the city sports in porter square didn't carry the 3 liter camelbak hydration reservoir; the clerk checked their company database on the computer and the nearest store that carried it was in philadelphia. i was ready to take the 30 minute ride to the reading REI to see if they had any in stock, but decided to visit the somerville wheel works first. wouldn't you know it, they had the one i wanted, saved me the long trip. back at home i tried putting it into my backpack and realize that 3 liter is too large. so i went back and exchanged it for a 2 liter instead, which fit perfectly.

since i was in the davis square area, i called up julie to see if she wanted to grab some lunch. we went to the newly-opened spike's junkyard dogs, famous for its hot dogs and chicken sandwiches. i was surprised to see a lot of women in the place. i had the eponymous hot dog meal, which was nothing spectacular, but it's a welcomed change from the usual fast food joints. julie went with a chicken sandwich and told me about her baxter state park adventure this past weekend.

10 more days

with just a few days left, i'm buying last-minute gear online left and right. i got a little carrying case for my gps, a flexoline for hanging my wet laundry without clothes pins, and a hidden pocket pouch (i had one in southeast asia, but lost it when i came back home). i'm also getting some books, the hill tribe phrasebook (got that on a whim, to put me over $25 so i can get free amazon.com shipping), and finding george orwell in burma by emma larkin, which came out just last year, a travelogue partly about orwell but also about modern burma.

ang tao made a soup for dinner and ate some of his chinese leftovers; i had a pair of hot dogs. once more he left for the lab after dinner.

finally, congratulations to my friend andrew, who called me late in the evening to tell me something important. i thought maybe he was in trouble and needed me to bail him out but turns out he proposed to maura yesterday and i was the 3rd friend he told.