today was the start of my 2nd week delivering lunch to my grand uncle. i drove because it'd save time, and i planned on going to my parents' place afterwards. my 2nd aunt told me that my grand uncle called the cafe at 10am. my aunt rushed over, thinking it was an emergency. all my grand uncle wanted was for her to take away some dirty dishes. after my grand uncle finished eating, i helped my sister move a $25 sofa chair she'd bought from good will from her car. before i left, my 2nd aunt asked me to get some bean sprouts and carrots, and also to make some flan for my grand uncle. she also asked for tea eggs.
it was my first time in belmont with the thermostat set to 50°F. it wasn't that unbearable, but you wouldn't want to spend too much time here. there was a faint smell of heating oil, but could've just been my imagination. my sister had been here as well, because somebody had taken the mail, and her box of dog treats was missing. i opened the door to the sun room, as it was warmer in there than the rest of the house. i ended up having lunch here, fixed myself a pot of xi'an paomo. i don't think my parents eat it very much, and better for me to eat it (which i enjoy) before they expire.
i returned to cambridge, found a parking spot right in front of my house. there was definitely more spaces this morning, something must've happened during that time. i think the workers from the restaurants around the corner park here as well. i retrieved my bike from the basement and went to market basket for some groceries. i'd be eating tuna fish sandwiches all this week, but picked up some drinks, bananas, a bottle of drain cleaner, and the things my 2nd aunt needed. after dropping them off at the house, i rode down to the cafe to drop off the supplies by around 2:30pm.
i bought a bottle of earthworm family safe drain cleaner ($2.99). besides containing only environmentally-friendly and biodegradable ingredients, it also smells really nice, a citrus and sage blend. instruction said to only using 1/4 a bottle over the course of several days, preferably at night. i poured some down the drain around 6pm after i took a shower.
i finished watching hidden figures. i knew janelle monáe was in the movie, but was surprised to see mahershala ali as well. it's a easy film to watch, sort of a feel-good movie despite taking place in the segregated 60's.
i made myself a tuna fish sandwich for dinner while roasting a plate of asparagus in the oven. i tossed the asparagus shoots in 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of salt, and 2 cloves of chopped garlic, heated for 15 minutes at 425°F. they were good but maybe a little soggy. the best way to cook asparagus is to grill them in a pan to evaporate the moisture.
i bought a manufacturer refurbished roku streaming stick (2016 model 3600R) from groupon for $35. i bought a roku 3 (also manufacturer refurbished) last year but ended up giving it to my mother, who now uses it everyday to watch netflix and amazon prime. i have a chromecast, but the roku has a larger selection of programming (including amazon prime, which i can't chromecast to my tv). the roku will also allow me to get a bunch of cable channels (FX, AMC, USA, HBO) using my parents' verizon FIOS account. roku seemed to have updated the speed of the streaming stick, so now it's of comparable speed to the roku 3 (quad-core processor). the stick doesn't have 4K HD, but i don't have a 4K HDTV anyway (besides, i think 4K is just a marketing ploy to get people to upgrade their AV equipment).
karen came home around 8:30pm. she was then videochatting noisily in the kitchen with her boyfriend while making dinner. she went to bed around 10:30pm.