Monday, February 29, 2016

Hiten

Mood::iconeestiplz:

From the first live-action Rurouni Kenshin movie. It literally means Flying Heaven, or some translate it as Celestial. It's short for Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu, or Flying Heaven (or Celestial) Beautiful Sword-Style. This is the sword-style Kenshin uses. It's actually a real style, but few have actually seen it. I think this was also used in the 2nd live-action Rurouni Kenshin movie, too. The whole soundtrack's amazing!:iconchibihungaryplz:I might feature a couple more tracks from it in the future. I think this was also used as the main theme in the first one. It sounds epic, and has interesting parts to it.

I also finished watching Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, which was the 2nd live-action movie. It was pretty good. I thought it would actually have the final fight between Shishio and Kenshin, but it ended much sooner. The last live-action one continues it. So far, the movies seem more intense than the anime. Maybe it's the live-action aspect of it...:iconswissplz:Hopefully the 3rd and final live-action movie will be just as good.

Finished reading Sanctuary by Faye Kellerman. I think it was a lot better than Day of Atonement. None of that back and forth between the killer's perspective and the detective's perspective. Had a lot more mystery this way. Interesting that Peter and Rina had to eventually investigate both cases in Israel. Normally, they either just stay in LA, where Peter's stationed, or there might be a couple of cases in New York state. First time they've gone outside the states, that I know of. Peter needed her as a translator. He knows very little Hebrew. A lot of the people they met over there knew very little English. When I was there, the people I met knew more than that. (They weren't perfect, but could carry on a conversation.) But, this is set in an earlier time than when I went. Turns out both cases weren't related. Had somewhat of a good ending. 

The next one that I have in the series is Prayers for the Dead. I've only read a few pages so far. It's about the murder of a well-known surgeon. It's the 9th book in the series. I've only read 4 of those, though. I have 4 more after this one, but I'll have to skip over some of the books I don't have again. Currently, there are 23 books to it. The most recent one was put out last year. Not sure if it was the last one. But, that's a lot of them.:iconwtfukplz:

Finished watching the Jdrama, Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku, or The Memorandum of Kyoko Okitegami. I have very mixed feelings about this one.:iconsighingplz:I didn't really like the beginning, then it grew on me, then I liked it, and finally it seemed to have a semi-good ending. I say 'semi-good', because it felt like they were trying hard to make it look like a good and happy ending. It really wasn't. We never knew who Kyoko really is, or even what her real name is. We don't truly know what her last memory is about. (It has her running through a brightly lit tunnel.) We don't know why she has amnesia in the first place. We don't know who wrote the sentence on the ceiling, reminding her that she's Kyoko Okitegami and a detective. I'm still curious as to why she doesn't keep a diary of some sort. She outright refuses to. How did she remember to always write down important things about the day, before she went to sleep, on her body? (Usually on her legs, arms, chest, etc.) Why is her amnesia so specific that she forgets everything the day before as soon as she sleeps? I feel really bad for Yakusuke. He fell for her, but every time she falls asleep, they have to start their relationship over. He even wrote out everything they've experienced together and called it K's Memorandum. She found it in the last episode, and didn't want to go to sleep for fear she'd forget him all over again. She also accidentally got rid of the document. Before she fell asleep after reading it, she kissed Yakusuke, finally. There were many moments where they had come close to kissing. I'm normally not into romance, but it seemed tragic if they hadn't done something like that. 

I've made a dA group called Sweet Endless Terror. (My first one ever on there!:iconranranruuplz:) It's based off of the theme behind my 2nd novel. I basically am curious about other artists' nightmares, and the goal of the group is to have them express it in some way. Like writing stories based on them, draw a scene from one, make a comic, etc. They could do it in many mediums. Even made a folder for the 'mature' stuff. The things that might be too disturbing to fit into the regular folders. I thought it was a really interesting idea, and if someone else had come up with it, I might have joined it. I'm mostly getting views so far. I'm the only member. It's still a rather new group. I know some don't have members until after a week or so. I'm thinking of drawing out scenes and symbols from the 12 short stories in that 2nd novel. I'll probably share it with that group. The drawings might bring more exposure to the novel, as well. 

