i had sweet buttercup squash rice porridge for lunch in belmont. afterwards i examined all the plants in the house for insect pests. i sprayed neem oil extract on the orchids and hot peppers and small potted jasmines in the bathtub. in the basement i sprayed neem oil on the cactus tips and spot treated the gardenia and larger potted jasmines. aphids like the tender new shoots of the cactuses, while mealybugs like to hide in the jasmine and gardenia leaves. i only saw one potted jasmine with some mealybug crusts in a branch which i sprayed. basically, wearing just trying to keep the plants alive until the weather gets warm enough again that we can put them back outside.

i went to the backyard in the afternoon to fly the drone. i wasn't planning on it because it was so windy, but my sister was home with her dog and i wanted to see if hailey would notice the drone. she only glanced at it briefly when it was on the ground (she probably though it was a sprinkler toy) and then didn't pay any attention to it when it was in the air. i didn't go very far or very high, up to 200ft maximum as i didn't want the wind to blow the drone away. windy conditions make the drone louder than usual (as it fights to counteract the breeze), which in turn might attract more attention. my dji fly app did freeze up a few times though, not sure why even though i was within eyesight of the drone. i don't think it's a drone (hardware) issue, more like a software issue, maybe the controller is not 100% compatible with my pixel 3XL phone (even though on their website it said it was). i heard that putting in the phone in plane mode helps with the reception. when i brought the drone in for a land, the moment it was about to touch down, it suddenly attracted the attention of hailey who ran up to the drone to intercept it. i was able to shoo her otherwise, otherwise she'd get hurt from the still spinning propellers.

the browns-chiefs game was in the afternoon, i thought it'd start later. i was rooting for cleveland and they played well, but a costly turnover robbed them of a touchdown in the first quarter and kansas city scored just enough points to run out the clock in the second half to win the game. i love this browns team, i'll root for them again next year. patrick mahomes suffered a concussion in the 2nd half. the takedown didn't even look that bad, but maybe he got some whiplash. his legs were wobbly when his teammates picked him up and he had a look on his face that he didn't know where he was. i'm not a mahomes fan, but it was scary and not something i wished had happened. now his start for next sunday might be in jeopardy, in that case the bills are in a good position to win the AFC.

i brought ingredients for making korean street toast for dinner. my mother was cooking with me because i never made 3 sandwiches at the same time and i wasn't fast enough for her liking. i'm not a fan of korean street toast, but my mother was curious to try it, and i needed to use up my ingredients. she helped me chop the vegetables, toast the bread in the toaster oven, and cook the ham with melted cheese. i think i was more directing than actually cooking. the end result were some messy sandwiches.

i biked home after dinner. the buccaneers-saints game had already started. i was rooting for the new orleans, as i don't want brady to advance any further in the playoffs. but the saints weren't sharp, throws kept on getting dropped, and towards the end drew brees kept getting picked off. this may also be brees' last game, as he's eyeing retirement, which is the rumor that's been floating around. tampa bay won the game, i hope green bay can take care of them next sunday. i do not want to see brady in the super bowl!

my belgium double salt licorice arrived today in the mail. i know i'm not supposed to eat black licorice because they cause high blood pressure, but they're so good, maybe in moderate, they're my secret vice. it beats buying them locally at cardullo's in harvard square, where they're more expensive. these i paid $15 for 4 packages of venco double salt (6.1 oz.). my ultimate favorite is tyrkisk peber, maybe i'll get them next time.

after the game i took a shower. i can't wait to go to bed, where i can continue reading the doors of eden, the new adrian tchaikovsky novel. his children of time is one of the best scifi stories i've ever read, so naturally i was very excited about his new book, which i didn't know was out.