Independence Day

Another slow day today. I worked on my paper more (it's about 75% done), did laundry, and restocked groceries. I thought I heard some fireworks going off the night before - I'd be curious to know what they were for.

For dinner, Daniel, Shurui, and I went over to Katie and Rebecca's apartment (which is in the Rome Center) to make pasta with marinara. I made the pasta (two packages - it was a LOT), and Shurui made the marinara from plain tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, basil, and seasonings. We served it out, and I topped it with some smoked (Norwegian) salmon and a sprig of basil. It looked (and tasted) pretty good. The girls' kitchen is really quite nice - they have an electric stove (no matches!), full complement of matching dishes, silverware, and (reasonably sharp) cutlery, and a dishwasher. Which is more than we can say for the guys apartment...

(Apologies for the picture quality - it was a little dark)