Stand Up!

Mood:

By Lead. This was Hitman Reborn's 6th ending theme song. I really love this one.The harmonizing is awesome, and even the rapping part is cool. Has a fun jazzy feel. Looked through some other Lead songs, but it doesn't seem like this is their normal 'style'. So, it's interesting that this is so different. Lead debuted in 2002. The music video with the band is kind of weird with all the corn, but it somehow grew on me too.I like the ending sequence to Hitman Reborn more, but it's not the long version. The band looks like they're having fun, though.

I didn't feel very well last Friday. (Or most of last weekend.) So, I didn't go to the mini-reunion event at a local bar and grill. Sounds like it would have been fun. Although, for some reason, I feel like I made a fool of myself at the mini-event before that. Maybe that was just because I was so nervous.Probably a lot of other people were too. 

The next one is Friday night. But, I won't be going to that one. There are 2 other events happening at the same time. One of them seems more personal to my family, so chances are I'll go to that. That would be the Trans Pride march. I'm an ally, and my dad's trans. Plus, I've gotten to know a lot of other trans people. There are other fun things after the march related to it. The other event would be Pride Shabbat. That can be fun, but we don't really know anyone that's going. So, the reunion mini-event would be least important to me.

At some point, either Wednesday or Thursday, I might get to see one of my cousins, too. I've never met her before, but should be fun meeting another family member.

The next day is the reunion's main event. So, I'll definitely be there!It's for a good chunk of the day, which is nice because we'll get a chance to catch up a bit with people. Apparently, dinner's going to be a buffet. They told us to pick what we wanted, so I thought it would be like they serve you or something.I picked the salmon dinner with mashed potatoes. Another thing is that they said they won't be able to make the mashed potatoes, and now it's just going to be roasted potatoes.I think the food part could have been better planned, but they're doing what they can. A classmate's going to be playing a large portion of the music. So, that should be interesting. There's going to be a slideshow, open mic, dancing, and more. They'll be selling memory books too. With answers to the questionnaire people filled out online. They're going to be checking everyone at the front door, so nobody needs an actual ticket. Should be a very interesting experience. I'll be with people I was more comfortable with in high school. So, I might be a little less nervous.They're up to 130 people so far. Seems like a lot, but we had a large class of 500. At least some are coming. The next day is a potluck at a local park for lunch. I might go to it. Still semi-undecided about that.Not sure what I'll bring. 

Then, not too long after, a couple I've known for a while (who are also our neighbors) are finally getting married. They were essentially waiting until they legally could in this state. I'm so happy for them!About a month after that, another couple we've known for a while (I'm not as familiar with them) are getting married. For similar reasons. So, yay! Happy times for people!

In Tokage, they found out that Terashima is really the spy who's working for the Spider. But, even he doesn't know who the Spider's real identity is. This is getting intense, but interesting. 

In Kaichou wa Maid sama, they held their athletics tournament. Almost every anime seems to have at least one episode devoted to this kind of thing. Kind of like the obligatory summer episodes too. Anyways, Misaki tried to participate in as many events as she could. It was boys against the girls. She nearly collapsed from winning so many events. The last event was a cosplay one. Usually it's so the people who aren't very athletic have a chance at winning something. You have to run over to some bags full of costumes, grab one, get dressed in a tent with no light inside, then run back in costume to the finish line. Supposedly, this way you can't see what you get until you're already in costume. She helped one of the boys in the end for that event. He was being laughed at, because he was stuck with a maid costume and kept tripping over it. And, he's a serious cosplayer. She stuck up for him, saying what's so wrong about being serious about it? She purposely disqualified herself by using a bunch of miscellaneous costumes she found lying around, and ripped them up to get a certain look. Usui helped with it all. I'm starting to really like this show! 

In Mix Vegetable, Hayato introduced Hanayu to his father. Apparently, he was the sushi chef that made the tamagoyaki that made her want to become a sushi chef when she was little. She tried to get that same taste, but nothing worked until he made some again for her. His dad offered her an apprenticeship at his sushi shop. She told him that she wouldn't agree to it until she finally told her parents that she wanted to be a sushi chef, instead of becoming a patissiere and taking over their family's shop. The chapter ended with her saying she needed to say something to her father. Hopefully, she'll finally say it.

