Updates as a Bullet List

It's been better than a week since we last posted, and there have been a couple of small changes since then.

• Kirsten got a job! This does, unfortunately, mean that our idylls are coming to an end, but jobs (and the income you earn in said position) are kind of crucial. A necessary evil, I suppose.
  
• I start class and teaching next week. I have mixed feelings about the whole process: Learning is all well and good, but I'm being inflicted upon a bunch of undergraduates with an 8 a.m. discussion section. Luckily, it's only once a week for only ten weeks, so I'm optimistic about getting through. And given the fact that plenty of people start jobs at 8 in the morning, I don't actually have that much to complain about.
• There are plans afoot to head up the coast a little ways tomorrow for a quick camping trip. Hopefully photos will follow.
• Still getting settled in the neighborhood, but it's been a pretty easy adjustment. Our local Jons is a stellar place to buy produce (3 lbs. of Roma tomatoes for a dollar!), so we continue to eat pretty well.
• We've picked up a new game. While not as potentially vicious as Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne plays really well with just two people and finishes in just about an hour. We were playing several times a day but have since moderated our play, which is probably for the best.
  
• And as a bit of shameless promotion, I continue to blather on over at Tamerlane. Recent topics of interest have included biking, a planned mosque in Cologne, Germany, and more biking.

And this is about all that comes to mind. Hopefully new and exciting stories soon!

Apartment Lovin' (and our new favorite recipe)

Some time ago, we announced that we'd found an apartment in the crazy world of Los Angeles. This rumor is in fact true and I now have the photos to prove it. We moved in a few weeks ago, but due to our insistence on using pirated wireless, we haven't found the appropriate time to share those photos with the wide webbed world. The access is still pirated and the photos aren't earth-shattering, but it's a pretty cosy nest for us. 

Frieda and Diego have adapted ridiculously well. They can be found napping in any number of places- sunny windowsills, sun-filled chairs- or skittering around on the wood floors, trying their best to gain some traction. All told, not a bad life for a cat.

Timur and I are quite enjoying our time away from school, work, or really, any obligations whatsoever. We've sampled some of Los Angeles' many cultural attractions (more on that later), made forays into the San Gabriel mountains, and yes, taken a leaf from the cats' book and taken a nap in the sun. 

Timur continues to make progress on his master's thesis when he's not busy relaxing and I'm...well, I'm relaxing. And cooking. We've been eating quite well. Maybe too well...I'm currently on the hunt for the perfect popover recipe so that I can make homemade jam to put on the perfect popover. We have, however, found a new favorite recipe for a frittata. Try this one at home kids. It uses leftover pasta(!) of any shape that was served with a tomato sauce. 

Pasta Frittata from Cucina Fresca (Viana La Place and Evan Kleiman)

6-8 eggs

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

2 c. cooked pasta with marinara or other red sauce

lightly beat the eggs with the parmesan, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Heat the oil in a small, nonstick, ovenproof skillet. Saute the garlic briefly. Add the pasta and heath through. Beat the eggs briefly again and pour over the pasta in the skillet. Lower the heat. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until the eggs have formed small curds and the frittata is firm except for the top. To cook the top, place the pan under a hot broiler or into a preheated 400 degree oven until the frittata browns lightly. Removed the pan from the broiler or over. Let cool in the pan 1 or 2 minutes. Place a plate over the top of pan and invert the frittata onto it. Serves 4.

Channel Islands- In Bikini Briefs

Well, I have been most remiss in posting something about my trip to the Channel Islands. I have one word- AWESOME. I hope to add some text and some amusing anecdotes for entertainment purposes, maybe some natural history blurbs at a later date, but to whet the appetite, I present, with glee, a few photos...

First, the next installment in the "Where has our tent been?" series. You can just see Santa Cruz in the distance across the channel. I pitched the tent outside of the windscreen to see how it handled some serious wind. And the verdict is...B+/A-. I was really very very pleased with the tent and its response to the forces of nature. I think if I had reoriented just a touch, it would have been even better. One complaint- the plackets of the zippers on the fly sound like helicopters taking off...

Ayshe, Timur's mom, and I set off on a 14 mile (roundtrip) hike to the East Point on the, wait for it, east side of the island. We found a beautiful and deserted cove that was absolutely sensational. I wanted to make friends with the seals relaxing in a nearby kelp bed, but no such luck. 

Incidentally, the Crazy Creek Hexalite chair? Fan-freaking-tastic. I'm never leaving home without it again. Rolls up and fits in a water bottle pocket and weighs roughly a pound. 

Because I have just a touch of a masochistic side, I brought not just the digital camera, but also lugged along the old Nikon. I scanned in some of the black and white photos, shared here for your viewing pleasure. 

So, some final words perhaps? I'll be back and I hope to bring some of you with me.