I'm thinking of making a short youtube vid promoting my 2nd novel as a preorder. It might be coming a bit close to when the preorder period ends, but there would still be a little time. I might make a longer one for after it's 'live' or released. I might break each title up, and have drawn out symbols for each one. It'd be a little fun part for me. I'll write out specifics in the description part below both the vids, as well. 

I've decided to do mainly online promoting of my 2nd novel until after the preorder period. Then, I'll send out fliers. I'm going to ask to have it in 2 congregations' online newsletters at that time, too. I like one more than the other, but I was apart of that other one for most of my life. There still might be people I knew there and who would be interested. 

The only downside to preorders, it seems, is that 2 of the 3 retailers don't report sales to Smashwords until the novel is released.:iconhanatamagoplz:So, I don't truly know how it's doing right now. About a week ago, I noticed that it made it to the top 50 horror bestsellers on Kobo. It was #30. (#41 on the fantasy/supernatural one.) That's got to account for something.:dummy:I checked Barnes and Noble a couple of days ago, and it was also around #30 on their horror bestsellers' list. I don't know how many copies it needed to sell in order to be on there...I'm a bit anxious about it.:iconlietplz:There have only been 5 downloads from Smashwords. I don't think very many people use iBooks. Apple was the only one out of the 3 that reports sales during this time. 

I decided to have my 1st novel, Alliance, be free during this time. After March 4th, it'll be $0.99. I think that's somewhat fair for now. I might increase the price for my 2nd novel in April, if it's doing well enough. (Might make coupons available for the first couple of weeks during that month, too.) It won't be by much, though. 

I still have a lingering cough, but my cold is pretty much gone. Yay!:iconyayhanatamagoplz:After I told my gastroenterologist that I had been sick, through an email, she seemed concerned. She immediately made a phone appointment for last Monday. She was an hour and a half late to it.:icongermanyplz:I told her I was feeling better. She said she wants me to do a couple more tests. Ones that I really don't want to do. Kind of embarrassing and gross.:icondisgusted-hongkong:But, she said they'll help give a better picture of how my IBD is doing. They might be even more helpful than the sed rate, and can give more details. She said if the prednisone didn't work, she wants me to try remicade or humira. They're stronger/heavier meds than what I'm on right now. One is given through an infusion that lasts about 2 hours, and it has to be done at a clinic about every 6 weeks. For the 2nd one, I'd have to give myself shots in the leg a few times a month. I'm a bit terrified of either.:iconchibichinaplz:But, they might help me get better. I also found out that the appointment I had scheduled for the middle of next month was cancelled. She didn't tell her staff right away that she'll still be on break. So, I have to call again to reschedule. She's very popular, so it might be a while. It'll be the 1st time since the end of July that I'll see her in person. Everything's been through email, the phone, and tests.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

National Almond Day!

Mood::iconthinkinghkplz:

This holiday was yesterday. Almonds are an interesting nut. Not really one of my faves, but pretty good. It's very healthy and versatile. One of the almond-based desserts I really like is a Passover almond and cream torte. My mom made it occasionally for the holiday. I made it a couple of years ago. I think it has at least 3 different forms of it. Almond extract, sliced almonds, and crushed almonds. Very good, spongy, and almond-y. Monday was National Gumdrop Day. Gumdrops are awesome! I'm surprised there's a day for them.:iconseychelles-plz:

Well, I'm still sick.:iconwtfukplz:It's been just over a week. It felt like it got worse Monday night. Saturday and Sunday, I was coughing up stuff. I thought maybe that was a good thing, since it might mean it's pushing out whatever is in me. Trying to get rid of it. On Monday, my throat felt really dry, itchy, and the coughs weren't 'helping' or clearing it. That night, I hardly got any sleep. (If I did, maybe I passed out for a few minutes...:icongermanyplz:) I was coughing so hard, I could feel pain in my sides, feel like my guts were being squeezed, feel pain in my back (this was off and on beforehand, but much worse that night), and I ended up throwing up a few times. Felt like every time I breathed, I'd set it off somehow. Yesterday wasn't too bad. I still had coughing fits during the day, but they eased during the afternoon. I actually managed to sleep last night! Yay!:iconranranruuplz:Feels like some sort of victory. I'm not having as many coughing fits today either. Feels like my throat is cooling down or something. It still feels swollen, though. Not nearly as 'itchy'. My nose hurts quite a bit. It's not running like it was before, just feels super dry. Also, every time I inhale through it, the air hurts. If I inhale through my mouth, my throat gets itchy again. So, it'd be cool if I didn't have to breathe...:iconhongkong-wantsursoul:Talking also affects my throat now. That's a bit difficult for me, because I also sometimes talk to the cats or myself when I'm by myself...Hard to keep it to a minimum for me.:iconusaplz:

