I'm trying to stay off of social media for the most part until the weekends, which didn't work out too well last week. Only checking notifications, and posting personal stuff (statuses, pics of my food/cats/places, blog posts, at some point drawings and such on dA, etc.). So far, I'm following it closely this week. Been feeling even better because of it. I'm not even watching TV while I eat. Except, maybe the news at dinner time. I was watching the news every time I ate. There's too much going on, and I end up not focusing on what I'm eating. It's made things go a bit faster. Although, I'm also trying to eat a bit slower. I've been eating too fast lately. This makes my gut not too happy...Even gulping down tea can affect it. I'm less likely to inhale as much air if I sip it. It's recommended for people with IBD to sip drinks and take your time with food.
I have been experiencing more symptoms of my colitis lately. One that was scary (kind of embarrassing to say it), and haven't had since I was diagnosed. Felt it while out grocery shopping. Made me panic for a moment. Not a good sign. I was ok, but it felt like my body was messing with me. It was like that before, too.
For Italian today, I finished the Science unit and made it to roughly halfway through the V. Cond. one. The science one was interesting. As expected, many of the new words were similar to their English counterparts, but said quite differently. Some of the sentences have been rather dark. Maybe the people behind the course had a dark sense of humor? I like how in the German one they had the holy potato. There was even a thing about it on Duolingo's fb page. It was cute. These ones haven't really been like that.
I finished reading the manga Alive- The Final Evolution. It seemed to wrap up a little too nicely. Apparently, Taisuke ended up with Megumi. Nami would have been better...Megumi was brainwashed for most of it, and didn't show up much. Nami grew close to him. It didn't seem that Megumi felt much of anything towards Taisuke. At least they saved the world. All the power users had their powers taken away, so they ended up trying to have 'normal' lives. Taisuke lost an arm, and he was in a coma for a while. He was still having trouble with getting used to the prosthetic by the end. Yuuta's trying to figure out why Taisuke didn't just heal himself before their powers were taken. Hirose went with Mitama back to space where her people come from. They just wanted to accelerate human evolution by giving them powers. It didn't go well, though. Mitama decided that they'd just watch how humans evolve on their own. The heavier part of this was the mangaka (creator) did the last few chapters on his deathbed. I didn't know he had died. Those last chapters were more about how he views death, humanity, peace, and what it means to be alive. The last panel was Taisuke saying cheers to the moon, and thinking: I'll continue to live. It sends a different message knowing that's how he ended it, and it was his last piece of work before dying.
I decided to try outlining Shadow's torso and arms this time. His torso doesn't seem right, yet I know it's a rough sketch of it. I might look at my old artist's anatomy book (used to be my grandma's) to get more of a feel for it. I can build on that rough sketch of it, at least.
Got to practicing my clarinet again. Played a few Irish tunes and mainly klezmer tunes. I actually wasn't too bad this time. Got to editing Alliance, as well. I'm 10 out of 20 chapters in. So much left...
Went for my walk. It was just misty at first, so I thought I could go without an umbrella. Being the true Pacific Northwest person that I am. The rain got much heavier halfway through. It felt good for a while, but than it cooled me down even more than I already was. It was in the low 40s, and my coat's not that warm. (It lost it's lining a while ago.) Still don't regret going out there. My hair wasn't as wet as I thought it was when I got back. Maybe it was really dry and need that?
Started watching the 2nd season of Fukigen no Mononokean or The Morose Mononokean a couple of days ago. I'm surprised it's back. The 1st season ended 2 years ago. I liked it a lot, and it seemed to start off on the right foot this time, too.
Started watching the 2nd season of Mob Psycho 100. The 1st also ended 2 years ago. Interesting that they're coming out at the same time. I knew this one would have a sequel for a while. This 1st episode seemed to change between a bunch of different art styles. More than usual. It was kind of cool. I'm glad this one's back, too. One Punch Man, which is created by the same mangaka, will have a 2nd season sometime this spring, I think. So, both of his works' anime versions are coming back. Yay! There are 3 new anime coming out this season that sound pretty good: Tate no Yusha no Nariagari (The Rising of the Shield Hero); Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atami no Ue (My Housemate is Sometimes on My Lap, Sometimes on My Head) (about a writer and cat); and Grimms Notes.
Showing posts with label Fukigen na Mononokean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fukigen na Mononokean. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Friday, September 30, 2016
Revamped Blog!
Mood:
Did a huge overhaul of this blog.
First time modifying it since I started it.
Really needed it. When I started, I didn't know what it would turn into. Didn't expect much, and was somewhat unsure how long it would be active.
Also, thought it would be interesting at the beginning, to have quotes as titles for posts. This morphed into song titles and holidays. It was better to me than possibly just repeating titles or having boring ones.
Plus, I could share some of the songs I found. For the holidays part, I thought it'd be fun to learn about food related ones, about my religious holidays, etc. I still like these ideas for titles. Doing the quotes made the title too long, that's why I stopped doing them.
The template was so old, blogger wasn't really supporting it anymore.
So, I applied a new one. It's made in such a way I can add my own pics to the background in the future. Totally different color scheme, too. I made it a lot wider than it was before. I had one column on the right side for 'gadgets', now there are two. With one, things started to get crowded and long. With two, it seems more even and not nearly as lengthy to me. They have the option of adding a third column, but I think that would be overkill.
I also changed my avatar, and cleared out my About Me info. The avatar is one I use with several other sites. Made it a while back (didn't make the actual image, just cropped and resized it), and have loved it since. It's Hong Kong as a kid from Hetalia. One of my fave characters, and didn't appear much from what I've watched and read. The avatar before that was a 'chibified' version of Katsura from Gintama. Gintama's my fave anime. Katsura's not necessarily my fave from it, but I liked the mood of it. I've made other avatars in the past (again didn't actually create the images), and haven't used some of them yet. Maybe I'll change it in the future. The info for that About Me section seemed too wordy and got in the way. I did update my info on that, and people can still click the 'view my complete profile' link in that section to see it. It's a lot more succinct, too.
