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my aunt and uncle stopped by this morning to drop off my birthday present a few days early (since they were going up to new hampshire this weekend). they gave me a terra cotta incense holder shaped like a dragon. with a lit cone incense in its mouth, it looks like it's breathing smoke from its nostrils. i thought it was made out of wood at first (which probably isn't the best material for incense holder) but tapping it with my fingernails revealed it was ceramic in composition. it's also made by corr-the jute works, a fair trade organization from bangladesh.

my roommate left in the afternoon while i was out getting some groceries (restocking my supply of seltzer water). taking advantage of the opportunity, i tried out the incense holder in the bathroom. i also got a box of sandalwood cone incense. i wonder if there's a tradition of dragons in bangladesh mythology? this particular dragon had a curly moustache and what appears to be a rudimentary chin beard. the cone incense in its mouth looks like a glowing red tongue.

i put my bicycle in the basement in anticipation of the snow tomorrow. originally it was supposed to be between 3-5" of snow (the most we would've had all winter long) but as the day progressed the forecasters downgraded the storm to maybe an inch in boston at the most. the problem is since it's so warm, the snow won't be able to stick and will just melt, especially since it's supposed to rain first before becoming snow.

for lunch i finished my chinese leftovers from last night. in the late afternoon i ate some pastries i got from a chinatown bakery. or dinner i ate some more quinoa leftover.

in skyrim, after completing the "ill met by moonlight" quest where i helped sinding the werewolf instead of killing him, i was immediately attacked by a dragon as soon as i left bloated man's grotto. just so happens the traveling caravan of cat people were nearby to provide some distraction. something went wrong and during the confusion i ended up killing everyone including my follower. so i had to restart and slay the dragon one more time, but the cat people kept on attacking me as well. i resisted fighting with them but my follower tracked each one of them down (on my behalf) and killed them except for ri'saad, who seems to be a crucial NPC and can't be killed. i think what happened was they got in the way of a storm shout and received some damage, which then turned them into enemy combatants. too bad because i liked the cat people.

i've only been on a few companion quests and already they want to initiate me into their inner circle by turning me into a werewolf. no thanks! although i heard it's reversible.

i finally managed to kill my first giant tonight, 2 as a matter of fact, at stonehill bluff. i don't exactly remember how i killed the first one, but the second one was easier. high up on a cliff i used a storm call shout which chased the giant with lightning bolts. once the giant's health was properly reduced, i jumped down and hit him a few times to finish the job.

my roommate came home in the evening. it looked like she might've gone into chinatown from the bags she was carrying. the only thing i said to her all day was to let her know she got a letter from her health insurance. she mostly keeps to herself, although i do wish she wasn't home so much. she likes to keep her window open which i don't mind if she also keeps her bedroom door closed. at least she thinks the house is warm enough that i don't have to turn up the heat. she does have a problem with lights though, which is one of my pet peeves. she'll leave them on without turning them off, whether it's the kitchen or the bathroom. at this point none of her annoying habits are critical enough that i need to give her a talk. she's only here for 2 more weeks before she moves out to that apartment a few houses down from here.