i got a call from eliza this morning asking me when would be the best time to come and pick me up so i could go over to her place and install os x on her mac. "did i wake you up?" she asked. although the answer was yes, i knew she'd be calling so i was already partially awake in bed...with my eyes closed. "no, i'm awake," i told her. i ate some cereal for breakfast and 30 minutes later she arrived.

her housemate jaeda and jaeda's visiting brother ian (whom spent some time living in thailand) were there briefly before they went out to enjoy the nice weather. as anyone with some mac system installation experience will attest, it takes a while to install the system, especially since i had to install 10.2 first because my 10.3 is an upgrade version. we passed the time by: playing with eliza's cat, creating a prom scene using plastic insects, drinking lots of coffee and tea (using the bathroom just as often), refilling the honey jar, eliza showing me the fan coral she brought back from the carribean, chewing all-nartural gum, surfing iamtonyang.com via google for related photos, and playing with a realistic-looking snap gun. we also chatted in that say way we always chat, deep meaning spiritual and philosophical questions, a showcase of intellectual prowess, with half the time i can't even believe the things coming out of my mouth, and at one point i suggested we should be taping our conversations.

eliza gave me a ride home, and soon after my parents came to pick me up for dinner in belmont. i was supposed to watch the super bowl at dan's place but i realized a few days ago that one team will definitely lose, and since i was so confident the patriots would win, i didn't want to be there when dan's beloved eagles got crushed. i ate with my parents, the television on in the background. i couldn't believe the patriots were dominating in the first quarter, and the eagles even managed to score first. it wasn't like the patriots weren't playing well, causing a few eagles turnovers (interceptions, drop balls), but the eagles defense was just too solid and new england couldn't convert any downs (it didn't help they played mostly in their own end zone). going into halftime, at least the patriots came back to tie the score. once the second half started, the patriots quickly put up some more numbers on the board, and i felt a little better, knowing that once they got the lead, the game was pretty much over. surprisingly however, the eagles clawed back, and the game wasn't completely decided until the final few seconds, with the patriots winning by 3 points once like, just like their 2 previous super bowl wins.

back in cambridge, i ran into my next door neighbor franz, sitting on his stoop smoking a cigarette, drinking a beer, and reading a book. we chatted for a while, he asked about the super bowl which he missed (he was more concerned about the commercials), then we talked about politics. a small cat ran down the sidewalk in our direction. it turned out to be a skunk, whom franz recognized as the one that lives in his backyard behind the stacks of firewood. the skunk seemed to be on a mission and wasn't in the least bit scared, coming within petting distance, going in and out the backyard a few times before disappearing.