Changed the flag counter, too. It didn't restart, but the old code was outdated. This looks more simple, too. I like seeing where people are from when they visit.
Apparently, Blogger has decided to do away with the 'link list' gadget.
So, I made a new 'fave links' list using a text gadget. If the link doesn't have the 's' in https and someone clicks it, it will now look for the link within the blog. They think http isn't as secure. People can still go to those links after being redirected to searching the blog for it. Just take out the url for this blog at the beginning and search. You'll still get to it. You can also search by the name of each link I posted. It's only a few that are like that. Blogger has also changed the 'search' feature to only search within this blog. I kind of like that, though.
I decided not to add some of the links I had before, and added some new ones. One of the ones that I'm not listing anymore was my Wordpress blog. I haven't gone back to it since 2009.
So, it's not active. One day, I might go back to it. It was about exploring Japan. Its culture, music, language, food, movies, and more. It was a lot more extensive than I remembered, when I briefly checked yesterday. The idea of it is still interesting.
I added a few links on Judaism. JTA is more like a news site. Aish is orthodox centered, but has some interesting stuff. Aish means fire. My Jewish Learning is more neutral in its affiliation. There's lots of interesting articles about Judaism itself. It has some news, there are recipes, and more. I'm Reform, so good to have a link to their main site. Although, I'm still leaning a bit towards Modern Orthodox Judaism...That's a different story. They also list synagogues that live stream their services. That's handy for someone like me who's immunosuppressed. Especially during the High Holy Days.
Added AVEN to it, too. Might think about adding the Asexuality Archive. Although, I'm not a big fan of it.
Also, added PLM and CCFA. One's essentially patients sharing each others health info. You can record a lot of your test results, journal about how you're doing, make friends who are going through similar things, keep track of all your medical related stuff, there's a forum, etc. Pretty handy. I haven't been on there in a while, though. CCFA's a good resource for people who have IBD. They have lots of articles, webinars, a forum, videos, quizzes, and more. Just a giant hub of it.
I've also added direct links to my deviantART and Pinterest. That should be fun. I have a lot of art that I might not show in other places besides dA. Pinterest has a lot of interesting stuff. I'm getting more in touch with my 'style' fashion wise. There are some interesting recipes. There are a ton of other things that I pin.
Updated my lists, too. Finished Fukigen na Mononokean or the Morose Mononokean. It was much better than I expected. I thought they'd address the special powers Ashiya suddenly had while in the Underworld for the first time. It was briefly, and he was very pissed off. Also, felt like there could easily be a 2nd season. So many other unanswered questions...Fuzzy was really cute!
He was the first yokai or demon they exorcised, but he came back to basically be Ashiya's pet. He really cared for him.
Finished reading The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman. It was pretty good. Didn't entirely like the ending, but I shouldn't say much about that, because I'll spoil it. Just in case anybody wanted to read it. The next one that I have of the series is Stone Kiss. Barely have gotten into this one. Luckily, it's also the next book in the series, so no skipping books this time!
I think I only have 2 more books of the series.
Finished reading Tegami Bachi or Letter Bee. It had a very trippy end. It was pretty good. Felt like the manga would never end. I've watched both seasons of the anime as well. Very interesting series overall.
Finished reading A+B or Angel+Blood. This one was extremely short. Could have gone on for a while, too. They introduced a couple of big characters, and ended it like that. Maybe it was axed before they got very far? It had a lot of potential.
Almost done watching Servamp. Servamp is a combo of Servant and Vampire. It's better than I expected. The vampires were created by a human, and there's supposed to only be 7 of them. An 8th was made, though. (Not sure why yet.) All, except that 8th, have names that correspond to a 'sin'. The main one is Sloth aka Sleepy Ash. He's the oldest. These vampires have 'Eves' who are human. The Eves use them in battle. They're basically their slaves after they've made a contract. The vampires can turn humans who are on the brink of death into subclass vampires. They're not as powerful, but get enough of them, and they can do damage. The main vampires also turn into animals. Sleepy Ash turns into a cat, there's a hedgehog, there's a bat, there's a butterfly, etc. All 7 of the main, along with their Eves, are in a battle against the 8th vampire, Tsubaki. He has an army of subclasses, and I don't think he has an Eve. He's kind of crazy, and loves to kill humans. Some of the scenes he shows up in, it's raining blood.
I might find some new emoticons in the future. It would've been great if Blogger had its own set.
Right now, I've been using some from dA. Getting kind of tired of them, though...We'll see. Might not be for a while.
Did a huge overhaul of this blog.
First time modifying it since I started it.Really needed it. When I started, I didn't know what it would turn into. Didn't expect much, and was somewhat unsure how long it would be active. Also, thought it would be interesting at the beginning, to have quotes as titles for posts. This morphed into song titles and holidays. It was better to me than possibly just repeating titles or having boring ones.
Plus, I could share some of the songs I found. For the holidays part, I thought it'd be fun to learn about food related ones, about my religious holidays, etc. I still like these ideas for titles. Doing the quotes made the title too long, that's why I stopped doing them.The template was so old, blogger wasn't really supporting it anymore.
