a million movies seem to be take place in new york city, but only a few happen here in boston. recently there's been more than usual - most likely due to tax incentive reasons as the commonwealth tries to attract studio dollars. it was actually an entertainment weekly article about "beantown noir" (in reference to ben affleck's recent the town) that led me to track down a copy of the friends of eddie coyle, a 1973 film about cops and robbers and involving multiple bank heists. it stars robert mitchum, an actor i recognize but never actually seen any of his movies. the movie is cool to watch to see all these 1970's boston locations, some of which don't exist anymore. mitchum also does a pitch perfect boston accent, so good that it makes me think he's actually a native. adored by critics, i found the film interesting but a little depressing (i prefer happy endings). it has made me a robert mitchum fan though, as i scour the internet for more of his movies (up next: night of the hunter (1955)).

it's mid-december and it's raining. not sure if i'm grateful or annoyed. normally any precipitation would come down as snow, but due to some weird weather patterns, southern new england is getting a rainstorm instead of a snowstorm. it'll probably rain about an inch today, which translated to snow would've been a foot of the white stuff. and surprisingly, despite a recent streak of very cold temperatures, it's actually warm today, in the mid 50's.

i waited for a brief break in the rain before i made a mad dash to belmont. i was testing out my new fenders in wet conditions for the first time. i didn't notice too much difference. i rode in a few puddles, there was some splashes from the front wheel, but i was wearing my rubber boots, so i couldn't tell if that would've gotten my normal shoes wet. still, having fenders in the rain is better than not having them. i stopped by the cafe briefly to drop off the new kindle 3 case and the reading light for my father. it wasn't brief enough, because as soon as i left, it began to rain steadily again. my jeans got progressively darker as my clothes slowly got soaked from the rain.

my mother and sister found a mouse stuck on a sticky trap in a kitchen cabinet. i of course was entrusted with the task of getting rid of it. the mouse was still alive, and had chew off parts of the plastic tray in a futile attempt to get away. it was also a fat mouse, which makes me wonder if it'd been feeding in the house for some time. i scooped it into a paper bag, put that in a plastic bag, and then put in the trash outside. what's the humane way of disposing a mouse? i think i googled that question once or twice before. i remember somebody suggested carbon monoxide poisoning from a car exhaust. whatever the answer is, it's still a pretty traumatic experience for all parties involved.

sunday is about football and the new england game was at 4:00, facing the bears in chicago. it was a game of titans, between the 10-2 patriots and the 9-3 bears. while it was only raining here in boston, it was actually snowing in chicago. like last monday, this was supposed to be a competitive game, like last monday, the opponent didn't even show up: the final score was 36-7, another patriots victory. unfortunately the hawks also won their game today, so new england currently shares the number one position with atlanta.

i was hoping to ride back home after dinner, but the rain wouldn't let up, and now included some strong 30+ mph winds. it was probably still doable since it still wasn't that cold, but i would be completely soaked by the time i got back (including my bags). my parents told me to borrow one of their cars and drive home instead. what a luxury driving in the rain is! you don't think about it very much, but because i normally travel by bike (motorcycle or bicycle), not having to brave the elements is a welcomed comfort.

the rest of the evening was spent listening to the crackle of rain drops hitting the windows.