i went to get my motorcycle inspected. unlike cars, all massachusetts motorcycle inspections expire at the end of may. this makes sense since most riders put their bikes away in storage for the winter before taking it back out in the spring. i'd been riding with an expired inspection sticker. i was a little bit afraid i'd get pulled over, but i had a legitimate excuse since i just got the bike out this past saturday. nevertheless, better to get it inspected sooner than later, less risk of getting a ticket.

i went down to the newly relocated riverside motorsports on mystic avenue. i never had any problems with them in the past but customers service today was terrible. i ended up waiting more than 20 minutes just to get an inspection. when i went into the shop there was a guy speaking with a customer on the phone. the conversation was about a repair, the shop guy was saying it'd take 2 weeks for the parts to arrive and another 1 week to fix the bike. apparently the customer must've asked if the work can be done sooner than that, and the shop guy gave him a lengthy lecture on how he didn't want to overpromise anything. then when he finally got off the phone, it took a few seconds before he even registered i was standing there and asked if he could help me. i told him about the inspection and he said either he or somebody else would come right out. so i went out and waited, but nobody came out to see me, even though i saw a few mechanics walking by. i finally went back inside to see what was going on. the same guy was behind the counter, no hurry, said he'd be right out. i waited for 5 more minutes (inside this time, where it was air conditioned at least) before he came by to do the inspection.

the worst part of this whole ordeal is that motorcycle inspections are sort of a joke. it's basically to check if my lights and horn are working, that's the extent of it. something that takes just a few seconds to do ended up costing my more than 20 minutes of waiting. i think the guy tried to make it seem more worthwhile by peering underneath the bike with a flashlight, but it was all for show. i paid the $15, got a new sticker, and left. maybe next year i'll get my inspection done at greater boston motorsports in arlington instead.

returning home, i stopped by the garden to water my plants. i didn't water yesterday because it rained the night before. possible rain was also in the forecast for today, but i wanted to see how my plants were doing and make sure they get some water in case it doesn't rain. i'm happy to report that my thai basil has completely revived. i ended up pinching off all the flowers to force it to produce more leaves.

i went with my parents to costco then the restaurant depot. by the time we left the restaurant depot around 5pm, the sky opened up and torrential rain was falling. we stayed beneath the canopy as we waited for a car to leave so my father could pull up and stow everything into the car without getting soaked. the rain stopped as suddenly as it started. the sky was back to blue and white. the only signs that of the rain were flooding on various streets. everyone got a free car wash.

after dropping off the supplies at the cafe we went to belmont. for dinner we had pan-fried dumplings and fish burgers. since my fuji bike was still in the garage, i rode it back to cambridge.