So, I applied a new one. It's made in such a way I can add my own pics to the background in the future. Totally different color scheme, too. I made it a lot wider than it was before. I had one column on the right side for 'gadgets', now there are two. With one, things started to get crowded and long. With two, it seems more even and not nearly as lengthy to me. They have the option of adding a third column, but I think that would be overkill. I also changed my avatar, and cleared out my About Me info. The avatar is one I use with several other sites. Made it a while back (didn't make the actual image, just cropped and resized it), and have loved it since. It's Hong Kong as a kid from Hetalia. One of my fave characters, and didn't appear much from what I've watched and read. The avatar before that was a 'chibified' version of Katsura from Gintama. Gintama's my fave anime. Katsura's not necessarily my fave from it, but I liked the mood of it. I've made other avatars in the past (again didn't actually create the images), and haven't used some of them yet. Maybe I'll change it in the future. The info for that About Me section seemed too wordy and got in the way. I did update my info on that, and people can still click the 'view my complete profile' link in that section to see it. It's a lot more succinct, too.
Changed the flag counter, too. It didn't restart, but the old code was outdated. This looks more simple, too. I like seeing where people are from when they visit.
Apparently, Blogger has decided to do away with the 'link list' gadget.
So, I made a new 'fave links' list using a text gadget. If the link doesn't have the 's' in https and someone clicks it, it will now look for the link within the blog. They think http isn't as secure. People can still go to those links after being redirected to searching the blog for it. Just take out the url for this blog at the beginning and search. You'll still get to it. You can also search by the name of each link I posted. It's only a few that are like that. Blogger has also changed the 'search' feature to only search within this blog. I kind of like that, though. I decided not to add some of the links I had before, and added some new ones. One of the ones that I'm not listing anymore was my Wordpress blog. I haven't gone back to it since 2009.
So, it's not active. One day, I might go back to it. It was about exploring Japan. Its culture, music, language, food, movies, and more. It was a lot more extensive than I remembered, when I briefly checked yesterday. The idea of it is still interesting. I added a few links on Judaism. JTA is more like a news site. Aish is orthodox centered, but has some interesting stuff. Aish means fire. My Jewish Learning is more neutral in its affiliation. There's lots of interesting articles about Judaism itself. It has some news, there are recipes, and more. I'm Reform, so good to have a link to their main site. Although, I'm still leaning a bit towards Modern Orthodox Judaism...That's a different story. They also list synagogues that live stream their services. That's handy for someone like me who's immunosuppressed. Especially during the High Holy Days.
Added AVEN to it, too. Might think about adding the Asexuality Archive. Although, I'm not a big fan of it.
Also, added PLM and CCFA. One's essentially patients sharing each others health info. You can record a lot of your test results, journal about how you're doing, make friends who are going through similar things, keep track of all your medical related stuff, there's a forum, etc. Pretty handy. I haven't been on there in a while, though. CCFA's a good resource for people who have IBD. They have lots of articles, webinars, a forum, videos, quizzes, and more. Just a giant hub of it.
I've also added direct links to my deviantART and Pinterest. That should be fun. I have a lot of art that I might not show in other places besides dA. Pinterest has a lot of interesting stuff. I'm getting more in touch with my 'style' fashion wise. There are some interesting recipes. There are a ton of other things that I pin.
Updated my lists, too. Finished Fukigen na Mononokean or the Morose Mononokean. It was much better than I expected. I thought they'd address the special powers Ashiya suddenly had while in the Underworld for the first time. It was briefly, and he was very pissed off. Also, felt like there could easily be a 2nd season. So many other unanswered questions...Fuzzy was really cute!
He was the first yokai or demon they exorcised, but he came back to basically be Ashiya's pet. He really cared for him. Finished reading The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman. It was pretty good. Didn't entirely like the ending, but I shouldn't say much about that, because I'll spoil it. Just in case anybody wanted to read it. The next one that I have of the series is Stone Kiss. Barely have gotten into this one. Luckily, it's also the next book in the series, so no skipping books this time!
I think I only have 2 more books of the series. Finished reading Tegami Bachi or Letter Bee. It had a very trippy end. It was pretty good. Felt like the manga would never end. I've watched both seasons of the anime as well. Very interesting series overall.
Finished reading A+B or Angel+Blood. This one was extremely short. Could have gone on for a while, too. They introduced a couple of big characters, and ended it like that. Maybe it was axed before they got very far? It had a lot of potential.
Almost done watching Servamp. Servamp is a combo of Servant and Vampire. It's better than I expected. The vampires were created by a human, and there's supposed to only be 7 of them. An 8th was made, though. (Not sure why yet.) All, except that 8th, have names that correspond to a 'sin'. The main one is Sloth aka Sleepy Ash. He's the oldest. These vampires have 'Eves' who are human. The Eves use them in battle. They're basically their slaves after they've made a contract. The vampires can turn humans who are on the brink of death into subclass vampires. They're not as powerful, but get enough of them, and they can do damage. The main vampires also turn into animals. Sleepy Ash turns into a cat, there's a hedgehog, there's a bat, there's a butterfly, etc. All 7 of the main, along with their Eves, are in a battle against the 8th vampire, Tsubaki. He has an army of subclasses, and I don't think he has an Eve. He's kind of crazy, and loves to kill humans. Some of the scenes he shows up in, it's raining blood.
I might find some new emoticons in the future. It would've been great if Blogger had its own set.
Right now, I've been using some from dA. Getting kind of tired of them, though...We'll see. Might not be for a while.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
National Pecan Pie Day!
Mood:
One of my fave pies!
I think it's a difficult one to get just right. Some are too sweet, some barely have any pecans, and some have way too many (making it extremely dry). But, when it's a perfect balance, it's amazing! Apparently French immigrants living in New Orleans baked the first American pecan pies.
I marched with the local Pride group in a 4th of July parade. There was also the trans support group represented within it. Kind of like there was a mini Pride parade within the regular one.
