while i was tidying up the house, my father stopped by in the late morning to deliver a battery that would run the portable transfer pump. we tested out draining the hot water tank by 1) putting the hot water tank to pilot mode, 
2) shutting off the water main, 3) turning one both the cold and hot water handle in the sink, and 4) using the pump to pump the water outside onto the sidewalk. everything worked, we shut the release valve on the tank and turned the water main back on. we put the tank in the off position so it wouldn't heat up any additional water. once xiaowu arrived, we would empty the tank with the transfer pump while he repaired some of the plumbing. my father returned to the cafe.
for lunch i made an english muffin sandwich along with a salad. i skipped the pesto in the sandwich this time, but used sriracha sauce instead along with an egg, some ham, and a few slices of brie cheese. the salad i added some hot pepper rings to spice things up then poured some thousand island dressing.
today was warm for a change, and i opened a few windows to let the warm air in. i stayed productive on my free day, going to the dollar store to pick up some safety pins for my mother, than caulking one of the living room windows that had a pane that was separately from the frame. after nearly 20 years, a lot of my windows could use some replacing, as the weather seals have deteriorated so they no longer do a good job of insulating. i went back into the basement and gave the area a good sweeping, filling the basement with dust (i was wearing my mask). i watered the backyard after seeing the plants look especially dry. i cleaned the toilet and washed the mildew off of the shower curtains.
i forgot that today's wednesday, and on wednesday's is when i get paid by the census. i checked my bank account and was surprised by the amount. i think they gave me a $500 bonus. it's impossible to figure out the precise amount because the census have stopped sending out pay stubs for some reason, maybe they don't want people to use them to file for unemployment.
my mother called me back after 5pm, told me xiaowu wasn't coming today. he said maybe friday afternoon, or saturday morning. i wasn't surprised, xiaowu never keeps his word when it comes to appointment time. usually it takes several tries before he eventually shows up. either he's got other more lucrative jobs and we're just more of a personal favor, or he's really bad at time management. i wasn't that disappointment, it meant i'd have to manually flush the toilet for a few more days. i went back into the basement and turned the hot water heater back on. i just hope my census work doesn't start back up on friday.
even though i didn't work today, i still grew tired in the early evening, especially since i was lounging on the couch, which can magically put anyone to sleep. i slept for about an hour, waking up around 7:30pm. after a shower, i made a meatball sub for dinner along with the rest of the salad. the salad wasn't very good, i bought it last week but forgot about it so they're not that fresh, but the dressing and hot pepper rings masked the taste.
tonight was game 4 between the celtics and heat. celtics ended up losing but it was a close game, down to the final seconds. let's face it, miami's the better team. boston need to play a perfect game just to beat them (and even then the heat find a way to cut it close), while miami play so effortlessly, you just expect them to win. it's not out of the realm of possibility that boston could still win the series, but now it's going to be even harder. it's not that celtics are bad, they still kept the game close, but in the final minutes, final seconds, the heat always find a way to win. maybe boston just needs a bit more seasoning. it is after all the first season with kemba walker. they need more time to play with one another, get familiarize, up their game. should they lose the series, i think they'll come back stronger next season, if they keep the core of the team intact.
i started watching HBO max's new series raised by wolves. i was intrigued when i first saw the trailer, produced and directed by ridley scott, and was surprised to learn it was already airing and there's been 6-7 episodes so far. it's about androids raising human children on a deserted planet, and it reminds me of those high concept scifi films from the 1970's that we don't seem to make anymore because scifi shows/movies are expensive and need to be dumbed down for the mainstream in order to sell and recoup investment costs. it's not a show i'd recommend unless you really love scifi, in that case most definitely. there are so many plot twists, i started downloading all the other episodes as soon as i finished watching the first one.