I'm definitely not going to the usual group meeting tonight, because of me still being sick. Kind of sad, but oh well. I think I got sick from someone there last time, who was sitting across from me, that was coughing every so often. I know my throat felt slightly itchy a few days after that meeting. (Didn't think much of it at the time.) I also was on 2 immunosuppressants at the time. So my immune system was shot beforehand. I don't blame this person, but I probably should have worn a mask or something.:icontinoplz:Probably should wear one when I go out and I know people will be there, in the future. But, it feels more isolating, and weird. For when we go to Shari's afterwards, I might need to ask for another table that's close. So, I'll be able to still be there, talk to people, take my mask off to eat, and not be close enough to catch anything. (Or, at least close enough where I'm more likely to.:iconsighingplz:

I have to start thinking of this sort of thing more often. I've been sick 3 times in the 5 months since I increased my dose of azathioprine to 2 pills. (Overall, I've been on azathioprine for 6 months now.) I increased it to 3 about 4 months ago, and now (as of about a month ago) I'm back to 2. Still, 3 times is too often.:iconhanatamagoplz:(Before, I would get sick maybe once a year.) This seems to be the worst one so far. I was on prednisone, a steroid and an immunosuppressant (azathioprine is a mild chemo med and also an immunosuppressant), for a month and have been off of it for a week. I think I might even wear a mask when I go to the grocery store or the mall. If the steroids didn't boost my ability to absorb azathioprine better, I'm going to have to move on to heavier/stronger meds like humira or remicade. (I'm a bit scared of this.:iconchibichinaplz:) That might also mess with my immune system. So, I should probably still be more mindful about it. 

I noticed that cooking has helped me feel a bit better while I'm sick. Simple stuff, not really over the top. One recipe was for making French toast in a mug. It was interesting, and tasty.:iconfrancisplz:I think if I make it again, I'll add more vanilla, and maybe some sugar. The recipe itself didn't call for sugar. But, even with my low-cal syrup, it wasn't quite sweet enough. Came out of the mug pretty easily. They said you could use any bread you wanted to, so I used challah. 

Yesterday night I made chocolate chip muffins. We were out of dessert, so during the late afternoon, I thought why not make muffins? Both this and the French toast were recipes from the Yummly app. I liked this one, too. The muffins ended up being really heavy and huge. (Huge to me, at least.:iconnorwayunimpressedplz:Not nearly as big as the ones at a local market are, though.) I used margarine instead of butter. We didn't have quite enough chocolate chips, but we were close. They called for a lot of them. Felt like most of the batter consisted of chocolate chips. Had quite a bit of vanilla extract, too. They're good and hearty. Apparently, if you put them in the refrigerator the chocolate chips harden. I suppose we could always heat them up in the microwave before we have the rest, too. 


