Sign in

Crystal

@ccolby.bsky.social
344 followers 209 following 665 posts

User experience advocate, transit fan, and native plant gardener in the Twin Cities. I judge you when you don't use alt text. Everyone watches women's sports.

PostsRepliesMedia
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Reading this on the train on my way to the U. "Even if we just assess for dollar value, a 2025 analysis found that for every $1 invested in the U, the state reaped $16.75. In other words, every Minnesotan benefits from our robust systems of public higher education."
020
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Westbound Green Line just had to stop at Snelling. At least the northbound A Line got to go during that wait.
000
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Even some high-volume bus stops need improvements.
130
Reposted by Crystal
melanie newport @melanienewport.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
the institutional sanction of sexual violence against women and the state trying to kill a woman and failing. galling to take those together
016446
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Green Line train just had to stop at Lexington even though the car traffic light was still green, so we had to wait more than a full signal cycle to board. Transit priority in Saint Paul when? #MSPTransitExperience
110
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The city of Minneapolis partners with Metro Transit for this annual celebration. Why doesn't the city of Saint Paul have a party in their own downtown?
000
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Yes and: all bus stops without benches are hostile, whether there's a shelter or not. And all stops should have a concrete pad if there's not sidewalk. (My bus stop is just a sign in grass, so I have to stand in the snow or street during the winter.) #MSPTransitExperience
293
Reposted by Crystal
Steven with a V and an N. @minneapple.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
80 factory workers will lose their job when the Pearson candy factory closes in St. Paul today, that's about 40 more than a data center would employ.
032
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Eyes on five.
Main entrance to Target Center with a vertical banner of Olivia Miles pointing and the words Eyes On Five in capital letters at the top.
011
Reposted by Crystal
Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
“Both the NCAA and Kentucky State University have benefited from the excellence of Aminata Seck in both her studies and her athleticism. Yet, in her moment of need, they seem to have abandoned her.“ - Nandita Sharma (@nsharma101.bsky.social) www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/s...
theguardian.com
ICE has abducted a college athlete. What are the NCAA and universities going to do about it?
Aminata Seck’s detention shows the bargain facing international college athletes: universities eagerly recruit them, but support can disappear when their immigration status becomes precarious.
19419
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fun game tonight, made even better by the fabulous Red Panda at halftime. I will never get tired of watching her perform.
An acrobat in a short black-and-blue dress balancing on a unicycle while wearing white shoes with heels. A stack of bowls is on her head, and her arms are outstretched.
010
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The poky local was even slower tonight because we got stopped by a very long freight train. When it cleared, we saw that the bus on the same route going the opposite direction was also held up. My bus dropped off at my stop 8 minutes later than the estimate upon boarding. #MSPTransitExperience
Taken from the back of a bus, looking through the windshield at flashing crossing arms and a freight car.
031
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Alt text: The top 7 records in the WNBA are a satisfying list where each subsequent team has one fewer win and one more loss than the team above it: W-L 32-11 31-12 30-13 29-14 28-15 27-16 26-17 Link to the full standings: www.wnba.com/standings
000
Reposted by Crystal
Cassidy Hettesheimer @cassidyhett.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Fun fact, with the Golden State vs. Portland game going into overtime tonight, the Lynx are now the only team in the WNBA that hasn't played an overtime game this year.
1303
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Now I've found two caterpillars. #NativePlants
The original caterpillar in the same location as yesterday, resting on a stem.Another caterpillar, a little smaller and less green, resting on a golden alexanders leaf.
060
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Update:
An older, much larger black swallowtail caterpillar with black and lime green stripes. The black sections have multiple yellow spots. Can't be sure whether this is the sane caterpillar as the previous post.
130
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Postgame music in the Target Center skyway featured O Holy Night and Christmas Eve / Sarajevo. ??
000
Reposted by Crystal
sydder @sydder.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Good morning, our long minnesota nightmare is over: the lynx are BACK
0133
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Wasn't expecting to find a black swallowtail caterpillar in Minnesota on September 16! #NativePlants
Small caterpillar with black ends that have rows of small orange spots. In the middle is a thin white section. If you're not looking closely, you might think on first glance that it's bird poop. It's resting on a green leaf with jagged edges, which is golden alexanders, one of its host plants.
291
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Unbranded yet fancy B Line. I jumped to this route after the Green Line was so late that my already stressful transfer became impossible. #MSPTransitExperience
Metro B Line bus that looks like a regular Metro Transit bus.Two blue cloth seats with red Metro Transit logos, positioned sideways in the accordion part of an articulated bus.
010
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just saw someone try to catch the Green Line by running down the opposite platform and crossing in front of the train, which had its lights flashing and was starting to pull forward. Scary moment.
Wait. Do not chase. Includes Metro Transit logo.
010
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Also there is a media timeout after one team reaches 15 points even if one team already called a timeout. (Previously there was only a timeout at 15 if there hadn't been one already.)
000
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Back at the Pav for another Gopher volleyball home season! New this year: the teams don't switch sides after the first set. (They switch after the second as well as the fourth, if the match goes to five.)
The main entrance of Maturi Pavilion with its curved roof against a blue sky with lots of wispy clouds. Maroon and gold flags are blowing in the gusty wind.
101
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
