t
o
n
y
a
n
g
'
s
 
w
e
b
l
o
g



10:15am

will this heat ever end? it's official: the temperature in boston today hit 90 degrees, so it's a bona-fide heatwave now. word on the meteorological street is we're due for a cold spell starting tomorrow, with temperature back down in the much more manageable 70's. what i wouldn't give for some good old-fashion winter weather! the heat is driving me crazy; so much so that i didn't do any work today. i can't even think when it gets this hot. well, not true, i can think, just not about work.

this morning my next door neighbor's radio alarm clock went off at exactly 8:50am. they must've already gone to work because the radio was just blaring for the next 20 minutes, turned to NPR. at least if it was music i could get behind that, but news radio? who can sleep to that? naturally i shut my windows, but in the course of drowning out the noise, the bedroom began to heat up again to a point where i couldn't fall back asleep.

i headed down to the garden, my tomato cages in one hand, my big trash bag full of moldy marsh grass mulch in the other hand. in my zeal to water my vegetables, i accidently trampled one of my habanero pepper plants. who knows, maybe it'll grow back, but for some reason all the peppers - even after a month of growth - still seem stunted. i also discovered some bugs had been eating my tomato leaves. as far as i know, not many insects feed on tomatoes, but apparently some do, and they live in my garden. who knows, maybe it wasn't bugs, it could've been hungry squirrels.

after returning home, i motorcycled to the somerville target to buy some toiletries, things like toilet bowl cleaner, shampoo, conditioner, soap. i also bought a new rechargeable braun/oral-b electric toothbrush. it came with a new dual brushing head, which takes some time getting used to, but now i'm excited about brushing my teeth again. my old one broke, it won't stop for some reason. i tried knocking some sense into it but that didn't seem to help. they're also designed so you could never take it apart, so once the unit goes crazy, that's the end. not sure how long i had that electric toothbrush, i don't think it was very long. i only got it because everyone else i knew had one and even my dentist said they do a better job brushing than a normal toothbrush. when an tao was staying with me i did feel a little guilty: would he see my electronic toothbrush as an example of american excess, where people are too lazy to even brush their teeth manually?

back in cambridge, after a shower, i went over to bruce's place to help him spec out a new thinkpad laptop online. so i wasn't able to get him to make the switch over to apple. the bottom line is macs are expensive: you talk about quality and design and ease of use, but for most people, the less expensive option is the better option.

just because i wasn't working didn't mean i didn't have other things to do though. this is classic procrastination, and suddenly it seems i have all these things i have do around the house. do water changes on all 4 fish tanks for one thing. with the heat wave, the temperature in the aquariums are above normal (in the upper 80's), so i replaced the water with some fresh treated water from the tap, hoping to lower the temperature (for only just a little bit). i also watered my mushrooms and my scroll plant. both get a misting for a spray bottle, but since the scroll plant lives in the bathroom, i usually set it in the tub and give it a little simulated tropical shower. i'm surprised with so little light in the bathroom that the plant still seems to be doing pretty well.

later i went to star market to buy some grapes that were on sale and went to the cafe in the afternoon to deliver some for my mother. "they're sour!" my mother screamed when she tried one; apparently i didn't get the right kind (i think they were sold out anyway). i stayed long enough to get some lunch (noodles) before returning home, making sure i park the motorcycle in a different spot from yesterday so i won't get another ticket for unregistered "storage."

i watched the series premiere of burn notice tonight on the USA network. interesting premise, about a spy who gets fired from the agency ("burn," all contacts severed, bank assets frozen, etc.) and has to make a living as a private investigator in miami while searching for the reason behind his mysterious dismissal. it's sort of like a spy drama slash action slash comedy, part of a new generation of quirky television characters. part of the show is almost like a spy 101 how-to mixed with a lot of macgyver, as the protagonist creates all these spy gear using simple everyday items. there's also a bit of dexter in there (both shows take place in miami), where the main character - so trained in all forms of espionage - has problems forming real relationships with other people - for instance, with his mother and his ex-girlfriend. speaking of which, gabrielle anwar (last seen on the tudors) plays the ex (former IRA assassin), which should be reason enough to tune in. did i mention bruce campbell is on the show as well, playing an ex-spy?