Played my clarinet. Did some klezmer tunes. Sounded pretty good this time. Wrote more of the first short story to my nightmare anthology. For some reason, I think this will be the hardest one to put into a story-form. But, I'm giving it a shot!

日本語

Did 2 kanji for today. 商 and 章. When the first one, 商, is pronounced as しょう (shou): (suf) (math) quotient; dealing, dealer, store. As あきな.う (akina.u): to trade in (commercial goods), deal in, sell. The second one, 章, is just pronounced as しょう (shou). It means: chapter, badge, composition, design, poem, section, medal. This one only had one compound listed. (Well, common one.) 文章 or ぶんしょう (bunshou): sentence, article, composition; (writing) style. Translated more of a You Maga article. Read an article in Japanese on Asahi's site about how they're celebrating Mt Fuji becoming a World Heritage Site with chocolates and souffles. The chocolates are milk chocolate at the 'base' and white chocolate is used on top to look like the snow on top. They look interesting. The souffle looks huge. And, it seems like there are many different flavors. All kind of shaped like the mountain, too. 

National Herbs and Spices Day!

Mood:

This was actually yesterday. Life would be boring without herbs and spices. (I can't really fathom that...) Interesting thing to celebrate, though. I love to experiment with them sometimes while cooking. 

Haven't changed my wallpaper for the month yet. Not sure if I will. My spice calendar features fennel this month. It gives detailed info on its history, where it originated from (which was the Mediterranean), wine pairings, and simple recipes. 

My Jewish calendar features an oil painting on canvas called Alley in the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam. It's by Max Liebermann, from Amsterdam, 1908. Interesting painting. There's also a Havdalah plate, by Bauscher (doesn't give a first name), made out of porcelain and glaze. From Weiden, Oberpfalz, Germany, around 1922-1930. Plus, a spice tower (also used during Havdalah), maker is unknown, and made out of silver. It's from Central Europe, around 1800-1900. Kind of sounds like they have no idea where the spice tower came from, or when for that matter.Interesting one, though. Havdalah is a short ceremony marking the end of Shabbat each week. We smell sweet spices during it, out of decorative 'towers' or 'boxes'. It symbolizes the sweetness of Shabbat, whose pleasant aroma we breathe in one last time, so it might last us through the week to come until we can welcome Shabbat again. 

The month-long holidays are: National Candy Month, National Dairy Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Seafood Month, LGBT Pride Month, Migraine Awareness Month, National Camping Month. Some are important causes, some are to make you appreciate things you may take for granted, and some are just for fun. Sounds like an interesting mix this month.

Lots of stuff coming up this month!My 10-year high school reunion is at the end of the month, and there's a few 'mini-events' throughout the rest of the month. Went to the first one a week from last Sunday. Was just supposed to be a get together at a park. Only 3 classmates showed up. One brought a significant other, and another brought her 2 little kids. (The kids were so cute!) I was the only one not on the committee.Kind of sad. I'm really curious about how everyone's doing. I didn't know the other 2 classmates too well, even during high school. One of them the name and face looks extremely familiar, but I know I didn't see her much. The other classmate I just vaguely remember. But, it's kind of a good opportunity to make new friends, too.

The next event was on Friday at a restaurant near the bay downtown. It's usually so noisy there, so I was a bit reluctant about it. Walked all the way down there. Almost 2 miles downhill. Not as bad as walking 2 miles uphill, but still killed my hips and legs.The scenery was beautiful, though. Once I was there, I needed to sit a few minutes to catch my breath. Then, I asked about their reservation. The people at the front looked at me like I was crazy. They finally said that there was a rather large group out on the deck overlooking the bay. I had to ask them again about where the deck was. Couldn't see it too well. Very rude staff at the front...Anyways, I found them. They had forgotten to make a reservation. Oh joy.There were more people than I expected. Which was nice. Someone recognized me right away, and I immediately recognized him, too. He looks just slightly different, but not much. The girls that were at the park, were there too. A lot of the others looked similar to what they did in high school. One girl I couldn't recognize until she was gone. It dawned on me then. (Sometimes we'd eat our lunches in the cafeteria together.) Got to meet a lot of other people's significant others and kids. That was interesting. Talked quite a bit. Had a hard time actually eating, since I was talking so much. I tend to mumble or talk really quietly when I'm nervous and when I haven't seen people in so long. Feel like I might have acted like an idiot, but maybe a lot of other people were nervous too.Maybe this will help with seeing people at the main event. 

