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i went to the garden this morning after picking up my prescription for another 3 month supply of blood pressure medication from the pharmacy. when i got back home, instead of coding, i spent 3+ hours washing my backyard deck, including that of my upstairs neighbor. i made two gallons of the wood cleaning solution, using a scrubbing brush to apply the solvent, misting everything with a hose to keep it from drying up, then later spray washing the deck with water. i wasn't able to do a portion of my neighbor's deck because he had too much stuff outside (BBQ grill, adirondack chair, potted plants). when i accidently bumped into him while he was coming home, i asked if he'd mind moving some of those items inside, just so it'd make my job a little bit easier. "oh, you can clean around that stuff," he told me. besides not even bothering to thank me for cleaning his deck for free, he wouldn't even volunteer to move his stuff for me. neighbors like that, we needs neighbors? while waiting for the solution to work its cleaning magic, i also took the time to wash off the algae growing on some of the shingles on the house.

the past few days i've been getting this tickling sensation in my throat, itchy eyes, and a slightly runny nose. those who suffer the same symptoms probably already know what's causing it, but it took me until today to realize now is the start of the ragweed season. not sure when i first discovered i was allergic to ragweed, must've been a few years ago. i personally always thought that only weak people get allergies, so it was disheartening to learn i may be one of the millions of sufferers. the suffering isn't always consistent though: i could take a big whiff directly from a ragweed and not show any symptoms. but usually around the beginning of fall, the itching in my throat tells me that something isn't quite right. fortunately i have some leftover claritin tablets from a bout of sinus-related hearing loss back during the spring.

julie came over in the evening. i made some chicken burritos and fried some plantains. i asked for details about her recent trip to yellowstone national park. we watched project runway and for once the judges agreed with us that daniel was due for elimination. later we watched some olympics highlight, including usain bolt breaking the world record in the 200m dash.