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my mother came to pick me up around noontime so we could visit the crafts store and get some more yarn before her eye examination appointment at the clinic in davis square. it was another cold day with temperature in the lower 20's but not a problem sitting in the warm confines of a car. when we got to ac moore our worst fear was realized: they were already sold out of starbella yarn. actually they had a few canyon sunrise still left but everything else was gone. dejected, we were about to leave when we saw some patons pirouette, patons' version of the ruffle yarn. it looked like they just put them out because they didn't even have a price yet. using coupons, my mother and i both bought one (originally $6.99, with coupon just half price).

after parking in the paid municipal lot besides the T station (25¢ per 15 minutes, i put in enough quarters for 2 hours) i went with my mother into the clinic. i was primarily there in case they dilated her eyes and she couldn't drive back. this was a last minute squeezed-in appointment so my mother had to wait until all the other patients had been seen before they saw her, nearly 2 hours later. she was growing impatient in the waiting room and went to the bathroom twice. i was better suited to waiting, with my insulated tumbler of decaffeinated green tea and my kindle, where i'm currently reading ready player one1 by ernest cline. there was also a pile of surprisingly good magazines, including a july copy of new york featuring cheap eats (perfect for my NYC trip next monday).

when the doctor finally called my mother (after first dilating her pupils an hour ago) i went into the exam room with her in case she needed a translator. after a quick exam, the doctor said it was probably vitreous detachment, where the inner lining of the eye detaches. though it sounds seriously, it fairly common as people age, and there's no treatment for it. the doctor booked another appointment in 2 more weeks but my mother will probably cancel it, not wishing to endure another wait in the waiting room.

after i fed 2 more quarters into the meter, my mother and i walked to the other end of davis square to check out the goodwill store which she's never been to before. we didn't see anything interesting and left soon afterwards.

since it was still daylight, my mother was able to drive with sunglasses. she dropped me off at my place, where i gave her a container of mexican chicken soup along with a box of kimchee (8 jars).

by then it was 3:00. i only had a banana for breakfast so i fixed myself a reuben sandwich for a late lunch.

in the early evening i brought out the trash from the side of the house. i've mentioned this before but my upstair neighbor is incapable of bringing out the trash. he has no problems filling up the containers but apparently he thinks it's my job to take them out to the curb. when i went to go dump some recyclables in my wheeled recycle bin (we have 2), i discovered it was completely full of empty wine bottles from my neighbor's noisy new year's eve party. angrily i went back inside the house wishing for my neighbor's early death.

for dinner i had some leftover mexican chicken soup.


1 i heard some good things about it but i don't think it's that great. it definitely had a willy wonka vibe, about a not-so-distant future where the eccentric inventor of a popular online virtual world dies but stipulates in his will a treasure hunt with the prize being the inheritance of his vast fortune. the inventor was supposedly obsessed with the 80's (the period of his childhood) so there's all sorts of nerdy 80's references, but everything once in a while something from the 90's or later will slip in there (sloppy research?). i wonder if it's one of those young adult fictions because of the unsophisticated prose? but it's an easy read and i'm already halfway finished.