Mood:
Croissants are awesome!
Makes for an amazing sandwich. And, it's great by itself. Yesterday was National Puzzle Day. I love puzzles too.
Today was kind of foggy, and a bit warmer than yesterday. Nice that it was warmer, but couldn't see the sunset.
Oh well. I'm sure I'll be able to again soon.
I finally told the person who usually drives me to the cafe, that I won't be going anymore. I love it when you've thought about it for a while, and you're really positive with your decision. And, the response is you should think about it some more, and I'll call you later so we could talk about it.
Once I've made up my mind on something, I stick to it. There's usually no amount of talking it out that'll change my mind.
I might have sounded a little harsh, especially because I was trying to keep it short since I'm running out of minutes on my phone. But, I wasn't trying to be mean about it. Just said it matter-of-factly. She asked me why, (again since my minutes were running out...) and I said I just wanted to not go anymore. I could have explained a little more if I wasn't short on time. But, it doesn't really matter what my reasons are. Plus, one of the reasons might have upset her a bit. So, maybe this was the best way to say it.
I never like hurting people, so I try to say things as nicely as possible. She ended with saying, "If there's anything you need, you can call me." That was really nice of her. So, at least she wants to be somewhat connected. Not sure if I'll ask her for help again, but it was nice. I also thanked her again for the rides. It was very generous of her.
Yesterday night was the support group's potluck and movie showing. Of course, with the mere mention of food, people come out of the woodwork.
(So to speak.) So we had a good crowd this time. There was a few more allies besides me, too. That was nice to see. We brought my dad's red beans and rice. There was also 2 different kinds of potato chips, homemade red velvet cupcakes, homemade brownies, homemade cotton candy (made with jolly ranchers, apparently), and I'm sure I'm missing something else...There was apple juice, too. The movie was more like a documentary about what trans people go through. It was pretty good, except for the really hokey music. Interestingly, since we usually meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, our next meeting is next week. We've decided that any months that have a 5th Tuesday will be our potluck/movie day. Kind of like a party day. I'm growing pretty close to the other members, and that's great. I'm all for more friends!
On Cartoon Kat-tun, they had a model as a guest this time. She's extremely shy, and has a hard time with doing anything new or out of the ordinary. Even has problems talking with people she doesn't know, and/or if she's left by herself with someone. She said she was really nervous during the 'interview', or when they talked about her answers to the questions they asked her beforehand. She was shaking. She said she asked them to put on a lot of makeup for her face, because when she's nervous her face turns red. It didn't hide her red ears though. So, they did a few experiments to get her to relax around them, and even asked her comedian friend to join them. She opened up a lot more after that. She also told them that she's not very flexible, and most models have to be. They showed her a stretching exercise that'll help her with that. In fact, it already had some results after trying those out. It was very interesting. I wonder how she became a model, if she's so nervous all the time. Maybe she becomes a different person when she models.
Fairy Tail was interesting. Erza started her battle in the tournament. Which is going into a 'haunted house', and battling the 100 monsters inside. You can choose how many you want to battle. Right off the bat she said all 100 of them. Knowing her, it'll probably be easy. So, I'm not really surprised that she wants to battle them all. Should be fun to watch though.
In Tripeace, Nana felt useless when the kids he tried to teach how to make peace with each other, were targeted by some sort of organization. This organization is at war with everyone. For the town they're in, they were told to 'eradicated' its citizens. Nana begged them to spare the kids, but they didn't heed him and were about to blow them up, when the organization called Tripeace showed up and saved them. They'll stop at anything to bring peace to the land. They have 3 ideals they stick to: peace, love, and violence. I think it's odd that their symbol is a six pointed star. The 3 circles stand for those ideals. It looks like a star of David. Funny thing is we try to promote peace, but abhor violence. We're also into justice, but not sure if that falls under those. So, I thought maybe it had to do with that, but doesn't quite make sense.
The mangaka doesn't mention why. I know it had a different symbolism before Jews picked it up. But, I don't think it was used like that, either. Hmmm...Maybe I'll find out in the future. But, at least they finally showed up.
