Alright, back in Rochester where it seems to snow all the time. We've got at least a foot and a half of snow in the last 2 days, maybe more. To be honest, I'm miserable here but I'm attempting to ward away my melancholy with knitting/crochet projects, cooking, baking, watching TV on Hulu (the best thing about America) and working on some sort of thesis.

For Christmas I received the bon appétit Desserts cookbook and I have some serious plans to bake a parsnip spice cake, make some puddings and whip up a loaf of cinnamon buns. I've also got about 3 knitting projects on the go right now which should definitely eat up some time.

And now for a tasty anecdote. The other day I visited my local Wegman's grocery store (which is always a nightmare, the aisles are super tiny and it seems like there are always too many people wandering about) where I decided to pick up a good ol' six-pack of Brooklyn Lager. At the cash the 60-something year old cashier was having trouble with my Ontario driver's license so asked her manager to take a look. My license card is expired but it has a government sticker on it declaring it as a legit ID card. I've also renewed my license and had my receipt and renew forms on me. Still, the 13 year-old manager didn't like/didn't understand what was going on so he refused to sell me beer. Seriously, I had to be twice this kid's age so I tried to explain it to him but he still didn't get it so I asked to speak to his manager hoping I would talk to someone more my age. Not so, some girl showed up a few minutes later who had to be at most 20 and she continued to deny me my beer. My bitter resentment towards this place deepens. But, at least I don't work in a grocery store, right?

Ice Cream Situations

I have taken very few pictures in the last week and I hope to remedy this soon and have a few to post up here ASAP. I've caught a ride back to Toronto this weekend so I'm super pumped to see a few shows on Queen street and drink some decent coffees. I have also done very little baking since coming to Rochester and I hope to fix that problem in the coming weeks. I've had my eye on Momofuku's "Crack Pie" for quite awhile but the name implies it's deliciousness and I don't want to eat a whole pie. Perhaps I will organize some sort of dinner party at my place so I can share the calories of my baked goods with other people.

One thing I truly love about the States so far is the price of ice cream. Pints of Ben and Jerry's cost $2.99! I can afford to have ice cream for dinner at that price. I bought my first pint last night at the grocery store but I played it safe and opted for "Half Baked" frozen yogurt. Now I can just eat more without feeling so disgusting.

America

My attempt to pack all my clothes

Finally, the internet has been hooked up at my new place in Rochester and I am back in business! I moved here exactly a week ago and have been living without the internet and without much else to do other then set up my new place, read and go for walks. America is a weird and wonderful place. I expected Rochester to be a small town with a small town mentality but everyone here is really friendly and there are a lot of college students so there is lots to do and see. Granted, not as much fun and exciting stuff as a city like Toronto but I'm here for school, not to spend money and go out for fancy dinners. One of the best things I've discovered so far about Rochester is their Sunday farmer's market. I got a whole bunch of stuff there this weekend for next to nothing.

- 4 organic heirloom tomatoes for $1
- a few bunches of locally grown green concord grapes for $1
- a whole bunch of patty pans for $1
- 2 vanilla beans for $3
- boqueorones in oil for $6 (not a great deal, I will admit)
- 2 pints of figs for $1
- 8 cobs of corn for $1

I was overwhelmed by how cheap it all was and now I don't know what to do with it all. I'm thinking of making a patty pan and fennel soup and possibly some sort of fig compote or tart so nothing goes to waste.

My roomate and I are living in this nice little coach house that has lots of windows, beautiful hardwood floors and so much space we don't know what to do with it all. I brought some leftover paint from my Toronto apartment with intentions of painting my bedroom but when I got here it turns out my bedroom is the exact same colour I have in my paint can! Strange. I'm hoping to make it home to Toronto this weekend so I can pick up a few things to decorate my room with, it's a little bare right now. I also need some more grey wool from Romni so I can finish up my granny square blanket and grab some delicious coffee beans from The Common.

Living in Rochester has it's perks (i.e. saving some money on groceries and beer) but I miss the variety of things to do in Toronto (i.e. good coffee and amazing yarn shops).