I got to hold a huge Pride flag, along with about 6 or 8 other people. It was quite impressive. Before deciding to help hold it, I checked to see if they had any ace flags. I was a bit disappointed when there wasn't any.
There were quite a variety of different flags for people to hold individually. I think one of the Pride organizers said that he saw it in the office they store them in, but forgot to bring it. Oh, well.
It was cool, weather-wise, at the beginning. It warmed up as soon as we started, and there wasn't much shade. At least, it wasn't as warm as last year. Like last year, we went to Starbuck's afterwards. I needed something cool to drink (that being an iced chai), and some sort of snack (a sugar cookie). It was at the newer, louder, busier one. Surprisingly, not very many people there. This one also has a drive-through. Kind of weird.
I still haven't emailed my gastroenterologist, yet. She told me to do so 2 to 3 weeks after our phone appointment. It was the 4 week-mark yesterday. I don't know why I'm reluctant about it.
Especially, after she clearly seemed to want to help me during that appointment. Unlike how I felt when my blood test results seemed to indicate remission, but I still had symptoms. She seemed to ignore them that time. But, she's different now. I still haven't done that nasty test she wanted me to do. I'll email her today or tomorrow, even though I haven't done that test yet.
Woke up in the middle of the night (early Monday morning) with the worst sharp stabbing pain in my right mid-abdomen area. I actually screamed a few times.
It came in waves. Scared me, too. Hurt to even breathe. I called the 24/7 nurse hotline about it after brunch that day. It really feels like they ignored the actual problem. They think I'm constipated. Yet, I'm a lot better than I was about a month ago. I didn't have this sort of pain back when I was the most constipated. I'm not 'regular' yet, but I'm certainly better. That doesn't explain why the pain in my side has suddenly gotten much worse...
I still think it has to do with an organ or a section of my small intestines.
I'll go with their suggestions for now. Which is to go back to having Citrucel twice a day, and take Milk of Magnesia. I absolutely hate Milk of Magnesia.
Also, my gastro recommended it as a last resort. Actually found a bottle yesterday that has its own dosing cup, and is cherry flavored. Tasted like pepto-bismal. (Better than the last time I had it.) Had a full dose last night. The nurse said if the pain doesn't improve in that area after using it, I need to see someone. In the email I'll send out to my gastro, I'll mention this stuff, too. See what she has to say. Right now the pain in that area's a bit duller. But, I do have 'attacks' where it turns spiky throughout the day. (Not sure if attack is the right word...
)
I'm also having some lower abdominal pain, still dizzy quite often, feeling sick to my stomach, etc. I'm getting really really tired of this!
We'll see what my gastro has to say, though.
Despite the pain and symptoms making me feel less motivated to do my walks, I think I'm still losing weight. In fact, if I do any type of exercise like the marching or doing the garbage, it seems to be coming off of me even faster. I'm not sure if that's really a good thing. I still like to think as long as I'm not underweight, it's good for now...It doesn't seem normal, though. I'm still trying to stay within the calorie range I've set up for myself. Even with that, I'm slightly more lax than usual lately. Maybe I need more calories? I don't know.
Decided to enroll both my novels into the July promo on Smashwords. It's only through them, and goes until July 31st. With the coupon, Sweet Endless Terror: An Anthology of Nightmares will be 50% off. Making it $0.99. Alliance will be free with that coupon. I've sold 4 copies of Alliance so far. 2 were sold today. One early in the morning, and one in the afternoon. (Kind of adds on the excitement for me to have 2 in one day!
) For a while, it seemed to be one copy sold every other day. It's good that they were free copies of Alliance. They can read it, possibly review it, and tell their friends. It will probably take them a while to read...
It is categorized as an 'epic'. I think Smashwords was the one to put it under that. Must be if they reach a certain amount of words. By the time they tell their friends, it might be after the promo. Who knows? And, even if they're still able to take advantage of the promo, they can tell their friends, as well. The other one is an anthology of 12 short stories based on my recurring nightmares. I'm not sure if that's a turn-off, though.
They might be more interested in the fantasy one, rather than the horror one. (Although, Alliance does get pretty dark, and there are slight horror moments as you go through.) Here's Sweet Endless Terror's direct Smashwords' link: SET And, here's the other: Alliance.
I'm also thinking about writing a sequel to Alliance. Hopefully, won't be as long. I ended it with a huge cliffhanger, and creating their world was fun.
There's a lot more I can do with this one. I think I'll reread the whole thing beforehand. I never make outlines of what I write beforehand, which makes the story open to the many different directions it can go. However, it makes it a bit difficult to remember the main story line after not reading it for so long. I'll probably take notes/make an outline of Alliance as I read. Kind of backwards to the way some people do things, but oh well.
I do brainstorm before I write things, though. With Sweet Endless Terror, I wrote one-liners about the recurring nightmares that I might use. That triggered memories of them, and I didn't have to write much for that to happen. With Alliance, sometimes I would brainstorm made up names of places, people, etc. Sometimes, would write out ideas for just that chapter. Or, of building designs. Also, on character backgrounds. I guess it depends on what I was writing about at that moment. While I'm writing I usually make a mental map of the story. I can remember tiny details, and bring them back in at some point. So, things aren't all over the place. There's certainly a framework and logic to it. But, when I'm done, I kind of forget about it all. I have a lot of other ideas for novels, too.
I'm also thinking about using Youtube's vlog or video blog. I normally hate seeing myself in media, but maybe I could get myself to be more used to it and/or comfortable. I've always felt weird around being photographed, on video, hearing myself in a recording, etc. Many of that stuff got worse when I was at my heaviest. It's gotten a lot better now, though. So, maybe it'll help a bit more. I'm not expecting a lot of subscribers, although that part should be interesting. I already have 6 right now. The only vids I've posted in that folder were a couple of them testing my iPhone camera with Rosie, and one of a fountain with no noise. (Should be another way to test my iPhone's camera as well.) Maybe those 6 like what I fave, and the playlists I make. I think of any of that sort of stuff as a social experiment. The only thing I don't want are the infamous trolls.
