Moving to Düsseldorf

I am moving to Neuss, actually, which is close to Düsseldorf, enough so that I can take public transport in and out when I'd like. I'm moving there on Saturday for another aupair position. I met the family on Monday and spent the night at their place. They seemed like good enough people and like I could get along with them like family. Here's a list of some things that I'm looking forward to about my new job:

• better salary
• getting my German courses paid for
• speaking only German in the household
• age of the kids: boys. 5 and 13.
• giving them swimming lessons
  
• They've family in Aachen = free transport, baby!
• 1hr drive to Aachen
  
• change is good?

I was talking to Dad last night about it and when he asked me what my gut felt like, I said, "It feels like logic on the one hand and love on the other." I love Aachen and my friends here so so much. They've been my family. I hope that they know how much they've meant to me, especially during these tough times. I love them so hard, like a bear loves honey, and I just hope that they'll be around when I come back for visits.

Quit my job

I'm goin' on hiatus.

Easy, breezy beautiful...

Hummus!


chickepeas, tahini, olive oil, fresh basil, unfroz'd spinach, nooch, salt, peppah.

In other news, I skinned my knee real bad and now it's stinging like a hungry bear's nose in a beehive.

I have constructed heaven

And heaven is in the shape of an aubergine tower.

Eggplant Napoleon à la not remotely traditional.... I think that this is originally some sort of omni thing, possibly not even involving eggplant, but I haven't a clue. There's a recipe in Vegan with a Vengence for it and I'd got it on my mind because I have an eggplant in my fridge and a tower of delectable goodness on my mind. This dish, however, is pretty pasta-y. Like spicy-Italian style and I had no foods of this sort on hand. I did have, though, fresh orange, dill and green pepper and decided to make a dish with such flavors. Well, shit, y'all.... It's been a long while since I've tasted something so perfect; especially something of my own invention. In short, I am both happy and proud. Don't it look nice too?

What the hell does a vegan eat anyway?

That's the name of one of my favorite vegan food blogs (see list, right side). I've been hanging out with French kiddies lately and they really can't seem to get their heads around it that I don't eat cheese, Fleisch et al. I'm sure that it's a practical question for some, but I find it tedious and just list the things that I brought to their last party. That never seems to be enough of an answer, though, and I quickly loose patience. So, perhaps in compensation and perhaps in spite, here are some examples of what a vegan can eat.

Dill hummus on German Schwartzbrot. I am proud of this photo.

Action shot! A curry/ stir fry thing.

The finished result of curry/ stir fry thing complete with rice noodles and Hello Kitty chopsticks.

For a friend's birthday: chocolate mint cupcakes from VCTOTW

I'll focus a blog post on fake omni things soon. I haven't done that in a while. + that beer-a-week thing has kinda gone down the drain, hasn't it? Beer knowledge must be aquired; autodidact or otherwise....