National Hamburger Day!

Mood:

This is actually tomorrow, but I made hamburgers tonight.So, why not celebrate early? I actually had a hankering for one a few days ago. Probably because of Memorial Day. Dad and I were thinking of having either hot dogs or hamburgers for it. We got all the fixings for both. Ended up having hot dogs that night. Hamburgers are awesome!They can be made out of beef (like most are), vegetarian ones, turkey, salmon (really tasty, and I don't have it often...), chicken, etc. It's rather versatile. (Plus, some have more flavors inside the patty.) I love cheeseburgers, which aren't very kosher.If I do end up eating a 'true' kosher diet in the future, I might use the salmon or vegetarian ones with cheese instead. I got a mix of bleu and Colby Jack cheese, and they said it'd go great on burgers. So, I tried it on mine. It was really good. It's something a little different. Had it in a sandwich earlier, and it tasted pretty good too. Pickle chips are pretty good on them, too. I don't think I truly have a preference as for which kind.Sweet, dill, etc. doesn't really matter. They're all good to me. Having burgers you make at home tastes better than at a fast food place. To me, at least.Can't really use our grill, so I used their frying pan instructions. I could have broiled them, but I wanted to try out this method. I had some BBQ beans with it. It was the Bourbon and Brown Sugar ones. They're really good, and don't have pork in them.Also, I had a salad with it as some sort of green for it. 

Went to the Northwest Folklife Festival. It was fun.Went to a klezmer jam session. We thought the title Klezmer Jam meant a band's name...It was interesting, but they had long rests between songs. For a snack after that we both had a piroshky. Dad had the vegetable one, and I had the beef and cheese one. I haven't had one in a very long time, but the last time was probably also at Folklife from the same people.I think I had the vegetable one back then. This was good, too. It had a little too much pepper, and was messy halfway through, though. 

After that, we went to the Hungarian Dance Showcase. There was a segment on Romanian dance, and since I'm part Romanian and don't know much about it, I thought it'd be cool to see. Most of the Hungarian dance part was just so-so. Their last dance I think was interesting. The Romanian and Bulgarian segments were cool. A lot more energetic, fun looking, and everyone had a role in it. 

Went to the Thai dance show after that. We got to the room they were at a little early and watched some of the Irish dancing in the meantime. I'm also part Irish, but know more about them than some of the other places my family came from.I could have sworn they had little lights lit up and blinking on their costumes.I thought they were sequins at first, but when they were standing absolutely still the 'light' was still moving. Interesting. The Thai one was kind of unimpressive.Sad, because I remember the videos we watched in my World Music and Anth 101 classes featuring their dances. They looked cool on there. 

We went to dinner after that. Had a beef gyro. The food stand itself was poorly designed/managed. They didn't have any lids for small drinks, water was everywhere, napkins were like tissue paper, and the guy I was supposed to tell my order to ignored me.I ended up yelling at him. Besides that, it was really good.Not much meat, sauce collected at the very bottom, and the feta went everywhere. In my hair, all over my face, the ground, etc. Good food tends to be messy at times, though. Got a strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was more like a strawberry parfait or drink...I think of strawberry shortcake normally as having a scone or sponge cake bottom, then the strawberries with the sauce, and finally topped off with whipped cream. This was in a large cup with a couple of layers of cake, but lots of strawberries and sauce with whipped cream on top. I probably could have drank it...It was good, though.

Finally, we went to the best part last.This was a showcase on China. It featured dances, opera, calligraphy/painting, and a choir. The music was interesting throughout. I really liked everything except the part where the artist actually painted in front of the audience.It took a while. They should have just shown his previous works or something. The calligraphy part he did was cool. Mainly because he could do it much quicker, and it did look nice. The dancers' costumes were colorful and flowy.The concepts to the dances were really interesting. They taught us a few of the moves. Although, it was hard to do considering everyone was crammed in around the stadium seating. Hard not to hit anyone.For parts of the opera, the volume was way too loud. I could feel my ears popping.The choir was very good. So good, I felt like I was being lulled to sleep half the time. I think I've always thought Chinese was a beautiful language, so it was cool to hear them sing in it like that. We ended up getting home late, but it was worth it. 

