a part of me wanted to find an excuse not to run this morning, but another part of me wanted to go out. temperature was already in the 70's, warm but a dry heat, with a breeze that wasn't so bad in the shade. i didn't leave until 10:50am, walking down to the charles river, listening to a 20th anniversary the wire podcast.

i did something different today, i activated outdoor running workout directly from my fitness band instead of activating it from the phone, which is what i normally do. the mi band did a countdown and vibrated to let me know it was working. it also told me that gps enabled (which i took as a good sign, since it sync'ed up with my phone, even though the phone didn't vibrate like it normally does when i activate running). i switched to an 80's station when i started running, didn't want the podcast to end and i couldn't skip to the next episode. i did an intermittent run like before, trying to run a bit longer, build up my endurance. this is only my 3rd time running after a long hiatus! i forgot to bring gum, hopefully i'll remember for next time.

once i made my loop around the river, i stopped the workout on my fitness band. it showed that i ran a little over 2 miles, and it did something else that i'd never seen before: it traced my run and showed it as a little image on the fitness map. it never did this when i activate from the phone (or maybe i've never noticed). it's probably a mi band 6 thing, since the LED touchscreen has a higher resolution.

i walked back home. i picked up 2 1020 mesh garden trays that somebody had thrown out (people usually get these free when they buy plants from a nursery). i used the bathroom when i got back home, checking my run data on the mi fitness app.

my first mile took me 10 minutes, my second mile nearly 9 minutes. this includes walking. one of my goal is to hit a 7 minute mile, which back when i used to run was the gold standard (though hard to measure given the limitation of the fitness tracking technology). another goal is to actual run a full 3 miles, which means i need to start running from my house.

i threw a chicken cordon bleu in the oven while i took a shower. afterwards - since i was still waiting for my food to finish baking (40 minutes) - decided to wash the tub and bathroom wall tiles: soft scrub from the tub, foaming bubble bleach for the tiles. after rinsing clean, i poured half a container of drain-o gel down the drain as it's been slow to empty recently.

i was monitoring the cafe remotely. it was already 12:20pm and they barely got any business, which is a surprise given that it was such a nice day today. but after that it started to get busy, and by the end of the day they made 15% more than they did last tuesday. it could be another busy week. where these customers are coming from is a mystery. there aren't many offices nearby, maybe the astrophysics center, maybe radcliffe campus, but even that is a bit of a hike. maybe just people working from home, ordering lunch and cold drinks on a hot day.

in the afternoon i biked down to market basket. somerville is doing road repairs on park street, i so had to get off my bike and walk it on the sidewalk and get a police officer's attention to cross to the other side. i decided tonight i'd be making pulled pork since there was a sale on pork butt ($2.49/lbs). i ended up getting a large 4lbs. portion.

after coming home i went to the community garden to water my plants. i was also planting 4 chinese aster seedlings. live or die i don't know, but they can't survive in my sunlight deprived backyard deck. ann was there, i sometimes think she lives in the garden. i was hoping to bump into dave whos seems to visit the garden in the late afternoons, but the few occasions i've come around this time of the day, i seemed to have missed him. i also saw liting - who thankfully waved to me first because i didn't recognize her. after planting my asters, i cut up plastic cups to use as protective collars. i then watered my plot, making sure not to rinse off the diatomaceous earth powder i sprayed on the eggplants and ground cherry.

i returned home by 5pm. i boiled some water in the electric kettle and poured it down the bathtub drain. i could hear it gurgle, hopefully that's a good sign.

after 7pm i started making my pulled pork. the recipe i found called for a dry rub first. afterwards i seared the pork inside the instant pot (on the sautee setting) before adding a can of chicken stock and a bit of worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke. i then had to pressure cook it on high for the next hour, starting at 8:15pm, with 20 more minutes of natural release. it wasn't ready until 10pm.

i removed the pork (so tender it was starting to crumble) and shredded them in a bowl. the remaining liquids i poured into a quart-size yogurt container, to be thrown out. i removed enough pulled pork for two sandwiches, then i mixed the pork with a spicy barbecue sauce. i added a bit more sauce to the pulled pork once it was on the buns, topped with some nathan's sweet horseradish pickles and a side of coleslaw.

i didn't eat until almost 10:30pm. i started with the coleslaw, market basket brand, nothing too impressive. the pulled pork was okay but could've used even more sauce. despite all the spices in the dry rub, the pork itself tasted rather bland. to be honest, unless the meat is destined for the grill, a dry rub is just a waste. i think the pork would've had more flavor if i used a marinade or a brine. cooking it in the instant pot was a waste of dry rub. the recipe also called for chicken stock, but since i don't use the leftover liquids for anything else, i wonder if i could use just water instead.

i finished watching the first episode of season 3 of for all mankind. new episodes are released every friday. later i took a shower, the bathtub drain emptying rapidly like there was no blockage.