I decided to join a new forum, since someone invited me to it. It has an interesting name: The Boogaloo City. It was created by people from a forum I was a part of for years, called Anime Forum. Pretty generic name.:iconkikuplz:I looked back, and apparently I joined back in 2009. I was invited to it by the creator through Crunchyroll. Anyways, there was apparently a lot of drama on AF the last few months. That forum was hacked into 2 years ago, and hasn't been the same since. (I haven't been very active on there since then, either.:iconwtfromanoplz:) They've been trying desperately to get people to stay and gain new members. Some well-known mods on there gave their 2 cents on what they should do to attract people, and they were shot down. The creator of the site said they were trying to destroy the forum, and he won't tolerate it. He started banning a bunch of people, after attacking them verbally on their profile's visitor messages section and pm's. Later on, some didn't even get that. They just logged in to find they were banned without warning. For some members, the threats didn't stop after he banned them. He also had some of the mods closest to him (the ones that never questioned him, and always seemed a bit odd), send threats through emails to these people. Also, they found out those people's other profiles on other sites (like deviantART and Facebook), and threatened them publicly there. I had no idea.:iconohboyamericaplz:I never thought the creator of AF was like that. I knew a few of the people closest to him were strange, and somewhat stalkerish. One of them found me on deviantART, watched me (not sure if she still does...I probably should check at some point), and decided to advertise for the site in my profile's comments section.:iconlietplz:The only way I knew about all this was through the guy who invited me to Boogaloo, and the one that got the most heat from the creator of AF. The one that was the first to just give a suggestion that set off the firestorm. I feel sorry for her, because she was awesome on there. But, now she has a different forum with some of the same people. I think she's co-creator with the guy who invited me. He said he was trying to invite all the great people he knew on that site before it got any worse. Well, if it was created by amazing, friendly, and honest people I know, I'd gladly check it out.:iconheroamericaplz:I decided to go back to AF one last time to get rid of my pics, and various other things. A lot of my friends on there were banned. I wonder how many people are actually on there now?:paranoid:Looking at the new forum, they seem a lot more warm and welcoming.

Youtube:
3 Kuroshitsuji amv's: 



4 Gintama amv's:




Thursday, February 11, 2016

National Pizza Day!

Mood::iconsleepygreeceplz:

This holiday was on Tuesday. I love pizza, though!:iconinloveplz:There are so many different kinds! Some of my faves are: BBQ chicken, Greek (feta, artichoke, etc.), cheese, Alfredo, and more. There's a local market that's known for their pizza and hot dogs. They have a different pizza featured each month. It's interesting just to see what they've come up with. Like baked potato, stuffed jalapeno peppers, chili, etc. Pretty unique. I think my first BBQ chicken one was there. (They also sell their brand of pizza dough, which is kind of cool.) I've only had deep dish pizza a couple of times, and I don't really feel it's actually pizza.:iconnorwayunimpressedplz:I guess since I grew up on a New York style, it's affected me that way. But, I feel deep dish is more like a casserole. Like a pizza flavored one. That doesn't mean it's bad. The couple of times I've had them, they were pretty good. 

It was also National Bagels and Lox Day. I sometimes really like it, but either I have to be in the mood for it, or it has to be a really good bagel and a more shredded type of lox. I'm ok with it other times. I also like it with some capers. Garlic and herb boursin can be good with it, too. I'm not really a fan of plain cream cheese. Sometimes just having margarine with it is good enough. 

Today's Get Out Your Guitar Day. I've never learned how to play it, but it always seems interesting. Basically the only string instrument I tried to learn to play was the violin back in elementary school. (I think I was 8 or 9. Just before playing the recorder for a little while.) But, that's a different sort of thing. So, I guess if you know how to play, and have one, play it!:la:Even if you don't know how to play, maybe start learning. 

Dad left for New Orleans on Tuesday. It's for a convention, and she's going to be giving a presentation there. Kind of cool. I think she said this is her 4th time going to New Orleans, but 1st time going after Katrina. Hopefully she'll have fun there. It seems like she already is. She won't be back until Sunday. 

Early Tuesday morning, I woke up to feeling really sick. I think it was just before I heard Dad getting ready to leave. I've felt sick ever since.:iconlietplz:It's mainly a cough/sore throat. But, I also have a very sore runny nose (tissues make my nose feel even more sore...), been sneezing often, and have a headache. Yay!:iconhanatamagoplz:It's getting heard to swallow things. At some point, I thought maybe it was my IBD, because it also feels like my throat's closing up. They say Crohn's can travel to the esophagus. (In that case, it would cause inflammation there. Making it irritated and start to swell/close up.) But, I don't think it'd make my nose go crazy, or make me sneeze, or give me a headache. With the combo of everything, my stomach's starting to hurt, too. I've been checking my temp occasionally. It's been slightly higher than my norm, but it hasn't been high enough yet to be a fever. My norm is actually pretty low. Like, 96.7 degrees. So, when it does reach fever territory, I definitely feel it. 