Just noticed that they posted some pics that were taken at that event. The only pic I'm in just shows a little of me from behind. So you only see my hair, part of my hands, and a little of the side of my upper torso. With the other classmates you at least see their faces...I wasn't shying away from the camera this time. I'm a little disturbed by that. But, I guess it's their loss.

Got the Philly prime rib dip with fries, and some iced tea. The iced tea tasted really horrible.(Pouring a bunch of sweetener in didn't help.) The sandwich was so full of stuff and lying open-faced, it made it difficult to eat. But, it was pretty good. The fries still had the skins on them, which I love.The waitress was extremely nice. The little kids' meals were served in large paper boats. That was kind of cute, and they got a kick out of it. They told us that the easiest way to do the bill was to have everyone's orders on one, instead of separately. It would have been so much easier if we each had a separate bill. But, it was settled eventually. The classmates got together and took a group pic at the beginning. (This one hasn't been posted yet, and I'm not sure if they'll do it on fb. I'll definitely be in that one.) That was nice. The next mini-event is in about a week and a half at a bar and grill. I've never been there, but it sounds like it'd be fun. They normally have a karaoke bar set up, too. I was told they might not have it for that night, though. It's an adult event, so that'd be nice too. 

That following Friday, there will be 3 things happening at the same time. One is another reunion mini-event at that same restaurant, which I'm not too fond of. Another is the Trans Pride march. I'm an ally, they're kind of like family, and they want me there, too. (Plus, my dad's trans.) They have some little events after the march, too. The 3rd thing is Pride Shabbat. Which is interesting, and can be fun. Don't know too many people that go to it, though. So, I'm leaning more towards the Trans Pride thing. The next day is the reunion's main event. The next day after, is another reunion mini-event at the park that's a potluck. Then, a few days later, I'll be going to a wedding. And, sometime in the middle of this month, someone asked my dad and I to go to their graduation party. So, yay!So many things! I'll probably pass out or something. Oh, and let's not forget that I get to see one of my cousins at the end of this month, too! 

Found out the day before yesterday that my health coverage was dropped. The funny thing is online it's still saying that I have it. Even ordered some meds after the date it said in the letter, and that was covered. So, I don't know. Still waiting for a call from Starbucks about working there. If I do get it, they offer health insurance. One of the many reasons why it'll be the best place for me. Looked a bit more at other places that cover health care. There aren't too many in town. But, I'm also looking at neighboring towns, and possibly at Seattle. It'd be interesting if I end up working in the area I want to move to, before I live there.I told myself not to worry too much, because things just get worse if I do. Just look at things calmly. Still do them, but don't panic about things, I guess. Things will hopefully work out for the best this way. When I worry too much I get stressed out, tired, don't think about my own health as much, end up doing something I'll regret later, etc. 

Watched Django Unchained. Much better than I expected. Some Tarantino films I love, and some not so much.This was brutally violent, extremely hilarious at times, gut wrenching, music was amazing, etc. Lots of spaghetti western parodies. 

Finished watching Great Teacher Onizuka's first special. It was awesome! There's apparently 2 more specials. So, I'll get to those soon. I'll start writing one of the short stories from my nightmare anthology novel, soon. Up to 15 downloads of the free sample for Alliance. Yay! Also, had another person say online that she'll buy it soon. And one person from the support group is interested. I don't have his email, so I'll give him the info at the next meeting. So, things might be looking up on that front. I still have to advertise a bit. 