Finished watching the second season of Hamatora. (I don't think there will be another season.) I liked most of the ending. I didn't particularly like how quickly everyone forgave Art.He had good intentions with his end goal, but ended up killing and hurting others along the way. He may not have done most of that himself, but he had other people do it for him. Somehow that seems worse.Heck, he killed his own partner (he was a detective), made a room full of children go crazy, formed a Minimum organization that followed him like a cult, he stole people's Minimums, he tried to kill Nice on numerous occasions, etc. And, that's just what comes immediately to mind. His end goal was to destroy all the Minimums' powers, thinking the world was unequal and that he needed to get rid of peoples' egos. All because he misunderstood a promise he made to his brother before he killed him.His brother begged him to do it. If his brother hadn't died, Nice wouldn't have survived. They saved him by transplanting his heart into Nice. With that, Nice also gained the other's abilities. Those abilities awoke towards the end of the episode, and he essentially saved everyone, gave back their abilities, and gave normal people their egos back. After realizing how wrong he was, Art had jumped off a building shortly after. But, miraculously survived. Not sure how, they conveniently left that out.He did spend 6 months in the hospital. Everyone seemed so happy and back to normal after that. I almost thought they forgot all the horrible stuff Art had a hand in, until Nice punched him hard in the gut while standing over his brother's grave. To me, that's not nearly enough.At least a little jail time or something. Yes, he realized what he did was wrong, but he needs some sort of punishment. More than a hard punch to the gut. 

I tried going to a pharmacy a little further away from our local one to fix the issue with my meds last Saturday. The other one isn't open during the weekends. They told me they couldn't do much and to contact the main pharmacy over the phone. They said if I get the run around to come back to them. Basically all communication with the health insurance I'm on was down throughout Memorial Day weekend. The only things that were working in certain locations were the pharmacy and Urgent Care. I think those were actually closed on Monday. They were going to revamp the computer system during that weekend, too. So, they said you wouldn't be able to do anything online or over the phone. Great...Couldn't do anything until yesterday. I called the pharmacy then. The person that answered the phone said it sounded too confusing. How confusing is it to fix getting more than I ordered?!It shouldn't be so hard. She tried transferring me to actually talking to a pharmacist, but I waited 10 more minutes and gave up. They must have had a lot of people call about issues, since no one could do anything for so long...(I totally understand taking off for Memorial Day. But, the whole weekend? With even the online stuff down?) 

So, I decided to email my new doctor. I got a reply back from one of her nurses, and he wasn't sure what to do, so he sent it to another pharmacist. Then, he gave me that pharmacist's response. It was incredibly rude.I kind of get that they can't give refunds. They said that meds don't degrade or become less potent, and that it must be what I 'perceived' (that's how they wrote it out). Also, that I must not be storing it correctly. First of all, meds do degrade. I found that out through various pharmacists in person. I did not 'perceive' or make it up. Before we (my doc, at the time, and I) found out about the 2-month cutoff, I didn't think meds could either. In fact, it wasn't an inkling in my mind. It was only through trial and error, and talking to pharmacists that I found out. It was completely demeaning of this pharmacist. If I stored it improperly, wouldn't other meds do the same thing? And, why would it be only at the 2-month mark that way? I store other meds the same way. I've also heard some people metabolize certain drugs differently depending on how 'fresh' it is. So don't give me that.They also said if she (referring to me) made an error she can call a certain number. It wasn't my error! The doctor did it. Also, that I could put a cap on all my future meds putting it at a 2 month's supply. I don't know if future meds will be like this, so why? I just want to know if after 2 months I can order another batch of meds. It shouldn't be this difficult. When I replied back with all this, another nurse emailed me back and just replied with: your doctor will be back tomorrow. Like, I'm too much to handle for them. I haven't checked my email yet. Feeling like I won't like the answer...

Finished editing and reading all the short stories from my nightmare anthology. Crazy! I think the longest story ended up being about 18 pages long. The last one was about 16. The rest are quite a bit shorter. I think that's still under the short story category. Next, I'll put them all together, reformat it, come up with an actual title for the whole thing, add all the 'extra' stuff (contents list, about the author, etc.), and do the cover art. Already have ideas of what to do for the cover. Not entirely sure about the title, though. 

