i wasn't expecting it to rain overnight but that it did. it was torrential and i at one point heard thundering. my bedroom window was opened, i was too lazy to close it, and the sound didn't bother me too much. i had two thoughts: 1) our rain barrels are going to get filled and 2) i forgot to put the cover on my motorcycle.

with kevin sleeping so late last night, i wasn't surprised to be the first person awake this morning. the rain had already stopped but the sidewalks and streets were still wet. my motorcycle seemed unaffected. i called my father asking if the rain barrels had filled up. he said they were only have full, which was a surprise. later i'd find out that despite what sounded like a lot of rain late last night, the official rainfall count in boston was only 0.16".

even though i got my new homeowner insurance through geico, the provider is actually a company called travelers. when i tried to create a new geico it wouldn't let me, said the policy number as wrong (it also asked for a vehicle policy number, when it's a homeowner policy). when i went to the travelers website though, it did allow me to create an account with the policy number, although there wasn't much info to be had since my new policy wouldn't start until next week. so i called their hotline and was confused when they said it was geico. i spoke to a nice agent and asked her about canceling my old policy with a different insurance company, something about an LPR form. she said they had a standard cancellation form she could send me, all i had to do was write the old policy number, sign and date it, and then send it to my old insurance company. she said they'd only automatically take care of any homeowner insurance changes if i was still under mortgage, otherwise i need to take care of it myself.

so i printed out the form, signed it, put it through my scanner converting it into a pdf, then sending it to my old insurance company. my old agent said he'd send the form to company headquarters, where i assume they'd cancel my old policy. all of this gave me a sense of deja vu: i had to do the same thing when i switched my motorcycle insurance from commerce to progressive back in 2011. that was a smart move, i now only pay $121 annually for my motorcycle insurance. likewise, making the switch to geico/travelers for my homeowner insurance will save me a ton of money in the long run.

my father asked for my help in getting some acrylic boards that've been in storage at the cafe basement. i told him i'd go to market basket first then meet him at the cafe afterwards.

somehow i forgot to put my bicycle under the tarp and the seat was soaked. fortunately i had a plastic bag stowed underneath the saddle and used it to keep my butt dry as i pedaled to the supermarket. i was surprised to see a coronavirus testing station had been set up by the rear parking lot with several tents housing nurses and patients. there was also a small line in front of market basket (unlike last time when there was no line), just half a dozen people, i only had to wait a minute or two. i didn't get much, just some snacks, some fruits, some italian sausages with fennel for my mother. i returned to my house to drop off my things before riding down to the cafe.

these acrylic panels would be used for making sneeze guards for the cafe once my parents are ready to open it back up again. after we took measurements of the countertop, we went down to the basement to get the plexiglass. there were 3 pieces stacked on top of each other on a top shelf. we had to use ladders to get them down one at a time. they were all the size same, 2-1/2' x 5'4". there were some scratches but otherwise in good condition. they were also thick, 3/8". one board would be cut to make the sneeze guard for the cash register, while an entire other panel would be used as is on the countertop facing out to the door. my sister showed up and said her friend jeff could cut it for us (just hope he cuts it on the right end, he's not a very detail-oriented handyman). there was one remaining sheet of plexiglass that could be used as a replacement for my glass coffee table top, but i'd still prefer custom glass even if it does cost me $160 (heck, with the money i saved from switching my homeowner insurance, i had enough cash to cover the cost of a replacement glass top).

while my father was cleaning the acrylic boards, i rewired the nest thermostat from heating to cooling. the temperature inside the cafe was a warm 82°F when we arrived. how we wired it for heat was kind of a hack using a 24VAC transformer plug. the hack doesn't allow us to have both heating and cooling so come summertime we had to rewire for cooling mode. i had to look up the wiring diagram on my blog, as i forgot which wire was which, even though they were all labeled with masking tape. the 4 wires for heating (Rh, W1, Rc, C) was switched for the 4 wires for cooling (Y1, Rc, G, C). i need to write this down somewhere so anybody can do it if they need to because right now i'm the only person who knows the wiring pattern. afterwards i put the nest thermostat back onto the wallplate and it started working again, this time cooling the cafe into the upper 70's. we also finally turned off the furnace in the basement, this officially concluding the heating season for the cafe.

earlier my 2nd aunt had called me asking for a copy of the first page of her 2019 1040 tax form. she needed it for something housing related. i biked home, printed out her form, then took the motorcycle to her place. because it's a senior home, i'm not allowed to go inside, so i stood outside waiting for her to come downstairs. i haven't seen my aunt since february, went she went back to taiwan to look after my grandmother on her final days. since she's been back, the cafe's been closed, so there was no opportunities for us to meet. i gave her the tax forms, she gave me a bag of dried prunes she had saved up. since the gas station was nearby, i also filled up the tank, i believe the first time since taking my bike out of winter storage.

back at home, i covered up my motorcycle (also the first time this season). while my chicken sausages were cooking in the toaster oven, i went to go adjust my bicycle seat. when i rode it to boston, i found it still leaning too far forward and maybe the seat can be adjusted so it wasn't so far back. i had a hex wrench yesterday but it was the wrong size (5mm, should be 5.5mm). after adjusting it, i took it for a short ride on the street, it felt much better.

finally by 2:40pm i had lunch, some more chicken sausage oatmeal. it felt weird eating on the coffee table with a glass top, but i had some cork trivets.

i spent the rest of the day at home in my underwear, trying to keep cool. the room temperature was 80°F, the stifling humidity was no relief either. i briefly thought about putting in the window AC (i saw bruce earlier who asked if i had it in yet) but i don't normally put it in until we experience or first heatwave, so not until july and sometimes into august. whenever i felt particularly sticky, i take a quick hot shower.

i'm more active when it's hot outside, but i also seem to lose my appetite in the heat as well, both factors contributing to my summertime weight loss. i'm not complaining, but the appetite thing i noticed today. it was getting late and i was even hungry, thought maybe i could go the entire day with just a lunch. i did snack a little bit, some salty sunflowers seeds, a few pieces of aldi's knockoff slim jim meat jerkies. i made myself have dinner, feeling that it was wrong to just have one meal today. i was going to make a meatball sub but it was so hot i didn't want to fuss around in the kitchen. instead, i sprayed some pizza rolls onto the toaster oven pan and had those for dinner.

7 more days!

unlike last night, kevin brushed his teeth around midnight (with the bathroom door open, which is his habit), then lights out by 1am. i'm still not sure what was going on yesterday. but now that he's asleep means i can get some early sleep as well, but don't know how well i'll be in bed with this high humidity.