with temperatures in the teens, i bicycled down to the cafe this morning to fiddle around with the wireless webcam some more. i managed to keep warm except for my hands, which were freezing despite 2 layers of gloves. i still didn't get the camera to work, so i'll need to call comcast tomorrow and get some technical support regarding why i can't properly forward the ports. i was going to ride down to belmont but managed to get a ride with my father while he was delivering a takeout nearby.

no one was home when i got there. i noticed some really interesting frost crystal patterns on the flagstone of the front steps. i wonder if they have anything to do with the dog-safe ice removal pellets sprinkled along the walkway. they resembled tree branches or plant roots. i went out 3 separate times to take photos of the unique frost patterns.

i've tried unsuccessfully for many winters to try and keep my rosemary plants alive. one year i didn't give it enough sunlight. another year it came down with a deadly case of powdery mildew. this winter i have 3 rosemaries, a pair from my community garden, and a one from my parents' backyard. the one from the backyard seems to be in the worst shape: i think it has something to do with the clay pot, which tends to wick out the moisture from the soil (the other 2 are in porcelain pots). they live in the sun room so they get plenty of southern-facing sunlight and every week i water them. it can get cold in there but not as cold compared to outside. they seem to be doing okay so far, with no signs of powdery mildew, but there's still a few months before i can plant them back outside. hope they survive until then!

before the game i vacuumed the house after seeing dog hair everywhere. i love that old eureka vacuum cleaner. it's heavy and unwieldy, but it has tremendous suction power (much better than the small canister vac i use at home) and has a built-in spring inside that recoils the power cord with a press of a button.

it's hard to come back and win a football game when your opponent scores 24 points in the first quarter alone. add to that a depleted defense and offense, things weren't good for the patriots from the start. but here in new england we've seen our share of sports miracles (you can argue that we've even been spoiled), so i figured it was just more business as usual, the pats would win at home and live to fight another sunday. alas, our luck just ran out. i don't care who wins the super bowl now as long as it's not the colts. it'd be nice if the ravens went all the way, but they had a weak record this season, so i expect to see them eliminated.

my sister made a bunch of dishes for dinner but all i really wanted just some more goat noodle soup with a dollop of spicy sichuan sauce. my father wanted to give me a ride home because it was so cold outside but i insisted on riding back myself. i got a chance to try out a new lighting configuration, wearing a petzl tikka headlamp (4 led's set to flashing mode) on my bike helmet as a head light (literally). i was pretty bundled up, with a cap underneath my helmet and my hood over that. i was afraid the head light would slip off (either off the top of the helmet or the other direction to hit me in the face) so i kept my head turning to a minimum, but the light stayed in place all the way home. i parked the bike outside since i'll probably need to use it tomorrow.