halo l’s, 8.23.23

they released the halo kobe 8’s this morning on snkrs. it was the quickest l i ever did receive. at least i won some yeezy slides over the weekend on confirmed, but damn, just a few years ago nobody was rocking kobes, smh.

-ratha, 9:55am, 8.23.23

boba tea, 8.22.23

i’m not one to drink boba tea, but there is a place in austin that is one of the top spots for boba. it’s called chicha san chen, which pretty much sounds on brand lol. i decided to check it out. i’m always so caught off guard at these places because the menu is overwhelming. it’s like sugar level, ice level, toppings, what type of tea, what type of flavor, etc. i got the high mountain pouchong tea with passion fruit, coconut jelly, perfect sugar, and less ice. shit was fuegoooooooo. this drink might’ve made me a believer. it was damn near $8 though. i thought about getting another one, but i stopped myself because i’ve been going in this past week. both financially and calorically. i took a picture of the tea because maybe i can find some back home in boston.

it’s hella asians there so it’s gotta be some pouchong somewhere.

-ratha, 3:07pm, 8.22.23

blue hole regional, 8.21.23

in wimberly, texas, there is a natural swimming park called blue hole regional park. after securing a morning reservation from 9am-1pm, we pulled up around 11am. it was beautiful. it wasn’t as packed, i’m assuming due to it being a monday. blue hole regional’s swimming area is this 20-foot-wide river-like body of water that you can swim or float in. the water was cold, but it was warmer than barton springs. on one side, they have metal rings where people can jump/swing into the river. a lot of people were doing it, even kids. i thought about it, then i chickened out. instead, i opted to swim from side to side. i miss swimming, so you know i’m taking advantage every chance i get. the park ranger said they’re in a drought and that if the water level deceases 4 more inches, they’d have to shut down. he told us to look across and see the white line on the root of the trees. he said that was where the water levels should be, which was 2-3 feet higher than what it was now. when i hit these places to swim, i always see people with floaties and think to myself how much fun it would be just to float around. i never seem to be able to think ahead in terms of purchasing one before arrival, but maybe i should purchase one at home and bring it with me.

i keep telling myself next time and i really hope it is next time.

-ratha, 2:31pm, 8.21.23

rooftop pools, 8.20.23

i get so scared of heights. we went to the rooftop pool today, which is on the 33rd floor. my heart was racing, and legs were losing feeling as i was walking around the pool. the view is no doubt beautiful, but i kept thinking of what would happen if the building fell. like would it be better to be on the first floor or the top floor? the first floor would get crumbled, but maybe being on the top would be beneficial because nothing would fall on top of you? but then you do fall 33 floors… anyways, once my anxiety calmed down, i walked around in the pool for 15-20 minutes. it only went as deep as 4 feet, but i still enjoyed being in the water.

definitely need an in-ground pool in my future house.

-ratha, 10:42pm, 8.20.23

saturdays in atx, 8.19.23

woke up early. went to barton springs. difficult to find parking but ended up finding a spot. walked to the water. set things on the side of the bench. got in the water. cold af. swam from side to side twice. noticed two turtles in the water by the greenery. two girls on floaties laughing at each other. one of them had their floaty popped. the other laughed and her’s popped minutes later. walked around barton springs. watched dogs play with their owners. went home. hung out. got ready for dinner. drove to uchi. same valet company as natiivo. ate sushi. ate chicken. ate a5 wagyu with a hot stone. came home. changed. drove to the domain. beautiful shopping area. walked into reformation. walked to gongcha. browsed nordstrom. saw dogs. saw kids playing. walked up to zara and aritzia. played arcade game at aritzia. went to target to pick up a few things. bought pedialyte. bought big red soda. drank big red otw home. showered. missed bagel.

now writing.

