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i was working the cafe today - christmas eve. judging by how little business there was this week, we weren't expecting today to be a busy day. my mother even told my 2nd aunt not to come today, since my 2nd uncle contracted covid earlier this week and we're not sure if my aunt had been infected or not. it'd just be me and my sister.

it was so cold this morning my remote weather sensor wouldn't even work. it just said 36°F when i knew it was at least 14°F if not lower. i was going to try out my new allbirds wool shoes, but they felt a bit tight now that i was wearing socks, so i opted for my usual hiking shoes instead. i dressed as warmly as i could, but my face and neck area were freezing, as well as bits of my hands through the wool mittens.

we had less than a dozen customers today, a handful of which just came in, took a peek, and left without buying anything. it was looking so bleak, i told my sister we'd close at 2pm if we didn't get anymore customers. we did make a decent amount given the lack of customers; not on food but last minute knitwear gifts for christmas, that was the bulk of the sales for today. somebody came and gave my sister some homemade peanut butter cookies; they were pretty good, i'm curious how they made it (i'm sure the secret is a lot of butter).

we closed at 3:45pm - a bit early, but beyond the point where anyone could make an online order (of which there were none today). earlier my father called asking if i needed a ride, but i was determined to bike to belmont. that ride wasn't as bad, i learned to button up the collar of my jacket so only parts of my face were now exposed.

for dinner we had some leftover salted pork, a chicken pepper stirfry my mother cooked up, and some tofu my father had prepared. i liked the tofu, but my father said they were a bit old and had a sour taste to them.

after dinner i was ready to ride home, but my parents insisted i drive back one of the cars. with it being christmas tomorrow, i knew there'd be plenty of parking spots around, so i opted to drive, since i'd be back in belmont tomorrow morning anyway. plus, the temperature tomorrow evening will be slightly warmer, which is better for riding.

it was still cold enough inside the car that i could see my breath. the dashboard temperature probe said it was 16 degrees. i listened to some WBUR while driving back to cambridge. there were plenty of parking and i tried to fit the car into a parallel parking spot but failed, and ended up going with an easier straight on spot instead.

i soaked my mustard seeds in my sprouting mason jar on tuesday and it still hasn't germinated yet. a few seeds do have a tiny sprout, but most of the rest remain dormant. not only that, they've turned slimy and there's a rotten smell, which is not a good thing. part of the reason is i can't seem to drain the water from the jar completely, so the seeds are soaked the entire time, which allows them to rot easier. i'm going to give it a few more days, but i think the mustard seeds are a bust. i'm going to try sprouting mung beans next. the fact that they're bigger and won't leak through the drain holes will make it easier to grow them.

i watched the first half of glass onion last night and finished watching the second half tonight. it was okay, but i didn't like it as much as knives out. once again noah segan had a bit role, like he does in most of rian johnson's movies.

it was so dry inside the house (38% humidity) that my skin has become painfully chapped. i was forced to turn on the humidifier. the additional moisture in the air makes the house feel colder, a bit clammy. i also don't like how it continues to make a gurgling sound. makes me wonder if i should upgrade my humidifier to one of the levoit smart models like my father and 2nd aunt currently use.

preparing for bed, i accidentally spilled some sprouting jar water onto the countertop and floor. it smelled like raw sewage and i spent the next several minutes cleaning everything up. i also finally dumped the soaking mustard seeds, it's pretty obvious they've all gone bad. i'll start over with less seeds next time.