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DEC

16

2008

i went with my father to the supermarket to pick up some grocery and then to costco to get some supplies. i wanted to buy everything at the supermarket, in preparation for sunday's belated thanksgiving dinner. basically i think there should be turkey (naturally), but then also a hot pot, and then a barbecue in the backyard. basically everything that i like to eat should be represented, and then i spend the whole day engorging myself on food. down at costco, i was surprised to discover that whole strip mall plaza has a name, the gateway center. since i didn't have any lunch yet, i was happy to grab as many food samples as possible. the best was the king crab & corn bisque. while my father was paying, i went to the takeout counter and bought a $3 chicken bake. before finally dropping me off, we went to the ace hardware store in porter square so i could look for a new outdoor window thermometer (i'm looking for the kleertemp model).

no work today, just answered some questions from client N and estimated a budget for client P regarding a potential project. i didn't mind, gave me time to devote to my real work which is playing bioshock. i'm pretty far ahead at this point, and there's been a few surprising unforeseen plot twists along the way. the story is pretty interesting, i can see why there's been talks of adapting this game into a feature film.

i was nervous to talk to my roommate when he came home in the evening. by then he would've found out if his wife passed her visa interview to come to this country. i was hoping she did, because it'd make my job of convincing him he had to move out that much easier. sure enough, he told me she got her visa. i congratulated him but then gave him the speech i'd been preparing in my mind for a week: since his current bedroom is too small for 2 people and he can't just sleep in the living room for the whole month his wife is in town, i told him i pulled some strings and found a solution, which is for him to move to my aunt's vacant apartment room. it's just blocks away from his office (instead of a mile) and the rent is cheaper.

my roommate listened and nodded in agreement that it was a pretty good deal. it's nice to have everything work according to plan, and to come out of it all looking like the good guy when in fact i have very selfish reasons for making him move out. i was afraid he'd say no and tell he wanted to continue living here. i had no contingency plan if that happened. nor did i feel comfortable breaking the news to him if his wife was denied her visa, although proximity to work and rent reduction are two good selling points. i even told him the disadvantages of moving in the spirit of full disclosure (no washing machine and no nearby supermarkets), but by then he was already sold on the idea.

it's finally snowing tonight and i still have my motorcycle. sure, it snowed here last weekend, but nothing stuck to the ground. tonight we actually have accumulation, but it's coming down so light and slow that i'd be surprised if we get more than an inch and by the time i wake up most of it will have melted. i'm still holding on to my ride though, i'm gambling for more thaws. my rule is this: the first big snowstorm of the season is when i'll put my bike away. right now, this is just a snow sprinkle. i like to keep my motorized freedom a bit longer.

2:30am i got a call from my old high school friend warren. i didn't recognize the number and almost didn't answer it, but figured it might've been somebody calling from the west coast and just forgot about the time zone difference. it could also be a chance for me to be a hero if it happened to be somebody on the verge of suicide and dialed me by accident and i had to talk him off the ledge (i'm still waiting for that call). warren, having finished his east coast hospital duty, just lost track of time. fortunately for him it wasn't my bedtime yet. he wanted to get some international real estate advice and wanted to know if i knew anybody. although warren and i have gotten back in touch ever since last year's reunion (even though he's never attended any of them), i haven't actually spoken with him since high school more than 16 years ago. before we knew it, we'd been chatting for almost an hour.