mamma mia!, it's spaghetti

Since my last post, I moved into my new apartment...then a few days later had all of my wisdom teeth pulled! How wonderful. I've been lying around watching DVDs and drinking smoothies for the past two days. That's not as glamorous as it may sound.

I have yet to take pictures of my apartment (I'm still in the decorating process, anyhow) but here is the first real meal I cooked there (pre-wisdom teeth removal, of course)...whole wheat spaghetti and vegetarian meatballs, with fresh green beans and homemade bread. I did some research on various ways to make vegetarian meatballs, then concocted my own recipe, so here you have it:

Vegetarian Meatballs
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp flax seeds
1/3 c dried chickpeas (or chickpea flour)
1/3 c black beans
1/4 c corn
1/4 c whole wheat flour
seasoned salt, pepper, and onion powder, to taste
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
water

Combine sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and dried chickpeas in a food processor (or, I used my Magic Bullet) and grind until smooth. Grind black beans and corn as well, separate from the dry ingredients. Stir together both mixtures, along with the oil and spices, until smooth. Add in the whole wheat flour. The end result should be about the consistency of cookie dough. If the mixture is too dry, add water in small increments until right. If it is too wet, add more flour. Scoop into rounded tablespoonfuls and bake in the oven until slightly browned on the outside, or in the microwave, 6-7 at a time, for about 3 minutes.*

Makes 3-4 servings.

*I had to cook mine in the microwave because, as luck would have it, the stove/oven in my apartment was broken until two days ago! It's a long story. When I started cooking this meal, the repairman had just paid us a visit and we thought it was fixed, but twenty minutes into my culinary endeavor it suddenly went off, and I had to revert to finishing things up in the microwave.

Also, I believe you could easily make substitutions in the recipes if they were pretty equal. For instance, you could use other nuts besides sunflower seeds, other dried beans besides chickpeas, or other wet beans besides black beans. Overall they were very delicious and I plan on making them again soon!

glasses, etc.

I'm moving tomorrow! I'm excited for my new place.

I got new glasses in the mail...but I had them sent to Corey's house because I thought I'd already have moved when they arrived...and then they came a week early. So I don't have them yet! But I will get them tomorrow. I got them from Zenni Optical, thanks to Amanda's recommendation! Zenni Optical make really inexpensive prescription glasses that you can order online--starting at $8.00. I currently have one pair of prescription eyeglasses which are from my eye doctor. I need to send them in to get new lenses in them, but since they are my only pair, I'll be without them for a week, so I decided to go ahead and order others from Zenni. They will be good back-up pairs and also provide other options to me...fashionably speaking...because I don't really want contacts but sometimes I get tired of wearing these same glasses every single day. So anyway, I ordered two new pairs of regular glasses, and then I picked out a pair of prescription sunglasses, which is very exciting to me! Here's what they are going to look like:


This is my most reasonable pick. The you-can't-go-wrong-with-a-pair-of-plain-black-glasses glasses. $12.95.


This is the more "fun" pair that I chose. In brown tortoise shell. I hope they don't make me look ridiculous. $9.95.


And these are the sunglasses. In brown/clear, with brown lenses (not pictured--but you can choose to make any style on the website into sunglasses for $5 extra). I know they are kind of funky looking, but they are just sunglasses, after all. I think (hope) they will be cute. $14.95

Also! Corey sent me this adorable, adorable screenprint in the mail! It's from Wonder Thunder:


It was so sweet of him! I can't wait to decorate my new place with all the new art I've bought, been given, & made over the past few months. :)

And! Yesterday my brother surprised me with my favorite candy bar in the world. It's the Kinder Bueno, made by the same people who make Nutella. I discovered it in Italy, and they're a rare find in the U.S. He made another trip to the Indian grocery store I wrote about the other day, to get some juice he really liked, and found them there at a very reasonable price! How sweet of him!

Also, movingwise/apartmentwise, I can't find:
- A desk...? I've looked everywhere...new, used...need to find something under $100...I saw some online that I liked but when I went to the stores to locate them they were not there. That's annoying. All of the used ones I saw were in particularly awful shape.
- Size Y vacuum bags? I'll hopefully locate these soon...apparently places are discontinuing them!?

goodbye summer, hello fall

I am no longer an intern! 300 hours down. It feels amazing to have that weight off my shoulders. This week brings cleaning, packing, organizing. Boxes, boxes, boxes. I am excited for new things--a new apartment, a new roommate, a new kitchen (finally), a new schedule...and familiar things--old friends, favorite professors, my on-campus jobs. I'm saying goodbye, undergraduate school the best way I know how--lots of hard work mixed with lots of fun times. I plan on soaking up every second of this coming semester. Fall is my favorite time of year, so bring it on!