National Egg Nog Day!

Mood:

This was actually yesterday, but I love it so why not celebrate again? I love it even though it's associated with a holiday I don't celebrate.It's good with a little nutmeg on top. I've never had the 'traditional' one with alcohol. Probably will never be able to in the future either. That's ok, it's awesome without anyways.Haven't had it in a long time...

Also, to people who celebrate it, hope you had a good and merry Christmas. I don't celebrate it, but I wish all the best to my friends and family who do.To me it's just another day. Although we, like a lot of other Jews, usually go out to a Chinese buffet for it. Sometimes going to the movie theater is another 'tradition' during this time. Sometimes to people who don't celebrate Christmas seeing all the decorations, hearing the music, etc. everywhere you go for like 2 months can get really annoying. It was almost like Christmas exploded this morning on all the morning 'news' shows. At least, that'll all be over soon.

I stayed up later than I should have Monday night.I was watching a documentary about a sushi chef in Japan. It was slow moving at first, and then I couldn't stop watching it. It didn't help that there were no ads during it. It went pretty late, and then I got sucked into looking at my email and other messages. By the time I realized it, it was already close to 1am. That's not good. I've been trying to go to bed early and get up early. It threw me off most of the following day...I was able to go to bed much earlier last night, and it felt much better. I just have to watch out for stuff like that.

Started watching the 2nd season of Doctors. It was another one that I wasn't expecting them to continue. The main character is kind of similar to House. Only he's very sweet and understanding with patients. He challenges his coworkers all the time. He solves the more difficult cases, as well. He can manipulate people very easily. It's a pretty good show, not outstanding but good.

In Tokyo Ravens, it was kind of a fluff episode. Kon wasn't able to make herself invisible, so she was trying to find ways to follow and make sure nothing happens to Harutora. Kon's his familiar, who's a fox spirit. She's usually always with him, but hiding herself most of the time. (Apparently, if she's visible for too long, it tires him out.) She ended up causing a big stir at school and people thought, since they only saw the varsity jacket on her that had a tiger design, she was a tiger. Eventually, one of the teachers helped her get her invisibility back. But, the person who inadvertently started the whole thing, had an earful. She was in the middle of a spell, and Kon had knocked into her, causing her to lose her ability to go invisible. Kon had tried to hide herself by wearing Harutora's jacket. The jacket was ruined, and he was pissed. I love Kon, but right now she just seems really cute and like she's comic relief. Hopefully, she'll get stronger. 

Wrote more of the 4th story to my nightmare anthology. More twists to it that I wasn't expecting. If this part had actually been a part of the nightmare it's based on, it would have made a lot more sense.Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to make sense out of it. Interesting. I know I'm close to the end of this one. I think next time I'll end it. 

Played my clarinet. Did some Mozart and some of the 'advanced' solo tunes. Wasn't too bad. Sounding better and better. 

Drew more of Shadow in detail from my project. Might have gotten his hair down, finally. Also, continued the drawing meme from before. Did the 2 other parts to the 'happy' section. Not sure if I'm entirely happy with the results, but they're not bad. Next is the sad section. I hate to draw her being sad, though. She's usually so happy and bouncy looking. But, she does have a difficult past, and she's hiding some dark secrets. So, she had to have some sadness. And, a character who is never sad, can be disturbing as well. 

日本語

Today's kanji were: 童, 農, and 波. When 童 is by itself, it's pronounced as わらべ (warabe). In compounds, it's usually pronounced as どう (dou). It means: juvenile, child. Usually it's an archaic word for child. (Normally, child is 子供 or こども (kodomo).) 農 is pronounced as のう (nou). It means: farming, agriculture. When 波 is seen by itself, it's usually pronounced as なみ (nami). It's only pronounced as は (ha) in compounds. It means: wave. 波形 or なみがた (namigata) or はけい (hakei): wavy form, ripply shape; (はけい only) waveform. 波線 or はせん (hasen): wavy line. 波動 or はどう (hadou): wave motion, undulation, surge. 波長 or はちょう (hachou): wavelength. 津波 or つなみ (tsunami): tsunami, tidal wave. 

Sixth Day of Pesach

Mood:


Wow! It's already the 6th day!Only 2 more days. It's been a bit difficult with making dinner during it, since my shoulder's not too good right now. There aren't too many 'easy' things I can make.(Like from a box or something. With little prep or mixing.) We made it to both seders. I personally liked the first night's more than the potluck the second night. It was more organized, better food, better seating (although, we were still crammed in to the tables, elbow to elbow), and seemed more friendly. The only thing I really had a problem with was the rabbi's singing (I usually don't like it, anyways). Someone brought a non-passover cake for a dessert. But, that was quickly taken away. I was curious about it, so I'm glad they took it away before I grabbed a slice.

