Mood:
From the first Liar Game soundtrack. The soundtrack to this Jdrama's amazing! Perfect for every scene, and really draws you in. It's fun and cool, with a slight dark side to it. Most of the soundtrack is that way. Some tracks are much more driving and heavy. This series is a lot of fun, and very intense. Hard to stop watching once you've started.
It's been unusually cold for us. Feels more wintry than fall-like. Managed to keep the fire going in our wood stove yesterday!
It only took a few tries for me to get it.
Since Dad wasn't home for Shabbat dinner, I had a hot dog bun as a replacement for challah.
(We both forgot about it before she left in the morning that day.) It was stale, but good. Made mac and cheese, but added a little chipotle and garlic. Plus, a few other cheeses besides the regular 'cheese' packet it comes with. It was the last box of mac and cheese since I bought it in bulk 2nd to the last year I was in college. (Amounted to about 20 boxes in all, I think. Maybe more. It was a huge sale.
One of the campus markets was closing.) That was years ago. But, I'm done with those finally! Anyways, it was really tasty! Also, had a pumpkin/chocolate/walnut cookie for dessert. Those are always good!
Gintama was awesome!
One of the best episodes! Although, it's a pretty top-notch anime overall, in my opinion.
It can have you in tears from laughing too hard and from the touching/sad moments, then have some amazing action scenes, and more. There's always an amazing theme behind it too. More than about a character beating the odds by sheer luck, like some shows have. This one, every character is important and has a 'soul'. (Gintama literally means Silver Soul. There's a play on it that's a running gag, though. Tama can also mean ball(s). Just by hearing 'Silver Balls' you know that there is some 'dirty' humor as well.) They may not be perfect, but that makes them more human and all the more powerful. They really cemented that message even more in this episode. I like that Gintoki won over Kintoki. (Their names are literally 'Silver Time' and 'Gold Time'. So, silver vs gold.) Knew it would happen, but was wondering how they would pull it off. Gintoki is like the best main character. He's awesome at fighting, but he'll try everything else before ever starting a fight. (And, only fights with a wooden sword.) He can be lazy, weird stuff happens to him, he's a bit mysterious, seems more 'human', and has an interesting personality. He sticks to his own rules and ideals through everything.
Didn't go to services this morning. Still felt like I needed a little break from it.
Read the parsha (Torah portion) this time. It was about Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac. Also, how at about 100 years old, Abraham circumcised himself, and then all the other men living near him. 100 years old? That's a bit crazy. But, again I look at stuff like that, and think it's just the storyteller's exaggeration, if it happened. But, interesting nonetheless. I normally don't post on Satudays, because it's Shabbat during the day. But, I thought about it, and Shabbat ends a little after sunset. So, why not write and post after the sun goes down?
One of the guys Dad is dating came over today, and is going to stay the night. It's interesting. He seems a bit...out there? Not sure if that's right.
Maybe a little not with it. Very nice guy, though. He went with us to the market. Couldn't walk around the aisles for too long, and ended up sitting on a bench next to the cashiers for most of the time. Kind of felt bad for him, but at the same time put off a little. But, we got a lot of our essentials. Still haven't gotten any Halloween candy for the kids. But, we'll see if we can get them soon. I love seeing some of the little kids faces light up when they see the candy. It's cute, and makes me feel good that we made somebody happy.
I might go through some of my clothes tomorrow. To mostly switch from my fall-like clothes to wintry. Might look at things I can throw together to make a costume too. Because it certainly doesn't look like I'll be able to go to the store and get stuff for a steampunk outfit.
Started watching the movie Liar Game: Reborn, today. Might finish it tomorrow. About halfway through. It's pretty long.
I'm thinking I might make a therapy appointment on Monday. I haven't seen a therapist in a while. The one I was seeing for a bit, is transferring to another clinic. So, I have to start from scratch with a new person. I think I'll definitely go with a female therapist this time. Oddly felt a bit uncomfortable talking to a male one. I don't know why, really. Maybe I didn't feel like I could really 'connect' with him? Not sure.
They have a new person on staff, who others have said is great, so I might go with her.
