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woke up today and went outside in the cold morning to oil the last part of the backyard deck. my neighbor steve removed the barbecue grill, adirondack chair, and the large potted plant, making my job a lot easier. it actually took longer than i expected to finish, about 3 hours, and i went through 3 sponge brushes. i ran out of australian timber oil with 8 more planks to go and went to city paint to get some more.

coming back, i stopped off at annapurna on the corner of mass avenue and walden street. the restaurant used to be an indian place, then became afghanistani. its latest incarnation featured himalayan cuisine with some special afghan dishes. what drew my attention initially was a sign for goat biryani, but it was too rich for my taste ($13) so i went the lamb curry ($7.50), which i had to go (the lunch curries were exactly the same as the dinners, just $3-4 cheaper). "how spicy?" the friendly waiter asked me. "just spicy," i told him, afraid to go any higher. despite being in the middle of the day, the restaurant was completely empty. i'd imagine some of it had to do with the walden street bridge construction. while i was waiting for my order, a woman walked into the restaurant and walked to the counter, waiting for the waiter to show up. "if you're looking for a menu, they're over there," i informed her. she smiled and mumbled something i couldn't quite make it, but she wasn't there for food. when the waiter came out, she introduced herself. apparently she's organizing some kind of nepalese event and wanted to have it at the restaurant. after she left, my order was ready (it took just 5 minutes).

maybe i was very hungry, but the food was delicious. the fact i was taking some food porn photos prior just made me salivate that much more. it was definitely more indian than himalayan, made more so by the addition of some papadum and a trio of chutneys: onion, cilantro-mint, and tamarind. regardless of the ethnicity, it was just a fusion of amazing flavors.

after lunch, i went back out and finished the deck with the new can of timber oil.

my mother dropped by in the late afternoon (it was already dark, due to the end of daylight saving time) while waiting for my aunt who was at the nearby laundromat. i made some tea and she told me i had to housesit and dogsit while she and my father go on vacation next week. normally my sister would do it (it is her dog after all) but she's unreliable. later, after she left, i had the dinner she had brought over, some chicken with rice along with some homemade kimchee. for dessert, a bowl of grapes. i watched house followed by privileged then a new episode of SVU.