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i woke up around 8:00, eager to take the next step in my telephoto lens repair journey. all i had to do was retrieve the unrepaired lens from the camera store and send it to canon factory service center in (jamesburg) new jersey.

the camera store wouldn't be opened until 9:30, so i had some time to go to supermarket and pick up some mussels. it was interesting to be up that early, as i inserted myself into the daily convoy of commuting bikers down beacon street. market basket was already crowded, although nowhere close to what it'll be later in the day. a police officer was stationed by the entrance, in case holiday food shopping got out of hand. i also picked up a case of polar pomegranate seltzer.

my father stopped by briefly on his way back from market basket as well, to pick up my trays of flan and the case of seltzer. i also gave him the collapsible shopping cart, which my 2nd aunt will put to good use.

i called sanford at approximately 9:30 to make sure i was able to pick up my lens. i didn't want to get there unannounced and find out my lens was still unassembled from the initial inspection. the guy on the phone said the lens was ready to go.

i poured an ounce of startron enzyme treatment into the nearly empty fuel tank before i left, then headed to the hess gas station on mass avenue enroute to arlington. i wasn't paying attention and managed to overfill the tank and spill gasoline on my bike. fortunately the engine wasn't hot enough yet to cause an explosion, although gasoline was all over the fuel tank and i was worried about getting it onto my clothes. i rode the rest of the way in an exaggerated spread eagle fashion in order not to get fuel onto my jeans.

sanford returned my lens without any hassle, although i did pay the $15 service fee for not getting the lens fixed. they probably get plenty of business already so the guy didn't bother talking me into the repair. i did ask if the estimate was still good should i decide i still wanted them to fix it. he told me as long as i brought it in within 3 months, the estimate will hold. as i heading out, a japanese woman came into the store.

as soon as i got home i was busy packaging up the lens for shipping. the original shoebox i wanted to use was just too small, so i had to find a larger one. i filled half the box with packaging peanuts, added the lens, then filled up the rest. i wrapped the box with several layers of tape then attached the mailing label. by then it was almost 11:00. i wanted to get it shipped out as soon as possible, the faster it arrived a canon factory, the sooner i can get it fixed (or not, depending on the price).

priority mail return service (33.7 oz.)$6.95
insurance ($500)$7.05
(total) $14.00

when i shipped the lens to canon factory 5 years ago, it'd cost only $4.90; this time around it was $6.95, using something called priority mail return service. it must be a special shipping method because it comes with delivery confirmation, so i didn't need to add it. i added an additional $500 worth of insurance ($7.05), for a total of $14.

i visited the new little japanese convenience store next door, miso market, and bought a package of wasabi nori crackers. pushing the bike to porter square, i noticed yume wo katare, a new japanese fast food joint. i returned the 4-way splitter at radio shack (got $22 back), and dropped off a letter for a porter square books employee that was mistakenly sent to me about 2 weeks ago.

i did a load of laundry (primarily to wash my jeans, which had a faint gasoline smell) while making some oatmeal for lunch. in the afternoon i went to belmont to help clean up my parents' house. surprisingly, my sister had already made some progressive. my primary job was then to simply vacuum the house.

my parents returned home from chinatown around 4:30. i thought it was crazy of them to do their thanksgiving food shopping so late in the week, but my mother said the chinatown supermarket wasn't that crowded.

the temperature returning home was in the mid-40's. there was a layer of condensation all over the motorcycle. i rode back with my head poking above the edge of the windshield since it was too foggy to see through clearly.

i was disappointed there was no package waiting for me when i got home. i left the dryer running when i left the house, so now i took out all my clean clothes and folded them. i watched an interesting nova documentary called "inside the megastorm" about hurricane sandy.