Part of the reason I haven't seen a therapist for so long, is because I don't want to trouble anyone to drive me. Someone, I think I know who, made me feel that way. But, if I don't go, I'll have more problems and that sort of thinking might get worse. I have to break through that!
Mood:
Yay! 12 more days until my b-day!
I don't think I'll ever become one of those people who dreads their birthdays. It's celebrating your life! I think of it as I made it this far, what more great and interesting things await me?
I love how it's exactly a week after Halloween. They always feel interconnected to me.
Speaking of Halloween, yesterday I found my mom's stash of Halloween decorations. So, I put up a poster thing of a black cat coming out of a jack-o-lantern on the front door. Found some webbing that has 4 fake spiders. Put that up around the front windows. There were 2 wooden Halloween-themed figurines, I put on the counter next to the kitchen table. There's also these ghosts that hang on things like bushes, we used to put them out every year. Somewhat for directing the kids to our door. I'm debating whether I'll put those up too. (If we have a wind storm, they're a pain to find. Since they blow away so easily.) There's also some Halloween garland I can put somewhere, if I want.
Managed to get the fire started in our wood stove yesterday. Couldn't totally do it on Sunday. But, I apparently didn't put enough wood in. So, it died down pretty quickly. Might try to do it again today. I'm not used to how our stove works. Dad gave me a few tips, after I asked her last night. So, we'll see.
My penpal from Japan finally sent a letter to me!
(Snail mail.) It had been about a year and a half since she last sent something. I was really on the ball last time, and sent something as soon as I could to her after that. That last letter she sent, she sounded so depressed. Which is understandable, considering she was in the tsunami affected areas. But, not hearing from her for so long, I was a bit worried, and also thought maybe she didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore.
She has a number of health conditions. Mental and physical. Anyways, she sounded much better in the letter that came yesterday. Again, still depressed about what happened. (I'd probably be the same.) But, things seem to be looking up for her. Makes me feel a bit more relieved. She said she hopes we can still be friends, even if it took her forever to respond. Of course we can.
She's kind of cute that way. She had a sticker pic at the end of the letter of herself. She also asked if we could talk about our fave bands and send each other a ripped CD of some of their songs with each letter we send. That sounds interesting. Not sure if I'll do it, but we'll see. We have a lot to catch up on!
Went to the Hadassah meeting Tuesday night. Only one other person had one of the cookies I brought. I think the others were too scared of it. I guess they don't like trying new things.So sad. The other things seemed a bit plain. Like brownies, shortbread, etc. Don't get me wrong, I like that stuff. But, it gets old. I think for a dessert potluck, you'd want something exciting.
Anyways, the members seemed to really like my hairstyle. (Some haven't seen me for a long time.) One member went over to me, and begged to touch my hair. It feels a bit awkward how people react to it.I love it too, but I don't constantly touch it, and ooh and ahh.
They were a lot nicer to me this time. Not trying to act like their my mom or anything. I have a parent, thank you very much.
Just would like to be treated like another member. (I'm a life member now of the organization as a whole. So, I'm really a member of every Hadassah group/chapter now, for the rest of my life.)
We talked about more ideas of how to draw people in, and more ideas for fundraising. A lot of people had stopped coming because they hated that every meeting ended with mah jongg (or mahj for short). Plus, our main fundraising event turned into a mahj tournament. They felt that's all that we were about. Frankly, I'm glad we had such a great fundraiser, but I have no interest in mahj. So, it really doesn't feel quite right that our group has focused so much on it.People brought up that maybe we should have that tournament every other year, instead of every year. But, we'd have to come up with something to replace it with the years we don't have the tournament. We also talked about projects that help raise money for certain organizations or causes. Like, breast cancer research, something to do with the Hadassah hospital in Israel, something to do with mental health, stem cell research, etc. That might be a good draw for people. We thought about bringing some things back, like lecturers, a Jewish poetry reading group called Drash to come again, workshops, etc.
