i got a call from my father this morning, asking me if i wanted to get my motorcycle out of storage. i got a ride to the cafe and then drove myself back to belmont to get the bike out of the garage. how long has been it? about 4 months. despite the overcast and the unusually strong winds, it was a great day to start the riding season, with temperature hovering in the 60's. i was imagining other bikers all across new england getting their motorcycles out as well. the first few seconds of riding was total happiness and i couldn't help smiling as i propelled down the street. i went to the watertown target to pick up two bottles of motor oil before returning to the cafe. after a quick lunch, my father helped me change out the motor oil. we didn't do it last spring, so the same oil had been circulating in the engine for 2 seasons. motor oil is normally clear and resembles olive oil (although you probably wouldn't want to eat it); however the that drained out of the engine looked like soy sauce. and because of the strong winds, the drip came out at an angle, spraying the ground nearby. after we poured in the new motor oil, i washed the bike and gave it a quick wax job.

now that i have the motorcycle again, my world has suddenly reopened again. going into boston is just as easy for me now as going across the street, weather permitting of course. i can go grocery shopping and not have to depend on someone taking me or walking a mile back. with my newfound freedom, i paid a visit to the cambridge library to get some books. on my way back i picked up a large appliance sticker from the recycle office. i went to the cafe to help my father carry out a large broken air conditioner from the basement for curbside pickup.

a check of the weather report shows that there won't be any good days for the next week or so. basically, it's still too early to do any serious riding, but it's still nice to have the bike to run local errands.

once i returned home i caught a few more episodes of BSG on the scifi channel. i took a shower, logged a few hours of hellgate, then made some ramen for dinner.

nasturtium flowers are fragrant, did you know that? i think i said they smell like roses, but i think they're more like freesia. the scent isn't overpowering and i can only really smell it if i stick my nose into a flower. it could also be because there's very little circulating outwards from the closet, so any smells stay inside. when they first started flowering, i had all yellow ones, but now i have more oranges than yellow.