i was in bed last night until almost 4am researching everything there is to know about DIY CO2 generator systems. it definitely got me thinking about getting something for my own tank, but which kind? the cheaper variety that uses 2 soda bottles ($25) or the more sophisticated solution of a pressured stainless steel tank ($70) using citric acid & sodium bicarbonate to generate CO2? i even got out of bed to fish out a CO2 diffuser i bought in chongqing nearly a decade ago, thinking it was some magic missing equipment, but that i never ended up using. i finally fell asleep, dreaming of lush carbon dioxide injected aquariums.

i woke up sometime after 8:30am, only having slept a few hours, in order to prepare to leave for boston haymarket. it was pleasantly cool at just 77 degrees with an overcast sky as i left the house around 9:30am. i rode to haymarket via east cambridge, passing lechmere and cambridge crossing and the science museum.

i was expecting to see more at haymarket here in the late summer, but there was nothing really too interesting. my haul: canary melon ($3), 4 black plums ($2), 6 pluots ($2), 2 boxes of black mission figs ($5), a sleeve of garlic ($2), 8 large navel oranges ($2).

i started heading back home by 10:10am, riding by MGH and over the longfellow bridge this time. even though it seemed kind of late, i still saw a steady stream of cyclists riding into boston as i traveled outbound.

i ended up juicing the navel oranges for my mother. i ended up slicing all 8, normally a full container of orange juice requires just 6 oranges. plus these oranges were massive, almost grapefruit sized. i wasn't sure how they'd taste, but i tried some of the leftover pulp and it was super sweet.

after i finished juicing the oranges, i headed to the cafe for my friday shift by 11:30am.

square POS was working again. i checked last night around 3:30am and it was already back up by that time. square issued a weak apology for the inconvenience through their twitter page but said nothing as why their servers crashed, taking down small businesses across the nation. i feel a class action lawsuit is in their immediate future.

a slow friday allowed me to make another batch of tea eggs, followed by another batch of taiwanese paocai. we now have enough paocai to last us at least a month. i did some cleaning, washing off the greasy fingerprint stains with alcohol from the new microwave and the glass sliding door of the commercial refrigerator. my mother made some rice noodle soup with a leftover smoked ham bone broth she was simmering all morning. i taped some rare earth magnets with duct tape to the back of the tv remote so i can just stick it to the metal circuit breaker box that we use as a magnetic bulletin board for our collection of digital kitchen timers. we took down the patio umbrella and brought in the furniture when the sky darkened and they were issue severe thunderstorm warnings on television. we ended up getting nothing but a sprinkle in the greater boston area. my aunt showed up in the late afternoon. i finally left the cafe around 4:45pm.

the temperature had temporarily dropped back down into the 70's (after being in the humid 80's). my house was a sauna, i opened all the windows and turned on as many fans as possible. that was only a short term solution as temperature crept back up into the 80's.

so this morning i was thinking about getting the cheaper $25 CO2 generator kit. but it didn't seem as efficient as the more pressured steel tank solution, so i opted to upgrade, figured that was also less messy, easier to control, and longer lasting. i'd still need to buy a solenoid valve for the inexpensive 2-bottles kit, and that's another $10 from aliexpress plus a few weeks of waiting time. aliexpress had a 2L steel bottle CO2 kit for $62.50, which is the cheapest deal i could find for a container that size. however it doesn't include any citric acid or baking soda, but it does come with a diffuser and a solenoid valve. amazon had a ZRDR brand 2L steel bottle CO2 kit for $70. it came with more pieces, including suction cups to attach the diffuser, clear rubber tubing, and more important a solution of the CO2 chemicals. plus, it could arrive by this weekend, i wouldn't have to wait a few weeks. i did see a magtool 2.5L steel bottle CO2 kit for $79. i almost ended up buying that one, for the slightly bigger tank, 2 pressure indicators, plus i like its complimentary diffuser a lot more. but i read some reviews, and everyone pointed out a design saw on the solenoid valve. in the end i opted for the cheaper solution provided by ZRDR. the final thing i ordered was a 5lb. bag of citric acid ($20).

i made dinner around 9pm, the last of my burrito bowl. i didn't have any rice left but found a solution where i could cook raw rice in the microwave. it involved put the rice and water in a microwave safe bowl inside of another bowl, covered by a plate. 3 minutes of cooking, take out, some water will have gone out into the second bowl. pour the water back onto the rice and cook again for another 3 minutes. the end result was remarkably cooked rice, though a few grains were still uncooked. while mixing all the ingredients together, i suddenly realized i forgot to add the romaine lettuce. i ate while watching the 2nd men's semifinal match of the US open, between alcaraz and medvedev. medvedev ended up winning, to face djokovic in the final, after he beat american shelton.