t
o
n
y
a
n
g
'
s
 
w
e
b
l
o
g


my nikon coolpix 4500 actually arrived yesterday but because i wasn't home to sign for it, the UPS guy didn't deliver but instead left a note saying he'd return tomorrow. i signed the release form on the back of the note and put it back out on the front door, with a message asking if he could leave the package on the back porch instead.

so i went to work and all day long thoughts of my new camera was on my mind. i didn't go running today for a change, my feet finally able to get some much needed rest. instead, i wandered around the outskirts of chinatown a little bit, visiting the places that people normally don't bother going to, hoping to find something interesting, like a secret restaurant or some hidden architecture. for lunch, i went to my favorite takeout place and ordered some pan-fried rice noodles with chicken. it turned out to be not what i expected, and it was a pretty awful meal, half of which i put away in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch.

after work, i came home, intercepting dan at harvard square when i saw him getting off of the subway to take the bus back home. i quickly walked home and was surprised to see that the UPS note was still on my front door, which meant they didn't come today. just to be sure, i came into the house and looked on my back porch, where a large package was waiting for me. it's here! it was like autumn christmas as i slice opened the box and took out the 4500. i felt delirious, like being in a dream. my mother called me telling me that she and my sister had made a visit to my house earlier, dropping off a pair of running shoes they had bought for me on sale and wanted me to try them on, but i wasn't really paying attention, i was just playing around with my new camera. i realized why the price was so cheap and why i couldn't redeem the rebate: it's a total grey market camera, meaning they bought it in japan for a reduced price and then resold it here in the US. the box was covered in japanese, and as evidence to how shady they are, the user manual is a photocopied version of the english documentation. not even sure if the camera is under american warranty, so i hope to god it doesn't break within the next year. i had to stop though, because renata was coming over at 7pm, and i needed to take a shower before she got here. i put a note on the door telling her to come right in, and she showed up just as i was getting out of the shower. i showed her the camera, and framed the two of us in that historical first photo of a new digital camera shot. renata came over to hang out, no real agenda, she already had dinner (so no cooking), we just haven't seen each other in a long time. we made jasmine tea and sliced up a pair of japanese water pear and a plum as well as an old lime. i had a mild scheduling conflict as today was also the night of the 2nd red sox playoff game against the yankees. renata knew this and said i could watch television since she knew the game was important for me, even though it would cut into our hanging out time. as the evening grew late on the renata clock, renata took her leave of absence, leaving me with half the game still left to be watched.

i immediately called julie and invited myself to her place to finish out the rest of the game. by that time the red sox were already down, and they never got a lead over the yankees from that point on, the yankees tapping out a few more runs for a definitive victory over the red sox. i suppose it's only fair for the yankees to win one, i expected nothing less from them. can you imagine the red sox winning both games at yankee stadium, and then going back to boston for three more games at home? the yankees might as well call it quits if that happened, but fortunately for the sake of having a worthy opponent to beat in order to advance into the next round, the yankees didn't disappointed in that respect. with a red sox loss innings away, julie and her roommates debated who on the red sox is the hottest. julie and kim thinks pedro looks like a cat, rahda has johnny damon fever and she and i both agree that nomar is hot, while julie loves the dominicans and thinks david ortiz is sexy.

saturday afternoon i can not be disturbed! pedro versus clemens in fenway? this weekend will be all about baseball.

i came home, played around with the camera some more until the battery died and i had to recharge it. first order of business: get a spare battery, or at least a power adapter.