today my set of prepared scientific slides arrived, a microscopic sampling of aquatic life. i got out my microscope and after fumbling with the focus knobs and the light source i realized the equipment is a piece of crap. the diaphragm is broken, i didn't notice it when i bought it used from a woman in weston. that means i can't control how much light gets into the microscope, so everything is too bright. for the time being i have an expensive paperweight on my hands unless i can find some place to get some spare microscope parts.

the old me would've blown off work today and gone out naturing in this nice 50 degrees middle-of-january weather. alas, once again i had too much work to do so i tried hard to ignore the warm sunshine coming in through the windows (besides, i had no ride, winter travel is slow and MBTA-like). i was out in my backyard briefly, but any sense of tranquility was disrupted by the sight of an unknown neighbor working in her house as well, with a direct view of my private garden. in the evening my parents came over for dinner. after they left i watched the new beauty and the geek. not a lot to say but the talent show (maybe next week?) looks to be a must-see event.