Accomplishment of the week: after three months in this flat, I have finally learned how to use the microwave as a convection oven.  As a result, I am physically incapable of not baking all day long.  There have been so many times when I thought, “Oh, I wish I could bake some bread” or even just “Gee whiz, homemade cookies would be nice right now!” but alas, the features of the convection oven were like an insurmountable and technologically-advanced wall that I could not overcome.  No longer!  I have already baked cinnamon banana bread and blueberry muffins, and there is some oatmeal chocolate chip banana bread in the oven right now!

It’s great.  I’m feeling very domestic… or domesticated, as Chelsea called me 🙂  Maybe it also has to do with the fact that the end of classes is fast approaching and I have a Māori oral exam to be studying for and an environmental psych research paper to be writing, but I really wish I could just stay home and bake all day.  Maybe run some errands once in a while, clean the flat, attend a garden club meeting… you know, the usual.

So, other than baking, what have I been doing?  Sometimes I go to class (just kidding, Mom… almost always).  Sometimes I run and give myself shinsplints.  Sometimes I have movie nights with my flatmates in the Gump.  Quite often I go to Coffee Culture.  And on Thursdays I go to girls’ dinners!  We’ve done French, American, and German nights, and last night was Chinese – Lulu taught us how to make sushi, and we had rice balls, spring rolls, and dumplings (which sadly had cilantro in them so I could not partake).  Everything was sooo delicious and we’re building quite the multicultural cookbook!  It’s also nice to have one night of girl time because even though we love all the guys, there are just so darn many of them.

Well, tomorrow morning we’re going to New Brighton beach to watch the sun rise, so I’m going to try to make it an early night tonight.  I should probably stop drinking caffeinated tea in the evenings, but I just love English Breakfast tea lately and never feel like having anything else.