I can block those people, though. Also, moderate the comments before they're posted. But, I would still have to see at least some of it to determine if they're trolls. Some people don't allow anyone to comment on their vids. I'll probably start with an intro series. Eventually, it'll just be things going on at that time, or topics that pop up in my head. It might be weekly or biweekly. But, hopefully not a longer time in between. I don't think I want them too long, either. If the vlog is supposed to be like a blog, why not use it like that? Hopefully, they'll be somewhat short. Also, might be another way to get the word out for my novels.
Went through my desk for the first time in a long time. Found 2 really old cameras. One was my first camera. Not that great, but ok for the time I got it. It was one where you had to turn a dial to take another pic. Also, used a roll of film. There were 17 pics on it, but I don't really care what they were of. So, I tossed it. I don't know how many places would actually develop the roll, anyways. The other one was a step up, and I think only took black and white pics. It wasn't that great, and I think I had it because I was taking a photography/video class in junior high. I think they wanted us to explore different techniques, and I decided on doing a series of black and white pics. I loved that class.
It had a dark room, so we could develop our own film. Anyways, it's not that great, and uses rolls. So, I tossed that one, too.
Found 2 large photo albums filled with stickers. I was really into them as a kid. Plus, everywhere I went, they gave me a sticker. They gave them out at banks, after seeing the dentist, sometimes at grocery stores, etc. Kind of fun. A lot of them were '90s designs. The more recent ones were from a friend in college (I think?) that gave me a ton of Chococat stickers. I think they're made to be put on envelopes when you send letters out to friends. Chococat is a Sanrio character. I think he's the counterpart to Hello Kitty. He is kind of cute. I don't write letters, though.
In fact, I had a heard time with writing them when they were more popular. My grandparents used to urge me to write to them, but most of the time I forgot. To me, it's a lot easier with email, messaging (through Yahoo, facebook, forums, etc.), and texting. It's instant, too. So, I never opened the Chococat ones. I also found several different kinds of stationary. I'm keeping most of that stationary and the sticker albums for the time being. Some of the stationary are different kinds of Thank You notes. That might still come in handy.
Also, found some sewing stuff. 2 big plastic containers, that I think were originally used for jewelry. They have divided sections in each one. They're filled with different types of threads. I think one of them has some needles, too. Nice, but might be more than I would need in the future.
Also, found the 2 fringed shawls I had been planning to turn into tallitot (plural for tallit or prayer shawl). One has really fancy feeling material, and the other seems slightly tacky to me. The first one feels kind of like silk, is cream colored, and has an interesting clear beaded pattern. The other one is a bright pinkish fuchsia color, and looks a bit more rough. My mom and I made a tallit for my Bat Mitzvah. I chose the materials, did the cross-stitch of the atorah (an area near the neck), and the tzitzit (basically knotted tassels on each end. There are a certain amount of knots it has to have). Mom used her sewing machine to sew the atorah on, the stripes on, and the corners on. (I think she also made button holes for the tzitzit in the corners.) It already had a fringe. Mom continued to make many more tallitot after that. I thought I would try to fully do my own at some point, too. So, I found these 2 shawls. Maybe I'll get to them in the future.
I think I still have the instructions on how to make your own. Also, have a really old sewing machine in my closet. Never used it, but that would be interesting. Found some cross-stitch projects as well. Hopefully, I'll get to them eventually.
Also, had to toss most of the pens and pencils I had collected. They were either broken, or the ink had dried up. Oh, well. Now that I've gone through my desk, it's a lot more roomy.
I now have a designated writing/novel drawer. Everything related to either novel will be there. That includes notes, promo ideas, some of the drawings, and printouts of both stories. I only have up to the 8th story printed out for Sweet Endless Terror. There are 4 more. I have all of Alliance printed out. Nice to have some physical part of them. But, those last 4 of SET are still just floating in my computer and at online retailers.
I'll get to those at some point. Found another unopened black ink cartridge, so that would help.
Decided to try the Pokemon Go app for iPhone last night. It seems like it'd be a fun app. Gets people out there, and they can explore the area around where they live. Or, explore other places. Kind of fun to be able to interact with something that isn't really there, but still interacts with the environment. I have 7 pokemon so far. I still remember the Pokemon craze in the '90s. I wasn't very into it, but some of my friends were. Kind of the same thing as with pog back then. I've noticed a lot of people around my age are into it, along with some teens. Some people who are much older than me are into it, too. I think with my generation, it's kind of like a touch of nostalgia. Some people say it's helped them get more exercise than several actual fitness trackers have. I can definitely see why. I think turning learning or fitness into games, is smart and helps people. It makes it fun.
It's a lot more encouraging. I noticed that there weren't any pokemon in our neighborhood. (Unless you have incense.) There's a PokeStop at a Mormon church just outside of the neighborhood. Not sure what's beyond that. I haven't actually visited that area while playing the game. I pass the church during my regular walks, though. I noticed while we were at Shari's last week, two of the people we were with were playing it for the first time. There was a pokemon on the table, and a couple others in other places near us in the restaurant. It's probably good for when you're waiting for a table or in line for something, too.
