i woke up this morning and managed to take 2 hours to stain my wooden french doors, despite the crisp 38°F temperature. i'm using some ZAR stain based on the recommendation of one the employees at the paint store. 
the color i picked was chestnut, which seemed to match the preexisting color but i won't know for sure until it's completely dry. i left the backdoor open for most of the day. the next step is to seal it with some fast-drying oil-based polyurethane (2-3 coats), but it can only be applied when the temperature is 50°F or above, which is hard to come by this late in november (the forecast for this week is each day getting progressively colder).
i stopped by the ATM in inman square to deposit my check before dropping off a dvd at the library. i went to market basket to pick up some groceries (the case of root beer prevented me from buying too much additional stuff since i didn't have anymore room left in the backpack) before heading to two different rite aid store to stock up on some roca candy (sale this week is even cheaper than last week's sale).
i was ready to settle down and work the rest of the day when i got a call from my sister at 5:30 saying she was going out. 
with my parents out of the country, that meant nobody would be home to take care of the dog, so i was forced to go to belmont and look after hailey. i left a note for my roommate reminding him to turn down the heat before leaving. i also brought out the trash and recyclables. i was okay for most of the ride, but my fingers hurt from the freezing cold (i have to get some better riding gloves). i worked from my laptop and made some dinner (my mother had prepared frozen containers of beef noodle broth). my sister ended up coming back home later in the evening, but since i have to be here tomorrow morning (while she's off to work), i decided to stay overnight.