my database went down again last night after yet another hack attack. from my error log i could see various addresses pinging my website, trying to gain access to the admin site. at one point it must've gotten through because it brought down the server again. my best guess is just the way i write my sql queries, not the most efficient, and unduly taxes the shared server. this gave a chance to consolidate all my databases onto one single server, i'm hoping once that's done things will be back to normal again for the time being. otherwise, i have to write another note to the sysadmin, requesting a database query flush.

i created some more plastic growing pots. after checking my notes, i realized i used the awl trick before, except when i did that time, i didn't heat the awl. turns out heating is entirely unnecessary. just the friction of the awl turn generates its own heat; hard to get started, but once it drills down, it gets easier as the awl warms up. this is also good because i don't inhale any toxic melted plastic fumes, and afterwards i don't have to scrape off any metal burrs. once that was done, i filled the pots with potting mix.

a little bit of snow will fall overnight, so i put my bike in the basement. i was a little annoyed that somebody had left all the basement lights on again. i have a suspicion that the basement lights are tied to my utility bill. i checked the work that'd been done yesterday; steve and paul didn't replace their burner, but their water heater tank instead.

in the afternoon i went with my mother and sister to costco. my sister was stocking up on gluten-free foods, my mother was gathering cafe supplies. i didn't get anything myself, so in hindsight it was actually a wasted trip for me. after i returned home, i went to star market to deposit $2 worth of cans then bought a few things (teas, kitchen towels, smart food popcorn, macaroons).

i had a tasty snack of spicy hummus with baby carrots and chopped celery. there was actually a lot of hot pepper paste, not just the surprise, and the hummus itself was genuinely spicy in a very good way. i find hummus sort of bland, i prefer tzatziki (with pita bread) or tabouli (with melba toast). but if i was to get a hummus, i'd get this spicy kind for next time.

i heated up a stouffer's meal in the microwave for dinner, some salisbury steak with macaroni and cheese. can't remember the last time i had salisbury steak, unless you count that time we went to a persian restaurant and the kabob they served me was very similar. later in the evening, around midnight, i got hungry enough again that i ate a cup of maruchan instant noodles (chicken).