I've been in a bit of a rut in the new year.

It's funny because it started off with a bang. I rang in the New Year in Sofia, then flew to Budapest for a wedding and to see a friend.

Then I spent <a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2013/01/11/me-my-cast/" target="_blank">an extra week in my cast</a> all the while falling further and further behind in my grading and then <a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2013/01/13/the-cast-is-off/" target="_blank">it came off</a>d but it took me another week-plus to catch-up-ish. In the midst of all of this, I've battled the cold weather, a case of the I-don't-want-tos and there's been a <a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2013/01/18/my-dad-and-sister-are-coming-to-visit/" target="_blank">flurry of decision making related to my summer plans and my dAd and little sister's visit</a>.

At school the quarter ends this week and final exams start next week. It's been a whirlwind of anxious students and stressed out teachers at school. So last night I went to cheer on our school basketball teams. The girls won easily (it wasn't necessarily pretty but they played with a lot of heart). The boys played full court press and unsettled their opponents early on--at one point they had a nearly a 20 point lead. Unfortunately our opponents adjusted their game accordingly and won by 1 point (okay maybe 3--I can't remember).
<a title="pasta with arugula by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/8410615322/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8410615322_dfcf327751_z.jpg" alt="pasta with arugula" width="640" height="480" /></a>
After the game I made this pasta-arugula-lemon-sirene cheese dish. It was tasty and very green. It's decidedly the prettiest meal I've made in ages. Not that the bar has been set very high as I've been eating the same pot of black-eyed peas stew for a week.

Anyhow, this is