Tea has been helping a lot, which is good because we have quite a lot of it, and I love it.:iconheroamericaplz:I tried the lemon and ginger one last night. The smell was kind of horrid to me, but the taste wasn't bad. Not the best, but ok. I've had just regular ginger tea, and have liked it in the past. It's surprisingly refreshing, and usually doesn't taste the way I expect it to. Maybe lemon does something different to it? Some of my faves that we have now are: Moroccan mint, orange spice, and Earl Grey. Interestingly, eating seems to be helping a bit, too. Kind of soothes my throat for some reason.

I decided to announce my book being published at 2 of the forums I frequent. The first one I wasn't sure whether I should have it as a status or a new 'off topic' thread.:paranoid:They do have a writer's section, but it's devoted to an anime/manga theme. Like, fanfiction. Mine doesn't fall under that category. The off topic section is very generalized, and pretty much anything goes, except for spam. So, I did it as a status. I immediately started getting likes and comments saying 'congrats'. There was one person in the comment section that said: "Please teach me your novel writing ways!", and asked how I even was able to write a novel. I kind of felt flattered. My 'novel writing ways'.:iconseychelles-plz:Another person sent me a private message asking for tips for a rookie. He was finished with his first light novel, was editing it, and was going to move on to the next one in his series. I told him I didn't know much about light novels, to be honest. But, I gave him as many tips as I could from a regular novel standpoint. I felt flattered by that, too. People asking me for tips...seems almost surreal.:iconcuteamericaplz:He replied back pretty quickly, and said I was a great help. I didn't think I was, but that also made me feel good. It's nice to help others when I can. Another person said she googled it, and both books piqued her interest. Pretty awesome!:iconchibihungaryplz:With the other forum, I posted it in their writer's club section. As of the last time I checked, there hasn't been any response. I've had quite a few views of it, though. I wonder if I should make a short status about it on there, too? I don't know how many people actually look at the writers section. Either way, I'll slowly announce it on other forums, as well. Some are more active than others, but it's another way to get it out there. I've also been invited to a brand new forum, so I might announce it on there, too. I have a lot more places to promote it, as well.:iconberwaldplz:

Yesterday was the last day of taking prednisone for me. So today's the first day totally without it. I probably won't really feel the effects until tomorrow. I'm glad I don't have to think about taking any pill just after breakfast now. I have to take omeprazole 30 minutes before breakfast, but I feel that's easier to take since it's just after I wake up. I'm still not finished with my balsalazide prescription. But, when I finish it, I can go off of it. Yay!:iconranranruuplz:So, technically the only IBD related one left will be azathioprine. And, that's at a lower dose. The omeprazole was technically unrelated to my IBD when I got on it. At least, we didn't know about it back then. I was throwing up all the time, without warning. My doctor, at the time, decided on a whim to try omeprazole, and it worked. We still don't know why I kept throwing up. I might have to get off of azathioprine, too. That's if the prednisone didn't jump start it into absorbing azathioprine better. If it doesn't help, I'll have to go on heavier/stronger meds. Either remicade or humira. I'm a little scared about that.:iconchibichinaplz:But, we'll see.

Wednesday afternoon, there was someone at the door. They were aggressively knocking, pounding on the door, and ringing the doorbell. At first, I thought I wouldn't answer it, because a. I'm sick, and b. I might get sicker. Couldn't really talk very well, either. It hurt to do so for a certain amount of time. They knocked, pounded on the door, and rang the doorbell for about a minute or two. Since it was for so long, and so aggressive, I especially didn't want to answer it. After I heard them walk off the front porch, I thought they'd leave. About 5 minutes later, they came back, and did it all for a little longer amount of time. Eventually, they did finally leave. But, it was kind of scary.:iconwtfukplz:Later, when I went to go check the mail, I noticed they left an ad stuffed in the outside glass door handle. It was for repairing roofs, porches, decks, etc. They wrote their name down, too. All that to advertise something like that...:icongermanyplz:I think that would make most customers weary of them. I also thought that what if they were burglars? And, that was like their cover? I've heard about similar things happening in other areas across the country from facebook and the news. That's even scarier. I hope that wasn't the case, but it was pretty unusual. If it was, I feel even better that I didn't answer it.