Started watching Eden of the East on Sunday. (Code Geass seemed a little too weird for me.) On November 22, 2010 ten missiles strike Japan. The terrorist attack, later called 'Careless Monday', doesn't have any apparent victims, and is forgotten by almost everyone. 3 months later, Saki Morimi goes to the USA on her graduation trip. Just when she's in front of the White House, she gets into some trouble (trying to throw coins into the fountain from the gate, security wasn't sure what she was throwing), a naked man (who's also from Japan) with just a cell phone and a gun intervenes and saves her. This man, who calls himself Akira Takizawa is full of mysteries. He has amnesia. His phone is charged with a ton of digital money. He may have something to do with the terrorist attack, or some sort of game. Don't really know yet. It's interesting so far.


Watched the finale of Doctors. It was ok. Tied things up a little too neatly, and  everyone at the hospital changed for the better. Dropped 11 Nin mo Iru for now. Some day when the rest of it is subbed, I might finish it. Kind of a shame, since it has become one of my faves. Watched the finale of Hungry. It definitely could go on for another season. I'm glad that they were able to keep the restaurant, and all of them came back to work there. They left a couple of things open. It was a really good show. 


Finished Tektek-ing my characters from Alliance. Some look really awesome!Finally posted the filled out Hetalia Heritage Meme to dA! I'm surprised I got 10 faves on it in one day!Lots of views too! Any faves is great to me, so it makes me happy. 


I finally fixed the very first paragraph of my story, Alliance. It was bothering me for a while. I couldn't figure it out, but it sounded really awkward.I plan to get back into writing everyday. Otherwise, I may never finish this first novel.Even if I just edit for that time I set aside, it'd be great. I'm almost done with chapter 15, by the way. I have a lot of ideas for chapter 16. But, I have to finish this first...

Started watching Acchi Kocchi or Place to Place on Monday. The serious minded Tsumiki and the pure-hearted Io feel they never want to be parted, and yet they haven't fallen in love yet. More than friends but not lovers, they develop an awkward quasi-romance. (That's how they describe it on wikipedia and anime news network.) This is such a cute, yet funny anime!Tsumiki has cat ears that pop up when she's startled, excited, etc. Their friends have their own quirks, as well.


Went to Mom's appointment for a CT scan on Monday. I was able to ask for a CD of my images from the bone scan. The last couple of images were really cool! Talked to a nice guy at the radiology department, who really helped us. He said that most people have the same complaints about the orthopedist that I had. Nice to know I'm not the only one who felt this way.He said it's ok to switch to someone else. Today, I have a phone appointment with my primary care doctor about what to do next. Someone has suggested that I have an MRI done. But, I have to verify that with him. Or he may order a different test. I don't know. 


On top of this, I have to figure out what to do to keep my insurance. 2 years ago, they confirmed that I qualified as a dependent on my parents' coverage, because according to them I was disabled. So, now I have to 'prove' I still am. I still have most of the same stuff going on, so I guess it's just a matter of showing my records and getting the ok from either my new therapist, or new psychiatrist, or even my primary care doctor. It just piles on more stress that I don't need on me. (Plus, only have until June to get this settled, isn't helping much...)


Made meatloaf for the first time on Monday! (Of course with using matzah meal instead of flour.) Made potato kugel and peas with it. Made some matzah brei Tuesday night. Added some dried onions, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. It was really good!


Fairy Tail has a new opening and ending theme. Kind of interesting. Tried to watch Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos on Tuesday, but I'm not sure about it. It may be too 'ecchi' for me.The idea is interesting, and I like her personality, though. I'll give it one more episode next week, then I'll make a decision about it.


deviantART faves: My Best Friend Griff You Don't Even Know I did not make these! First, another cool drawing by an artist I watch. It's of a 'pet' griffin named Griff, and his owner Tony. Second, a hilarious yet somewhat embarrassing comic based on a real life experience by another artist I watch.

Fairy Tail Main Theme

Mood:


From the 1st Fairy Tail Original Soundtrack. I think this anime has one of the coolest soundtracks.I'm not sure if I'd feel such an 'emotional' response to the series if I had just read the manga. Somehow it enhances it to another level. I love how most of the soundtrack is Celtic themed. The composer also does the music to Naruto Shippuden and Hell Girl. This one sounds so different than those, it's interesting.

Caught up on my Jdrama shows. All of them were kind of surprising. I think the cleaning lady in Honjitsu wa Taian Nari was behind some of the 'incidents'. Although, her husband, who's marrying another woman's pretty suspicious. The twins seem to be very suspicious, too.Especially after one of them talked to someone over the phone about setting off a bomb. They could all be wreaking havoc. 