Played my clarinet. Saw/listened to some youtube vids on the 'new' klezmer tunes I added to my practice list. They didn't have very many of them. Apparently, I was already playing the melody the way it should be before for all of them. Even though they're more difficult than the other ones that I worked on before. Although, with many 'advanced' pieces I've always played better than the 'easy/beginner' ones. Maybe because I like to challenge myself, and get kind of lazy with the others.
At least, I went over those easier ones again, and looked at them more seriously. Played them better, as well. I'll iron the 'new' ones out more tomorrow, and might add a couple more to play.
Made my own mocha today, as well. Turned out probably better than the cafe one.
Although, they usually do. It was more surprising this time, because I used really old Nesquik instead of Swiss Miss' powdered hot chocolate mix. (We're almost totally out of hot chocolate stuff.) Mochas are pretty easy to make at home. I just use instant coffee, some sort of powered chocolate stuff, some sweetener, and some creamer. Easy and good. Also, transposed an Irish tune.
日本語
I practiced writing out all the kanji I've learned in the last several months, like I usually would at the cafe. Then, went over a new kanji. The new one is: 決. Pronounced as けつ、き.める、き.まる (or ketsu, ki.meru, ki.maru). It means: to decide, agree upon, appoint, fix, vote, choose, determine, assume. Compounds that I learned this time: 決意 or けつい (ketsui): decision, determination. 決議 or けつぎ (ketsugi): resolution, vote, decision. 決行 or けっこう (kekkou): doing (with resolve), carrying out (i.e. a plan). 決裁 or けっさい (kessai): sanction, approval. 決死 or けっし (kesshi): preparedness for death, do-or-die spirit. 決心 or けっしん (kesshin): determination, resolution. 決闘 or けっとう (kettou): duel, shoot-out. 決別 or けつべつ (ketsubetsu): separation, farewell, parting. 決裂 or けつれつ (ketsuretsu): breakdown, rupture.
dA fave: Liechtenstein I did not make this! An interesting drawing of Liechtenstein from Hetalia. She usually looks happy and somewhat peppy. Although, I remember they had an episode that was pretty sad about her past. So, maybe she's remembering it.
Mood:
That's one of my fave types of pancake. They're simple to make for something so good, too. Banana chocolate pancakes are pretty good too. You can put almost anything in the batter for pancakes.
Today was cold and rainy. Perfect for a still semi-low mood. Although, towards the middle of the day I felt empowered for some reason.
Hope that keeps up. I started with my 45 sit-ups 2 times a day for this week. I can't believe I did it this morning.
I'll be amazed if I can manage to do it for the whole week. It feels a bit odd after that many. But, I'll keep adding sit-ups in increments of 5 for both times each week. I'll see how long I can do that for. There might be a limit to how many I can do...But, we'll see.
I have decided to stop going to the cafe on Wednesdays.Mainly because of the guilt-tripping, people only into mahj (and I'm not), older people, and all in all just not my crowd. I realized that the only thing connecting them to me is my mom. Other than that, we don't share anything and sometimes they treat me like I'm a mini version of Mom.
Which I obviously am not. I'm a totally different person. (Although, we did share a few things in common. But, that's it.) So, why not stop going?
I'm thinking I might go occasionally on Thursdays, since it's still a great place to study and be with people. It's more like a social hall or a pub. Plenty of others to get to know. I somehow feel really good with this decision.
Now, I just have to tell the person who drove me that I'm not going. I can get pretty close to the cafe by bus, so I don't really need rides there. I can also go at a time I want to go. And, might not spend 3 hours each time I go.
Again, I don't have to go every week either.
I watched the Hana Yori Dango Final movie. I thought it was really good, and a perfect end to the series. Makino and Domyouji are about to get married. They have to find a really expensive tiara that has been handed down for generations through the family. It was stolen from them. Supposedly, the bride-to-be gets to have it. They travel around the world, and realize that something seems fishy about it. Later they find out that the tiara's a fake, and Makino's family wanted to make sure that she really loved him. So, they came up with an elaborate scheme, with the help of Domyouji's mother. Makino and Domyouji really bonded in one of their last destinations. It was a deserted island. They lived there for what they thought was at least 2 months. They hunted, scavenged, fought off wildlife, did their clothes, went swimming, etc. all on their own. Since their love only grew through this experience both of Makino's parents and Domyouji's mother approved of them. They had a really beautiful wedding put up by Rui. Towards the end of the movie, Makino tells Domyouji that she's pregnant. I don't remember the end of the anime, but I thought this was a really nice way to tie up things.
