back in cambridge, i paid a visit to the garden. it looked like somebody had trampled my plants but i knew it was just the killing frost taking its toll on the vegetables. i pulled the last of my basil (about 2 ziploc bag full of leaves) and picked off about a dozen red tomatoes. i didn't even bother watering since everything was pretty much dead anyway. i went to the cafe and gave all my basil and tomatoes to my parents.

zhu lei came back home around 7pm. he asked if today was halloween. it took me a few seconds to figure out in my head that it's actually tomorrow. i think halloween - at least for adults - happened this past weekend. all that's left is wednesday for the kids and the annual candy binge. i've decided not to hand out candy this year but i might change my mind. normally i just get a kid or two, it's not worth getting any candy for, but i usually just eat the rest for myself anyway. i was surprised to see that zhu lei almost went immediately to bed without eating dinner. i guess his late nights have finally taken their toll.

one of the first things zhu lei asked me when he originally arrived was what time i went to bed. in hindsight it now seems like a strange question, but i answered it anyway: "usually 3am. but i wake up late." maybe he was trying to copy my style, but the past few nights he's been going to bed just as late as i have. this for some reason kind of bothered me. i'm quite proud of my nocturnal stamina, and nobody i know goes to bed as late as i do. the only people who are still up in the wee hours of the night are some people i know in asia. i also like the quietness of it all, kind of like the same reason why some people enjoy waking up early (except in a bizarro way). not that he was making noises, but just knowing that somebody else was also not asleep was disconcerting. anyway, maybe it's just residual jetlag, but i don't think he's going to be pulling many more late nights considering how he has to wake up early in the morning to go to work.

finally, my 19" sony trinitron monitor died tonight. i don't remember how old it is but i think i got it the same time as my G4, so it must be at least 8 years old. it's been acting strange for a while, pulsing occasionally, like a mini power surge. i couldn't figure out what was causing it, anything from a bad computer power supply, to maybe a faulty KVM switch, or even a malfunctioning surge protector. then tonight quite suddenly the monitor started flickering while i was processing some photos. before i could save everything, the monitor went dead. i tried connecting it to my PC but it was still dark, so i knew the monitor was gone. fortunately i had a 17" monitor in the basement that came free with my dell computer. i brought it upstairs and hooked it up and everything is fine now, although just a bit smaller (however, i did have to restart my mac and lose some changes, since i couldn't reset the resolution). ironically, i've been toying with the idea of getting an LCD monitor for several years now, but could never convince myself to get one since there was nothing wrong with my preexisting 19" trinitron - other than the fact that it was huge and used up more electricity than a comparable LCD. now that the monitor is fried, it's the perfect time to upgrade. i was thinking about getting the 24" dell wide screen. what i really want (more like lust after) is the 30" monitor, but i can't imagine paying a grand for that behemoth, no matter how awesome it is. as soon as my MBP comes back from apple's repair shop, i think i might order the 24". i just hope my video cards (on both my mac and PC) can handle the resolution.