Finished watching Spec, and I'm unsure if I'll watch the next season. The last two episodes were really good. The only time I felt it was well acted. I kind of predicted that the one who was the real villain wasn't who he said he was. He could erase memories and write new ones, if he touched your head. He continuously did this to Toma. Making her think that they were in a relationship, and that her brother died in a fire along with the rest of her family. In reality he was a creepy stalker, and had manipulated her brother. Her brother was poorly misguided and was made to look like a villain. I think he went crazy towards the end. Killing people left and right. I kind of hope they didn't really kill him off at the end. Both him and Toma realized the truth by then. I kind of feel like the organization that's full of spec users were actually behind Toma and the others killing the main villain. They wanted him to be eliminated, but it had to be in a way that he didn't see it coming. He was annoying, so in that way, it was a good ending. I'm not sure how there could be another season, but I might try it.
Finished watching Koutetsujou no Kabaneri. It was pretty good. Left it open for another season. The opening and ending music were lame, to me. Opening sounded a lot like the Star Wars theme. Both were overly dramatic, too.
Finished Bungou Stray Dogs. I loved this one!
This is going to have a 2nd season coming up in the fall. It was witty, most characters were based on real life authors, some were based on an author's famous work, there was and still is a lot of mystery, interesting powers, one character doesn't have powers but seems to be very powerful anyways, every character is packed full of personality, and more. It was fun to watch, even when it was supposed to be serious. Apparently, most of the scenes were based off of real places in Yokohama, too. Someone did a comparison, and they were pretty spot on.
Finished reading Prayers for the Dead by Faye Kellerman. I think it was one of the longest ones I've read of the series so far. It had a bittersweet ending. Not much having to do with Judaism in this one. Most of the books in this series have a Jewish theme. Some have it more subtle than others. This was the 5th book I've read of the series. The next one that I'll read is called The Forgotten. From the synopsis, it seems to be somewhat Holocaust related. I'm skipping 3 books this time. It's the next one that I had. In total, I've had to skip 9 books. Maybe sometime in the future I'll find and read those others.
Started watching Fukigen na Mononokean, or The Morose Mononokean. It's pretty good so far. Reminds me a lot of xxxHolic. Only, the person who exorcises things is a guy. The 'demons' are cute so far. Kind of feel bad for them.
Started watching 91 Days yesterday. I'm unsure about this one. I'm giving it one more episode. It takes place during the Prohibition Era in America. The main character has been plotting his revenge on a mafia family for over 7 years. He plans to carry out this revenge within the next 91 days. (Don't know why that number exactly yet.) That mafia killed his entire family over a misunderstanding. His friend is a bootlegger. Apparently makes good enough alcohol that the mafia wants him. It's very dark, violent, depressing, not much humor, etc. so far. I like 'mature' shows, but this doesn't really have a good mix of things. The art is beautiful, and at times very realistic. It's interesting that it's based in America, too. I know that's a very dark time period, anyways.
One of my fave pies!
I think it's a difficult one to get just right. Some are too sweet, some barely have any pecans, and some have way too many (making it extremely dry). But, when it's a perfect balance, it's amazing! Apparently French immigrants living in New Orleans baked the first American pecan pies. I marched with the local Pride group in a 4th of July parade. There was also the trans support group represented within it. Kind of like there was a mini Pride parade within the regular one.
I got to hold a huge Pride flag, along with about 6 or 8 other people. It was quite impressive. Before deciding to help hold it, I checked to see if they had any ace flags. I was a bit disappointed when there wasn't any.There were quite a variety of different flags for people to hold individually. I think one of the Pride organizers said that he saw it in the office they store them in, but forgot to bring it. Oh, well.It was cool, weather-wise, at the beginning. It warmed up as soon as we started, and there wasn't much shade. At least, it wasn't as warm as last year. Like last year, we went to Starbuck's afterwards. I needed something cool to drink (that being an iced chai), and some sort of snack (a sugar cookie). It was at the newer, louder, busier one. Surprisingly, not very many people there. This one also has a drive-through. Kind of weird.
I still haven't emailed my gastroenterologist, yet. She told me to do so 2 to 3 weeks after our phone appointment. It was the 4 week-mark yesterday. I don't know why I'm reluctant about it.
Especially, after she clearly seemed to want to help me during that appointment. Unlike how I felt when my blood test results seemed to indicate remission, but I still had symptoms. She seemed to ignore them that time. But, she's different now. I still haven't done that nasty test she wanted me to do. I'll email her today or tomorrow, even though I haven't done that test yet. Woke up in the middle of the night (early Monday morning) with the worst sharp stabbing pain in my right mid-abdomen area. I actually screamed a few times.
It came in waves. Scared me, too. Hurt to even breathe. I called the 24/7 nurse hotline about it after brunch that day. It really feels like they ignored the actual problem. They think I'm constipated. Yet, I'm a lot better than I was about a month ago. I didn't have this sort of pain back when I was the most constipated. I'm not 'regular' yet, but I'm certainly better. That doesn't explain why the pain in my side has suddenly gotten much worse...I still think it has to do with an organ or a section of my small intestines. I'll go with their suggestions for now. Which is to go back to having Citrucel twice a day, and take Milk of Magnesia. I absolutely hate Milk of Magnesia.
Also, my gastro recommended it as a last resort. Actually found a bottle yesterday that has its own dosing cup, and is cherry flavored. Tasted like pepto-bismal. (Better than the last time I had it.) Had a full dose last night. The nurse said if the pain doesn't improve in that area after using it, I need to see someone. In the email I'll send out to my gastro, I'll mention this stuff, too. See what she has to say. Right now the pain in that area's a bit duller. But, I do have 'attacks' where it turns spiky throughout the day. (Not sure if attack is the right word...)I'm also having some lower abdominal pain, still dizzy quite often, feeling sick to my stomach, etc. I'm getting really really tired of this!
