back then.
• Added over a dozen hyperlinks to various posts making them and the web better.
• Fixed a handful of typos.

Crucially important House of Representatives vote coming up to provide critical aid to Ukraine! I just got off the phone with Representative Omar’s office expressing my support for these bills and asking for her vote in support. Thank you to Stand With Ukraine MN for the steps! 🇺🇦

The annual Aspirations in Computing event highlights the accomplishments of incredible young women that are doing amazing things in technology. For the eighth year running SPS Commerce has sponsored this program and we’ve hosted dozens of Aspirations interns now, including some that have gone on to be college interns and even then team members! This was also the first year for Aspirations in Computing since finding a new home with the MnTech Foundation and holding the event at the Metropolitan Ballroom.

Many members of TeamSPS volunteer and are engaged with Aspirations in Computing, but special recognition for Amy Patton who has put so much into this great program! 👏

Thank you to all the sponsors of this great program!

The 2024 Aspirations in Computing honorees.

TeamSPS members with our four Aspirations interns for 2024.

How many people can you get in front of a small photo booth?

Aspirations is fundraising for eight scholarships for winners that need assistance with their next steps to college. If you can, add your support for these amazing young women!

See Aspirations Awards events from 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, or 2024.

I attempted my first yoga class with Peloton today and learned that my flexibility is not where it needs to be to do yoga. Need to stick with the stretching classes for now.

Great to see The Little Mermaid Jr. at the Reif Center featuring my nephew Andrew as Grimsby.

Guinness at Rapids Brewing Company. 🍻

Nice afternoon walk in Golden Anniversary State Forest with my brother Isaiah and Tiffany.

Look up.

Tyler practicing hobo packing.