when the 96 finally arrived, i climbed onboard with about a dozen other passengers. in hindsight, i could've caught the same bus from mass ave (closer to my house), with plenty of available seats. the 96 is not a popular bus, and only comes every 30 minutes. there seems to be two types of people who ride it: locals who catch it to make up short distances, getting off after a few stops; and tufts students returning to campus.
back when i attended tufts, i took the 96 all the time, either to get to davis square so i could take the T, or take it all the way to harvard square to catch a connecting bus to belmont. since i graduated, i haven't taken the 96 in almost 30 years. likewise, i haven't been back to campus in all that time as well. so this was a nostalgic trip for me. there were places i recognized, but also new buildings i'd never seen before. the biggest change was the new green line T station. i ought to come back when the weather's nicer to do some exploring.
it took about 25 minutes to get to medford center, the last stop. i got off along with two aged townies we were arguing loudly on the bus. i then walked a few minutes to the medford harvard vanguard office. i found out where i got off wasn't actually the last stop; the last stop was right across the street from harvard vanguard. i found my father waiting outside. both my parents were there this morning getting their eyes checked. both of them wore sunglasses like some vampires, since they had their pupils dilated. i volunteered to drive but my father said he could manage it.
from there it was just a short 6 minute drive along riverside avenue to ocean state job lot. my father stayed in the car (his eyes felt uncomfortable in the morning glare) while my mother and i went shopping. my mother was looking to score some yarn but they didn't have any. instead she bought some anti-aging cream while i got some ginger gummies and a bag of jelly beans.
next was aldi's. my father opted to stay in the car once more. aldi has the best deal on scallions and we managed to buy several packages. the only knock on aldi's is the lines can be long, and we spend more time waiting in line than actually shopping.
malden super 88 market came next, we got there via the fellsway to medford street. here we got some bokchoi and various dried asian noodles.
our last stop was the everett costco, arriving by 11am. it's wasn't too busy, but it's going to be crazy next monday, the week of thanksgiving. we got a set of 4 bodum canteen double wall glass mugs (13.5 oz). apparently they're safe to use in the freezer, oven, and microwave, and the borosilicate glass can withstand temperatures of -22°F to 350°F. the exact same glassware sells at crate & barrel for $19 each while we got a whole set for just $14. we also stocked up on eggs, 3 cases for the cafe, 1 case for me to make my thanksgiving flan.
my parents dropped me off at my place around noontime. i went to go use the bathroom first. i've developed some hemorrhoids the past few days and today was the worst. it was probably caused by too much straining when i was slightly constipated. once i cleaned up, i rode the motorcycle to the cafe. by the time i got there my parents had already unloaded all the supplies. we left for belmont.
my mother made wonton soup for lunch while my father finished the leftover meatball sub i made on friday. we got these large green grapes from costco that are super sweet and crisp, never tasted anything like it. we also tried out the bodum double walled mugs. they're actually pretty light, so much so that i thought they were plastic at first. it does a very good job of insulating hot beverages - the outside of the mug was warm to the touch, while my tea was still piping hot.
i went out afterwards to do some yard work. i mowed the leaves underneath the backyard maple tree and tossed the shredded leaves into the overflowing compost pile. i watered all the raised beds and backyard plants from the rain barrels. after i finished watering i disconnected the hoses again so they don't freeze and crack. i noticed a layer of ice in the bird bath, so it definitely got below freezing overnight. using my japanese hori hori garden knife, i cleared the dead vines from our raised bed trellises.
afterwards i went to the grow room and watered the plants there as well. i spotted a fungus gnat and added some mosquito bits to the water to prevent any infestations.
my sister made a surprise appearance around 4:30pm. she spent the weekend at a new hampshire bed & breakfast along with her dog. she let esmei out into the backyard so she could pee but her dog wouldn't stop playing. in the month that my sister has owned esmei, she's already grown a lot. she's a surprisingly long dog, almost has a weasel body. even though her body is bigger, she still has her puppy dog face. eventually it got so cold we had to go back inside even if she didn't pee yet. owning a puppy can be quite challenging, especially one as curious as esmei, who wanted to sniff and investigate everything, and chew if possible. we basically had to keep an eye on her all the time to prevent her from getting into mischief. we were kind of relieved when my sister finally took esmei home. puppies can be fun but only in moderation, and only if they don't destroy items.
for dinner we had this indian mango curry we got from costco. we finished eating early and i made a break for it as it looked like it might rain or even snow a little bit. i left by 6:30pm.
the celtics played the knicks in boston tonight. it was a close game, the knicks would not go away. but in the 4th quarter the celtics went off and expanded a slight lead to a comfortable lead with some dazzling offense and defense. boston won 114-98. it's such a joy watching the celtics, especially since boston's other sports teams - the red sox and the patriots - are such dumpster fires right now.