i picked out the metal shavings from the brake pads and sanded them down a bit to smooth out the surface, but in the end i decided not to put these old pads back onto the bike. i got these cheap (around $1.70 pair), directly from a factory in china via ebay. besides, the new ones were already working well, wasn't worth the effort to swap them out. i ended up buying some more brake pads online (4 pairs). they're nothing fancy, they stink of rubber, but they work, and they're inexpensive. i also like that they have those rounded washers that allow you to do minute angle adjustments. they take a while to arrive though, at least 2 weeks.

i went out anyway, to rake the oak leaves in the backyard. i left soon afterwards, while drew was talking with a friend on the phone out in the backyard.

even this late in the season, there are still plenty of colorful fall foliage to be had, including: red japanese maples, burning bushes, and boston ivy; and yellow norwegian maples.

i had some noodles for lunch when i arrived in belmont. afterwards i went outside to rake some leaves, now that the backyard maple has finally begun to shed its yellow foliage. i didn't bother bagging them yet since the tree is only half done dropping leaves.

since we're leaving the rosemaries outside this season, i went about preparing them for the winter by padding the area around their bases with a thick layer of salt marsh grass. at some point we'll also need to construct a makeshift greenhouse out of plastic wrap and wires to keep them warm.

in the late afternoon into the early evening i watched the colts-patriots game. indianapolis with new rookie quarterback sensation andrew luck looked very good early in the game, scoring 2 quick touchdowns with relatively ease. but new england created some turnovers (touchdown off of an interception) and even returned the ball for a touchdown from a kickoff, which seemed to totally take the colts off their game and their momentum. the patriots then turned their offense to 11, with a final score of 59-24. a great game, nice to not have it be a close one down the stretch for a change. i couldn't help but to think of recently-released wide receiver deion branch, and how much he would've liked to be part of this victory. i'm still hopefully the team will resign deion (for the 2nd time this season) once he clears waivers this weekend.

i don't have to wait too long to see the patriots: they play again this thanksgiving thursday evening, against the new york jets, who won their game against the rams this afternoon.

after dinner i rode back home in 38°F temperature. even though it was one degree colder than last night, i didn't feel as cold. there was no more bike parking spots around my house, all available signposts already double parked. i had no choice but to lock up my bike in the backyard.