Me misera. Seriously.

How do I begin? The blunt news is that I got a C- in Latin. Naturally, I am extremely depressed by this, and kind of want to go die in a hole. Perhaps worse than this is the fact that I got only a C+ in Phonetics, which is a major part of what I want to do my graduate work in, and what they do in the lab that I'll be volunteering in this summer. Like, I'll be directed by my ex-professor kind of lab work.

Then again, this is the same professor I play Dungeons and Dragons with, so. Maybe it'll work out. I'm not looking forward to seeing them again, though, with them knowing the grade and attaching it to my face. Maybe they'll deem me unfit to work with them. That would probably break my heart.

However, to mend it, Ian is coming home today! I'm going to meet him at the airport this evening, and then I'll be happy. Lately, however, I've been somewhere between miserable and depressed - my life lacks direction, I'm not doing anything with my time, I'm a good-for-nothing, that kind of lament. Maybe I should get a job. Ugh. I kind of can't wait for classes to start again - they give me something to think about, and something to avoid when I want to procrastinate. I think I'm more stressed without structure than with it. Sad, but true. Since the end of school, and the move, and all that, I've been staying abed until noon every day, and then getting up. I hate it. But I can't find any reason to get up in the morning. All I'm going to do is go read a book and maybe play the piano if I'm the only one home. Every now and again I go out and do something worthwhile, but that hasn't happened in long enough that I feel ridiculously behind.

Not to mention that today it's pouring rain, and I should clear a space in the yard for a garden, but I don't really want to go outside. And I feel ugly, and have no presentable clothes, and gah. I just feel like a spoiled doily. I'm quite sick of it.

And last week, my darling cat Fred died. He had lymphoma, and everything was wrong, and so he went away. I miss him. I want to fly home to Boston to hug my mom.

Okay. Brighter notes. We moved! It's exciting! Our new house is cute and awesome and drafty. Our new neighborhood is perfect - if there's anywhere in Vancouver that I'd actually consider settling down in and staying, it would be this area. It's full of beautiful old houses and big trees and people put up swings everywhere and we're right near some grocery stores and parks... I'm quite pleased with it. Granted, I have the smallest most closet-like room in the house, but since I've been here (all of a week and a half) I've been ameliorating that. It's a lot nicer now. And I've come to like how small and cozy it is. We adjust.

I think that's it, really. I'll try to keep you posted. Until then, here's a recipe for vegan cake, because that's what I had for breakfast.

Vegan Cake (adapted from "the best cake recipe ever that just happens to be vegan")

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix:
1 1/4 c. flour (I used cake flour, you can use all-purpose, though)
1 c. sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

Add:
3/4 c. hot, strong coffee
1/4 c. almond or soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp apple cider or white vinegar
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Stir until batter looks like edible satin and has no lumps (note: cake flour will leave funny lumps unless you watch out for this!). Pour into 8 by 8 baking pan (which you can grease or not, depending on how you plan to eat the cake - I didn't, because we were just going to serve it out of the pan). Bake for about 20 or 25 minutes, and then test it - if the toothpick or chopstick comes out clean, you're done.

If you want a good icing for this, don't ask me. I'm not good at icing. I would actually recommend some homemade whipped cream, which is 1 pint of cream, 1 Tsp sugar, and then sprinkles of ground cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Whip these together in your mixer until you deem it fit to eat. It takes the vegan-ness out of the cake, but it's good. Really, really good.

And on that note, I think it's time for cake and tea.

Love,
Kate