not sure when i started - i think probably early march - but i've been on a matcha latte diet. i discovered just a single cup of matcha latte for lunch is enough to tie me over until dinner. it has something to do with the high caffeine content, which also has the unintended side effect of making me go to the bathroom. but basically i'm only eating one meal a deal (dinner). i still do a bit of snacking throughout the afternoon, but i've been trying to control myself, or at least try to keep it healthy (carrots with humus, cheese with crackers). you think reducing my caloric intake would lead to tremendous weight loss but my weight hasn't really changed all that much. maybe i lost a few pounds, but not the tens of pounds i need to be in order to be in fighting weight condition.

i planted 7 long bean seeds i got from maureen. plus i received an e-mail from barrina saying my strip grow lights had finally shipped. it has an USPS tracking number but there's no estimated arrival date, i just know it's somewhere in winsor connecticut. my aunt also called me today, said her fixed bose radio finally arrived, as good as new. i would've left a positive feedback for the seller but it took him so long to fix the radio (nearly 2 months) that the window for feedback had already expired.

in the early afternoon i walked to walgreens to pick up some prescriptions. it had rained a little bit overnight, and the sky stayed grey for much of the day, although it was unusually warm for march, with temperature in the 60's. i also picked up some jerky and smoked almonds, what i consider healthy snacks. coming back i noticed the autumnalis cherry tree in front of petsi's pie has started flowering already.

the mailman was here and in the foyer was a letter from the US treasury: my stimulus check had arrived! i still haven't done my taxes yet, and based on how much i ended up owing the IRS, a chunk of that money will be used to pay my taxes. whatever's left over i like to invest in a new refrigerator. the one that i have was here when i moved in, a whirlpool princess series refrigerator from the late 90's. i've been noticing it's been running very cold (despite setting it at the lowest setting): items left in the freezer get frosted and food in the main refrigerator feel like they've been frozen. a new fridge would not only preserve my food better but save electricity. i had on occasion checked out what fridges are out there, but i haven't seen one that i like yet. plus there's the hassle of having to clear out the fridge.

in the late afternoon the sun finally came out. i got on my bike and rode out to MIT by the charles river, across from boston. i went to an island clearing bordered by memorial drive and launched my drone.

i noticed right away the interference, as my RC signal was reduced by 2 bars. there must be a lot of metal objects nearby. i put the drone in the air and did a 360° panorama, then flew it around a bit.

the fly app kept crashing, and every time i regained control, instead of bringing the drone back, i continued flying. this is the closest i've ever flown to boston. i don't think i can get any closer because the whole of boston is basically a no fly zone since the airport is right nearby.

i noticed when it was out on the charles river i got very good signal. so i wanted to see how far i could fly it and managed to get it all the way across the river to the boston side. i flew it just a bit more before my RC signal dropped and i got nervous and decided to bring the drone back. i was dangerously close to the boston no-fly perimeter, and i wasn't sure what would've happened, maybe the drone would automatically land. that's when it crashed again, and i must've waited minutes, counting off in my head how much battery i had left.

when i finally got the drone back on the cambridge side again, i regained my confidence and flew it around MIT a bit. that's when it crashed one last time. i only had a bit of battery left, and once i managed to get back into the app, the controller wouldn't stop beeping because my battery level was getting low.

back at home, i rewatched dredd (2012). i love the casting, karl urban makes a great judge dredd, and olivia thirlby a fantastic judge anderson.

i checked online, my parents' small business pandemic relief grant finally arrived. it took a while, we filled out the paperwork at the start of january, they got approved in february, and only now are they seeing the money.

i reheated the last of my risotto for dinner. while i was waiting for my food to cook, i sampled the jiu niang, which has been 24 hours already. i didn't try the outdoor fermented jiu niang because that usually takes 3 days to ferment. i did however try the jars fermenting in the pressure cooker on low heat. when i opened the jar there was a whiff of rice alcohol. there was liquid in the well but there still wasn't enough liquid to float all the rice, and for the most part the long-grain sweet rice looked a little dry. i scooped out some rice and liquid to sample, it tasted mildly sour with no sweetness yet. i've leaving it to ferment for another 24 hours to see how it goes. in all the jars there are myceliums, so the jiu niang fungus is definitely work. another issue i'm running into is the past few days have been mildly warm so my heat hasn't kicked in, which means the warmest parts of the house (the bathroom, the guest bedroom) aren't as warm as they used to be.