3 of my 4 buses today had broken fare machines so the drivers waved riders onboard. They were all different routes, too — I didn't ride the same bus twice. #MSPTransitExperience
Screengrab from the Transit app. Question asks Was the fare machine or validator working? Options are It was broken, Didn't see or use one, and Working fine.
000
Reposted by Crystal
Goodnews @goodnews.computer · 04/09/2026
Take a break from being depressed that everything you love is being destroyed by slop for a moment and let me tell you about the beautiful symbiotic relationship between graffiti writers, train yard workers, and model train enthusiasts.
A hand holding a model train with a replica of the same graffiti on the full scale train car behind it.A model train with two graffiti pieces on opposite sides.
895453545
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Oopsie. Better than the time being off by 10 minutes, which I've seen and makes transfers extra stressful if you don't know.
010
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The page was updated 3 hours from now?
110
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Bus bunching on the B Line again this morning. The 72 wasn't listed on the board but it came first, so I got on that instead. @MetroTransitMN.bsky.social and the Transit app say route 72 is on detour here, even though it drove the regular route. #MSPTransitExperience
Selby & Dale digital sign that shows 3 upcoming B Line arrivals, plus a map that should show the buses' current location when they get close enough.Screengrab from the Transit app showing route 72 eastbound. I started the app trip after leaving the stop, so the green pin starting location is a little east of Dale. A blue dot is the current bus location on Selby Avenue, west of where a purple line shows the route, which supposedly turns onto Selby at Kent Street. The app hasn't yet realized I'm on the bus already.
020
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The pilot was quite awhile ago — maybe 2017 or 2018? Hopefully the technology has improved since then. The station displays are now able to show the arriving bus's location. Maybe the transfer times are better now, too.
110
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I wish for this often, too. The A Line used to have digital signs onboard to show you where you are plus several upcoming stops. I think it was a pilot program that didn't get implemented, which is unfortunate. #MSPTransitExperience
130
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I was going to transfer to the 3 (which goes through the state fairgrounds) but the estimated minutes for that bus ticked up instead of down so I chose a different transfer. Super long commute this morning since my first bus goes close enough to the fair. Take the bus, people. #MSPTransitExperience
010
Reposted by Crystal
MaryMM @marymm.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The A Line is stuck on Snelling in vast, immobile car traffic just south of the fairgrounds. People are jumping off, attempting to get to work on time. Please don't drive to the Fair. Please don't drive anywhere you don't have to.
3183
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Definitely not the last!
110
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I knew Polly Darton before I knew Dolly. (And once I found out about Dolly, it took me awhile to remember which name was for the Muppet and which was for the person.)
youtu.be
Muppet Songs: Polly Darton - Wavin' Goodbye to You with My Heart
YouTube video by Muppet Songs
010
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Wish I would have! Traffic was not great and I ended up parking a lot farther away than usual.
010
Reposted by Crystal
Valerie Valkyrie @beezygrey.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The WNBA is actively putting its players in danger by not denouncing transphobia
5599122
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Yes. This link shows all rookies who have scored 20+ at least once:
acrossthetimeline.com
WNBA Data Explorer - Across the Timeline - Stats, facts, and memories from the storied history of women's basketball
000
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
If Olivia Miles scores 20+ points in another game, she'll tie the Lynx *and* WNBA records for rookies. www.acrossthetimeline.com/wnba/data-ex... #SwannyStat
131
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Tonight's win was the fifth 50/40/90 game for the Lynx in 2026 (19th in team history). #SwannyStat
020
Reposted by Crystal
Phil Salvador @philsalv.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Not only do digital things not last forever, digital objects are even more fragile than physical ones! You can put a piece of paper on a shelf for a century, but you probably can't read a Unity project from 10 years ago
5410143
Reposted by Crystal
Naomi Kritzer @naomikritzer.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
One of the smartest ideas I've seen in the last few years is instead of trying to find "the Joe Rogan of the left," buy up the news sites of defunct papers and put some money into providing local news coverage in rural areas.
311991567
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Tonight was Minnesota's 15th road win, a single-season Lynx record and tied for third in WNBA history. #SwannyStat www.sports-reference.com/stathead/tin...
sports-reference.com
Team Game Stats Finder - Pro Basketball | Stathead
Find the teams with most points in home games in single seasons, combined seasons, and more. Get all of this data on Stathead.
050
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Same with all the "false" plants. False sunflower, false indigo, false gromwell, false rue anemone, false solomon's seal...
130
Reposted by Crystal
Pat Thompson @pattho.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Two perennial midsummer Rudbeckia: R. laciniata and R. subtomentosa. Subto blooms for about a month and also makes great cut flowers! #FlowerReport
Droopy gold-petaled daisies with greenish centers.Gold daisies with brown centers and stiffly held petals.
031
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Looked it up and it's Pottery Barn (as of April/May).
010
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Found not one but two surprise monarch caterpillars in the garden today! The first was not on milkweed and my guess is that it was scouting locations to form a chrysalis very soon. (It was on a nearby swamp milkweed later.) Plant #NativePlants, get butterflies.
Large caterpillar with yellow, black, and white stripes on a showy milkweed leaf.Different caterpillar on the underside of a butterfly weed leaf.
0142
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
WNBA record!
Kayla McBride hitting 3-pointer #10 at the bottom left.
020
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
40 points for McBride (with 2:51 to go) ties Katie Smith and Maya Moore for #3 on Minnesota's single-game scoring list. (Moore had 40 twice.) The team record is 48 by Moore in a double-overtime game in 2014. Smith had 46 in an overtime game in 2001. #SwannyStat
110
Crystal @ccolby.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
That note didn't last long! 3-pointer #9 at 5:08, tying the WNBA record.
110