There's also a new movement where the organization is trying to draw in younger women. Specifically women in their 20s and 30s. My age group. They have a subgroup for them, and have a bit of a different focus. I think that's cool. I might want to join something like that. One of the members said there was a 4-day class on how to lead these groups for younger women, and wanted me to join it. I absolutely have no intention of leading them.But, I'd be happy to join one of those groups. (If you have a life membership, you're still considered a member of the younger groups.)
This same member was the person who drove my friend and I to it. She used to be the group's president, while I was the secretary. Lately, she's had major problems with her hearing. A lot of the time she forgets her hearing aids, and therefore seems cranky when she can't hear anyone. Anyways, while we were in her car on the way to my place, she snapped at me big time. She couldn't see my lips, so she couldn't lip read. She essentially didn't hear a word I said, and thought I wasn't answering her. So, I said it louder, then she got even more irate. It was a very weird/emotional situation for me.
And, my friend was put off by it too. I'm reluctant to get in her car again. I'm trying to stay away from people who may hurt me emotionally. I don't need that pain. Even if it's unintentional. Feels like I have to protect myself.
Went to the cafe this week. Had some hot chocolate with whipped cream, and a little chocolate syrup drizzled on top. Really good! While I was there I read an article in Japanese from Soy Source about Halloween costume and decoration ideas. Practiced my kanji. Up to about 72 of the 'current' ones that I've gone over. I know a lot more, but these were the ones I didn't go over before, or didn't go over enough of. That's a good number of them. Went over 3 Japanese grammar lessons. And, practiced making several Japanese sentences. Started drawing the clock tower that's at the university from my story. It's becoming pretty ornate looking. Kind of fun. I got sucked into it, while I drew. Might continue it next week. And, eventually post it.
A couple of days ago, I made a thing called Noodles with Tomatoes, Sardines, and Mustard. Another recipe from my new Asian cookbook. Almost all the recipes in the book say which country they got it from, except this one. We're thinking it might be Filipino or Thai. I left that open and asked people on dA, as well. Someone said it looks and sounds like a Thai dish, so I don't know. It was really good. Just needed more 'dressing' (mustard/olive oil/garlic/lemon juice), and a lot less red onion. (WAY too much onion!
) I like the flavor red onion gives to a dish, but I don't really like eating them. I think I would have either taken out the red onion entirely, or used half the amount and cooked them to nothing before tossing them in the bowl. But, I wanted to see what the end result of the recipe would be before I tweak it too much. People on dA seem to really like this one. It already has a lot of faves, and a couple of comments.
Last few days I've also gone over some of the 'new' current kanji, and some compounds. The compounds, for some reason, are really giving me a better understanding of the language. The grammar lessons have helped a lot as well.
Posted a chapter of Alliance to one of the forums I'm apart of. Apparently, someone already really likes it. I thought no one cared. They liked the post, and commented saying that they really enjoyed that chapter. But, they also said I shouldn't wait so long to post the next one. I ended the one I just posted on a huge cliffhanger. So, it might be a bit cruel of me if I don't post the next chapter within a month or so.
Also, managed to play more of my clarinet this week. Did some Mozart and some tunes from my newest solo book. Hasn't been too bad. The Mozart book is for advanced players, especially the last pieces. (One of them he specifically made for the clarinet, and was one of his last pieces before his death.) So, I messed up a little on those. Oh, and forgot to mention, today's also Pumpkin Day, Pretzel Day, and Mince Meat Pie Day. Sounds like the perfect combo, to me!
Mood:
Caramel apples are awesome!They're also very messy...But, it's worth it! I kind of like the plain original ones with just the caramel around the apple, the most. There are other types too. Some people roll it in nuts, and some drizzle chocolate syrup over the caramel.
I didn't feel well enough to go to services yesterday morning.
And, oddly didn't read the Torah portion or parsha. I've been trying to read them every week. I think I've read this last one so many other times, so it's not like I'm really breaking the 'cycle'. This time it was on Noah, and the one before was the very first parsha of the year. (The very beginning of the Torah.) I'll definitely get back to reading the next one!
We recently got a green tea sampler. I love it so far!I've had the Moroccan Mint, Chai Green, Fusion Green and White, Ginger Peach, and Pomegranate Raspberry. The only one I didn't really care for is the Pomegranate Raspberry. It smells, and kind of, has a fishy taste. At least, to me it does.I really liked the mint and chai ones so far. Very interesting stuff. We also got a pretty good lemon tea, that I've been off and on with. Since I took out sodas, and most sugary drinks about a year ago, there hasn't been very many options for me other than tea. I've become much more healthy because I took those out of my diet, though. There's so many different teas out there! And, I've always loved tea. Plus, it has a lot of health benefits.
Just went out to the store for, what was to just be, chocolate. Realized we needed things like more fruit, and while we were in the produce section, someone we knew saw us and decided to talk.
She's the type of person where you don't want to be rude, but you know right away she'll want to talk for a long time if you give her the chance.Very nice lady, but she kept talking to us for so long I almost forgot the other stuff we needed. But, she also wanted to ask if I was going to the Hadassah meeting on Tuesday. I felt like I was being talked down to last time, so I was very reluctant about it.But, she really wants me to go with her. At least, I'll know one person who'll treat me like another regular person. So, I agreed to go with her. We might have another person drive us, but if she can't, this lady will. She just hates driving at night.
This time, the meeting will start with a dessert potluck. I wasn't sure about what to bring.
So, we looked around the baked goods area, and I decided to get some pumpkin/walnut/chocolate cookies. They're more like huge cakey muffin tops. Really good, and I hope it'll be a hit.One 'cookie' is very filling. So, I'm hoping there will be a few left over for us. There's about 20 of those babies! Doubt there will be that many people. For our dessert tonight, we decided on apple strudel. The market makes a really good one.
We both really wanted a fire in the wood stove, so we got some more kindling and some wood burning bricks that were on sale at the market. When we got it home, I tried to get it going. Almost got it, but it went out twice before really getting to the logs.Dad helped a bit after that, and it's finally going! Feels good. Our house gets cold inside this time of year, so it's good when we have a fire. You can feel the heat all the way upstairs. It's amazing!
I was hoping to get it going myself, because Dad has something weird going on with one of her eyes. She called the nurse hotline and they agree with her that it might be a detached or torn retina. They told her to relax, lay down, not to make sudden movements, and to stay off the computer until Monday. She has an appointment with an ophthalmologist then. Of course, if things get worse before that, she has to go to urgent care. If they're not open, then it's the emergency room. Oh joy.Anyways, I didn't want something to happen to her, but she ended up helping me. She has a hard time staying away from the computer, too. I would, as well.
Watched the movie, Liar Game: The Final Stage, yesterday. It was pretty cool. Although, for some reason I felt it wasn't as intricate with the twists as the 2nd season was. I could guess what was going on, long before the characters caught on. Next week, I'll watch the next movie, Liar Game: Reborn. Yes, they beat the final stage, but apparently there's more.
Watched Sword Art Online yesterday, too. Kirito actually beats the game, by killing off the game's creator. But, the game creator had attacked him first, and ended up killing him at the same time. Kirito woke up in the real world. The creator said the players that died would lose their minds, and become a vegetable. Essentially, killing them in the real world. Yet, he's not a 'vegetable'. He's plenty aware, and pretty much back to normal. Just has to work on gaining his muscles back. He found out where Asuna was being kept, and has been visiting her every week since he woke up. She's still in a coma. Apparently, her game's headgear still looks like its on. A disturbing pervy man plans to marry her while she's still in a coma at the hospital soon. Kirito's going to try to stop it. (They were married in the game, and were living in a nice looking cabin in the woods.) I don't see how there's a possibility of the game still playing when the world literally crumbled to nothing. But, there is, apparently. Judging from the new opening and ending sequences. I guess I'll have to see what happens.
Rearranged and got rid of a lot of songs. Some were really bugging me. Sad, because I used to love them.Started playing Heralds of Chaos on Gaia yesterday. Interesting war strategy game. I'm into that kind of stuff, so I kind of got sucked in. Also, saw an interesting profile on one of the dating sites. He had shown some 'interest' in me. Which they phrase as him wanting to meet me. He loves his cat, doesn't drink, has similar interests, etc. I'm a little nervous about responding, but I probably should.
