my former vegetarian roommate bram left several bags of dried beans when he returned to georgia at the end of last summer. i was especially curious about the red quinoa he left behind, since i've never tried it before and have always heard good things about it (like containing all the amino acids). i found a recipe online and went to market basket in the early afternoon to gather the remaining ingredients. along the way i also went to rite aid to pick up some snacks (as well as an $8 bubble machine for the dog) and the bank in union square to deposit a rebate check.

my roommate left the house around 2:00 to meet her advisor for the very first time. i went to the cafe briefly to fix the internet before returning home, where i was able to enjoy the bathroom undisturbed. having a roommate in the house makes me anxious, and i tend to rush when i'm in the bathroom because i'm always afraid my roommate will need to use it. without a roommate however, i can stay there as long as i want, enjoying the cozy warm confines, reading my book (black mass).

my roommate came back around 6:00. about 7:30 i began preparations for my quinoa and beans dish. the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of quinoa, but i discovered i only had half a cup. so i filled the rest with 1/4 cup of basmati rice. the recipe called for 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth but i used the whole can (2 cups). adding the rice was a mistake, because it soaked up most of the broth. the quinoa ended up looking like poppy seeds in a mostly rice dish (1/4 cup sure fills out). also i only added a can of black beans (instead of two).

i was chatting with my roommate while i cooked. she was amused by my american-style cooking, very low-key and a lot of waiting; which is quite different from chinese-style cooking, where it's very quick and noisy and messy. she tried some of my quinoa and beans (said it was good) and even took a photo with her iphone. i couldn't really taste the quinoa, which was overpowered by the rice. the corn also made the dish sweeter than i'd like. as an experiment it was interesting, but next time i'd skip the rice and corn. and would it be wrong to add some meat? a meal doesn't feel complete without some dead animal flesh (so says the omnivore).

i don't skyrim during the daytime but once evening arrives it's time to kill some bandits and monsters.

from whiterun i was sent by the steward to silent moons camp to eliminate the bandit leader. that's strange because i've already completed this quest before. i made quick work of the bandits but it seemed to have attracted the attention of a dragon. fortunately a nearby herd of mammoths distracted it. as it landed to fight the woolly elephants, i came running out and killed it. i also killed 2 mammoths for no good reason other than to see if i could do it. it did draw the unwanted attention of giants but i was able to outrun them. i've yet to kill a giant.

from falkreath i discovered the dark brotherhood sanctuary, headquarter of the assassins guild. they made me a member and outfitted me with a set of assassin uniform. i'm currently also a member of the companions (mercenary for hire) and the thieves guild. i haven't joined the rebel stormcloaks yet, trying to stay neutral so i can explore imperial cities and towns without getting harassed.

from the sanctuary it was a short trip to bonechill passage and ancient's ascent, home to a dragon i've been hired to kill.