We'll see what my gastro has to say, though.Despite the pain and symptoms making me feel less motivated to do my walks, I think I'm still losing weight. In fact, if I do any type of exercise like the marching or doing the garbage, it seems to be coming off of me even faster. I'm not sure if that's really a good thing. I still like to think as long as I'm not underweight, it's good for now...It doesn't seem normal, though. I'm still trying to stay within the calorie range I've set up for myself. Even with that, I'm slightly more lax than usual lately. Maybe I need more calories? I don't know.
Decided to enroll both my novels into the July promo on Smashwords. It's only through them, and goes until July 31st. With the coupon, Sweet Endless Terror: An Anthology of Nightmares will be 50% off. Making it $0.99. Alliance will be free with that coupon. I've sold 4 copies of Alliance so far. 2 were sold today. One early in the morning, and one in the afternoon. (Kind of adds on the excitement for me to have 2 in one day!
) For a while, it seemed to be one copy sold every other day. It's good that they were free copies of Alliance. They can read it, possibly review it, and tell their friends. It will probably take them a while to read...It is categorized as an 'epic'. I think Smashwords was the one to put it under that. Must be if they reach a certain amount of words. By the time they tell their friends, it might be after the promo. Who knows? And, even if they're still able to take advantage of the promo, they can tell their friends, as well. The other one is an anthology of 12 short stories based on my recurring nightmares. I'm not sure if that's a turn-off, though.They might be more interested in the fantasy one, rather than the horror one. (Although, Alliance does get pretty dark, and there are slight horror moments as you go through.) Here's Sweet Endless Terror's direct Smashwords' link: SET And, here's the other: Alliance. I'm also thinking about writing a sequel to Alliance. Hopefully, won't be as long. I ended it with a huge cliffhanger, and creating their world was fun.
There's a lot more I can do with this one. I think I'll reread the whole thing beforehand. I never make outlines of what I write beforehand, which makes the story open to the many different directions it can go. However, it makes it a bit difficult to remember the main story line after not reading it for so long. I'll probably take notes/make an outline of Alliance as I read. Kind of backwards to the way some people do things, but oh well.I do brainstorm before I write things, though. With Sweet Endless Terror, I wrote one-liners about the recurring nightmares that I might use. That triggered memories of them, and I didn't have to write much for that to happen. With Alliance, sometimes I would brainstorm made up names of places, people, etc. Sometimes, would write out ideas for just that chapter. Or, of building designs. Also, on character backgrounds. I guess it depends on what I was writing about at that moment. While I'm writing I usually make a mental map of the story. I can remember tiny details, and bring them back in at some point. So, things aren't all over the place. There's certainly a framework and logic to it. But, when I'm done, I kind of forget about it all. I have a lot of other ideas for novels, too. I'm also thinking about using Youtube's vlog or video blog. I normally hate seeing myself in media, but maybe I could get myself to be more used to it and/or comfortable. I've always felt weird around being photographed, on video, hearing myself in a recording, etc. Many of that stuff got worse when I was at my heaviest. It's gotten a lot better now, though. So, maybe it'll help a bit more. I'm not expecting a lot of subscribers, although that part should be interesting. I already have 6 right now. The only vids I've posted in that folder were a couple of them testing my iPhone camera with Rosie, and one of a fountain with no noise. (Should be another way to test my iPhone's camera as well.) Maybe those 6 like what I fave, and the playlists I make. I think of any of that sort of stuff as a social experiment. The only thing I don't want are the infamous trolls.
I can block those people, though. Also, moderate the comments before they're posted. But, I would still have to see at least some of it to determine if they're trolls. Some people don't allow anyone to comment on their vids. I'll probably start with an intro series. Eventually, it'll just be things going on at that time, or topics that pop up in my head. It might be weekly or biweekly. But, hopefully not a longer time in between. I don't think I want them too long, either. If the vlog is supposed to be like a blog, why not use it like that? Hopefully, they'll be somewhat short. Also, might be another way to get the word out for my novels.Went through my desk for the first time in a long time. Found 2 really old cameras. One was my first camera. Not that great, but ok for the time I got it. It was one where you had to turn a dial to take another pic. Also, used a roll of film. There were 17 pics on it, but I don't really care what they were of. So, I tossed it. I don't know how many places would actually develop the roll, anyways. The other one was a step up, and I think only took black and white pics. It wasn't that great, and I think I had it because I was taking a photography/video class in junior high. I think they wanted us to explore different techniques, and I decided on doing a series of black and white pics. I loved that class.
It had a dark room, so we could develop our own film. Anyways, it's not that great, and uses rolls. So, I tossed that one, too. Found 2 large photo albums filled with stickers. I was really into them as a kid. Plus, everywhere I went, they gave me a sticker. They gave them out at banks, after seeing the dentist, sometimes at grocery stores, etc. Kind of fun. A lot of them were '90s designs. The more recent ones were from a friend in college (I think?) that gave me a ton of Chococat stickers. I think they're made to be put on envelopes when you send letters out to friends. Chococat is a Sanrio character. I think he's the counterpart to Hello Kitty. He is kind of cute. I don't write letters, though.
In fact, I had a heard time with writing them when they were more popular. My grandparents used to urge me to write to them, but most of the time I forgot. To me, it's a lot easier with email, messaging (through Yahoo, facebook, forums, etc.), and texting. It's instant, too. So, I never opened the Chococat ones. I also found several different kinds of stationary. I'm keeping most of that stationary and the sticker albums for the time being. Some of the stationary are different kinds of Thank You notes. That might still come in handy.Also, found some sewing stuff. 2 big plastic containers, that I think were originally used for jewelry. They have divided sections in each one. They're filled with different types of threads. I think one of them has some needles, too. Nice, but might be more than I would need in the future.