-ratha, 11:32pm, 8.19.23

austin, 8.18.23

touched down in austin bright and early this morning. they gave us a free upgrade to a 4runner for our rental. i always wanted to drive one, but never got the chance to because i drive a sequoia. i like it, so far. it’s smooth and the middle console storage is spacious. austin is mad hot, but it’s dry heat, which i would argue is better than the humidity we experience in the south. we checked-in to the airbnb. it’s like a high-rise condo, but with individual rentals. there’s no on-premises parking with the exception of valet, which is 40+/night! though expensive, there was no other viable option. driving looking for dinner, we came across in n out burger. i never liked in n out, but i was surprised to find one here out of all places. the burger and fries were cheeks (as i remembered them from my times in southern california), but the sweet tea was incredible. they had self-serve lemon slices like vapiano’s used to have so you know i took advantage. i’m writing this from 20 floors up looking out the window at cars driving by on the freeway on a warm, warm friday evening in austin, texas.

i’m about to fall asleep, but i don’t miss anything about boston at all with the exception of bagel and the people, but really those don’t have anything to do with boston itself…

relocation, maybe?

-ratha, 10:46pm, 8.18.23

the albino squirrel, 8.17.23

i know i’ve mentioned the albino squirrel on here before, but i get so excited every time i see him (or her). i’ll always spot the albino squirrel, then it’ll be a few months before i see him again, so it’s always exciting when i do get to see him. i spotted him rummaging through my neighbor’s trash can on the way to work this morning. i took a picture that i’ll send to my mom once i touch down in the lab. he was my mom’s pet before bagel moved up here.

it’s good to know he’s doing well and that he’s getting the most important meal of the day in bright and early.

-ratha, 9:09am, 8.17.23

longevity secrets, 8.16.23

i’m reading this book i bought in november of 2021. it’s called the forever dog, and it’s written to assist dog owners in giving their dogs the healthiest, longest life possible. the premise of the book revolves around different types of pollution and carcinogens our dogs are exposed to, and how to better handle them through epigenetics and diet. bagel has a vet appointment at the end of the month, and my goal is to finish the book by then and have an honest discussion with my vet. one interesting thing i read today was that some guy broke the world record of having the longest living cat twice. on peculiar thing he did was drop red wine into his cats’ eyes. though this isn’t recommended, it is suspected that an ingredient in the wine, resveratrol, was partially to credit for his cats living so long. resveratrol is an antioxidant found in japanese knotweed. it has many benefits including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular benefits, and it has been shown to help in depression and cognitive decline. i definitely have to do more research, but i am definitely thinking of getting bagel a supplement of this.

if you’re reading this and have a dog, definitely read the forever dog.
it’ll help your dog, and even you.

-ratha, 6:24pm, 8.16.23

hours in the sequoia, 8.15.23

i had to go in early for a biotinylation at work this morning. i got up at 5:50am and left the crib at 6:13am. at this hour, there’s usually little traffic. it was raining this morning so it was much different. i didn’t touchdown until 7:15am, which was an hour of commutes. i also got stuck behind a truck backing up into the lot across from cambridge pd for 5 or so minutes. everything was frustrating this morning. that’s when i came up with a new rule. it takes an hour each way to get to and from work. that’s around 2 hours total, which equates to roughly 10 hours weekly. the new rule is to work on music and writing at least as much as i commute during the week. an hour here and there doesn’t seem like a lot, but compounded, it adds up and it adds up quickly.

i can’t wait for the day i no longer have to commute.

shit, i can’t wait for the day i don’t have to put up with any of this 9-5.

-ratha, 10:39am, 8.15.23

wingstop conundrums, 8.14.23

i ordered the wingstop 15 piece for two special for myself. 6 hawaiin, 9 lemon pepper along with fries and honey mustard. i got down to 5 wings left. i was still hungry and the thought of stopping and saving the rest for later crossed my mind, but i kept eating. eventually i got down to 3 wings and was like i can’t save 3 wings for later because 3 is too little. so, i kept eating. 2 wings left. i kept eating. 1 wing left. i hit a wall. i had to finish because 1 wing isn’t anything to save for later, but it also isn’t anything to waste. i finished the last wing after taking a 5-minute break. i felt like i was about to explode, but honestly, it was so good i can’t even complain.

-ratha, 5:44pm, 8.14.23