people like him, 8.25.25

i had to drop off a package at fedex after filling up on gas at costco. as the package was getting weighed, a fedex driver walks in the lobby and asks the worker who is scanning my qr code if they sell apples here. he tells the driver they do, to which the driver responds he feels a little funny. they both smile as he takes off. once he leaves, the guy scanning my qr code says ‘thank God for people like him.’ he says it’s good to be at work with light-hearted people. i agree 100%. afterwards, i drove to richardson’s to get a cup of milky way. the drive was beautiful as it had rained for 30 minutes then cleared up in time for the sunset.

there’s nothing like it.

-ratha, 7:46pm, 8.25.25

jokes at papa gino’s, 8.24.25

i was craving pizza and chicken tenders and the only place that serves both is papa gino’s. i pulled up to the one in stoneham to make an order. as i was sitting down, an older couple walks in. the guy comes up to me and says the red sox are losing to the yankees. i’ve never seen him before but i responded by saying that’s strange because the red sox have been whooping the yankees all year. he goes to order with who i assume to be his wife and he comes back and tells me a joke. he says a guy goes to vegas and sees a beautiful woman. he gives her $100 bucks for a drink and tells her he wants to marry her. they get married, but 2 weeks into the marriage, he finds out she’s dumb, so he tells her she has to learn something before he gets back from work that night. when he gets home, he asks what she learned. she says she knows all the capitals of every state in the usa. thinking how he doesn’t know that, he was impressed so he asked her what’s the capital of idaho. she says “i” lmaoooo. a few moments pass and he comes back with another joke. he says mickey and minnie mouse were getting a divorce. when he told the lawyer, the lawyer responded to mickey “is it because she’s fucking crazy?” and mickey says “no, it’s because she’s fucking goofy.” lmaoooooo. as my food came out and i was eating, we engage in more conversation beyond jokes. he asks where i’m from, i said i grew up in north carolina. he says he was stationed there for some time, then lists a lot of the places he was stationed. he said he grew up in stoneham and came back after all his military experiences. he said that the girls in beverly were always pretty but they were all crazy lol. they eventually got their order and left to watch the ending of the yankees and red sox game, but it was quite an entertaining interaction while it lasted.

i’m going to keep his two jokes to pass to others because they were clever lol.

-ratha, 9:03pm, 8.24.25

bogo saturdays, 8.23.25

today was the last day of chipotle bogo so you know i had to cash that out. after that, i was on my way to cambridge to work to use the printer. between afterhours last night and this afternoon, i printed almost 2000 pages of writing for the rdl365 project. that’s over 600 pieces of writing, 3 pages each, so i can transfer them to the blackout treatment. the first step was transferring the thoughts. the second step was printing. the third step will be to blackout the negative space. the fourth and final step will be to scan and upload each. i’m hoping to get them all done by mid-october, if not early-november. things are difficult with commuting and working, but the things that need to get done need to get done.

one day soon i’ll be able to do this full-time and support myself, but as of now, we embrace the obstacles as they stand.

-ratha, 3:23pm, 8.23.25

mid-2000’s vibes, 8.22.25

i went to eat at wendy’s tonight by my house. i sat and ate and it felt like i was back in 2008. also, when i arrived, there were two additional tables with people eating inside. i feel like i’ve written it before, but i’ll write it again: i miss the days when people would eat inside fast food restaurants. it’s so fire. sure, at other restaurants they serve you, but honestly, i don’t like being served. i like to get up, walk around, get the things i need when i want them. with a place like wendy’s, i can get up and get ketchup when i need it, napkins, refill my drink, etc., etc. the lady who took my order came up to me and said she like the crocs i was wearing. she asks if they’re comfortable and i tell her absolutely, all i wear are crocs whether it be to work, to the gym, or on a walk. i finish my meal and began to head home. as soon as i walked out the door, it was 2025 again and i began to miss the nostalgia.

i gotta come back, not only for the food, but for the vibes.

