BEFSR41 + SB4100 + ATTBI ≠ happy ending

even after i went to microcenter today to buy a brand new linksys router in the hopes that maybe my old linksys router was somehow defective. alas, after a few hours of solid performance, the new router died on me just like the old one, problem still not solved. i have two choices: either attach a hub between the cablemodem and the router (as suggested by the linksys technical support person i talked to a few days ago), or, buy a new router of a different brand in the hopes that that might do the trick.

today wasn't a particularly productive day in terms of programming work, but i did get a lot of other personal stuff done. besides going to microcenter, my father also gave me a ride in the new car (the new car smell made me slightly carsick) to the watertown target, where i bought some essential household items, like a bottle of soap scum remover, a few bags of carpet grips, a bottle of moisturizer, a universal remote, and an electric waffle iron. i also stopped by my parents' cafe and got some supplies, mostly ingredients for my smoothies, including frozen strawberries, raspberries, and cans of pineapple and grapefruit juice.

when i got home, i put away all the food first, then i put down the carpet grips (the living room rug and the kilim in the hallway), made myself a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice from 10 slices of orange, moisturized my hands (they were so dry, it hurts when i washed them), cleaned the bathroom and the sink, played around with my new waffle iron, and programmed the remote control.

dinner came in the form of a trip to julie's apartment in davis square, the occasion was to pay me back for the week's worth of internet access usage. when i got there she was in the midst of making thai (or was it vietnamese?) spring rolls, with a pan of peanut sauce simmering on the stove.

there was some problems with the dried rice paper skin she bought, almost all of them were cracked, and would fall apart when she soaked them in the hot water. in the end she opted for double-skinning, which seemed to do the trick. after the spring rolls, she made the hot & sour soup with shrimp from an asian noodle recipe book she had on the table. everything was done in her electric wok (my first time seeing it in action, although i've heard stories before from klea), onion, lemongrass, mushrooms, tomatoes, rice noodles, bean sprouts, shrimps, hot pepper flakes, coriander, and several cups of water. it was more tom yum guy than the hot & sour soup i made a few weeks back. when the soup was done, we sat and ate, breaking open the sparkling grape cider i'd brought over. the spring rolls were good, very filling (i had three). the soup, definitely more sour than hot, but i remedied that with more pepper flakes, which then made it too hot. after dinner the both of us sat by the kitchen table, stomaches inflated. julie did the dishes while i helplessly watched, too full to move. during our conversation, i learned that she's afraid of stepping on crabs and getting "bitten" when she goes to the beach. i found that fear completely irrational, which couldn't possibly compare with my very real fear of washing wooden objects.

her roommate kim was home, with whom i assumed was her boyfriend. they made occasional cameos in the kitchen, ordering out instead of joining us for dinner. kim was scouring through the stacks of local take-out menus. julie and i went into the living room to watch west wing, where kim's boyfriend joined us briefly, delighting us with his celebrity knowledge. rob lowe was conspicuously absent from the show except for a few compaign posters hanging on the walls with his photo on it. after that came law & order. from the corner of my eye i noticed a towel wrapped kim running quickly into the bathroom to take a shower. julie revealed that she thinks billy bob thorton is hot (i think he's gross). when law & order was over, i left julie's place, but not before taking two spring rolls in a doggie tupperware and some peanut sauce in a ziploc baggie.

it was raining heavily, but luckily i had my umbrella. from davis square i took the subway one stop back to porter square, where i made it home in one piece through the freezing rain.

davis square

porter square