the phalaenopsis (moth) orchid in my parents' bedroom has flowered. i moved it to the living room for better visibility. when i first checked it i didn't see any mealybugs, but when i did a second check, that's when i saw a few hiding on the flowers. i sprayed with neem oil and removed the few that i saw. the problem i have with neem oil is i can't tell if its working. unlike the alcohol, where i can see the mealybugs lose their waxy coating, the effects of neem oil isn't readily visible.
i'm used to snacking at my parents' place but there wasn't nothing really to snack on other than some pistachios. that in turn made me take repeated trips into the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. it'll be better tomorrow since i plan on doing a lot of yard work (spraying the jasmines and gardenia with neem oil), so my time will be preoccupied with activities.
after dinner i returned to cambridge. there was still some light out, and the western horizon was still a gradient of colors. temperature had dropped back down into the 40's (it was in the 50's during the day), still cold enough that i zipped up my jacket, but my glasses stayed fog-free for the most part.
after using the bathroom, i flossed and brushed my teeth, which is another way to control late night snacking. unfortunately old habits die hard, and i finished some leftover pretzel crisps. i backed up some photos while at the same time looked for some long lost 2003 costa rica videos my father shot on digital8. he found a copy on cd-rom but the mov video file was corrupt. if we can find the original tape, we should be able to reimport them onto the mac again.