i went to the cambridge spring community bike ride this morning. the theme this year was cambridge dog parks. i got dressed in a pair of jeans and a white polo shirt. i got my trek allant from the basement. i only ride that bike about once a year, and usually for the community bike ride. i've probably only riden it about a dozen times since i got it, so no wonder it's in near pristine shape. not a trace of rust on the chain or the gears, just some scratches on the frame from when the bike accidentally toppled over one time while parked. the only thing i had to do was inflate the tires and find a combination bike lock. while i was at it i also oiled the chain.

i got to the cambridge public library around 9:45am. i went to the folding table and picked up some freebies: a set of brooklyn bicycle rechargeable led bike lights (retails for $25), a translucent blue cambridge-branded water bottle, and some snacks. the turnout wasn't as large as in past rides, maybe because of the iffy weather and the possibility of torrential showers. from a distance i saw some horse chestnut trees and i went to get some photos. they bloom in may and the tall conical white flowers are unmistakeable. when i got back to the gathering, i spotted renee and called her name. so at least i knew one person there. a pro-bike advocate flagged me down to let me know about the on-going drama over returning garden street to two-way traffic and resistance over adding new bike lanes on broadway street. i politely listened just so i could get some free reflective ankle straps, but i'm actually secretly for all the things she was against.

the bike ride promptly left at 10am. because this is an official city sponsored ride, we had a police escort, both motorcycle and bicycle cops. i rode with renee for much of it. it was essentially follow-the-leader. i couldn't tell you where we went, and vague recollection of the stops. yes we visited parks, but dog parks? i didn't see a single dog in any of those parks, the only ones i saw were the ones on the ride: a bernese mountain dog in a carrier and a small dog in a bike basket.

we made it to magazine beach, where i clamped my gopro on the handlebar so i could get some timewarp footage for posterity. a speaker was talking about the park but i couldn't hear him. i was more interested in a pair of birdwatchers off in the distance, with a telescope set up. from there we headed towards harvard square via memorial drive. next it was brattle street, where i took a detour and left for the cafe, getting there right when we opened at 11am on saturdays.

my sister delivered a BLT sandwich and a soft pretzel. i ate half the sandwich - also had some guacamole on it was well - plus most of the pretzel.

today was the busiest day this week, which says a lot considering saturdays we're only opened half day. the weather looked like it might rain at any moment (for the most part it was dry, it did shower briefly in the afternoon before the sun came back out), but that didn't keep the customers away. my mother sold some knitted/crocheted handicrafts, and a chinese lady came in and ordered 20 zongzi for duanwu festival at the end of the month. my mother's side hustles netted us a third of our profit today.

after work i rode the trek allant home. that bike is so nice, with working shifters, but in reverse order than what i'm used to on my usual bike. with it's bigger wheels (27") and lighter frame overall, riding uphill is effortless. i stashed the bike in the basement when i got back, to be taken out again next year. instead i switched to my trek utility bike and went to market basket to get a few things.

this time of the year is also when students are moving and a lot of stuff get thrown out. i always find some treasures. today i came across a bicycle rear rack (ibera brand). even though there were plenty of parking spots at market basket, the bike rack was completely filled. i had to tether my bike to the rack using a braided cable. i was in search of cajun spices and chicken marinade. i also grabbed another frozen bag of wings, one of my mother's favorites. while looking for hot sauces, i pulled a bottle from a bottle shelf with another bottle attached to it via a loose label. the second bottle clattered to the floor and shattered. i immediately went in search of an employee to report the breakage. i ended up going to the help desk, and seconds later an employee with a mop bucket showed up.

i noticed a foul odor going into the alleyway. it smelled like something died. originally i thought it came from our trash, but when i checked the bins, they were all empty and odor-free. i discovered the smell was coming from underneath margot's front steps (not solid, but a wooden lattice barrier). i think an animal (if i had to guess probably a rat) died inside and rotted away. the fact that there were also a bunch of flies was further evidence.

