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i've finally gotten used to my new kitchen LED recessed lights. the first few days after i initially installed them last week, i was still getting used to the slight color shift (2700k vs 3000k). but now they seem perfectly normal, and i can't tell the difference between the new lights and old lights anymore. the bulbs are only set to 80% via dimmer switches, so it's kind of amazing that they can be even brighter yet use just a quarter of the electricity. i really can't wait to see my next electricity bill, although to be honest, with longer summer days, i don't open my kitchen lights all that much. if i really want to see a change in my electricity bill, i might want to replace that old fridge from the early 90's: not energystar compliant and condenses water out a back hose.

i made an english muffin egg and chicken sausage sandwich for lunch today. i cooked the egg in some butter on a small frying pan while baking the chicken sausage pieces in the toaster oven. later i toasted the english muffin. every time i eat chicken sausages i wonder to myself: what are the casing made from? can't be from chicken (they have small intestines), but i can't imagine they'd be from some other animal either. whatever the answer might be, it won't stop be from enjoying delicious chicken sausages!

eversource sent me certified mail last week with an urgent message to get my gas pipes inspected. apparently they do this every 3 years. the letter said they exhausted all their efforts to reach me and this was the final notice before they might be forced to shut off my gas service due to uninspected pipes. however, i just had my gas meter replaced back in early february, so wouldn't they have tested it then? so i finally called them this morning. the woman i spoke with said i didn't need an inspection since i just had my meter replaced, but she had to confirm this with her supervisor, and told me she'd call me back. less than an hour later i got a call but i didn't find out until much later. she didn't leave a message, so i'm assuming it was just to tell me i didn't need an inspection.

when i used the bathroom this morning, there was no more bloody stool. was this an end to my rectal issue? only time will tell. hemorrhoids are finicky things due to where they're typically situated, an area of the body that gets stretched daily.

i went to the community garden in the early afternoon to plant the vegetables i picked up yesterday: thai basil, thai chili pepper, and a bush goliath tomato. this late in the season they don't sell six packs anymore (at least not at home depot), as any seedlings of that size wouldn't have enough time to reach maturity. unlike last time, there was actually another gardener there, an older woman whom i haven't seen before working in a centrally located plot. she wasn't one of those friendly gardeners, never bothered to say any greetings. later a gay couple wandered into the garden, sat on a park bench for a while, admiring the scenery before leaving. although there were a bunch of seedlings in the pepper and basil plants, i didn't bother separating them out, but instead plant the whole thing. i also spent some time supporting the larkspurs and hollyhocks with tomato cages, as they seemed to be toppling from growing too tall and thin. after watering my garden i walked back home.

i biked to belmont around 2pm. i was hoping to take out the motorcycle today. i found the battery still trickle-charging in the house and installed it back onto the bike. there shouldn't have been an battery issues but i couldn't get the bike to start. i decided to wait until my father returned home, maybe the bike needed to be leveled in order for the engine to kick in after a 6 month hiatus.

when my parents returned home around 3:30pm, my father and i were out in the backyard pruning some bushes. the lilacs were overgrown and need a trimming, and some stray walnuts and maples needed to be cut down (walnut in particular was overshadowing a hydrangea plant that never saw enough sun to bloom).

we had chinese dumplings for dinner. earlier i finished the bag of lychees (lizhi) i brought back from new york. afterwards we ordered new solar shades online for the sun room after taking some final measurements. the final cost turned out to be $450, $65 of which was additional shipping since one of the roller shades was oversized.1 they're scheduled to arrive the first week of july. once we install them the sunroom will be usable again, as currently the southern-facing room is too hot ever since we uninstalled the old roller shades last year.

my father helped me restart the motorcycle. the trick was turning on the choke, something i'd completely forgotten about. but as the two cars were already in the driveway, it would've been too much hassle to get the bike out from the garage, so i decided to retrieve it another day (most likely saturday). i'm not particularly itching to get back on the motorcycle. despite it's small size, it's still a hassle to find a good parking spot in my neighborhood. and at least one neighbor has already complained when i park defensively and take up a whole car spot. also, motorcycles are inherently dangerous, and i've become quite risk adversed the older i get. but maybe all that will change once i get back on the honda. it just takes one ride to fall back in love with motorcycling again.


1 original quote price from the local installer for 5% sheer weave was $793; $935 with clutch drive