In Doctors, Sagara finally got the nurses to settle things with the surgeons at a joint conference. The surgeons had been treating the nurses horribly. He seems more twisted than House with his methods. 


In 11 Nin mo Iru, the family found out their grandfather's transgender. Soara's getting tired of Kazuo and says she's thinking of raising the baby on her own. Although, she did say she's still undecided about marrying him. It's like she likes him, but the next time he sees her, she hates him. Make up your mind!One of the twins kept thinking he couldn't measure up to his brother, and he was getting tired of everyone not being able to tell who's who. (Even their parents couldn't tell at times...) So, he ran away. After a while the family realized he was gone, and after they found him he said the one he missed the most was his twin. 


In Tumbling, the group went to a training camp. They thought their trainer was just being hard on them, and didn't consider them to be serious. Truth was he was giving them strengthening exercises. Through moving equipment as fast as they could from the storage to the gym, cleaning the gym while standing on their toes, etc. They wowed everyone when they performed at the end. They had greatly improved without stepping foot on the mat. One of the guys is gay. They found out in kind of an embarrassing way. Most of the guys had a nasty and cruel reaction to it. So, he decided to quit, hand his notebook to someone, and go home. The guys read the notebook, which had some nice comments about everyone, and that he said he was sorry for bringing the group down. They felt really guilty about it. Azuma was the only one who tried to understand him, right after everyone found out, and hadn't said anything bad about him. After looking at the notebook, Azuma immediately chased after him, and changed his mind to stay with the group. 


Gintama was funny. They had their New Year's episode. (They always have it at this time of year.) Some fans are saying that since another anime picked up their time slot next month, the anime will end then. That's silly. Just means they'll move to a different time. They would have a lot of outraged fans if it did end like that.They always tease us. Just before they went on a year-long hiatus, they said they'd cancel the show. You never really know, unless there's an official thing in the news that's sent out.


I'm still not sure if I'll watch the 2nd season of Phi Brain. (Which is coming up soon.) It's getting better, but it kind of depends on how this one will end. 


Fairy Tail was crazy! The black dragon attacked Fairy Tail, and obliterated their island. There was a search for survivors, but none were found. It skipped ahead 7 years at the end. There was a strange character that seemed to be praying for the members before they disappeared. I feel like it's going to be like a Lost thing. I don't particularly like time skips.At the end of the preview it seemed the members didn't age. Of course, that was just a brief glimpse at them, so I don't really know.


Managed to play some Mozart yesterday. Just for about 20 minutes, but at least it's something.Played pretty well, too. 

I started Anagle Mole yesterday. It's hilarious. Luchiru is a majin, who live beneath the Earth's surface. He was sent to the surface as a spy to gather info on the humans, and find their weaknesses so they can defeat them. The problem is, majins have a different understanding of humans. They strongly believe that humans are far more superior than the majins in every sort of way, but in reality it's the other way around. He has hilarious views of humans. He thinks they can just touch you and you'll be vaporized in an instant. The pic is just a dream, but it shows how distorted his views on humans are. He's also amazed by everything on the surface. Like the sky, sun, plants, etc. I like how the creator actually made a separate language for them. They mostly speak in Japanese (or English if you're reading a translated version), but occasionally they don't know how to say something in Japanese and slip back into their language. Their game names are really long.Anyways, they wonder what family is like, and his 'boss' orders him to stay with a human family. They have no idea what he really is. He's told to act like a human. (Hard to do when you don't really know what they do. Although, he does look like one.) 


deviantART fave: GO CRAZY I did not make this! An awesome drawing of Hijikata from Gintama. Goes along with one of the most awesome and recent arcs (about him being a 'thorny') of the series. Gintama's known for starting an arc on a hilarious note, then getting serious with some cool battles and memories, bring you close to tears, and yet make you laugh hysterically at the end. I don't know how they do it, but it's amazing. 

National Chocolate Mint Day

Mood:


Yay for chocolate and mint put together!I'm kind of iffy about it. Sometimes I love that stuff, and others...not so much.Have to be in the mood, I guess. But, I like mint chocolate chip ice cream, Andes mints, grasshopper pie/ice cream/cookies etc. Chocolate mint's apparently an herb, too. It's part of the spearmint family.


Well, Mom's going on her trip to the east coast for my cousin's wedding, tomorrow. After that, she'll travel down to Florida to visit my grandparents. She'll be gone for 2 weeks. Hope things go well.Sounds like it'll be a lot of fun. I wanted to at least go to the wedding...But, oh well. Dad's on vacation this week, so that's nice. It'll be a bit 'different' for everyone. It's all good, though.


