on my run i felt like i had a lot more stamina today, everything felt like running downhill. that final stretch before i finish my loop, i actually went a bit faster just to finish sooner, wasn't tired at all, but once i stopped, i was panting and dripping with sweat.
the reason why i got up so early to run was because ann contacted yesterday about needing help pounding in some wooden stakes in her garden. we scheduled to meet at 10am. i got there right on time, but ann as always was late, and texted me she'd be there in 15 minutes. it gave me time to check on my own garden, water some plants, pull up a few weeds. i saw a long bean flower for the very first time this season. they remind me of a cartoon pluto, or the inflated head of a balloon animal. definitely doesn't look like any of the bean flowers we've been having in belmont, still a mystery why we haven't seen any long beans even though i over planted long bean seeds.
when ann finally showed up she seemed really flustered, ranting about dogs and how only rich people can have them, saying how she can never find a moment of peace in the garden even now when she comes super early around 7am. she was also having a tirade about people texting her too much, and how she didn't care if so-and-so invited someone else. she was swearing and yelling (despite children playing nearby in the field), i figured i'd let her get it out of her system. ann marie happened to be there and came to see what the shouting was about, which only made ann angrier, as she stormed out of the garden. i explained to ann marie that ann wasn't shouting at me, that she was just having a bad day. when ann came back and ann marie tried to be polite, ann basically told her to shut up.
i still stayed to help ann put drive some stakes and put up some trellises, despite receiving about a dozen mosquito bites on all my bare legs. what i thought was going to be a short stay in the garden ended up being an hour. i did get a reward for all my troubles, as ann gifted me a corn cake. so much free food this week!
i finally returned home by 11am, used the bathroom, showered. i noticed today that my seemingly rustproof stainless steel shower curtain rings were all covered in rust. contrary to popular belief, cheap stainless steel will rust under wet conditions, which what was happening here.
i installed these a little more than 2 months ago and already they look like they've been living at the bottom of the sea. they were purchased off of temu for something like $1.50/dozen, so i'm not too surprised they've rusted, even though they said rustproof. i went onto amazon to find new genuine rustproof rings, but those don't exist, at least those made from stainless steel. they all say rust proof (though some are more honest and say rust resistant), but if you search through the comments, there are always customers who say they do rust eventually. i really like this metal hooks - they slide so much smoother with the ball bearings - but i may have to go back to cheap plastic rings, at least those don't rust.
instead of ann's corn bread, i finished the last of my taiwanese pastry i bought on tuesday. i watched the news, the biggest item being the indictment of trump as he heads to washington dc this afternoon.
because it might be raining tomorrow and simply because i had the free time today, i wanted to go to chinatown again to get some more longans for my mother. i called her to ask if she needed anything but she seemed more annoyed than anything else, angry that i didn't let her know earlier, and calling her last minute she can't remember what she needs from chinatown.
i left around 1:20pm. i remember when i told jeff that i bike to chinatown fairly routinely, he was shocked because it seemed so far to him. maybe i'm just used to it, 25 minutes of riding doesn't seem all that long. cambridge is repaving hampshire street, and the entire stretch from inman square to kendall square had been completely milled, which was hell to ride. i'm just glad i didn't puncture a tire.
this was my 3rd trip to chinatown this week. not sure if it's a personal record, but definitely rare. i went every single day except wednesday, where i had to work at the cafe. it's also the second time this week where i went for a run in the morning and then biked into boston and back. all this exercise must be a good thing for my weight loss.
i went to c-mart first, where they had a sale on longans for 4 lbs/$10. i ended up getting two bags, as well as a sleeve of garlic ($1.50), and some oranges ($1.48/lbs.). they also had lychees for $2.50/lbs. (cheapest i've seen them this season), i bought a small bag. next i went to ming's market, where i got a taiwanese cabbage (50¢/lbs.). here too they had a sale on longans, same price (4 lbs/$10), so i bought yet another bag, as ming's market's longans seemed bigger.
i left chinatown by 2:15pm. i didn't want to go back the same way i came (to avoid milled hampshire street), so i went home via mass ave, which added more minutes, but was more scenic. even then, boston was milling parts of washington street, and only when i finally got to mass ave were the streets nicely paved again. i cut across central square but avoid harvard, instead taking a detour on trowbridge to cut through the public library.
it took over 30 minutes to get home. i unloaded a few supplies (including the bag of longan and some snacks) before taking a shower. i weighed myself, down to 149.6 lbs., which is just an illusion since most of that was lost through sweating, but good to see exercising like crazy can dehydrate me enough so that i'm skinnier for just a brief amount of time. i changed out of my sweaty clothes before heading to the cafe with the remaining supplies.
i got to the cafe by 3:30pm. my 2nd aunt was there (which i already knew from seeing her on the webcam). i tried the lychees, they were very good, sweet and juicy, no sour taste. my mother said she preferred the longans. it got really busy all of a sudden and i stayed and helped for about an hour. my father was frying salt & pepper chicken as they ran out again.