Since Monsters is still raw/not subbed yet (I still need it when they speak really fast, or use words/phrases I'm not familiar with), so I watched another episode of Cartoon KAT-TUN. This time it was with an otaku or 'anime geek' as some like to call them. They're really any type of geek. But, this person is a singer that does opening/ending themes for many anime shows. She's also a mangaka or comic artist. She was quite crazy with the wealth of info she had on anime. Particularly really old ones like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon. Koki is apparently an otaku too, and went at it with her. It was kind of amusing to watch. They also did a quiz on anime songs. The guys almost beat her, but she got the last one. Then, one of her idols, who sang one of her fave anime's opening song showed up. She went nuts. It was the 40th anniversary of when he put it out. They also had a drawing game. Interesting results. One of the last couple of episodes I saw explained the meaning behind the band's name, KAT-TUN. Each letter stands for each members' first letter of their family name. Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi (this was before he left the band, now they use the first 2 letters of Kazuya's last name), Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Kind of cool.
I started Cuticle Tantei Inaba (or Cuticle Detective Inaba) a while ago. At first, I wasn't quite sure of it. They could royally screw this up with the type of rhythm and humor it has, or it could be hilarious and awesome. After a few episodes into it, it has already grown on me. So, it's definitely not horrible. No one seems to die in this anime, despite being mauled by dogs, multiple gunshots to the head, having a refrigerator fall on you, etc. I like those type of anime shows. Each character is eccentric, and has many quirks. They also seem to be superhumanly strong. It's about Hiroshi Inaba who's an artificially created being. Formed by splicing the genes of both a human and a wolf. (He's a werewolf, essentially.) He gains info by tasting and examining people's hair. And has a huge hair fetish. With the help of his assistant/secretary, Yuta (who cross-dresses and is extremely sadistic, he's mistaken for a girl constantly), he can become more wolf-like, and gain special powers and perform different attacks depending on the type or color of hair he eats. Formally employed by the police and partnered with a police officer, he now runs his own private detective agency. With the help of Yuta and Kei. (Kei seems really normal compared to the others.) Kei actually has a big thing for cats. He's allergic, but is fanatic about them. Hiroshi's previous partner, Kuniharu Ogino, also helps out with many of the cases. (He's obsessed with his daughter.) His archenemy is Don Valentino, an evil goat who eats money. His henchman are really bizarre.
Started reading Mix Vegetable a little while ago, too. The art is a bit different, and I'm not usually into such shoujo-ish type art. But, its oddly grown on me. Hanayu Ashitaba is the daughter of a celebrated patisserie, but all she wants to do is become a sushi chef. Hayato Hyuga is the son of a prestigious sushi chef, and all he wants to do is become a patisserie. Both are chefs in training at Oiwaka High School. Ashitaba believes if she marries Hyuga, her parents will understand her wanting to be a sushi chef and she'd get a reputation. So, she tries to appeal to Hyuga, but usually ends up becoming angry and yells at him. The last chapter that I read he asks her out, but she thinks it's like he lost a bet or is a punishment game. She finds out that he does have some feelings for her. I like the cooking stuff they refer to. So, it's not all about 'romance'. I'll see how long I'll continue with this. It's surprisingly entertaining, and interesting.
Played my clarinet today. Did some klezmer tunes. Managed to add some new ones to my practice list, because I felt I perfected those other ones enough to move on. These 'newer' songs are even tougher. So, that'll be a nice challenge.
I'll go over them a lot of times, like I did with the previous ones. Tomorrow, I'll probably listen to them on youtube, if they have them. I don't know where the CD to my book went...