Rurouni Kenshin has been really brutal during the arc I'm on. Definitely not for kids...The antagonist, Shishio, is apparently a cannibal. After he kills his victims, he saves their fat and puts the oil from it on grooves that hold it in his sword. With the right friction it catches fire, burning his opponent. He ate a chunk of Kenshin shoulder, saying it tasted good. There are hints that he ate several of his victims. He occasionally says that being burned so badly all over his body, changed the way he thinks in general. Even said that it probably caused damage to his brain. That way of thinking includes how he views people. They're essentially just toys that need to be eliminated when they become 'useless' to him. Apparently, the mangaka based him off of a real person from that era. Creepy.Kenshin and Sanosuke defeated all of the strongest members of Shishio's group already. The other members were wiped out by people who support Kenshin back at their home base. So, there's no one left to fight other than Shishio. It'll be interesting to watch how Kenshin gets out of this one. He's already badly wounded from previous battles, and getting a chunk of flesh ripped out of his shoulder. Maybe he'll revert back to his 'manslayer' days. Should be interesting to see what happens after their battle, too.  

Hummus Day!

Mood:

This was yesterday, but why not keep celebrating it? I love hummus.I used to be slightly afraid of it for some reason. I think the first time I really tried it, was when my mom made it from scratch for the first time. That was quite a way to start! Hummus is a dip made out of ground up chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and a little salt. You can add things to customize it, but it's amazing by itself! Some people swear by certain amounts of the ingredients, though. (Like some like more tahini, and others like more garlic.) It's used in many dishes, too. It's a Middle Eastern food. When I went to Israel a few years ago, it was everywhere. Some of the hotels had huge tubs (more like vats) of the stuff at the dining hall for breakfast and lunch.It was used in falafel pita sandwiches. (Falafels are fried ground up chickpea patties. So, it's kind of like putting chickpeas with more chickpeas...) By the way, with every shawarma shop, there was a falafel place across the street from it. It was kind of surreal. They had a lot of both shops. Shawarma are strips/shavings of meat (usually lamb, beef, turkey, chicken, or a mixture) that came from a hunk of that same meat that was roasted slowly over an open pit. They put it in pita sandwiches, along with a bunch of other stuff. Similar to gyros. Some also add a healthy amount of hummus to it. Both the shawarma and falafel pitas were awesome!The hummus in general seemed to taste much better than here in the states. (At least, the packaged stuff here.) It's not bad here, but it certainly has a more 'fresh' and savory taste over there. Kind of hard to explain the difference...

Had kind of a rough week.I ended up being painfully blocked up last weekend. It was close to how I felt about a year ago. So, I tried dulcolax in its pill form. It seemed too 'gentle' at first, so the next day I had another dose. It really hit me about that time. I think since I was so blocked up, it needed extra time to go through my system. I'm still feeling its effects.At least I'm getting cleaned out pretty well. Still feels like I have a bit more of it left...

I threw up big time really late Sunday night (or early Monday morning, however you look at it). It was so bad, I almost choked a few times.Seemed to be everything I ate for the last couple of days came up. It takes a lot for me to throw up, because I take omeprazole to prevent it. Had a problem in the past (they never figured out why) where I would throw up all day without warning or feeling like it was going to happen. So, it has to be an extreme urge to do so. I felt quite a bit better afterwards, so I suppose I really needed it. I still occasionally feel like I need to throw up again, but it hasn't happened since. I wonder if that means that it'll happen soon, and it's just gaining more of that urge as time goes by? I hope not. 

I ordered my meds, but was worried about one of them going through. I was out of refills for it. It's extremely important for me.I'd say it's probably a bit more important than the omeprazole. My new primary care doc emailed me, and said she filled out a new prescription for it and that she hopes to see me soon. I haven't seen her yet. I think I'm due for another physical, too. Plus, I have some other things to talk about with her. She said she knows of the importance of this one, and that she wants to help me with staying on it. Also, asked me how I was doing with it. She already sounds 100 times better than my previous one! I was so happy that she ok'd it!I'm thinking of possibly seeing her next month...We'll see. 

Oh, that med just came in the mail today. I ordered 2 months' worth, but got 3 months' worth. That's $3 more. Might not seem like much, but it's not what I was expecting.Also, this med goes stale at the 2 month mark. It loses its potency, and won't do its job. So, it's like giving me a month's worth of bad pills and paying that extra $3 for them...Doesn't make sense.I'm definitely going to email her back now, and take those meds to the pharmacy to get that changed. It's ridiculous. Should get what I ordered, and not more.