i finished my rewatch of rogue one. like many fans of andor, watching rogue one fells very different. one on thing, andor seems like the main character, not jyn erso. and having been so fully grounded in reality, seeing darth vader for the first time almost felt strange, like he was something supernatural and out of place. rogue one is also one of the few movies where even though everyone dies at the end, it's still a hopeful message. now that andor is over, i feel kind of lost. what am i supposed to watch now? i have been occasionally watching the animated star trek: lower deck before bed, it's actually pretty good. there's also the second season of poker face.

i ate the other half of the BLT as an early dinner soon after getting home. later in the evening i went to star market to get some klondike bars on sale as i had a hankering for ice cream. there was also a sale on gold nugget oranges: 99¢/lbs. i ended up leaving with 5 lbs. worth (the maximum), about a dozen oranges. these are almost haymarket prices.

the bathtub has been slow draining for months now. i didn't bother to take care of it because standing in water when i showered was a big problem. finally i got some liquid plumbr clog destroyer. in hindsight i wondered if i should've gotten drain-o instead: clog destroyer is for clogs, but what i have is a slow drain. i tried it anyway, poured down half a container (16 oz.). unfortunately i forgot about it until hours later. you're also supposed to rinse with hot water. i normally like to use boiling water, so i boiled a kettle's worth, but once again, promptly forgot about it. luckily the water was still hot as i poured it down the drain. i finally rinsed with normal hot water. it seemed okay, but i won't know for sure until i take a shower.

it wasn't until 10pm when i finally stumbled into the kitchen to make my hot sauce from the hot peppers i got from haymarket yesterday. i was using the recipe from the last time i made garlic chili oil hot sauce back in november. i made about a jar that time, and only now are we almost finished with it. it's the go-to hot sauce at the cafe whenever a customer requests something spicier than sriracha. when have even spicier hot sauces - habanero & ghost peppers - but that's more like a joke sauce. the chili oil hot sauce i make is more appetizing, just the right amount of spiciness.

i used the ratio of 3:1:1 for anaheim peppers, thai chili peppers, and garlic. i wasn't sure how much oil to add, and originally i was going to match the weight of anaheim peppers, but smartly scaled back the amount to something less. as for the remaining ingredients, i bumped up each one by an additional tablespoon.

a pound of anaheim peppers is 453g. but after chopping off the stems, i was left with 429g. i used that amount as the base to figure out how much thai chili peppers and garlic. the thai chili i simply pulled off the stems, no cutting required. i remembered to wear gloves this time, so my hands didn't hurt after handling hot peppers. after i processed all of them, i added the canola oil to a large stainless steel pan on medium heat. once the oil came to temperature, i added the peppers and garlic and simmered them for 20 minutes. i was stirring constantly, to prevent the peppers/garlic from burning at the bottom of the pan. i could tell it was almost done because the oil changed color from yellow to red. i reduced it so there wasn't that much oil left. however, once i added the additional ingredients - particularly the peppercorn oil and baijiu - it added liquids back into the sauce so i ended up with a lot more oil than expected.

i gave it a taste test - spicy, salty, sweet, savory - and called it finished. using a canning funnel, i scooped the hot sauce into 3 empty sesame paste jars. i filled up about 2-1/2 jars. my mother will be the final judge as to whether this batch is good or not. if i can continue to find hot peppers at haymarket, i can continue my hot sauce experience. i'm not very happy with how oily it is, next less use less oil (although too little and the peppers/garlic will scorch). i also don't feel i processed the ingredients long enough. i want the peppers and garlic so chopped up so they have the consistency of puree.

i tried one of the gold nuggets. it was okay, but i've had so many different oranges the past few weeks, i'm a little jaded at the moment.

i didn't finish the hot sauce until after 11:30pm, just in time to catch the season finale of saturday night live with scarlett johansson.