-ratha, 8:22pm, 8.22.25

in the backseat with bagel, 8.21.25

after doing two rounds at ipswich with bagel, he hopped in the backseat and i hopped in with him. i laid down and scrolled on my phone for 10 or so minutes with the door open. the weather was perfect. to our left about 50 feet was a guy in a chair sitting behind his pick-up truck on his phone. i’ve seen him here on a few occasions parked in the same spot doing the same thing. he has a drink with him as well that he’ll pick up from time to time. sometimes i feel like he’s the only one who understands me lol. after a while, i got up to drive home because 5pm is dinner time and bagel was overdue by almost an hour.

-ratha, 6:24pm, 8.21.25

airport mornings, 8.20.25

i dropped my uncle and my aunties off at the airport today. it’s always sad saying see you later, but it’s always good memories when family visits. i just stepped into work and immediately got hit by a wave of exhaustion. at least there’s free lunch today, so we’ll take all the blessings we can get.

thank God.

-ratha, 12:20pm, 8.20.25

parties at the house, 8.19.25

my uncle and 4 of my aunties have been visiting us since last wednesday. tonight’s their last night and my parents had a party. they invited 10-15 people. i ended up falling asleep for a nap after the park with bagel before the guests came. it was 8:30pm when i woke up to laughter and the smell of food. i walked bagel downstairs to let him out and he was so excited to see everybody. he loves people so much and it warms my heart seeing people embrace him. i ate some lemongrass beef skewers which were to die for, then washed it down with some water. i’ve been trying to do 100 oz a day and it’s been good for me, though i’m peeing 5-8 times a day. feels like i always have to take a leak, lmao. it was 11:30pm when guests started leaving. the older cambodian community has the best values and everybody moves like family, i love it. a full house with laughter, good food, and good company is something i try not to take for granted.
these are good moments.

nights like this are good nights.

-ratha, 11:53pm, 8.19.25

treats from mr. jerry, 8.18.25

i was at ipswich with bagel today. the weather is beginning to feel like fall. am i ready for fall? no. will it still come? yes. i feel like i haven’t done much this summer. it’s all been a blur of routine until two weeks ago when i went to los angeles, but that’s besides the point. the weather was nice, and we got in two rounds. as we’re approaching the sequoia, an animal control officer gets out of his truck and asks if i bagel was a beagle mix. bagel gets that a lot, and i can see why lol. i told bagel years ago he’s racially ambiguous like his father. i get to talking to the animal control officer whos name is mr. jerry. he tries to give bagel some treats, but bagel is too focused on marking his territory that he doesn’t eat them. mr. jerry had two beagles and said he loves animals, saying that you have to love animals to work animal control. that made me feel good because i love animals, too and it’s awesome that he’s working in something he’s passionate about. work must not feel like work most times for him, and that’s amazing. after our conversation, bagel was hungry so we headed home. i fed him dinner and gave him the treats as a dessert. afterwards, he looked at me wanting more, but those three pieces from mr. jerry was all i had.

i’ll have to get the name of them next time i see him.

-ratha, 6:24pm, 8.18.25

catching up to nothing, 8.17.25

whether it’s the writing, the music, or something else, i always feel like i’m behind with the creative endeavors. there’s no time for downtime as there is always something to do. it’s a bad thing at times because it can be overwhelming and i can get burnt out. the good thing though is that there is always something to do and when there’s always something to do, there’s always progress to be made. tonight, like many nights, progress is being made. it doesn’t feel like it most nights, but i have this delusional belief that it’ll pay off. as far as when? only God knows, but i hope it’s sooner rather than later. there’s a saying i read recently that said progress is feels like nothing is happening until it all happens at once. it was written more poetic than that, but you get the gist.

from the outside, it may seem like nothing is happening, but trust when i say we’re up to something.

-ratha, 4:32pm, 8.17.25

the noah trilogy, 8.16.25

i really enjoy noah’s collaboration with timex. they’re fun, tank-style watches that go with anything. plus, their cheaper so it makes me feel better about wearing them on the daily. i got the third one in today, their newest release, which has a dark brown band with a silver bezel. though i do like the moon phase complication, i think i’d rather them have a sun/moon complication like their black/gold iteration. still, it’s a nice watch that i’m glad to have. plus, shipping was super quick. i ordered it on thursday and it came today.

i didn’t even get a shipping email lmao.

-ratha, 5:42pm, 8.16.25