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for the 3rd day in a row GC left for work around 9:30am. i actually woke up a little late and thought maybe he'd already left because it was so quiet in the house but i found him in the kitchen making a pita bread sandwich for lunch.

i did a load of laundry this morning, including my bedsheet and the removable cover on my ikea sofa chair. while the washer was running, i decided i could make a run to the nearby harbor freight tools and be back for the noontime news. i also didn't want to go out too long as there was a forecast of torrential rainstorms beginning at 1pm. this gave me a chance to ride my motorcycle, which had been sitting unused for over a week now (since july 4th).

i went to harbor freight to buy a tape measure. i used to have a great 25ft stanley tape measure with solid metal body but it disappeared, and now instead i have a dinky 8ft plastic tape measure. i also have a 60m laser measure but there are times when a solid tape measure is more convenient. i was going to order one online, with the going rate for a shiny one of these about $10. but i then i checked harbor freight and found one that was just as shiny but only $4.99. so that's the one i ended up getting. the only thing i didn't like about it is the numbers are super big, like a large print format of a traditional tape measure. i also got another pair of working gloves ($1.99).

i also went to OSJL. i browsed the selection of 50% off burpees seeds but none of them were inspiring. i left with some licorice and some pears soap.

although the storm wasn't due until 1pm, the sky around 11:45am looked awfully threatening, and i was afraid of getting soaked for my ride home. fortunately that didn't happen but i did call my parents once i got back to let them know i wouldn't make it to belmont today due to the weather.

i finished the last of my english muffin for lunch, made an egg and prosciutto sandwich along with a fruit smoothie. i then patiently waited for the rainstorm to arrive but it never did. sensing the possibility that it might not rain today, i went down to the community garden around 5pm to water my plants just in case.

the gazania finally flowered! the flower itself resembles a small sunflower except with very ornate petals. i'd never seen gazanias before. hopefully they can keep on flowering the rest of the summer and i can collect some seeds afterwards, as they're annuals and will die once winter arrives.

i noticed a sourwood tree at the intersection of oxford and sacramento. i know enough of the tree by now that i can spot them from a distance, with it's telltale fringe flowers. it doesn't seem to have a good shape, preferring to grow slender and tall. high up in the branches bees were buzzing around the flowers. supposedly they're fragrant but so high up i couldn't really smell anything.

GC came home around 7pm, right when the weather suddenly started to change. earlier i'd heard thundering, but nothing came of it. this time around the thundering came with lightning and a darkening of the sky. actually a few minutes before GC got back, there was a loud explosive crack in the sky from a particularly powerful thunderclap that made me think lightning struck some neighboring trees (it didn't). but soon it began to rain, and not a light shower either, but a torrential downpour that temporarily flooded the streets. i closed all the windows but GC was cooking his seafood noodles in the kitchen and had a window open to vent out the terrible smell with the window fan. i did my best to ignore all the rain water blowing into the kitchen. just 37 more days before he leaves!

as for me, i heated up the remaining 2 slices of quiche from last night and had them for dinner around 8pm while watching the ESPY awards on ABC. GC joined me in the living room around 10pm, finished with whatever he was doing.

after watching breaking bad episodes to almost midnight, GC was in the bathroom for nearly half an hour, intermittently running the tub faucet then stopping and repeating over and over again. i almost wanted to knock on the bathroom door to ask him if he was okay.

i'm doing some research on resin flower jewelry. i love keeping pressed flowers but thought the only way to really display them was using a framed glass pane. but then i was looking up keychains, and figured i could make my own out of resin, and discovered they're also perfect for pressed flowers. i've found a new hobby!