i left the house before 10am this morning to visit harbor freight in medford to get some tools. on a sunday morning with little traffic, the ride took 19 minutes via motorcycle. i got a set of titanium hex shank drill bit set ($6.99), 12in. stainless steel drywall taping knife ($9.99), and a inside drywall corner tool ($4.99). i also got some rare earth magnets ($2.99). the cashier was the guy i always see there and that i think he hates me for some reason. we had a more cordial exchange this time around.

i got back home by 10:40am, just long enough to grab my things and head out a few minutes later. i went to my parents' place where i had a crispy pancake rolled up with pork floss for lunch. i also brought the leftover cod chowder bruce gave me last night. even though it had a strong fishy smell (it's made from fish after all), after i warmed it up on the stove, it tasted pretty good, i really like the salted fish. my mother tried some as well, said it was pretty good too. we did however find two bones in the chowder - like cat whiskers. i probably could've swallowed them without problems, but after the first bone, i ate the rest of the chowder very carefully. by the time my father got out of the bathroom i'd finished all the soup so he didn't get to experience any.

around noontime i went with my mother on a walk to star market to get some groceries. it was also a chance to check out more autumn flowers and plants. we bought so many things, i ended up calling my father so he could come and pick us up. after loading the groceries into the trunk, my mother and i decided to walk back home instead.

we got back to the house by 2:30pm. there was a patriots-browns game at 1pm that i was missing most of the first half but i'd already checked the score and knew new england was winning.

around 4pm my father set up the wok burner in the backyard again to cook some raw jumbo shrimps my mother had bought from star market. he'd set up a wok cooking station, with all the prepared ingredients and two metal pots, one for waste water and oil, the other filled with cleaning water. both pots were actual salvages: they had micro holes at the base from corrosion that we managed to seal up with JB weld epoxy yesterday.

i had the infrared thermometer and was taking temperature readings. the wok averaged around 300-350°, but got as hot as 450°. which such high heat, the actual cooking time was pretty quick. cooked any longer and the food would be burnt.

it wasn't really salt & pepper shrimp because my father didn't flour the shrimps beforehand, they were simply stir-fried. the shrimp shells made give them a crisp anyway, but my father said he should've fried them first to make them crispier. the shrimps had a delicious smokey taste to them which can only be achieved through high heat cooking. i ate everything including the shells (leaving just a bit of tail behind) while my parents only ate the shrimp flesh inside. afterwards i found some youtube videos of people cooking salt & pepper shrimps over a wok to get some inspiration for next time.

later for dinner my mother made some beef noodle soup with thin korean noodles. i personally prefer the thicker noodles, as these thin noodles are notorious for absorbing all the broth.

i left around 7pm. once again, i didn't do any bathroom work today, besides getting some more tools. but have no doubt it's constantly on my mind, as i rehearse my next steps in my head over and over again. i'll do some work tomorrow night, and then i have all of tuesday to work.

sunday meant house of the dragon, i didn't realize it was the penultimate episode. no rhaenyra or daemon tonight, it was all about intrigues in king's landing after the death of viserys. the hightower faction enact secret plans to install aegon as the new king instead of princess rhaenyra, who was chosen by viserys to be his heir. that ending was insane, when princess rhaenys - who's been held captive ever since the king's death - escapes on her dragon to warn rhaenyra and daemon about the palace coup. rhaenys' motivations have always been hard to read, but ultimately her loyalty is to her family. only one more episode left in this season!