Also, found the 2 fringed shawls I had been planning to turn into tallitot (plural for tallit or prayer shawl). One has really fancy feeling material, and the other seems slightly tacky to me. The first one feels kind of like silk, is cream colored, and has an interesting clear beaded pattern. The other one is a bright pinkish fuchsia color, and looks a bit more rough. My mom and I made a tallit for my Bat Mitzvah. I chose the materials, did the cross-stitch of the atorah (an area near the neck), and the tzitzit (basically knotted tassels on each end. There are a certain amount of knots it has to have). Mom used her sewing machine to sew the atorah on, the stripes on, and the corners on. (I think she also made button holes for the tzitzit in the corners.) It already had a fringe. Mom continued to make many more tallitot after that. I thought I would try to fully do my own at some point, too. So, I found these 2 shawls. Maybe I'll get to them in the future.
I think I still have the instructions on how to make your own. Also, have a really old sewing machine in my closet. Never used it, but that would be interesting. Found some cross-stitch projects as well. Hopefully, I'll get to them eventually.Also, had to toss most of the pens and pencils I had collected. They were either broken, or the ink had dried up. Oh, well. Now that I've gone through my desk, it's a lot more roomy.
I now have a designated writing/novel drawer. Everything related to either novel will be there. That includes notes, promo ideas, some of the drawings, and printouts of both stories. I only have up to the 8th story printed out for Sweet Endless Terror. There are 4 more. I have all of Alliance printed out. Nice to have some physical part of them. But, those last 4 of SET are still just floating in my computer and at online retailers.I'll get to those at some point. Found another unopened black ink cartridge, so that would help.Decided to try the Pokemon Go app for iPhone last night. It seems like it'd be a fun app. Gets people out there, and they can explore the area around where they live. Or, explore other places. Kind of fun to be able to interact with something that isn't really there, but still interacts with the environment. I have 7 pokemon so far. I still remember the Pokemon craze in the '90s. I wasn't very into it, but some of my friends were. Kind of the same thing as with pog back then. I've noticed a lot of people around my age are into it, along with some teens. Some people who are much older than me are into it, too. I think with my generation, it's kind of like a touch of nostalgia. Some people say it's helped them get more exercise than several actual fitness trackers have. I can definitely see why. I think turning learning or fitness into games, is smart and helps people. It makes it fun.
It's a lot more encouraging. I noticed that there weren't any pokemon in our neighborhood. (Unless you have incense.) There's a PokeStop at a Mormon church just outside of the neighborhood. Not sure what's beyond that. I haven't actually visited that area while playing the game. I pass the church during my regular walks, though. I noticed while we were at Shari's last week, two of the people we were with were playing it for the first time. There was a pokemon on the table, and a couple others in other places near us in the restaurant. It's probably good for when you're waiting for a table or in line for something, too. Finished watching Spec, and I'm unsure if I'll watch the next season. The last two episodes were really good. The only time I felt it was well acted. I kind of predicted that the one who was the real villain wasn't who he said he was. He could erase memories and write new ones, if he touched your head. He continuously did this to Toma. Making her think that they were in a relationship, and that her brother died in a fire along with the rest of her family. In reality he was a creepy stalker, and had manipulated her brother. Her brother was poorly misguided and was made to look like a villain. I think he went crazy towards the end. Killing people left and right. I kind of hope they didn't really kill him off at the end. Both him and Toma realized the truth by then. I kind of feel like the organization that's full of spec users were actually behind Toma and the others killing the main villain. They wanted him to be eliminated, but it had to be in a way that he didn't see it coming. He was annoying, so in that way, it was a good ending. I'm not sure how there could be another season, but I might try it.
Finished watching Koutetsujou no Kabaneri. It was pretty good. Left it open for another season. The opening and ending music were lame, to me. Opening sounded a lot like the Star Wars theme. Both were overly dramatic, too.
Finished Bungou Stray Dogs. I loved this one!
This is going to have a 2nd season coming up in the fall. It was witty, most characters were based on real life authors, some were based on an author's famous work, there was and still is a lot of mystery, interesting powers, one character doesn't have powers but seems to be very powerful anyways, every character is packed full of personality, and more. It was fun to watch, even when it was supposed to be serious. Apparently, most of the scenes were based off of real places in Yokohama, too. Someone did a comparison, and they were pretty spot on. Finished reading Prayers for the Dead by Faye Kellerman. I think it was one of the longest ones I've read of the series so far. It had a bittersweet ending. Not much having to do with Judaism in this one. Most of the books in this series have a Jewish theme. Some have it more subtle than others. This was the 5th book I've read of the series. The next one that I'll read is called The Forgotten. From the synopsis, it seems to be somewhat Holocaust related. I'm skipping 3 books this time. It's the next one that I had. In total, I've had to skip 9 books. Maybe sometime in the future I'll find and read those others.
Started watching Fukigen na Mononokean, or The Morose Mononokean. It's pretty good so far. Reminds me a lot of xxxHolic. Only, the person who exorcises things is a guy. The 'demons' are cute so far. Kind of feel bad for them.
Started watching 91 Days yesterday. I'm unsure about this one. I'm giving it one more episode. It takes place during the Prohibition Era in America. The main character has been plotting his revenge on a mafia family for over 7 years. He plans to carry out this revenge within the next 91 days. (Don't know why that number exactly yet.) That mafia killed his entire family over a misunderstanding. His friend is a bootlegger. Apparently makes good enough alcohol that the mafia wants him. It's very dark, violent, depressing, not much humor, etc. so far. I like 'mature' shows, but this doesn't really have a good mix of things. The art is beautiful, and at times very realistic. It's interesting that it's based in America, too. I know that's a very dark time period, anyways.
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