i biked down to assembly row in the late morning to catch the 11am matinee of mad max: fury road in 3D. if there was one summer movie i wanted to see, it was this one, long before hearing john miller extolling the brilliance of this film when he saw a preview of it. "you have to see it in 3D," he told me, so i did, in order to maximize my viewing experience.

it was a hot day, felt more like summer than spring, baking in the sun whenever i came to a stop. assembly square used to have a movie theatre but it was torn down a while back during the economic downturn. however, they built a new theatre in the heart of assembly row, that jewel of the city's revitalization efforts, several blocks of factory outlet stores and trendy restaurants. i'd never been to assembly row before but i've passed it on many occasions. there was something artificial and antiseptic about the place. there weren't many people so early in the morning, but many were foreigners of middle eastern descent for some reason.

i bought the ticket downstairs ($10.99) before going upstairs to the third floor to the actual screening rooms. there was another older man buying a ticket for mad max as well. "looks like we'll be the only two in the theatre," i joked. with 3D movies, the seats are assigned. i didn't quite know which seat to choose but the ticket seller told me since the place was virtually empty, i could find my own seat once i was inside.

i can't remember the last time i saw a movie in an american theatre, so used am i now to just watching them from my computer. the last time i was in a movie theatre was actually last year in china, when i went to go see captain america: winter soldier. can't remember a single thing from the movie, only saw it just to have a chinese movie theatre experience.

since i so rarely go to the movies nowadays, i had to have my overly-priced popcorn. $8 got me a large bag including free refills. for some reason the popcorn were already bagged instead of fresh from the machine (which was empty). when i joked with the cashier that maybe it meant they weren't so fresh, he told me they made a new batch this morning, which i found hard to believe.

the older man i met earlier was already in the screening room, with a seat in the center of the theatre. my assigned seat was 3rd row from the bottom, chosen because it could recline, but it was just too close to the screen. i moved a few seats up. everything seemed cool, i was getting settled in, snacking on my popcorn, waiting for the movie to begin, when another man came into the theatre. so guess what happened? out of the hundreds of empty seats, he goes down and sits right next to me. not even a seat away, but right next to me. what's going on? "do you want some privacy? do you want me to move down a seat?" i told him. he explained that he happened to pick the seat right next to mine, and laughed like it was some weird coincidence, even though with so many empty seats around, he could've sat elsewhere. "i'm going to move," i told him while gathering up my things, moving up one row behind me. was he cruising? i seem to stumble across gay pickup sites all the time. maybe he was just a weirdo with no concept of personal space. i should've asked to see his ticket, to confirm or call him on his bullshit. later more people showed up, for a grand total of 8 (including myself). they all sat far away from one another.

the movie began at 11am. or actually, the previews started at that time, but the movie itself didn't start until 25 minutes later.

mad max: fury road is an action movie the likes of which has never been seen before. it's virtually non-stop action from beginning to end, set in a barren yet beautiful desert landscape. it's thoroughly unique, with a rich and detailed world that seems to exist beyond the bounds of the cinema screen. so many original things i'd never seen before: women as breeders/milk producers, human blood banks, pole vaulting aerial attacks (amongst a myriad of other ways to attack a speeding vehicle), war boy suicide bombing ritual, etc. all and all, an exceptional good summer movie, even worth seeing again to catch all the little details.

after the movie, i even stuck around to watch the credits roll, just so i have time to process everything i'd just watched.

instead of returning my 3D for recycling, i kept them. they were surprisingly comfortable (compared to glasses of yore), even over my normal glasses. besides, since i have a 3D television, i can actually use them again. i went to go use the bathroom before i left. no, i did not run into my creepy friend. instead, on top of the urinal, i found 73¢ in loose change, which i pocketed.

back outside in the afternoon sun, it was even hotter than this morning. i unlocked my bike from across the street and made my way to the other side of the way, to ac moore, where i had a 55% off coupon. i was going to get something for myself (i'm always in need of miscellaneous craft supplies), but instead i called my mother to see if she needed any yarn. now that it's almost summer, they don't have the big yarn sales like they do in the fall and winter. i took a photo of the selection and sent it to my mother, my very first time doing that, since now i have an iphone (i forget sometimes). i ended up getting a large skein of fishermen's wool in oak tweed ($5).

next stop was k-mart, where i needed to buy a bottle of drain cleaner, after noticing last night when i was taking a shower that the bathtub was slow to drain. i bought the one that came with a plastic snake tool ($6.29), since i never played with one before and wanted to know how much blockage i had. kaileigh was my cashier, an overweight white woman peppered with tattoos and jewelry who didn't even look at me as she rung up my purchase, nor help me bag it even though my other hand was full holding my bike helmet. "sorry," she muttered without looking as she threw the drain cleaner into a plastic bag.

i could've done some more shopping, maybe a little christmas tree shoppe, maybe some home depot, but the day was hot and i already had my fill of excitement, so it was time to go home. at the intersection of washington and medford street, i followed mcgrath highway south to the somerville target. i wasn't there for target, but rather to the store nearby, now rebranded as fallas (used to be cw price). i was there to exchange a t-shirt i bought 2 weeks ago for a larger size. it was only $1.99 on sale, but since it was along the way, i decided to try and exchange it. first i went to go look for a bigger size, but they only had XS. so i found a similar item for the same price and when i went to the register they exchanged it without any problems (i also had my original receipt).

from there i cut through union square, to market basket, where i got some table crackers. finally, a quick stop at the community garden to water my plot and do a little bit of bare-handed weeding (i didn't bring my gardening gloves). i returned home a bit after 3:30.

i tried the drain cleaner when i got home. i couldn't get the snake to go down the drain, no matter how much i tried. finally i gave up on the manual approach and poured down the chemical gel. i waited about 30 minutes before pouring down a kettle of boiling water. at first it didn't seem to do anything, but then it gurgled and the drain started following fast again. still, i think the clog is still there, because the drain still moves a little bit, although the same as it was before the blockage. one of these days if i have the time, i should really do a thorough snaking from the overflow opening. or maybe get a cleaner that specifically targets hair, which i'm guessing is the main cause of the blockage.

today was harvard's graduation, so throughout the day i'd see people dressed up in wizard gowns wandering the streets. i was tempted to go into the square to get some photos, but it was simply too hot.

after a day of biking in the hot weather, i was really tired, and fell asleep on the couch at 6:30, waking up at 8:00. i fixed myself a salad for dinner, added too much garbanzo beans, so it became a mostly bean salad with a bit of vegetables.

i noticed it was 80 degrees inside the house while it was a cool 70 degrees outside. i opened up as many windows as possible then ran two fans, trying to pump some cool air inside. maybe i should consider putting into the air conditioner.