i left by 4:30pm, heading out to fresh pond reservation. when my mother took her walk around the pond over the weekend, she took a snapshot of a group of photographers armed with massive teleophoto lenses taking photos of lotuses. i'm not sure if i've ever seen wild native lotuses here in MA, but i knew they existed. that there'd be pond full of them so close by and i didn't even know! so i vowed to go see them. i sort of had an idea where they were, but i rode around fresh pond and almost completed the loop before realizing i was lost. i called my mother, who told me "it was right opposite burger king," which allowed me to get my bearing as i turned around. eventually i found it, a little pond called black's nook. there was a small boardwalk area built around the pond, and the sign specifically said no dogs were allowed.
my mother said the lotus flowers would be closed but many were opened. to see so many lotuses was breathtaking, given the fact that several unsuccessful summers trying to grow them and get them to flower in the backyard. knowing they can survive in cambridge means they can also survive in belmont, but i think the trick is to have a large pond (deep enough so the bottom doesn't freeze), not just grow them in plastic wine barrels. there was nobody there, though a handful of people did walk through, but didn't stay. i had the place all to myself, this little hidden part of the reservation.
american lotus AKA yellow lotus is different than the asian lotus in that the flowers are yellow (hence the name) and not pink. they can be found in all the eastern states (with the exception of vermont and new hampshire) as well as california, where it was introduced. in some states they're rare enough that they're protected (including parts of canada), while in other states they've become invasive. new england populations were probably introduced as well, though in its native range it's hard to say whether they're truly endemic as native americans would plant them as they traveled for food. the yellow lotus is actually banned in connecticut (the "no fun" state), and you could get fined for growing them (although not sure how that's enforced). i personally prefer the pink lotus, but i think people from asia might prefer our yellow variety as its not a color they see in their native collection (though i've heard there's man-made hybrid versions that contain colors from both species).
while i was taking photos (with my phone, my dSLR, and my 3D camera), i felt a rumbling in my stomach and then suddenly felt a strong urge to use the bathroom. i thought i could power through it, but the grumbling got worse, to the point where i thought i was going to soil myself. i climbed on the bike and gingerly pedaled home. sitting on the bike saddle alleviated some of that sensation, but it didn't look good, and it felt like maybe i'd already pooped my pants, and was now just mashing everything into the seat. i didn't think i'd make it and thought i might have to use the cafe bathroom, but the diarrhea sensation subsided, to the point where i could probably make it home after all. so i pedaled, afraid to stand up, less some driver behind me spot the large stain on my shorts. i felt drips running down the back of my legs. this would not end well.
when i finally got home, the moment i got off the bike the diarrhea sensation came back again, strong as ever. by that point i was covered in a cold sweat, as i fumbled with the door key and threw myself onto the toilet as soon as i stepped inside the house. explosive diarrhea commenced immediately. i was also sweating profusely, and i used my t-shirt to dry off my body, as i sat on the toilet, groaning and swearing, afraid the neighbors might here. it was so bad, i pooped once, cleaned up in the tub, then went back onto the toilet for round two. by some miracle, i did not soil my shorts & underwear, even though i could've sworn that's what happened. so at least there was that. after round two i was mostly finished. i showered, but then had to use the bathroom a few more times afterwards.
what happened? i didn't eat anything all day, except that taiwanese pastry, and some fruit. there was mayo on the pastry, maybe it went bad, but i kept it in the fridge since tuesday, it couldn't have spoiled in so little time.
i was hoping to watch trump's latest indictment live, but even if i did catch it, i wouldn't have been able to see anything. not that i needed too, that was the top item on the evening news.
lauryn came home at 6pm, waved hello, then went to go make dinner (pasta, not too messy, though made the house a little humid because she boiled her noodles without opening the windows). she also cleaned her stuff, as i heard her throwing things away into the trash can. later when i went to the kitchen, i noticed she'd put all her groceries in a bag in the fridge. in the bathroom she packed up all her toiletries (she didn't have too much), with the exception of her toothbrush and facial cleanser. even the bath soap was gone.
i didn't eat until later, just warmed up a spicy jamaican patty in the microwave. in the two months that lauryn has stayed here, i've made dinner just once (risotto). there was another week where i had salad. but otherwise, most of the time i either ate something ready-made or food others had given me. once she leaves, i want to get back to more cooking, provided it's cool enough that i don't unnecessarily heat up the house.
i decided to hack my found ikea råskog utility cart by flipping the top basket upside down so it becomes a table instead. i've found that i often hit the side of the top basket when i reach for my bottled water or bowl of snacks. this is just a temporary solution, until i can get a wooden board (the HÖGSMA $12) to place on top of the basket to make a functioning table. the bottom of the basket wasn't exactly flat, so i had to press it down into shape.