So, youtube is my avenue for it. It's good to get a sense of how others play it. I learn better after hearing it, and reading the notes/rhythm as they go along. It's like all the pieces come together that way. There are some songs where I get them easily if I just look at them on the page. But, the tougher ones I get a much better feeling for it this way. Plus, it's nice to hear how others embellish the tunes. Klezmer can be very much up to the musician, but it has to follow a certain base melody. So, you have to have some grounding in it first.
Edited a bit of chapter 19 of Alliance. Kind of let my mind wander a bit with it, too. Now I have some really interesting ideas for it. Went over the kanji for blood which is: 血. Pronounced as ち or chi, けつ or ketsu. I already knew this one, but needed to go over writing it. Apparently, I had been writing it incorrectly before.
Went over some compounds for it, too. Things like blood transfusion, blood vessel/vein, etc. Those were interesting. This kanji is supposed to look like blood going into a container. Kind of creepy, yet interesting to me. Translated more of a You Manga article I'm working on. Scanned some of my drawings for panels of another original character meme. This is a really long meme, but there are parts you can post in sections as you fill them out. I'll edit these few drawings tomorrow in Photoshop. I think most of my drawings (including the ones I haven't scanned yet) for it turned out pretty well. So, this showed be fun.
Tomorrow, the support group is having a potluck and a movie showing. That should be great. Dad made some of her red beans and rice. It's slightly different than usual, but it looks and smells good.
Mood:
By Hebe Tien. Hebe is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and TV program hostess. She's also a member of S.H.E. I already liked a few of S.H.E's songs, but never looked into the members' solo songs before. (Or even that they had them.) Lastfm suggested it, and I curiously checked it out. She has an amazing voice. I'm also rather new to songs that are in Chinese. (Whether from China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.) They sound very interesting. It's another music avenue to explore, I guess. Anyways, not only does the song sound beautiful, the lyrics are interesting too. Even if they're repeated over and over again, it doesn't get old. It's about how everyone loves everyone else, but why don't people love themselves. The main part is saying, "I love you, you love her, she loves her, she loves him, you love me, I love him, he loves him, he loves her." Kind of an interesting part, too. The video's kind of cool.
It's still pretty cold out. I saw a couple of days ago, that there's a possibility of snow next week. Oh joy.
The last couple of days I've been doing my walks a little later than usual. But, I hope to get back to the time I was doing before. I don't feel quite as safe when it's after sunset.
Today's been weird mood wise, because for a while I'll feel happy, and then I feel a bit depressed. Not terribly depressed, but somewhat down. I don't really know why. Oh well.
Started watching Dinner Tuesday. At a famous Italian restaurant, the chef and owner, collapses from a heart attack and slips into a coma. No one knows if he'll ever wake up again. The restaurant starts to go through a rough patch. The sous-chefs and manager (the owner's daughter) try their best to keep the restaurant running, but the amount of customers drops drastically. Saori, the manager, then decides to hire an extraordinary chef Esaki as the restaurant's new head chef. He focuses more on taste then tradition. He visited the restaurant as a customer the day before he started working there. He was very disappointed. It'll be interesting to see what he does to change the restaurant. The drama also gives off a warm atmosphere, which is enjoyable. I haven't totally fallen for this one, but I'll stick around to see what happens.
On Cartoon KAT-TUN yesterday they had a veteran actor. One that's been big in Japan for decades. The members of Kat-tun apparently grew up watching his work. Also had Aly and AJ (I've never heard of them, even though this was several years ago...) from the USA as guests on their 'secret briefcase' segment. They didn't seem very bright, although they did try to joke with the band members. So, I give them that. They gave Kat-tun Hello Kitty themed shirts with Aly and AJ featured in that style. Kat-tun gave them huge exercise balls or 'rodeo' balls.
In Fairy Tail, Yukino was humiliated and thrown out of Raven Tail for losing a fight once. She was forced to strip off all her clothes in front of everyone, and remove her guild mark with her magic. She ran over to Fairy Tail's inn, and was willing to give up the last 2 keys Lucy needed to complete her set of celestial spirits. Lucy declined. Not knowing what to do or where to go, she broke down just outside of Fairy Tail's inn. Natsu had rushed to her trying to apologize to her, thinking that she was upset because of something he did. He found out what they did to her, and busted into Raven Tail's inn. He was furious and seemed much more powerful than usual. It ended with him challenging their guild master.
