The Yellow House

When the University of Limerick decided to expand across the River Shannon, they had plenty of land available to build apartments and the Health Science building, but right in the middle of their plans was this:

How could they want to demolish such a pristine innocent home?  (With their state-funded budget, the University could do anything).  Offering this family more than $1 Million Euro for their property seemed like a good offer.  Yet as you can see, it was turned down.  Watch out, your home may be next to be invaded by a sprawling college campus.

Is that enough?

As a newly proclaimed cook extraordinaire, I find myself preparing food to please the eye and hopefully the stomach. The attractive blend of ingredients is a top priority, while the amounts of each ingredient are more carefree. Exceptions to this rule include meatballs and french toast, which have more delicate recipes. I tend to eat pasta often as it is versatile and comes in 1 kilogram bags selling for a Euro. Yet as my following meals can attest, I am having difficulty defining that perfect amount:

-This was just some pasta with chicken in a carbonara sauce.  Not too much for one meal, but a warning sign.

-Glorious chicken parmesan.  Although the plate seems tame, I went back for a healthy portion of seconds as well as some fries.

-The behemoth...What was I thinking!  This was the first meal in a long time I didn't finish in one sitting, but I could not let myself fall victim to its size, so I finished it for breakfast.  (This was the first meal I measured the pasta instead of pouring the bag in.  Go figure.)

Who knew 4 cups was too much for a serving?

Jingly Pockets

Coins.  What are they're purpose? They are nominal values of money and are heavy awkward burdens in ones wallet.  Why is this Bronze Age technology still in use?  These questions I cannot fathom reasonable solutions.  Yet I do know plenty of ways to rid my self of coins in the coin littered society of the EU (there are 8 denominations of coins commonly circulated as opposed to 5 in the States).  In Ireland however, there are no great Coinstar machines, and coin rolls are replaced by bags, so turning them into a bank can be difficult.  One  good alternative is to use them at the self-checkout at the store.  I had accumulated over 20 Euros in coins (mostly 10 cents) and decided to do some shopping.  It worked out perfectly, and the self checkout screen ironically  asked me if  I "would like to continue with my purchase" after inserting about 40 10 cent coins.  

Yes, in fact I would.

 

Buying food with coins can be utterly rewarding.  This was the haul from a recent VC campaign (Victory-Coin) to the vending machine.

I'll be sure to take back my 9 Pounds to London to put similar coin-reducing measures into effect.

Glasgow Botanic Gardens

A few weeks late, but here's a view inside Scotland's rare jungle environment: