A Busy Street

Mood:

From the first Fairy Tail soundtrack. Just one of the few lighthearted cheery songs. Most of the tracks have such a heavy emotional feeling (whether sad or 'epic' sounding), so this is kind of nice.

It's finally starting to warm up!Warm enough to go out without a jacket! First time in a long time. We've been so cold and rainy lately, it feels nice. 

Went to Mom's appointment on Friday to see what the next steps are for her. They thought that she had quite a bit of fluid in her abdomen, and made an appointment to get it drained that same day. Turned out to be just over 2 liters of liquid!(They told her that's approx. 5 pounds.) She's been feeling a lot less full and tight. They're going to test a sample of the liquid, and if there are no breast cancer cells in it, they'll probably operate. But, if there is, then they don't want to touch it for now. So frustrating!And, I can't imagine how she feels. It's nice there might be a possibility of getting that tumor out of her, though. I know there are risks still to it, but I think it's becoming more risky not to.

Made some Passover brownies for Friday night. They were too heavy and dark, but that was the mix's fault. I followed the directions.It's edible, but we can only eat a little at a time. Sadly, this brand must have changed it's recipe or something. I remember that it used to taste so good, and I was expecting it to be this time. Also for Friday night's dinner, with the help of Dad chopping up some onions and broccoli, I made the 'Salisbury'-style cube steak that Mom usually makes. First time making it. Didn't come out exactly like hers, but it was pretty close.Also made a huge thing of mashed potatoes. They're awesome with some of the gravy from the cube steak poured on top.

For brunch on Saturday we went to IHOP, as part of our 'chametz fest' we do every year when Passover ends. Last year we went to a Chinese buffet, but that wasn't our norm. When you go without 'chametz' (anything that rises/has leavening) for so long, you have a huge craving for it.So, I got their stack of 4 chocolate chip pancakes, and shared 2 turkey bacon strips with Mom. It was so good!(Chocolate wasn't exactly sweet enough, a little too much salt in it which I don't like. So, I poured some butter pecan syrup on it, and it was even better!) I only got through half of it, but it was very satisfying. Plus, it made for a nice hefty lunch the next day. 

Finished editing chapter 1 of my story, again. Sounds so much smoother, and has more of a flow. I plan to do a lot of editing of previous chapters during the weekends. During the week I can work on my current chapter, either through editing or writing more. If I do a little bit of writing everyday, I should move the story along quicker. And, maybe finish this first novel sooner.Makes me kind of happy to get back into it. Still have so many more ideas for the next chapter, but I have to focus on the one I'm on first. Luckily, I'm trying to write all these ideas down when I get them. 

The portion this time was Pesach-related. It was kind of short. Went to the grocery store on Sunday. Kind of funny, the bakery ladies usually hold our challah on Fridays for us. We haven't come in for it in like a month.It's also usually a time they ask how we are, what's going on in our lives, and other stuff. I wonder if they think something happened to us...Anyways, since we went to the store so late, it was after they closed the bakery section, so we didn't get to talk to them this time. I kind of like that they give out free cookies to anyone who asks, as well. Hopefully, next week we'll see them, and get our challah. 

By the way, we still have so much Passover stuff.I'm hoping to slowly get through most of it. Still have things like Tam Tam's (flavored matzah crackers), mandel cuts (kind of like tiny biscotti), kichel (which wasn't the best brand, but it's what they had), mandlen (or 'soup nuts'), candied fruit slices, gefilte fish (I think...), and a couple of other things. 

I dropped Eden of the East, because the character design got to me. I don't know why, but I don't like that style. The background designs were amazing, though. Story didn't draw me in as much as I expected it to. (Since I only watched 1 episode, I won't add it to my 'dropped' list on here.)

Started watching Tsuritama on Saturday. In Enoshima, Yuki's a high school student who's never been good at making real friends thanks to his poor communication skills. Haru, is a self-proclaimed 'alien' and decides to teach Yuki to fish. Natsuki is an irritable born and raised local. Akira's Indian, and watches the group from afar with his duck. It's weird, but interesting. The art's amazing! Especially the rich and vibrant colors. It's a little trippy in areas. But, that's ok. Seems kind of unique, even if it might be another slice of life anime. There seems to be hints of something dark going on too, very interesting. Somehow it feels like it's more than just about fishing. By the way, Tsuri means to fish or fishing. Tama means ball. So fishing ball?

Started watching Liar Game on Saturday, as well. Kanzaki Nao is an honest college student who receives 100 million yen one day, along with a card saying she has been chosen to take part in the 'Liar Game'. (She's always been naively honest.) The aim is to trick the players out of their 100 million yen. At the end the winner gets the 100 million yen, and the loser is 100 million yen in debt. She finds out her first opponent is her former teacher, Fujisawa Kazuo. He tricks her into handing her money over. Desperate she asks the police for help, but they can't do anything. She finds out that a mastermind swindler, Akiyama Shinichi, is to be released from jail the next day. She goes to him for help, and he agrees to it, as long he gets half the money. Very interesting, and seems like it has a Bloody Monday vibe. Not the same story, but same sort of suspense, little humor thrown in, and darkness to it. My kind of thing. I was very reluctant about this one. If I like it enough, there's another season and at least one movie. Wahoo! It's all based on a manga. (Oddly, so was Bloody Monday.)

Started watching Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de, or The After-Dinner Mysteries, on Sunday. It's based off a highly successful novel. Reiko is the only daughter, and therefor heiress, to the CEO of a major enterprise, 'Hosho Group', known worldwide. She hides her true identity behind her daytime job as a rookie police officer. She goes to her butler and chauffeur, Kageyama, for help when she has a complex case she can't figure out on her own. He insists that she eat before they talk about the cases. (Hence, the title.) He has a sharp tongue, and isn't afraid to point out her lack of reasoning skills. It's funny how he does all the thinking. While she's at work, he's watching her the entire time, making sure she's not harmed. Kind of creepy. There's plenty of humor, and interesting characters.


Today I get to see my new therapist. Hopefully he's as good, if not better, as my previous one. I'm going to ask him to fill out a couple of health insurance forms, even though he doesn't know me yet. I'm not even sure if he can do it, or if I'm supposed to have my new psychiatrist do it. Either way, I have to get the ok from someone on it. If he can't do it, then we'll have to wait for another 2 weeks to do anything. I only have until June. I don't want my session to only be about that.There's a ton of other stuff going on in my life. Plus, I haven't talked to a therapist in about 3 months. Longer since having an actual 'session'. Because, that last one was about her retiring, and what type of therapist I might like next.