Started reading Tripeace a couple of weeks ago. Nana has experienced extreme amnesia, and has forgotten his real name. After witnessing the unjust deaths of 3 children he met while traveling, he vows to eradicate all wars. In the most current chapter that I read, he stops children who started a 'war' over a cat. He said it was like a test run. That's all I know from what I've been reading. In the description they say he joins a group of activists called Tripeace, whose members stop at nothing to bring peace to the world. They apparently have lots of different weapons. And, they'll use violence in order to achieve peace. That sounds like it'll be interesting. Nana's kind of a funny character, but I like him already.
At the cafe yesterday, I had a small hot chocolate. The barista who was filling in for the one that's normally there, added a ton of chocolate. More than what I usually get. That was a nice surprise.Practiced my kanji, drew a Tu B'Shvat thing and started drawing the assassin from my story, transposed an Irish tune, read more of The Silmarillion, and started rewriting the letter to my penpal. And the last couple of days, I've managed to play my clarinet some more.
Youtube:
Another cool Gintama amv:
Mood:
He was a great and inspirational man. Definitely deserves his own day! His message of equal rights is still a very important one. And there's still a ways to go with it for everyone. But, we've come a long way. It's also Inauguration Day. (The public one. The actual official day was yesterday.) Obama's speech was very moving.
Its still been pretty cold outside. The fog hasn't lifted much either. Starting today I've upped my sit-ups to 40 twice a day for the week.
I didn't think I could do it, but managed to this morning. Hopefully, I can tonight and the rest of the week. I'm still doing my 2-mile walks. I'm not liking the idea of lengthening it anymore.
So, maybe I will add in a small bike ride.
Went to the mall to try on the next pant size down, just for fun. It fit perfectly. And, I know the brand I tried runs small. So, yay for me!Technically, from my heaviest I have gone down about 3 sizes. (I say about because the largest size was a little tight.) That's quite a bit. I went down 2 sizes in about a year and a half. I've gone down one in about a month and a half.Shows you the huge difference in the way I'm approaching it. Plus, I started with just the change in eating a month and a half ago. Didn't add the sit-ups until about 5 weeks ago. Didn't start my walks until about 3 weeks ago. So, with all of them combined, it's really making an impact. And adding more and more sit-ups every week helps a lot with it too. Maybe it'll go even faster now...
Today, I watched a Cartoon KAT-TUN episode (a trans guest who was very interesting, and a model who talked about her dieting), Cuticle Tantei Inaba or Cuticle Detective Inaba (a new anime, which I'll talk about at some point...), read Mixed Vegetables (just started this manga, and will talk about at some point as well), played my clarinet, came up with ideas for landmarks in the city that the university is next to in Alliance, and went over some kanji. Sunday, I went through more recommended artists that lastfm listed. It was very interesting. Some strange bands, and some that sounded awesome.
Mood:
Peking duck is awesome!Actually, duck in general is really good. I don't have it often, though. Peking duck originated in Beijing, China during the imperial era. It's considered a national dish of China.
I finally got my calendars Wednesday night! One focuses on spices, and the other is a Jewish calendar done by the same people who did my last Jewish one. It has pics of the Jewish Historical Museum's collection in Amsterdam. I think both these calendars have better pics than my previous ones.
The spice one has garlic for this month. I absolutely love garlic!Has an interesting up close pic of it. It gives some background on its history and what it used to be used for. Also gives ideas and suggestions for using it in dishes. And, has some wine pairings at the bottom. Much more in depth than my herb calendar. I like that. And it's useful.Even though I knew most of the info for garlic, I might not for some of the other ones. So, we'll see. It even has Purim on it for next month. You hardly ever see that on regular calendars.
On my Jewish calendar they have a painting called Interior of Jewish Home for Elderly People by Eduard Frankfort. It's from Amsterdam from 1880-1920. There's also a Torah binder that's hand painted and made out of cotton. From the Netherlands, after 1775-1825. (I guess they didn't know specifically where and from what time it came from.