One of the frozen things I got for dinners while Dad was gone, were meat and potato hand pies. There are 2 of them per package. So, 2 servings each, meaning 2 dinners for me. The 'meat' part is beef. The hand pies themselves are 'inspired' by the Australian version. It's really good.:iconitalyplz:They put seasonings on top of the pie, which made it interesting, too. Kind of a zesty filling. I did the oven option, and it came out awesome. Nice and crisp. They're really filled up with stuff. Huge chunks of beef and potatoes with some onions in there. Almost like having stew in a pie you can pick up. Decent size for a serving, and not bad on calories. (Not too bad on sodium, either.) 

Another frozen dinner thing I found was a chicken breast stuffed with broccoli and cheese, and breaded on the outside. It looks really good. And, like the other, the package contains 2 servings. So, 2 more meals for me. It's not bad on the calories either. I'm thinking of having one of them tomorrow night with some instant mashed potatoes. (Of course, the mashed potatoes will have garlic and chives.:iconenglandispervyplz:Might put a little chicken broth in there.) Sounds like an awesome one, too. I also got some chocolate muffins with chocolate chips. I'm having half of one each night, except I might have a full one tomorrow night. They're not big like one of our local markets does theirs, but they're pretty decently sized. It's been enough for me to have half lately. Like a shot of chocolate. 


Decided to start the anime One Punch Man yesterday. I think I might like it. There seemed to be some similar elements as Gintama. Lots of parody and comedy. It's about a superhero, named Saitama, who can defeat villains with a single punch. He's become bored of his own powers, since he can easily overwhelm an enemy. So, he's constantly looking for stronger opponents that can pose more of a challenge for him. There were several monsters that he defeated in the first episode, and they touched a bit on his past. He wasn't always bald (apparently he trained so hard, his hair fell out), and he considers being a superhero as a hobby. They haven't shown what else he does, if it's just a hobby. At the end of the episode, there seemed to be another strong character that showed up in the middle of a pasture full of dead cows. Should be interesting to see who he really is. I think he's the one on the left in the pic.

Gintama has become really serious lately. Somewhat somber, too. They tried to inject a bit more humor in with the most current episode, which was nice. The shogun was assassinated, despite everyone trying to prevent it from happening. That's when the atmosphere of it started to feel heavier.:iconohboyamericaplz:Everyone loved him, he was funny, kind, and stuck up for the people. The new shogun is ruthless, doesn't care about anyone but himself, and no one likes him. He essentially clawed his way up to the top. He's also a puppet for an already corrupt part of the government. They disbanded the shinsengumi, too. (Shinsengumi are essentially the police.) Kondo, the head of the shinsengumi, was sentenced to be beheaded for failing to protect the shogun, and 'allowing' him to be assassinated. When Hijikata, he was the vice commander, had a dream about Kondo being executed, I thought it was real at first. But, luckily, he's not dead yet. The joui rebels are siding with the previous officers of the shinsengumi. They were enemies before. Katsura, the leader of the joui rebels (and one of Gintoki's friends), saved Gintoki just so he could be thrown in jail with Kondo. He wanted to make a plan with him. I have a feeling they might save Kondo, overthrow the new shogun, and reform the shinsengumi. At least, I hope so.:iconraivisplz:
日本語
Studied the kanji:, , and started . There was only one pronunciation for : さつ (satsu). It means: guess, presume, surmise, judge, understand. pronounced as さん (san): (used in legal documents) three; (pref) tri-. As しん (shin): Chinese "Three Stars" constellation (one of the 28 mansions). As 参る or まい.る (mai.ru): (humble) (usually in kana, not kanji) to go, come, call; to be defeated, collapse, die; to be annoyed, be nonplussed; to be madly in love. The general meanings for are: give birth, produces, bear, yield, childbirth, native, property. Did pretty well with JapaneseClass' practice section. Might have broken my own record for number of combos correct in a row. I had 92 correct in a row. What got me was a silly mistake...But, that's pretty good. Hopefully, I'll get to doing more of the tests in the future, too. Lately, they've made a few changes. I'm still getting used to them.