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I recieved a Valentine's day card this week, I don't think I ever got one before. So this year, for the first time, Valentine didn't suck . I was smiling all day, I'm such a sap. The girl that sent it is very sweet, I really want to get to know her better. Too bad she has a boyfriend now. Oh well. She did say she really liked the flowers I sent her, they were her favourite.

Tara's eyes seem to have gotten even more blue than before. What do you think? (Apologies for the blurriness, she wasn't in a photo mood, so she wouldn't sit still.)

She's been super affectionate lately. She has a ritual now every morning when I leave for work, and again when I come home, where she'll stand up against the window and paws at me while crying for my attention. And if I don't hurry up opening the door when I come home, she'll continue the ritual standing up against the door. I tried taking some videos of it with my phone, but as it is still dark outside when I leave in the morning, and again when I come home, they didn't come out that great. I'll try again soon, when it'll be light out when I leave for/come home from work. It's really cute.

Here's a picture of the tile I picked out for the bathroom, together with a sample of the floor. The red on top is a sample of the paint I might use in the kitchen and living room, but I'm still on the fence on that one. It's a little on the pink side.

I've been getting more and more into photography lately. I'm looking for some books to improve my picture-taking. The book I have now is a little too technical for me, as it delves deep into the theory behind photography, which I don't really have enough experience for right now. So I'm looking for some books that are more entry level-ish. Any suggestions?

This weekend, I tried making this:

It didn't come out as well as I had hoped. I think I didn't heat it through long enough for all the chocolate to melt and dissolve, so it was kind of grainy. But I'll definitely try making it again, because it sounds so good. I'm a big fan of Heston Blumenthal, as he uses science in the kitchen to come up with very interesting dishes. Another dish of his is a dessert with chocolate incorporated in 7 different ways, which I also really want to try making some time. Doesn't that sound awesome? Though I have to find some popping candy to make it, I haven't seen those in ages. That stuff was all the rage when I was a kid, but they don't seem to sell it (that much) anymore.

What are your plans this week? My weekdays will mostly consist of work, work and more work (we just started our busy season), but this Saturday I'm going to a farmers' market in downtown Amsterdam. All the stalls there only sell their own products, and everything is certified organic. The best things is that you can get everything you need there, from fruit and vegetables to dariy products, from meat to bread. I'm thinking about making a tajine dish with lamb, so I'm going to look up some recipes for that. Maybe I'll even take some pictures for a food blog.

I'll leave you with a song I've been watching/listening to a lot lately.

Evergreen Terrace is awesome.