We had chicken potstickers, chicken and vegetable eggrolls, and some fried rice for Shabbat dinner Friday night. I was so tired, and didn't really look at the first part of the directions for the potstickers. They ended up sticking to the pot.Some burned a bit. But, they still tasted really good! (In fact, maybe better.) We also had lemon pie for dessert. So good!


Didn't wake up early enough, and didn't really feel like doing my little service yesterday. But, I did read the portion. There was actually a double portion this week. (Well, one of them was really short, so maybe 1 and a half. :P) It was about the commandments mainly. (We actually have more than '10'. To be exact, we have 613.This one obviously doesn't talk about them all.) The second short portion was about taking a census. Each person whether wealthy or poor had to pay a half shekel. This way they could do the census without actually counting people, and pay for costs of the temple. Kind of interesting. 


I found out yesterday that someone upgraded me to the title of Citizen on one of the first forums I joined. Which was a long time ago...They say I joined about 2 and a half years ago! I've thought about leaving it a few times, but something good always brings me back. Anyways, most of the time people become a citizen either by donating to the site, or contributing in some way to the community. I'm kind of honored that someone did that.I don't think I contribute much. Just have part of my novel up, some pics, and occasionally say something in certain threads. Well, with this, I can look at the 'hidden' forum sections, give people positive or negative reputation points, a bigger album size, and more. There's apparently clans you can join, as well. I don't know much about those. There's a dragon, magic, and royal clan. People are already asking me to join their 'clan'. But, they seem a bit weird when I read the limited amount of info on them.Hmmm...Maybe I'll have to look around some more. I thought the person who upgraded me, didn't really like me, but maybe that impression was wrong.

Started watching DOCTORS Saikyou no Meii, or DOCTORS: The Ultimate Surgeon. I don't like too many medical dramas, but if done right, I'm hooked. This almost feels like it was inspired by House, only the main character, Sagara, isn't really an ass. He just seems nice (almost like he's got a 'righteous' attitude), but only cares for the patient. I guess in that way he is like House. He also is exceptionally good, and can figure out what's wrong with a patient when others can't, or have misdiagnosed them. Sagara had previously worked for Tokyo University's hospital (?) for a while, then quit and did some fishing for a year. He decides to go back to medicine. The office manager of Donoue General Hospital, Momoi, finds Sagara through a medical website. On first arriving at the hospital, the director doesn't quite believe that he's as good as he says he is. Later, after successfully doing emergency surgery (without permission) for a patient that was misdiagnosed, the director considers firing him. But, after he shows them the video of the surgery, they immediately realize how good he is, and offer to raise his salary. He agrees, but on one condition. They have to set up an emergency ICU area. Since the hospital's running low on money, he suggests they use some of his salary to do it. Really interesting so far.


I decided to drop Attention Please. It wasn't really as good as I thought it would be.I thought I'd give it another try, but the story doesn't sound that great. And, I'm not sure if I like the way the acting is directed. I know they're good actors, so it must be the direction, or script, or something. Too bad. I'll just have one more spot to fill for my week. There's a lot of good looking candidates, too.


I've kept up practicing my clarinet. Some days I sound really great, and some not so much.My hands were fumbling a bit today. Reed felt extra dry today too, so I felt like I was on the verge of squeaking every so often. Managed to not really squeak, but I hate that feeling. Kind of hurts. 


Pandora Hearts has been awesome!I love how it has Alice in Wonderland elements to it. The Mad Hatter and Dormouse aren't really friends (I was surprised at who's the Dormouse), somehow Alice is also a black rabbit (filling kind of 2 roles, yet there's also a white rabbit?), there's a Cheshire cat, and others. Mad Hatter fits the personality pretty well. (Although, he doesn't wear a hat often.) He even sat down with Oz for tea. 


I'm still watching Fairy Tail everyday until I catch up. Not much left. In about a couple of weeks I would have finally caught up. Natsu had a cool/hilarious battle with Gildarts. He passed. Levy, Cana, Gray, and Elfman passed as well. Something's weird about Mest though. No one remembers when he joined the guild, or who he really is. He just tells Wendy that he's Mystagon's disciple, but Mystagon kept to himself. Also, there's a weird, but interesting character that was on the island before the guild members arrived. He seems a bit confused, and everything near him dies. He's been apparently searching for Natsu. But, Natsu just met him at the end of this last episode, and has no idea who he is. 


deviantART fave: My Gallery in a Meme- Blank I did not make this! I think it would be interesting to fill out, if I ever find the time. I don't know what my oldest thing in my gallery is. It's been too long... Other stuff I might have somewhat of a clue about. Should be fun.