i arrived in belmont around noontime. my mother told me i could fix myself a reuben sandwich with the leftover corned beef from yesterday. but i was busy trying to figure out how to remove the arbor from the 3" hole saw using my sister's impact driver and an assortment of wrench sockets. my mother kept coming out to see if i ate or not, and when it looked like i wasn't in any hurry to have lunch, she ended up making me a bowl of wonton soup.
i found out none of the sockets fit the 3/8" arbor shank, which has an unusual shape, rounded on 3 alternating sides; a good fit for an electric drill, but difficult to remove with normal tools. i either had to buy a special socket that would fit the shank, or maybe clamp the shank in a vise and try to pry off the stuck hole saw that way. 
i finally got ready to eat my wonton soup by 1:30pm, but not before spilling wonton cooking water all over the kitchen floor when i knocked over the pot off the stove. my mother ended up having to mop up the mess, so much drama over lunch.
i checked the aeroponic plants, this time lifting up the lid to examine the roots. the bigger plants have the most roots. the chinese celeries have more roots now than last weekend, hopefully that's a good sign that they're finally ready for a growth spurt.
i went to the garage to get the vise - mounted on a plank of heavy wood. i also found an assortment of smaller hole saws we bought back in june 2020 to make 3 new rain barrels. included in the stash was a harbor freight bi-metal hole saw mandrel/arbor with drive pins, which is what we should've used on the 3" hole saw instead of the provided pinless arbor that got stuck in the saw.
i clamped the shank into the vise and tried to turn it with a screwdriver that fit through the two side slits. i tried twisting the screwdriver counterclockwise as hard as i could, but the arbor would not budge. my father suggested a method where we wedge the hole saw down with the screwdriver before using a pair of channel lock pliers to twist off the arbor. i didn't like the idea because i thought it'd ruin the screwdriver, the shank, as well as the hole saw itself. but we tried it anyway, using the vise to brace the saw and screwdriver, while my father twisted on the shank with the pliers. it didn't take much effort, but he managed to loosen the arbor, which i could then screw off by hand. yes, the shank itself had some cosmetic damage, but we wouldn't be using that shank anytime soon anyway (use the pin mandril instead).
my 2nd aunt's new moto G stylus 2022 ($180) arrived today, along with a clear soft case. i turned it on to check it out, will reset the phone before giving it to my aunt next week. the first thing i noticed was the screen size: 6.8" at 1080x2460 pixels. compare that to my google pixel 7 which has a screen size of 6.3" at 1080x2400 pixels. the moto G stylus nearly has the screen dimension of a 7" tablet! specs-wise it fairly decent for a budget phone, 128GB/6GB, regular-wise-depth cameras, 2-day battery (5000mAh), headphone jack, fast charging (10W). i also like the power button which is also the fingerprint sensor. as far as negatives, it doesn't have 5G, not waterproof, no OIS for the cameras, and no NFC. there's also a stylus which i tried out: it's just a simple manual stylus (unlike the samsung smart stylus which has electronic components for pressure sensing), maybe good for taking hand notes (like chinese writing), but otherwise not something that useful.
there's a moto G stylus 5G 2022 ($250) which does have 5G and a bigger memory 256/8GB, and i just discovered the camera on the 5G version has optical-image-stabilizing (OIS). if it was me i'd go with the 5G version just because of the OIS, but my aunt rarely takes photos, so i don't think she'll notice the difference. 5G would probably also be more future proof, but 5G coverage still seems spotty, and unless you really need the potential speed when using data, i don't think it's a big deal.
my father tried the moto G stylus 2022. he liked the chinese language google assistant, which can be activated by double pressing the power button. he liked asking it simple question like what's the temperature or the time, but also made it open up apps like youtube. i think it's a feature my 2nd aunt will probably like.
the st.patrick's day parade was happening in southie this afternoon. i watched a little bit of it on the roku channel for NBC boston, where they were streaming the parade. it's seemed like a good idea but it was so windy and cold, the anchors looked miserable as the wind whipped their hair so they couldn't see. i've never been to the st.patrick's day parade, despite my fondness for parades. it happens in mid-march, which is still winter here in new england, so often times the weather doesn't cooperate. the parade also seems boring to be honest, groups of cops or bagpipe players. i feel like it's basically just an excuse to get together and go drinking afterwards (or before), and as such, seems like it's geared more towards college kids.
i spotted a tufted titmouse at the feeder today. i think i've seen it in passing before, but never got a good look until today, even managed to take a few photos. it behaves similar to chickadees, though maybe more wary, grabbing a sunflower seed from the feeder, then eating it up in the trees. i called out my mother who managed to catch a quick glimpse through binoculars before it flew away and didn't come back.
my father asked me to look up rice cookers, the cafe might need to replace the zojirushi model we currently use. that model is no longer sold, but a comparable 10-cup model (with side opening lid unfortunately) goes for $136 on amazon. we did buy a $30 rice cooker last year during tax-free weekend, but you get what you pay for, the new cooker leaves the rice slightly scorched on the bottom when left in warming mode. the problem with our current zojirushi rice cooker is the vent attachment keeps on falling off. that's when i showed my father you can order replacement attachments, though they come in 3 pieces, and one of the piece is sold out, and i don't think it'll be available anytime soon since the model itself has long since been retired. i asked my father to check out the valve tomorrow, to see what parts need to be replaced; we might luck out and just need to replace an available part.
while shopping for rice cookers, it led me down a rabbit hole of meat grinders. i know you can get attachments for stand mixers, but after watching a youtube video, it seems a dedicated grinder works much better, and a good model only costs $60. i want a meat grinder because i want to make my own taiwanese sausages. later i also looked like manual versions shaped like giant syringes, not sure how well those work, but the good thing about those models is i can mix additional ingredients in with pre-grounded meat before filling them into natural casings.
nothing special for dinner, some stirfries (tofu, mustard green), an egg pancake. i didn't leave until 8pm, waiting for my new canon scanner to arrive, until i discovered it hadn't even been shipped out yet, despite being scheduled for delivery today.
temperature had dropped down to 32 degrees, and the wind was just as fierce as this morning. riding uphill against a headwind, i swore all the way to the top, panting in exhaustion. riding in 4th gear didn't help either, i'm hoping it'll be warm enough tomorrow i can do some morning bike repair before leaving to belmont.