Youtube:
Some hilarious moments of Nakatsu from the Jdrama, Hana Kimi:

Hetalia amv featuring the song Bad Apple in different languages. It's originally a vocaloid song: 

Cool and touching Gintama amv:

Interesting dance performance:

What happens when a kitten meets a hedgehog:

Busy Times

Mood: 


Today was nice and warm.  It must have been in the 70s. I now have a lawyer to help me appeal the decision made by social security about SSI. She thinks I have a really good case.  Told me something like she wins 90% of her cases.  She doesn't get paid until I get the benefits. So, that's really good. Also, apparently, only 10% get approved for SSI the first go around.  They want people to give up, because they don't have many people to make the decisions. If we get to the hearing stage, we might have to wait about a year for it. Wahoo!  More of a headache. She's going to go through all my records in the meantime. Also, she strongly encourages me that I get a psychiatrist and therapist, again. Plus, stick with my primary doctor. I was already go to do that, so that's nice.  She also told me not to say things like: 'I'm feeling fine' or 'everything's ok' to either of these people. Instead, it should be like: 'I felt good this week.' Otherwise, they'll write it down, and it will seem like I have nothing wrong with me.  The people who make the decisions will see this. So, I have to be careful.  She said I should tell them exactly how I feel. Plus, what's going on. I have a hard time explaining these types of things to people, even therapists.  But, I'll try.  She'll call me when there's updates. She was very nice. I was a little nervous about it, so I'm glad that it was better than I expected. 


After that we went to the new Seattle library. It's the first time I've been to it, even though it's been up for a couple of years now.  Pretty cool looking place, very strange but interesting architecture.  It's like  a glass cube turned on it's side halfway up the building. We went to the highest observation area. (10th floor.) It was cool to look down on the streets, and the rest of the library.  The library itself is huge! Great selection too. I explored their performing arts, drawing, and Japanese sections. Very interesting stuff.  They actually had like 5 or 6 huge rows of books in Japanese.  I was a bit overwhelmed and couldn't find one that I was interested in enough to take home and read.  The drawing books that I saw, seemed a bit too advanced for me. The performing arts section was amazing!  I didn't have much time to look through that either. The arts section is devoted to an entire floor. I might have to go there again, or get an Interlibrary loan with our local one. Awesome! 


Next, we went to Bahama Breeze for dinner. Mom and I got the roasted goat cheese appetizer. So tasty! Dad had their chowder, which she said was very good. I ordered one of their specials. It was buttermilk fried chicken, on top of spinach and cheese, then garlic mashed potatoes. All this with a black bean and corn salsa on the sides. Also, everything except the chicken had a lemon butter sauce on top.  The breading wasn't thick, so that was nice. It was whole spinach with some gooey cheese. Plus, the potatoes were nice and lumpy. It was all SO good! Then, I ordered a Chocolate Island for dessert. The 'island' part had mousse on top of a fudge brownie, that had a thick covering of fudge syrup. On top of that was some whipped cream in the middle. On top of that, slices of almonds with sugar on them. The 'sea' surrounding it had vanilla creme sauce and streaks of the fudge syrup again. It was really really good!  I couldn't eat it all, it was just so much. I had a ton of food, so that combined with a good experience with the lawyer, and the warm weather; I was in a very good mood. Oh, and very sleepy. 


Also, today was the first day my dad started going full-time as a woman. She was happy too. We seemed to get along a bit better, also. Which is very nice to see.  I'm up to 85 pages for my story. (That's 85 in Word, not on regular pages. ) A big landmark, I guess. There's a ton of events coming up. At least it's a lot to me.  Tomorrow, my parents are going to be gone for the day. Dad has voice lessons and they're going to a Pride Shabbat service. (I didn't feel like going.) Which means I'll also celebrate the beginning of Shabbat alone.  That's ok, I can make my own service!  Saturday, is our regular morning service with our cantor, and a special guest. Then, at night we're having a Havdalah 'plus' service. Supposedly, they're calling it 'plus' because there's like a Torah study, potluck, and something else on top of the Havdalah service.  Sunday, Dad's going to march in the Pride parade. Mom and I will be at a friend's party.  Then, Monday and Tuesday my parents will go to the retreat that's for school psychologists in the area. (Dad's a school psychologist.) Then, next Friday night we'll be at the house of our friend's Bar Mitzvah and there's a Shabbat service. Then it will be his Bar Mitzvah the next morning.  So, fun stuff coming!