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i knew this day would come, the day when i'd have to shut down my motorcycle for the season. i was hoping i could at least last until december, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. i promised myself i'd put the bike away come the first snowstorm. it'd already snowed a few weeks ago, some morning flurries, but nothing that stuck to the ground, so that didn't count. this weekend however, a major storm is heading towards new england. as of yet the weather forecast is still spotty, but the temperature will drop precipitously this weekend, culminating in some precipitation on sunday, whether in the form of snow or sleet is yet to be determined. whatever the outcome, i just had this image of my motorcycle frozen to the side of the road, and even if i was able to free it, there'd be so much ice on the roads to make riding too dangerous. so i called up my parents earlier tonight, told them i'd be bringing the motorcycle around tomorrow for winter storage in their garage. they suggested i come over tonight, while the temperature was relatively mild (a mere 38 degrees). i agreed, and ended up having dinner there as well. i was already down huron avenue to belmont when i realized i needed to get gas (always fill the tank before storing a bike) so i took a detour to fresh pond to fuel up first.

it was sad seeing my motorcycle for the last time this year. the odometer read 7542 miles. back during early july i was still on mile 6014. 1500+ miles might not seem like a lot, but i felt every one of those miles, whether the pounding up through my spine, collisions with numerous bugs, the heat of the engine, the bitter cold of late season riding, or the different smells of the road, i earned every one of those miles. if it's any consolation, this season marks the latest day i've ever had to put my bike away. last year (2006) i stowed the bike on november 21st, and the year before that (2005) it was november 4th (that was the year where i got the flat tire). this year i started my riding season sort of late: april 20th; last year (2006) i started riding as early as march 30th (i only had 4153 miles back then). on the average, my usual riding season lasts about 8 months. for the remaining 4 months however, i'm just a hapless pedestrian, going about my business either walking, taking public transportation, or borrowing a car. it's probably the least convenient time for me in terms of getting around, but it's probably also the safest, since there's zero chance of me getting involved in a motorcycle accident.

all that talk about waking up late gave me the motivation to wake up early for a change. i always feel like i'm getting bonus hours whenever i'm awake earlier than usual. my hair was so spectacularly messy that i had to immortalize it with some photos. wintertime i'm at my hairiest. i shaved today (on the sides) but i really should put an end to it. time to start working on that winter beard! for lunch i finished the rest of the leftovers my father gave me yesterday. opening up the rice cooker to cook some rice, i was surprised to find zhu lei's lunch still inside. after lunch i did some cleaning. very few of my roommates ever do any cleaning, so besides the landlord, i'm also the maid. i find myself doing a lot of vacuuming these days (about twice a week): my roommate is balding prematurely and i'm naturally hairy, so the combination results in a lot of stray hairs all over the house, particularly the bathroom. it didn't help that zhu lei's girlfriend was here during the thanksgiving break; i'm still finding long strands of her hair everywhere. besides vacuuming i also dusted, but it's a work in progress, the shedding of skin is neverending. in the afternoon i helped my father replace the carpet at my great uncle's place. i don't think it was that dusty but i still coughed up a storm.

afterwards i went with my mother to market basket to get some grocery. i noticed the christmas decorations were all up, now that thanksgiving is over.

when i came back home after storing my bike and having dinner at my parents' place, i wasn't surprised to find zhu lei camped out in the living room. for some reason he doesn't like the lamps and always finds an excuse to turn them off so he can turn on the ceiling light, which i think is actually dimmer. besides, that's incandescent light! while my three table lamps feature compact fluorescent bulbs, the kind that saves on my electricity bill, which my roommate might understand if he had to pay utilities, which he doesn't. anyway, he asked about museums, so hopefully i can have some me time while he's perusing harvard university's art and natural history treasures.