January woes.

I feel that the title of this post summarizes why it's been three ruddy weeks since I've found time to update (blogging is more time consuming than I had thought - and I don't even do anything to blog about!).  January woes are really only part of the story for the last three weeks, but they sure do account for a good chunk of that time.  But I'll get to that.  As usual, to save you the bother of reading an entire post only to realize you didn't really care to know about any of it, a quick agenda:

1. Remainder of Barcelona
2. Lisbon!  (This one's going to be as hazy and vague as my memories of the trip.)
3. Back to school sickness, visits, and resulting academic misery
4. The future ...

Look forward to some decent snaps from recent travels (although they're mostly decent thanks to Picassa, as my camera theft has left me wanting for a better quality piece of machinery [in the mail!!]) as well as the usual nonsense.  Here we go.

Well now, I suppose it's about time.

Long overdue post today!  Things you can look forward to:

1. Terrible photos of the big Pagan fire fest that happened on Halloween (had some trouble finding an appropriate setting for most of it).
2. New hobbies!
3. Family time.
4. Procrastination (yes, it's not just blogging that keeps me preoccupied).

Do read on.

Food Blog: Pasta and meatballs.

I've been itching to make myself something home-cooked, cheap and cheerful for a week or so now.  I've also been reading a number of food blogs, including my friend Gord's site, which has got me somewhat inspired.  Since I've been enjoying photo-documenting my other adventures, I'd thought I'd give it a go with a culinary adventure.

My choice of recipe: a very straightforward meatball and tomato sauce recipe borrowed from Jamie Oliver (with a few adaptations for those of us not feeling like the walk to the good supermarket).  The meatball recipe is almost identical to a burger recipe of his I was a big fan of two summers ago (not that I hated it this summer, I just lacked a grill) so when I saw an idiot-proof 8-minute clip of this recipe my mind was made up.  At a little over £2 a serving and about 30 minutes cook time, the dish certainly makes for a sensible and tasty mid-week meal.

While usually I enjoy a challenge in the kitchen, I prefer taking them on when I'm at my mom's where I've got a full kitchen of equipment and a better stocked pantry at my disposal.  Here in Scotland, I'm trying to avoid accruing excess gear so I liked the idea of ten pretty standard and versatile ingredients (plus olive oil and salt, which I always have around).  


The meatballs turned out really well and were a breeze to make.  No hiccups on the first round is an A+ for any recipe as far as I'm concerned.  I'd recommend them to both seasoned cooks looking for a quick one-off after class as well as anyone who's a bit scared of anything involving more than heating and stirring.  The sauce tastes as simple as it looks, and is a healthy two-minute miracle when you don't have anything on hand.


This would work well when having guests, too; it's so foolproof that it'll turn out great and won't keep you tied up in your cooking.  Hit the jump for a walk through of my experience, I'll pop a short breakdown at the end to summarize.

The Edinburgh Zoo.

What better way to avoid the depressing list of to-do's that inevitably makes up a university student's late October weekend than with a trip to the zoo?  I certainly can't think of one!  Who has time to worry about overdue readings, overdue library books and quickly coming-due papers when watching animals frolic in their not-so-natural environments?

This marvelous opportunity arose thanks to America making the suggestion.  She's only here for the semester, which is both kind of sad and also very handy.  It's handy in that she's got a lot more drive to go see and do things around town, and usually asks for company (and we all know I work best when forced to by others).  Daylight is in short supply already, and the zoo takes note of that in November by closing earlier so no better time than the present to see what it's about!  As usual, I was very pleased for the invitation to a day out.  Hit the jump for a bit of photo-blogging, a link to the album and some commentary.  To come: observations on living six degrees below the arctic circle and the sunless state it puts you in.

London calling.

Having fully embraced Picasa and all the wonderful things it can do, I suppose it's high time I filled the internet void in on my recent travels to London. Game plan: day by day breakdown, possible photo accompaniments, and of course a link to my photo album from the adventure. Expect a lot of over-enthusiasm for contrast and colour adjustments - hopefully I get the hang of tasteful editing as this year goes on. But first, a quick weather update: The days are getting shorter (and I mean shorter) and there's a constant and noticeable chill. I'm determined not to turn on my heater yet, but I have broken out the woolly jumper May knitted me.
On to London!