about the motorcycle ride: learning from the mistakes i made the last time i rode into boston, i went around boston common instead of up over government center in order to get to chinatown. there was some traffic, but one of the fun things you can do with a motorcycle is ride in between cars, weaving and dodging to the front of the traffic column. traffic jams are more like obstacle courses, especially on a smaller bike like mine. i parked in one of those grey spots, i was worried the whole day that i'd get a ticket, but nothing happened. before i went to the office, i went to mei tung to get some snacks, walking into the chinese supermarket like clint eastwood in firefox, helmet in my hand, getting some stares.
about the running club: i've been waiting all week for an office run, but it kept on getting put off, day after day, until today, when it finally happened. i had on my vintage circa 1992 cure disintergration tour concert t-shirt, 
the first and only concert i've ever been to. through the common to beacon hill, via a short cut, across the overpass, along the charles river, along the mass ave bridge, along the length of memorial drive, underneath the longfellow, back over across the longfellow, then through beacon hill again. i was trying to rally the troops by suggesting we award each other points for performing "stunts," such as points for jumping over a dog, or hurdling a baby stroller, or leaping over a sunbather, or touching a strolling businessman's ass. i hurdled a benji dog, not as easy as it sounds because it got scared and moved out of the way. when i couldn't find things to jump over, i chased pigeons, which are virtually impossible to hop.
about the smelly tofu lunch: when i came back from the run, i was a wee bit hungry, despite all that candy, all that can of congee, 
all that banana, all that pearl iced tea, all that pork rinds that i had earlier in the day. i had a craving for smelly tofu, and that craving brought me back to taiwan cafe, where i got an order of smelly tofu and waited 10 minutes for the cooks to prepare it. i brought it back to the office, where i invited everyone to sample this taiwanese cuisine, but only alex was brave enough to have a taste, sharing some of his chatsuo pork with me.
about having dinner with my parents: after work i went home to drop off the bike since i wouldn't be home this weekend and i didn't want to leave the motorcycle on the streets of cambridge. 
since i was in belmont anyway, i ended up having dinner with my parents and sister. tonight's main course was lamb chops, cooked over a gas grille out in the backyard. after dinner, after helping my parents take off the air conditioners from the windows, i got a ride back to cambridge, where i took the opportunity to do the same, finally taking down the air conditioner in the living room, possibly throwing my back in the process, never realizing i had all that untapped upper body strength.