i went running this morning around 9am. i weighed myself before i left - 155 lbs. i'm not sure how i could be gaining weight, even though i've been very careful with what i eat. a few weeks ago i was down to 150 lbs. and now somehow i've gained 5 lbs. anyway, regardless if i lose weight or not, getting more runs in is a good thing. speaking of running, even though i completed my circuit, i felt slow today. it was warm but dry, weather wasn't a factor (temperature only climbed to 78 degrees). i watched as boat rowers trained in the charles. coming back, i decided to go up follen street to get to mass ave. there's a reason why i never come here: because follen street doesn't connect to mass ave, but instead hooks out to waterhouse street. at least i know now and won't make this mistake again.

i stopped by the community garden to water renee's and jen's plots before finally watering mine. for my troubles, i ate a few warm cherry tomatoes and harvest a regular tomato the size of a plum. i got back home by 10:30am, jumped in the shower.

i spent the next few hours cleaning. i haven't been doing much cleaning because it's been so hot, but couldn't put it off much longer. i started with a load of laundry. i go through more clothes changes in the summer because of the heat and sweat-soaked clothes. i then cleaned the bathroom, scrubbing the tiled walls and bathtub, opening the window to air out any fumes from the chemicals. then i vacuumed. i had a bit of a scare, as i put my snack AKA computer table on top of the sofa, and didn't see it when the table tipped over, sending my laptop crashing to the floor from a height of nearly 5ft. fearing the worse, the computer was fine, i didn't even see any scratches or dents, not sure how it survived that fall. i also took care of some grooming needs, cutting my nails, especially my toenails, which are almost like claws. i accidentally cut too much of my weird pinkie toe growth and it started bleeding. i wrapped it up with a waterproof bandaid.

for lunch i ate the last of my icelandic yogurt.

in the afternoon i biked to market basket to get a few things. i started healthy - bag of salad greens, baby carrots - but finished with a lot of processed frozen food. the couple behind me in line were buying all this healthy food, i felt guilty, almost wanted to cover up my purchases. after returning home, i walked out again to star market to get some red seedless grapes on sale. i also picked up more boneless skinless chicken thighs on sale. this time it rang up at the self-service register with the correct sale price.

yogurt wasn't going to cut it so i ended up finishing the leftover indian food from yesterday. i didn't bother heating it up, as it was in a styrofoam box, and as i recall, you're not supposed to microwave styrofoam. maybe because i was hungry, but it tasted pretty good, even cold. i washed it down with orange juice and some mandarin slices.

lauryn came home at 6pm, went immediately to making dinner, which consisted of a greek yogurt, and something else that left an acrid fishy smell in the kitchen (burnt plastic?). she's only here for another 1-1/2 weeks, before moving to the apartment above my sister's. i was supposed to get another chinese astrophysicist staying here for about 2-3 weeks in august, but he couldn't secure his visa, so if he does come, he'll also stay in the upstairs apartment after september. september is when italian antonio arrives at my place for a 3 month stay. that'll be interesting. that i can look forward to solo living again come winter.

i made my dinner at 8pm, a simple salad. started with some mixed salad greens, then sliced a handle of mini sweet peppers. i then ransacked the fridge looking to see what else i could add: black olives, spicy pepper rings, feta cheese (surprised it hasn't turned moldy yet). i splashed some ready made northern italian dressing to finish. it tasted pretty good, i think the cheese helps to make it feel more filling than simple vegetables.