Another thing that was weighing on my mind was applying for a forbearance on my student loans. I sent an application form to them at the end of February. They only allow people to send it through the regular mail, or fax it. Didn't hear a thing about it since. In fact, I was still getting warnings.So, I sent out another one a few days ago, and emailed them just before I sent it that day. The next day, I got a reply back saying they located my form from February, processed it, and approved it. Saying I should be good until next February. So, what? Was it just sitting on someone's desk collecting dust during that time? That kind of pisses me off!Although, I'm very grateful that it went through and was approved. I kind of have mixed feelings about it. They recently merged with another company, and changed their name. So, maybe there was some confusion that way? At least, I don't have to think about it now.

I've reread and edited all but the last short story from my nightmare anthology. Kind of cool knowing I've only got one more to go through.Then, I have to put them all together in one document, figure out its overall title, and do the cover art. Yay! 

Started reading Magico on Monday. I rarely say this, but it's really cute! Although, there definitely is a serious dark side. The humor blends will the cuteness. It's not sickeningly sweet, either. There's another series by the same name, but it's about soccer...Seems a little odd. They only differentiate them by the mangaka's (manga artist/creator) name in parentheses next to the title. Emma has a special power/curse in her heart that activated when she turned 16. Apparently, it has the potential to destroy the world. She meets Shion who saves her from a king that was forcing her to marry him. A part of that special power attracts most men to her, and makes most women admire her. The guys of the town were fighting over her. Anyways, Shion saved her and took her to his home that he can transport to through a dragon. They live in a world of magic. He fell for her when they were kids. She was being held captive, and a dense thicket of thorny vines was used as a barrier that kept her from escaping. Along with a powerful guard. Shion was on the verge of starvation, and Emma had snuck out of the house to look past the thicket. She saw him, and he asked her for food. She found a loaf of bread and gave it to him through those thorns, harming herself in the process. The guard found out and may have punished her, too. She doesn't remember this, though. It's kind of sad...Anyways, Shion says the Magico ritual may end the curse, but there are many steps to it. First one is for them to get married. After she attacks him while asleep, she agrees to it. She might be falling for him too. Shion has a talking cat with him, and he sometimes banters back and forth with him. Shion's also supposed to be one of the greatest mages, too. This seems very unique and interesting.

Started reading Hell's Kitchen today. Apparently, Shichifuku Mafia doesn't update too often. I've caught up with everything in that manga. Looks like it might be once every 2 months...Hell's Kitchen is interesting so far. He seems a lot more 'demonic' than Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji. (That's saying quite a bit.) Someone recommended this saying people would like it, if they liked Kuroshitsuji. Dogma is the Earl of Poor Eating, and comes from Hell. Poor eating doesn't quite fit him...He kind of seems the opposite. He wants to eat the soul of a 'true chef', and has tried but failed with the pros. None of them satisfied him. He said they all reeked of greed, arrogance, and ignorance. He eventually chooses Satoru who's a middle schooler who seems to not have any ambitions. He always tries to get average grades, is average at sports, and is limiting himself with everything he does. Dogma wants to train him to be the perfect chef, in order to prepare him as the most 'delicious' soul he's eaten. Dogma can control him like he's a puppet, and has already pushed him into some cooking competitions. Satoru does all the cooking himself, with the help of Dogma giving him directions. (No one else can see Dogma.) He works him mercilessly. If he refuses to do things, Dogma threatens him with letting his minions eat him or sending him to Hell. But, Satoru is starting to get interested in cooking. Dogma has all the knowledge and experiences of the chefs he ate the souls of, so he knows what he's doing. He accidentally got Satoru into an elite cooking school. Satoru just wanted to see if they had free cooking utensils, then he got the idea to see how one of the cooking classes is like. He thought Dogma would find a better candidate if he saw them. That backfired, and Dogma wanted to challenge them. When he won, he thought the others weren't fit enough for it. The head of the department wanted Satoru to attend the school after they won, but Dogma (through Satoru) said no. Later Satoru, after some arguing, accepted the offer. He's the youngest student there now. 

Finished Haikyuu. It was pretty good. I just didn't think that one match would last most of the season. You can feel the pain of the players at the end, though. Very good at conveying the emotions. There's going to be a 2nd season soon. They say online that it'll be in the Fall of this year. I'll probably watch it to see how they improve. 

Went back to watching Bleach. I might stick to it for now. It's interesting. Events around the time I watched it last time shaped the show a bit for me, and I didn't want to go back to it for a while. I think at this point in the story, it's good now.