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the worst thing about making belgian waffles is that my waffle maker is so hard to clean. i'd make waffles more often if it wasn't for that problem, but what more should i expect from a $10 waffle maker? i didn't have waffle batter, but i did have a large bag of pancake mix, which is pretty much the same thing: 3/4 cup of pancake mix, one egg, and 1/2 cup of water into a mixing bowl, enough to make exactly 3 waffles. a little canned strawberry, a little whip cream, i had a nice respectable breakfast.

i got in touch with renata, who was coming over for a walk. before that happened though, i went to porter square to get some flowers (a clutch of five sunflowers for $5) to bring some life into the house then assembled the canvas wardrobe (that my mother brought me yesterday) for my bedroom (since my bedroom has no closet, and i've been having to hang all my shirts in the coat closet).

when renata arrived around 4pm, i saw her in her new hiking boots, these heavy looking things worn with thick socks, trying to break them in. she was afraid to walk into the house because she couldn't take off her shoes, but i told her it was quite alright to wear shoes inside the house, even putting on my own shoes so she wouldn't feel like she was the only one. she dumped out the content of her handbag in an attempt to lighten her load before we went out.

so we embarked on our latest walk. to be honest, i could be watching grass grow with renata and it'd be just as fun, but i guess framing our excursion under the context of a healthy walk around the neighborhood legitimizes our social activity. renata wanted some hills, so we tread through thickly settled somerville. i brought renata to the round house, one of my favorite pieces of architecture in the area. the poor house looked even more abandoned then when i saw it last time, all the windows boarded up now. we then walked to union square, which renata thought was inman square. the cool thing about union square which most people don't realize: on top of one of the buildings is an actual bonafide air raid siren (whether it still works, not sure). adam smith told me about it a while back, everytime i go by union square i like to look at it. we went to that street corner garden store, which surprisingly is a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. i was tempted to buy some basil and pepper plants, giving up on my attempts to grow them from seeds. we got some gatorade from a local convenience store in order to stay hydrated. what happened next devalued my stocks for the foreseeable future: i got renata to cross the busy street with me, but we got stuck and had to stay put for a few breathtaking seconds as cars raced in front and behind us. when we finally made to the relative safety of the sidewalk, renata seemed visibly stressed, and then for the rest of the evening, she wouldn't let me cross the street without her supervision.

we decided to walk to inman square, which wasn't too far where we were. so we went down washington street to beacon street, finally to inman square. along the way, renata showcased her latest musculature ("hmmm, nice biceps!"), concerned that perhaps one arm was more jacked than the other arm. we visited a few kitschy gift shops in inman, then decided to have dinner at o cantinho café. the decor of the restaurant was very cozy, orange walls, with lots of interesting paintings and framed mirrors. and we got their only window table. our waitress was super friendly and helpful, recognizing us as new customers and recommending some popular dishes. based on her recommendation, we got this appetizer of tomato with cheese in this spicy sauce we ate with bread. renata got the fried cod and shrimp salad, while i went with the pork loin. renata loved the food more than i did, i thought my entree was okay, but the appetizer was definitely the tastier dish. dinner conversation included what kind of paints they used for the walls and the windowsills, the moles on our bodies, and why i sometimes like seafood and then sometimes hate it.

after dinner, we walked back to my place, where renata got her stuff, and after a sweaty hug, renata left to go home.

the wiggles - look both ways