my parents came to pick me up around 10am. i could see on the gps they had to make a detour on linnaean because of road construction then took an illegal left turn on mass ave because the city got of the raised islands and replaced them with painted lines.
today's supply run would take us to everett, first to costco, then to restaurant depot, before going to broadway plaza in malden for some lunch buffet at flaming grill before doing some final shopping at the 99 asian supermarket.
we saw the tipico truck at costco. they had a much of world cup merchandise geared towards kids. are american children really into euro soccer players? costco didn't have the 30-tray of eggs, only the 24 in plastic containers. we ended up getting 8 packages (almost 200 eggs!) which we'll use up in about 2 weeks.
my father brought our 12v fridge/freezer for the very first time. we originally got it for supply runs, but waited all this time before we finally used it in an outdoor excursion. it performed well, kept some of our food cold at 32 degrees exactly. we ran it off of the little aolithium LiFePO4 29Ah portable battery station.
originally we were going to go to total wine & beer next door to look for the turkish beer my father had in istanbul. but it was already 11:15am and we were running late so we skipped that stop. instead we went to restaurant depot to get some straws. thankfully it wasn't too busy, we didn't have to wait long in the checkout line.
next we crisscrossed everett and went to broadway plaza in malden. it was already close to noontime, so we decided to hit the flaming grill buffet. monday through thursday between 11am to 3:30pm, lunchtime buffet is only $14, which is a pretty good deal. just ask for water when they ask you if you want anything to drink, because drinks cost extra (even tea). any other time, the buffet is $20-21/person, which is still a good deal. we were here back in early march, so we knew what to expect. what's good to eat, what's bad, and what will fill you up quickly that you can't eat another bite.
in my first outing, i came back with two plates: a few pieces of sushi (they're so pretty and irresistible, but the rice is pretty filling), a piece of fried chicken, some french fries, coconut shrimp, general tso chicken, fried white fish (with tartar sauce), lychees, mango jello cubes, and a cup of hot & sour soup. it was good, but i could already feel myself slowing down from all that food, all that starch, all that fried oil, all that protein. all i want to do after eating a buffet is to lie down and go into a food coma.
in my second outing, i only came back with a single plate: salted fried fish, another piece of fried chicken, fried shrimp, one mussel, more general tso chicken, stirfry beef, a chocolate cake that tasted sort of like tiramisu, and an egg tart. for my third and final outing, i just grabbed an orange cream popsicle. actually, it was just an orange popsicle, sugar free no less. flaming grill has a large selection of frozen treats, but none of them are that good.
we finished eating by 12:45pm. my mother left early to go check out the dollar store next door. we found her inside, there wasn't anything she wanted, so we left empty-handed.
our last stop was the 99 asian supermarket. not to be confused with ranch 99 asian supermarket in quincy, which is part of a supermarket chain. this particular asian supermarket doesn't have the best prices, but does have a large selection. i was surprised by how many southeast asian brands it carries, including a bunch of filipino ingredients i'd never seen anywhere else. my asian supermarket of choice is still ming's market, only because they're inexpensive, but their selection is terrible.
we left close to 1:30pm. we returned to cambridge via route 99. it was the most direct route, but not the fastest. google maps recommended some other routes, but my father wanted to go the most direct way, no chance of getting lost, didn't have to rely on google maps to help us navigate.
we skirted by tufts university (tents on the sports field for graduation), cut through davis square to get to the cafe. my mother was very quiet on the ride back, because she wanted to use the bathroom. while she did that, my father and i unloaded supplies from the car. we saw my sister taking esmei out for an adventure.
we returned to belmont around 2:30pm. there was still 81% charge on the portable power supply powering the 12v freezer set to 32 degrees. the freezer works but it'd be better if it was even bigger. the one that we have (euhomy, purchased july 2023 for $220) is 55L (59qt). it'd also be nice if it can refrigerate and freeze at the same time. right now it's one or the other, though one part of the unit is slightly warmer (the part that sits above the compressor), so you could get away with a split combo in a pinch (for short duration).
my father helped me lower the motorcycle off the jack and pull it out of the garage. it didn't start at first, but after a half dozen failed starts, it finally roared to life. i parked it out on the curb. the kickstand feels a little tight, but it's much straighter than the old kickstand, so when i park the motorcycle doesn't look like it's leaning so much it's about to topple over. the straight kickstand also doesn't hit the back of my left leg when i ride.
we turned off the gas valve on our 2-stroke snowblower and ran the carburetor until it ran dry and the engine sputtered to a stop. this is the same step i make store my motorcycle for the winter. we're just doing the reverse with the snowblower. there's still some gasoline in the fuel tank, i'm getting a siphon pump so i can extract the fuel and either save it or throw it out.
my father started mowing the lawn. he got midway through the backyard before he got tired and i told him he could go back inside to rest. i finished mowing the lawn, dumping the grass clippings in our compost bin mixed with shredded leaves we saved from last autumn. earlier i shoveled out all the remaining finished compost so we can eventually use them in the garden. it's crazy how fast the grassing is growing the past few weeks. we've been mowing every single weekend, and the grass keeps on growing back like nothing happened. the cool weather and the bit of rain is the ideal condition for grass growing.
i mixed a half gallon solution of fungicide: 1/2 tbsp immunox with 0.75 tbsp of captan powder. this was for the grapevines, to help prevent several diseases. has this actually worked? who knows, the grapes continue to rot before they ripen. last season we basically neglected our grapes despite investing in bird netting to keep critters from stealing our grapes. i'll keep on spraying this season, but if it still doesn't work, i'll look into investing in something more effective. the grapevines are also amazing in how vigorous they regrow. my father pruned a lot of branches this season, but all the remaining branches are resprouting. i think next season we might even try an even more drastic pruning, leave just a few main branches, and then let them grow back. this how professional vineyards do it, and i also believe drastic pruning gets rid of diseased branches from last season.
finally i watered the plants in the grow room. i only watered the orchids and pennyworts. i didn't see fungus gnats the past two weekends, and didn't see any this weekend as well. so i feel like i've finally eradicated the fungus gnats. unfortunately the weather is turning warmer now, and soon the grow room will be emptied. all that work to get rid of fungus gnats for naught!
we saw on the news about the shooter on memorial drive near river street. feels like the doings of a crazy person. if he really wanted to kill people, there are several close targets with a lot more potential victims. we watched the reddit video where the police actually shot the shooter in the leg before he fell over and surrendered, throwing away his gun.
my mother told us she wasn't making dinner, and instructed us to finish the leftover barbecue from yesterday. i enjoy the wings and some lefover pineapple, but found the lamb chops too bland.
i went home around 7pm. it was my first motorcycle ride of the season. i was afraid i'd forget and accidentally ride in the bike lane, or worse, forget to obey traffic rules. but i never get confused what i'm riding on. a motorcycle feels different than an ebike than a bicycle. for speed, for raw power, you can't beat a motorcycle, an ebike can never compare. each ride has its pros and cons. i get a lot more respect on a motorcycle (or is it fear?) than i do riding an ebike.
jeff finally showed up around 10pm. he thanked me for the beer i left him on his backyard deck. he was so quiet arriving, i actually didn't hear him until i heard some soft footsteps from upstairs. this is his 4th season renting from my upstairs neighbors.