because i had my annual physical today at 4pm, and because i normally get my blood drawn to test my cholesterol, i decided not to have lunch, since you need to be on an empty stomach for testing accuracy. so instead i passed the time by running errands.
i printed out the return shipping label for my mother's kipling small backpack ($49) she didn't want anymore. originally she thought it had to be returned at macy's but i found out you could also return it for free via UPS dropoff. i walked down to the nearby UPS store to drop off the return. coming back, i stopped by dollar tree looking to buy a measuring cup, but the half dozen people waiting in line made me decide to come back another time. i went to star market and got some more large drumsticks on sale (today's the final day).
i took the motorcycle and went to the porter square star market to get more drumsticks before heading to the cafe to drop them off. i brought my drone so i could take some photos of the roofers in action. they were mostly done, having already layered the insulation and were now putting on the black rubber sheeting. i was up about 100ft, they never noticed me. afterwards i took a quick tour around the neighborhood, checking out some mansions, before landing back in the parking lot.
my original plan was to bring in some tender outdoor houseplants in belmont (tonight temperatures dropping into the 40's) before heading to chinatown for supplies then finally my doctor's appointment. but it was already 2pm and that was cutting it pretty close. since i was going to go into boston tomorrow anyway, i decided to postpone chinatown until then. instead i went to my parents' place and brought in some houseplants (pileas, gardenia, lemon verbena) before manually watering the back lawn. i didn't leave until 3pm.
i got back home by 3:20pm, and just as quickly i was out the door again, this time riding the bike into boston for my 4pm doctor's appointment. i arrived at MGH in about 20 minutes.
health-wise i felt okay. i told my doctor about my tendonitis, my weird toe growth, my healing weeping eczema. when i mentioned i started running, that really got his attention, and he told me he runs 50 miles a month. then he went on a long story of about how he got back into running after the death of his mother, and that seemed to have brought him out of his funk. he said what really helped him was using the nike run club app, which offers motivational instructions as you run. it sounded a little hokey, but i agreed to give it a try (i prefer just listening to my hardcore history podcast).
i also showed the doctor my blood pressure numbers, which i admitted i only started taking 2 days ago. they seem to average around 130/90, which the doctor didn't seem too concerned. i also had a blood pressure reading after my morning run - 111/70 - which he said was excellent, and told me to keep up with my running as a way to keep my blood pressure down. i finally told him about my itchy feet, and he said given what i said about my recent foray into running, most likely it was athlete's foot, and to try using some cream for a few weeks to see if it clears up.
after our long chat, i took of my shirt so he could listen to my lungs and heart, look in my ears. he didn't ask, but i told my doctor that i hadn't contracted covid yet. he was shocked, said i was the 10% minority of americans that haven't contracted it yet. he himself have already gotten it twice (three times if you count that one time early in the pandemic before there was even widespread testing). i asked if i could get the vaccine here, he said yes, and went to go find a nurse. she came back and said i could get the covid vaccine but they didn't have any flu vaccine. she gave me the shot, she did it quick, i felt no pain.
by the time i left the exam room it was already after 5pm, and the entire office had cleared out. they even locked the door, i had to press a special button to get out. before i could go home though, i had to give some blood for my cholesterol test. the guy taking my blood was a guy named shibu from tanzania. when i told him i had a chinese friend who was in love with tanzania, he really perked up, told me about all the great things to do in tanzania. he was most proud of their new woman president, who vowed to clean up the rampant government corruption.
i left MGH by 5:15pm. it was right during rush hour, so i was following a convoy of a dozen cyclists all heading back home. it was pretty cutthroat, everyone was pedalling fast, and you went slow, people would definitely pass you. i made it home in just 19 minutes.
since i didn't eat all day i was very hungry. i ended up cooking a package of xi'an paomo. it came with a little package of oil that was saturated with flavors, and the soup broth itself was pretty salty, which i didn't mind. overall it was pretty delicious, next time i'm at the malden 88 i'll get some more. i also tried one of my half sour pickles. maybe a little over-ripe as the pickles were starting to lose their crisp, but taste-wise it was pretty good, maybe a bit too sour from over-fermentation.
for dinner i had some more pita pockets.
i had a little stiffness on my vaccine-injected arm (right) and some tenderness at the actual injection site, but otherwise i felt fine.