as it was getting close to my 1 year comcast anniversary, i went down to the local comcast office on beacon street in the late morning to see if i could lower my bill. comcast basically screws everyone over. they have these package deals that are good at first, but after they expire, the price of everything increases. i was trying to get rid of my HBO bundle, which i hardly ever watch (normally $15/month), and i was even considering dropping my cable tv altogether, since i just have basic broadcast cable, which i can just get for free over the airwaves. but after talking with them, it turns out if i opt out of cable, my bill (for internet only) would actually increase, which doesn't make any realistic sense, but makes perfect comcast sense. either way, starting next month my bill will go up by $10 (i pay $60 right now). i'll have to study all their different price categories and try calling them over the phone to see if i can get myself a better deal. i'm even tempted to switch to dsl, but the speed is just too slow for the same price (3MBps verizon DSL versus 30MBps cable internet).

for lunch i made myself a bowl of oatmeal with some kayem artisan pineapple uncured bacon sausage with vermont maple syrup (same thing i had yesterday for lunch).

i took the motorcycle to belmont in the afternoon. my mother was already home, having walked back from the cafe. since it rained so much yesterday, there was no need to water the garden. instead, i spent my backyard time pulling up swallow-worts, clipping a few thin bamboo stalks, and pruning the diseased plum tree. swallow-worts are hard to eradicate, and i fear i've only pulled up the vines, not the roots themselves, so they'll live to grow another day. black knot disease have completely taken over the two backyard plum trees. we were supposed to chop them both down this year but never got around to it, hoping to wait until after they flower. but the disease is so rampant, there was hardly any flower this season. currently there's too many plants growing underneath to risk trying to chop them down. we will probably need to wait until the fall. in the meantime, whenever i have the chance, i lop off a few branches (today i managed enough for 2 garden refuse bins). finally, i moved the rain barrels, tipping them over, where mosquito larvae were already swimming in the pools of stagnant water. i probably saved the backyard from having a large population of mosquitoes.

i was so sleepy after dinner, i need to get more sleep. i replayed a mint copy of mad max for my parents before i left, along with a chinese subtitle file i found online. riding home, i noticed all the piles of discarded furnitures and household items left on various sidewalks; end of the month moving day for a lot of renters. i fought off the urge to stop and dig around in the junk pile (couldn't carry anything anyway, since i was on the motorcycle).