Hands Up In The Middle Of Minnesota Winter

Hands Up In The Middle Of Minnesota Winter

Todd Swank's Diary Entry for February 1, 2026

Minnesota went full bully mode this week. Wind chills sat at 20 to 30 below and didn’t let up. I escaped to Denver for work, even if it was only one night. Still talking tech. Still talking AI. Just fewer layers. Warmer air. Winter lost a round, and that tiny dose of warmth was enough to reset my brain before heading back into the tundra.

Flying out, we passed right over Prior Lake. My house sits a little south and west of this view. From up here it finally clicked. We don’t live by lakes. We live in an ice cube tray. Somewhere in God’s freezer. One of these years I’m leaving Minnesota for the winter. I’ve been saying that since the Obama administration.

A quiet weekend overall. We did get out for dinner at PLate, which we hadn’t done in a while. No big plans. No rush. Just good food and time together. The steak was really good. The space felt comfortable. Exactly the right amount of effort for January.

I’ve been having a lot of conversations lately about whether we’re sitting in an asset bubble. Gold and silver have been on a tear. Then I walk into Costco and they’re selling gold bars like big-screen TVs. That usually feels like a signal. When the masses show up, the easy money already left. Right on cue, metals took a big selloff Friday. Probably coincidence. Probably also a decent time to think about selling.

Since we didn’t do much this weekend, I talked my wife into driving me out on the lake so I could get the ice-house shot. Even though the ice is quite solid after weeks of deep freeze, that logic still doesn’t comfort a non-swimmer like Miss Sheri. Convincing her to drive her SUV out there is always a negotiation. She sighed. She drove. I got the picture. I’m lucky she supports my weird little missions in life.

@toddswank Does OpenClaw plus MoltBook equal Skynet? How do I use it to get rich before that happens? #moltbook #skynet #openclaw #agenticai #terminator ♬ Powerful songs like action movie music - Tansa