i made an appointment to go see a ophthalmologist tomorrow morning. although i could've gone to that pretty eye doctor in porter square, i decided to go to OCB (ophthalmic consultants of boston) instead. just so happens they have a new branch office in cambridge across the street from the mt.auburn cemetery. however, instead of just being able to walk there, i'll have to take a bus (about a mile and a half out from harvard square). if the weather was nicer i would've risked riding the bike, dilated pupils and all, but the forecast for the morning commute looks to be a combination of wet snow and freezing rain, not the most pleasant (or safe) riding condition.

i went to go vote in the special election. although it's only a primary, the democratic candidate who wins will most definitely win the actual election next month. there were some republican candidates but massachusetts is such a solid democratic state that i never even saw a single republican political commercial. i went with capuano only because he's a representative for cambridge and he seemed like the underdog against coakley, who is projected to win due in some parts to her statewide name recognition as the attorney general. i was the only person voting when i went, there was a very low voter turnout. my mother - who was absolutely opposed to coakley (she didn't like her smug attitude) - didn't go vote today, and neither did anybody else in my immediate family.

i rode my bicycle to the cafe in the late morning. my plan was to ride back to belmont to wash the motorcycle but my parents insisted i take one of the car instead. i helped my father put up some transparent "wifi" signs on the windows so customers will know about the free wireless access.

i went to target first to buy some terry cloth rags and a bottle of car wash solution (rain-x with the carnauba wax beads). i spent some time emptying out the garage, clearing out some storage space. i had a hard time backing out the motorcycle from the backyard (too slippery and on a slight incline) and ended up doing a big donut on the snowy lawn in order to get the bike onto the driveway. i ended up not only cleaning the motorcycle, but the snowblower and the car as well. did i mention the temperature was in the 40's and i was dressed in a t-shirt? my father came home briefly to help me move the motorcycle into the garage. it was impossible to maneuver into the proper position, so we cheated and used a rolling bike jack instead. my father pushed the snow blower into the honda element via a pair of wooden plank/ramps (for clearing the sidewalks around the cafe).

the motorcycle may be washed, but there's still a few things i have to do for winterization. i have to add some stabilizer to the fuel tank and remove the battery. it might able be a good idea to change out the idea (i'll have to do some research on that). whatever the case may be, i feel a lot better now that the bike is in the safety of the garage and not sitting outside somewhere.

i drove back to the cafe to return the car, before biking back to my place. i got home around 3:30, intercepting my roommate who was about to go into the house. i was surprised and annoyed to see him back from the office so soon, but with only a week left before he goes back to china, i let it slide. he was busy in the kitchen making dinner and ate in the living by 4:00. you didn't have any lunch? i asked him. turns out he didn't eat the whole day. on top of that, he had a toothache, which was probably the main reason why he decided to come home early. funny, but at least 2 other chinese astrophysicists had tooth problems as well. after dinner he said he was tired and went into his bedroom to sleep, coming out only to smoke or use the bathroom.

i had some french bread pizza for dinner. by mid-evening it was official: martha coakley won the primary.