brunch in back bay, 12.21.24

today was the shortest day of the year, which means every day from here on out will get longer until the summer solstice. i got brunch with jennifer and schuni in back bay. i couldn’t find parking so i parked at copley and walked half a mile in freezing temps, but it was worth it. i’m so lucky to have good people in my life and jennifer and schuni are no exception. we sat, conversed, and ate for almost 2 hours. to end our time, we ate beignets with powdered sugar before walking newbury street for a bit. on my way home, i stopped by burlington mall to look for some cheap earrings because i lost mine. i know it’s unlikely, but i didn’t want the hole to close up so i wanted something to wear to keep it open until i: a) find my earring or b) buy a nice pair of new ones. i got some pink cz’s from claire’s for $3 in the meantime. they look better in my ear than i expected, but i’ll still be looking for original earring.

i hope bagel didn’t eat it lol.

-ratha, 8:11pm, 12.21.24

the north face coupon, 12.20.24

it was snowing tonight, but i was able to find the north face coupon i lost that was given to me after i bought a jacket a few weeks ago. i went back to burlington mall, stopped by the north face store, and finished my shopping tonight, officially. well, i still have to get ta some scratch offs, but as far as gift-giving, i’m finished. even though i asked for a white christmas and not a white december 20th, i’ll take what i can get because snow always helps put me into the holiday spirit.

happy almost christmas!

-ratha, 11:17pm, 12.20.24

king of the hill, 12.19.24

growing up, i never liked king of the hill. when it would come on, i found it dry and would end up switching channels. i never understood the concept of the show, but from what i understood it was hank and his friend’s drinking beer and living life. i saw a picture of bobby hill thinking in his room online and for some reason, it resonated with me. then i wondered what the show was really about so i began watching it on daily motion. then the ads kept messing up so i found another website to watch king of the hill and i love it. it’s such a great show. each episode has a plot and sometimes even a lesson. plus, it’s a show before the world became sensitive so the jokes are top tier. so far, my favorite character is boomhauer. the way he talks is so funny to me. i’ve been going through the episodes and i’m already on season 2.

if i didn’t before, i understand now.

-ratha, 4:17pm, 12.19.24

undercoating, 12.18.24

today, i got the sequoia undercoated. it’s been long overdue, but i’m so happy to get it done. it gives me peace of mind and it protects the sequoia in the long run, which is important to me because i’m never letting this car go. between the undercoating, the timing belt, the water pump, a ko2, and a few other pieces i’ve put somewhere in the ballpark of 4k into the sequoia this past year. next i’ll have to add ditch lights, change the back brake pads, and add a remote starter but we’ll save that for 2025.

-ratha, 6:22pm, 12.18.24

downtown wakefield, 12.17.24

i was feeling thai for dinner so i found a spot in wakefield not too far from maya. i went in and ate pineapple chicken fried rice along with an order of crab rangoons. the food was delicious and the crab rangoons came with pineapple sauce, which was different but still tasty. the owners were very kind people, and it was proven as a few customers walked-in for takeout and the owners gave them pudding as a gift for the holidays. there was also a girl who walked in and as soon as the owners saw her they said “this isn’t wisconsin.” she said she was back home from school and the first place she wanted to come was there. afterwards, i was about to go home but i saw a dessert place so i stopped in. i had a scoop of cake batter ice cream and they even had chuckles for sale. chuckles is a candy that i never see out in person, but it’s one of my favorites. the place looked straight from the 80’s/90’s as they had old wooden booths and vintage photos but i loved it. walking around downtown tonight with the holiday lights surrounded by good energy felt so romantic, almost like i was in a movie for an hour or two.

i’ll have to come back for a sequel sometime.

-ratha, 9:22pm, 12.17.24

writing forever, 12.16.24

i went to barnes & nobles to browse a few books tonight after the gym. as i’m looking, i see a poster for eleanor & park. i was surprised because that’s an older book, at least 10 years old. i read it back in 2014 and it was one of my favorites i read that year. for a split second i felt i was in 2014 again. that poster goes to show that great writing (or any writing in general) lives forever. you write it once and it exists until the end of time.

or the end of the human race, but you get the point.

-ratha, 8:11pm, 12.16.24

hitting 0.500, 12.15.24

i didn’t play last week due to personal reasons, but the team ended up getting the win. looking to continue the winning streak, we had a game at 10am this morning. it was my first game back and i wasn’t sure if i was going to make it because i didn’t fall asleep until almost 4am. i sat on the bench to begin the game. about 7 minutes in max looks at me and tells me to sub-in for him. i get in and am able to get in a quick rebound and bucket. the next possession i hit a 3 and that’s when i heard max say “he’s back” lol. that’s my guy for real. i ended up with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and i would say around 6 or 7 assists. it was a great day at the court and i’m looking forward to our next game, which is in a month due to the holidays.

that’s plenty of time to get my cardio up and get some shots up at la.

-ratha, 10:07pm, 12.15.24

saturday hooping, 12.14.24

i went to la fitness to get some hooping in before tomorrow’s game. we ended up playing 10 games of 2 on 2. there was an older guy who was 47 years old (he told me) who could not miss a shot. he was shooting 3-point range and even when i fouled him he still hit the shot. his shooting form was unconventional, which also puzzled me. we all played until they closed the gym. afterwards, i went to target to pick up a few protein shakes and drinks.

time to get some rest for tomorrow’s game.

-ratha, 9:42pm, 12.14.24

the search for peppermint bark, 12.13.24

it’s friday the 13th and i’m on the search for peppermint bark. most come with dark chocolate (which i don’t know why) but i like mine with milk chocolate or without chocolate as a whole. hershey’s used to make good peppermint bark but i haven’t seen it at target or walmart. all i saw was their normal milk chocolate and their cookies and cream with holiday packaging. i ended up buying some peppermint bark snowmen, so that will have to hold me down until i find what i’m looking for.

-ratha, 7:34pm, 12.13.24

it’s just 0.54 cents, 12.12.24

we had dinner in worcester. there’s a great japanese spot and their hibachi is amazing. afterwards we got ice cream for dessert and talked in the car for hours. on the way home, i was still hungry so i stopped at a mcdonalds. crazy enough, they were closed and didn’t have a drive through. that’s a first as i’ve never see a mcd’s without a drive thru. i went to another mcdonald’s a few exits down. i wasn’t full from dinner and dessert, but i wasn’t that hungry so i went on the app to see what deals they had. i had points expiring so i went for a 6-piece nugget and then i saw they had a 50-cent double cheeseburger coupon. i pulled up to the window and the girl said the card had declined, but then said, “it’s just 0.54 cents.” lmaooooooooo. turns out the card i had on the mcdonald’s app had expired, which i knew because they sent me a new one this past week, but i never updated my payment. they were nice, but they probably thought i was broke af lol. which, there wouldn’t be anything wrong if i was broke, but i drove off laughing thinking about her saying “it’s just 0.54 cents.” i told e about it and we laughed at it for a good minute or two.

it was embarassing, but the food was really good as it hit the spot on a late-night drive home.

-ratha, 11:54pm, 12.12.24