) Very interesting.
Here's the month-long holidays: Apple and Apricots Month, Artichoke and Asparagus Month, Get Organized Month, National Hot Tea Month, National Soup Month, Oatmeal Month, National Egg Month. Some are important causes, some are to make you appreciate things you may take for granted, and some are just for fun. I love apricots, artichokes, tea, oatmeal and eggs. Soups, asparagus, and apples aren't bad either. Interesting that they're mostly food holidays this time.
My meds finally came at the same time as my calendars.
Funny, because I ordered the calendars a few days before my meds. Anyways, I usually have 1 big pill and 2 small, twice a day. (Of the same med. The dosage for it is a bit odd, but it works so I'm not knocking it.) Tuesday night I had to have 1 big pill and 1 small. Then for Wednesday afternoon, just 1 big pill. I felt like I was drowning under water. Like someone was holding me under.
I think it would have been a lot worse if I hadn't been exercising. But, as soon as I had my normal dose Wednesday night, I felt incredibly good.When it was about a couple of hours before I went to bed, I felt like I had been hit by a truck and extremely sleepy. Got up pretty late the next day. I think that was in combination with the meds and a certain something else, at the same time. I felt really rested at least. And much better than when I didn't have my full dosage.
Since I got up a bit late yesterday, I thought it'd be ok to skip breakfast. So, for lunch I had some oatmeal with raisins and chopped up apricots. That's it until dinner time. In fact, I almost forgot about dinner.That wasn't very smart. I have to eat enough during the day to sustain myself. (And a certain amount for my meds to work well.) It's no wonder I had a harder time with my walk. I don't even know why I didn't have a small snack or something in the afternoon.
When I went for my walk yesterday, the fog was really thick and low. Couldn't see the sunset this time. The air was really cold too. I've managed to keep up the 35 sit-ups twice a day this week. Next week is going to be difficult, with doing 40 of them twice a day. But I'm going to do it!With the 35, I can really feel something going on. If I eat a better amount of food than yesterday, I might be able to walk a little more than 2 miles today. But, if I feel I can't, I won't. And maybe what I should do soon, instead, is add in riding my bike a little. I don't know. I'll see what happens, I guess.
Saw the Hana Yori Dango special. It was essentially just a recap of everything that happened during the 2 seasons. But, the characters sat around drinking tea and eating melon, and reminisced about things. Supposedly, this was 4 years later and Makino passed her bar exam, so they were celebrating that. And, Makino and Domyouji weren't married yet. Arashi sang a few of their songs related to the drama. And although the actor who plays Domyouji, Matsumoto Jun (Japanese name order, I might stick to that in the future...) or as some call him MatsuJun, is a member of Arashi, he had to stay in character for it. Made for some awkward, yet hilarious, moments. Still was an enjoyable special for fans. The movie will focus on their wedding. And of course something crazy has to happen. So, I'll watch part of it next week.
Naruto Shippuden finally got back to the current story line. It was at least a few months of 'fillers'. There were a few consecutive ones that looked like it was a movie. So, not even really related. It felt like they were messing with us. But, now they're finally back to the war. Naruto made his way to the front lines, along with Bee. His fights were awesome! He can turn all the white Zetsu clones into trees. (They were originally made out of plant materials, and the cells of the first hokage.) So, they thought that white Zetsu would be able to copy Naruto's attacks, but that backfired. He apparently can easily take out the 'zombies' of powerful ninjas. He also realized that he has to kill Madara. For once he won't try to offer peace. But, Madara is supposedly immortal. So, this should be an interesting showdown.
Since I didn't feel well enough to go to the cafe, like I usually do on Wednesdays, I stayed home. I made my own mocha. A little of the hot chocolate that we got that doesn't taste that great on its own, a little of instant coffee, some sweetener, and some creamer. Tasted awesome!So maybe that's the only thing that hot chocolate is good for? Also, did a lot of my kanji, played my clarinet, wrote, etc. Sometimes it feels good to stay home instead.
I might finally do my nails today. Haven't done them since Halloween. Might do kind of an electric blue. It's a good confidence booster.
