Summer school and good food

Hello World- still trying to play catch up on my blogging.
Lets see now... Wednesday. ahah, what happened Wednesday? Well, I woke up in my most chilly apartment- if I forgot to mention, the gas in my apartment was not yet turned on and the weather was less than stellar! Happy blog? oh yes... I forgot :) Ok, so I woke up and began editing my papers. I got really stuck on some of the comments my prof wrote so I wrote a couple questions down and headed to campus for my dreaded meeting with him.
Turns out it went really awesome! Not only was I able to laugh at some of the mistakes I was making with my papers, I learned a ton about how to be a good writer. I ended up talking with my professor for 2 hours about the education system in America, critical thinking, and how I could use what I learned in my Africa class and apply it to my future. I finally let go of my grudge of having this awful hard teacher and felt lucky to be taught by such a well read and insightful person. He wanted to see me improve my way of thinking and reach my full potential in writing "scholarly analysis' " by giving me an extension on the due date (due after first summer semester of classes!).  What do I get in return? an A!!! That is a huge deal for me! I must say this was a win-win situation. [if anyone is confused; I am not taking summer classes but my professor for my African Diaspora class is allowing me to work on my winter semester papers due to the overwhelming workload I had]
See- talking about school in the summer was not so bad! I am a big nerd. But let me tell you my friends, talking to your professor makes a world of difference in learning and getting the most out of school. We pay a ton of money- why waste it?
Okay well on to simpler things... Tori came to visit! : ) Nothing is better than good conversation with friends. What makes it better? Food of course! For my pretend summer getaway I bought a personal size watermelon. Tori and I split it while Kat started making dinner. Finally a friend who is not camera shy. Isn't she just adorable? Tori is such an awesome genuine person. She is also my birthday twin!

Kat dry fried tofu, and marinated it in teriyaki sauce while I started heating up zucchini, summer squash (my favorites!!) and red peppers in olive oil. We put it all together on top of quinoa which I was trying for the first time. It was a beautiful vegan meal!

Why so much about food you may wonder? I am a huge food junkie! Towards the end of a hectic school year my meals consisted strictly of  pb&j, cereal, and leftovers from roommates. To have time to cook again is a privileged and almost like a therapy to me. I love it! I am not vegan but Kat is slowly transitioning. (I am not even a vegetarian, I <3 bacon too much!). For Kat's sake- and just to be different, I ate very close to vegan during our week away (with the exception of some greek yogurt). As ridiculous as I think fighting the meat industry is (no offense!), I am starting to understand why some people give it up. It just feels healthier and cleaner to be without animal products. My body feels cleaner and happier. Plus it is fun to try new things! :) Maybe one day.... but for now, I just can't picture a life without cheese or bacon. I think I am going to make a greater attempt to eat healthy and slowly eliminate the sinful things that I do eat.