i finally got around to patching up all those exposed nail heads from the shoddy insulation installation back in may. i finally found the matching stain color back in july from that ace hardware store in malden (that time i took my father to the 88 supermarket). seems like nobody sells small pint cans of cabot stains, but the hardware store was able to match it using benjamin moore arborcoat stain. when i opened the can i was a little worried because the color (slate gray) looked too gray with no hint of blue (my house is blue). but when i started painting over the nails using a foam brush, the color was an exact match. i was also worried about fading of the preexisting stain (house was painted back in 2009) but apparently it didn't fade all that much since the new stain matched almost seamlessly.

the nails pretty much disappeared. i started in the back of the house, then the front, followed by the side (our alleyway). when i went behind the house to see my work, i couldn't find the nails anyway, that's how hidden they were. a few times i even accidentally rested my arm on a wet nail. besides the nails, i also patched any bare spots in the shingles, as well as any places where they used a silicone caulk. they told me the silicone wasn't paintable, but i managed to stain it just fine. finally i went to renee's alleyway to patch the side of the house facing her place including a few bare replacement shingles. her downstairs neighbors were making brunch (i could smell the bacon). later i heard them talking and listening to NPR. is this what white people do on weekends?

not sure how long i worked, anywhere from one hour to maybe two hours. i patched everywhere, the only places left are a few spots about the windows (i need a much taller ladder to reach those) and some algae-covered shingles that need to be washed first before staining.

i left around 2p, first going to the cafe to help my father lift a pair of old CRT televisions into the car. my sister has permission from a former employer in lexington to drop the televisions outside her curb, where apparently they do free pickups of CRT sets (here in cambridge it's a $25 sticker for any old television bigger than 21").

soon after arriving in belmont i got a text from ana saying she was back at the house organizing her things. i was tempted to go back home so i could finally meet her in person. she also told me that once again, she wouldn't be sleeping at my place tonight, and by the time i'd get home she'd be gone, so we won't meet until tomorrow. what is her deal? does she have a boyfriend she spends her time with? and maybe my place is her cover from nosy parents footing her bill? this wouldn't be the first time that i had a roommate who never stayed here (remember mike from 2003?). it's kind of the holy grail of roommate situation. maybe this might be another case.

after an exhausting research, i finally decided that my parents should get the dyson DC39 animal canister vacuum. up until yesterday i thought that dyson ball compact animal canister vacuum was the best choice. then i read some mixed reviews. complaints ranged from not enough suction to too small a dust collection cup. i liked it because it was the latest 2015 model, which featured a suction head where you didn't need to switch between brush or dry vacuum; but i discovered that option was still there, just not built into the handle. i also liked the compact because it was smaller; the regular size dyson canister vacuums seemed huge. i didn't like the price however, at $360. so i finally decided on the DC39 animal. it's bigger, but that means it's more powerful; it also comes with the tangle-free turbine tool (for animal hair); it's better reviewed; and it's $100 cheaper. so i went ahead and ordered it through an authorized ebay seller.

after dinner i raced home to watch the finale of show me a hero. i had to take a detour on mass avenue because they're surfacing the road. this is probably the worst time to do something like that because students are still moving in. it's already stressful enough, now add some night paving to the mix!