i woke up early, 8:30am, which surprised even me. typically i tend to get up earlier in the summertime, with more daylight. however that wasn't the case today, as it was very grey outside. grey and cold, as i could feel the chill from the open window next to my bed (66°F said my wireless weather monitoring station). that probably made me get up more than anything else. i didn't mind it though, i actually like the cold, something i'm beginning to realize more and more. actually, i only like the cold during the summer, because i know how hot it can get otherwise. anytime i have a chance to experience some cold temperature, i savor it.

i went to go use the bathroom but was in a hurry because i was worried GC would wake up at 9am, which has been his typical wake up time all this week. but it was all for naught, as he didn't wake up until 9:30am today. not even the bout of torrential morning downpours could wake him. he spent his usual amount of time in the bathroom, made some breakfast, then left a bit after 10am.

i gave the bathroom a thorough cleaning, scrubbing the tub and tiles, disinfecting the toilet bowl, and wipe down the accumulation of dirt on the outside windowsill. for lunch i had a yogurt and ate some raw strips of prosciutto. i thought the weather would get warmer but it never did. i left for belmont with the temperature in the lower 60's. i rode the bike in shorts but with a long-sleeved pullover because of the cold.

some animal had crashed through the raspberry patch, picking off the berries. it could be birds, but i like to think it was something bigger, like a skunk or a raccoon. while looking at the damage, i noticed a widow skimmer just sitting there. apparently the cold and wet weather had momentarily paralyzed the insect as it waited for the temperature to warm up. i first took a few hurried snapshots with my iphone, then went back inside to grab the dSLR. light condition was a bit dim and the photos were blurry, so i went inside and brought out the tripod so i could get some better photos.

i'd seen widow skimmers before, but usually not that close, and never for this long without it flying away. the body coloration said female but i knew it was an immature male from the white patches on the wings. i was out there for 20 minutes, adjusting the settings (ISO, aperture), using the shutter remote to trigger the camera whenever the wind died down. in the end i even managed to get the dragonfly to perch on my fingertip but that's when it awoke from its lethargy and managed to fly away. i also spotted another tiny mantis hiding in the raspberry patch.

elsewhere in the belmont backyard:

after dinner i biked back to cambridge. it was a race against time as it'd already started to rain (a very little drizzle), and i was worried it might get heavier and i'd get soaked. i got back in record time, and only slightly damp.

my 8TB seagate backup plus hub ($160) and my aquarius waterpik ($40) arrived today courtesy of amazon prime day. i brought them home with me (the waterpik strapped to the back of the bike) but have yet to use them until tomorrow so i can be alone. the waterpik seems especially decadent and will take up a considerable amount of bathroom counter space. but if it's going to give me healthier gums then it's worth it. i just don't like my roommate seeing it and judging me as a hedonistic bourgeois.

i won a 0.3W USB mini-torch flashlight keychain off of an ebay auction tonight for $1.26. the cheapest price without bidding is $1.45, so just a few cents of savings. i use these as head lights for biking, and one of the ones i currently have no longer carries a charge so i needed a replacement. i got this one because it's advertised as with flashing (which is important for biking purposes). it also gave me a chance to use up my ebay bucks, which was $1.16, so i only ended up paying a dime for the mini flashlight.