Rengoku no Nana Kenzoku

Mood:

Or: Seven Kins of Purgatory. This is from the 4th Fairy Tail soundtrack. It's the strongest team of Grimoire Heart guild's theme. They're (or were?) one of the many Dark Guilds that aren't officially recognized by the Magic Council, therefore they're treated like criminal organizations. They believe the Council limits the full potential of guilds, as they place too many restrictions. The Seven 'Kins' of Purgatory use Lost Magic, and are considered one of the most powerful mage groups. I think the guild disbanded after they went up against Fairy Tail. (The guild's leader, Hades, was defeated.) Most of the Seven either died or quit the guild to live a 'better' life. 2 decided to help Fairy Tail from the sidelines, along with Jellal (who's not apart of Grimoire). They make the Dark Guilds seem evil at first, and then you realize they're just misguided. It's kind of sad. Anyway, Fairy Tail seems to have some of the most interesting soundtracks. Sounds like a mix of Celtic and rock. Most are really uplifting/energizing or just have a cool 'evil' sound. The vid has the Fairy Tail guild's emblem. 

I managed to do both my 2-mile walks yesterday, and my 1st one today! (I'll definitely be able to do my night one later!) Yay!Feels good. I'm doing 10 sit-ups twice a day this week. Kind of starting over, but it's good to do it slowly, I think.The most I've done was 90 twice a day for the week. Felt like a good workout. But, I eased up to that amount so it felt almost like nothing. (Until after I did them...) I'm planning to do what I did last time and add 5 sit-ups twice a day each week. So, next week I'll be doing 15 twice a day. Hopefully, I can make a habit of doing both my walks and the sit-ups again. Feels so good when I can do it all!I know I can do my night sit-ups tonight, too. 

Hoping to be a bit more strict again about the way I eat. I can eat anything I want, as long as I keep my meals to a certain amount of calories. Makes them small, but just enough for me. And, I get to have them for longer with the leftovers! I tend to try and range between 1200 to 1600 calories a day. Hopefully on the low end of that. And, I eat 5 times a day. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 2 'snacks'.) So you can tell how small they can be. It's helped a lot along with the exercise.

Someone came by yesterday to drop off a dinner for us. She knew about Dad's surgery and thought it'd be nice to help and give us something. It was very sweet of her.I hadn't seen her for a while, and as soon as I answered the door she looked at me for a second and got a big smile on her face. She then told me that I looked great, and that I lost a lot of weight since the last time she saw me. She kept saying how surprised she was by how much. It was good yet kind of funny and scary at the same time.Had a similar reaction when we bumped into a couple we knew at Costco at the beginning of the month. It was even a shorter time since I last saw them. I am noticing more changes. Might be needing to go down another size, getting a bit more bony, don't bump into things as much, and my skin is finally tightening a bit.Still have a lot of loose skin, but at least I know it's starting to bounce back. For going down sizes, I'll be 4 sizes smaller than what I was at my heaviest. Might actually be 5 sizes smaller now or on the verge, have to try those out again...Before I was close to the 4, now my jeans are even baggier. Also, found out that my rings fit my fingers now! Wahoo!

She brought a brisket, an odd potato casserole, salad greens, and some blackberry swirl ice cream. The brisket was good. The potato casserole was odd because of how cheesy it was, and she used hash browns.Dad doesn't like cheese, so that big thing is all mine. I love cheese, but that seems like a lot...(I hate wasting anything especially food, and it's somewhat good.) I made a single serving of regular mashed potatoes with garlic and chives for Dad. It was nice to have a salad. The ice cream was good, but had a little bit of a weird sour aftertaste. I think that it was a good thing, just not used to it, I guess.

Finished watching GTO or Great Teacher Onizuka in Taiwan, a while ago. It was kind of a short 4-episode special. It was done pretty well, I think. They used actual actors from Taiwan, and actual places as well. It was interesting to hear the Chinese along with the Japanese.Onizuka didn't know hardly anything besides nihao and xie xie. There was one phrase that if you say it a certain way means 'excuse me'. In another way (like a different tone), it means 'kiss me'. He didn't realize that, and said it that way to the principal, several of the female teachers, and a student. They were very disturbed by it, and thought he was some sort of pervert. That got him into a lot of weird situations to begin with. The teacher he was the assistant to, luckily knew Japanese and could translate for him. He still managed to get through to the bully of the school, and the one who was being bullied. Even to the bully's father. They once were very poor and sold street food with a bunch of other people on a certain street. One day, the mother of the bully died. And, the father became very disheartened and worked hard, managed to get out of there, and became very wealthy (somehow...they didn't elaborate on it. Might have been through illegal means). He thought in order to 'forget' the past, he needed to clear out that street of vendors and put up a mall or something instead. When they became wealthy, the son became cold and thought it'd be fun to make fun of people. Including his own teachers. The person who was being bullied was poor, and his mother worked at one of those food stalls. He thought he was worthless, and couldn't go up against a student from a wealthy family. It worked out, and the father was thrown in jail. The son at the end seemed to feel liberated from everything, and finally managed to crack a genuine smile again. Watched the first episode of the new season of GTO, but I think I'm kind of tired of it right now.Might go back to watch more in future, though. It's a great series! 

Started watching Gochisousan. Gochisousan is an informal version (the more formal way is with 'sama' at the end instead of 'san') of what people say at the end of a meal to thank a host or a cook for it. It's a long running series, but the episodes are short. Just like Chiritotechin. The show first takes place in 1911. It's about Meiko Uno, who loves to eat. At the beginning, I think they said she was 6. Her father owns a French restaurant in Tokyo. He says he'll never serve rice or give out chopsticks to customers. They should only have bread as a side, and use forks and knives. She loves his omelets, and her grandmother's pickles. She's constantly thinking of food. She eventually changes from someone who loves to eat, to a person who loves to prepare food for others to eat. Her grandmother always told her: "To crave for food is to have the will to live; the stronger the craving, the greater the will." I read from somewhere that she ends up trying her best at Japanese cuisine. It's just mainly what happens in her life along the way. The very beginning showed her when she was 40 years old handing out soup to children running around the neighborhood. I'm not sure if that's where they'll stop with her life. Interesting time period, too.

Fairy Tail had a lot of twists and turns. A lot of it seems to be unpredictable so far. The people from the 'future' haven't been entirely accurate, and their stories aren't the same. The 'future' Lucy was killed off by the 'future' Rogue. He kept saying she'll interfere or stop the portal from opening. The future one, before she died, kept saying she'd never want to interfere with it. The present Lucy refused to stop it, too. She only got weird when she was close to the door that was opening to the portal. Something seemed to possess her, and she suddenly said it had to be stopped. We're not even sure if those 10,000 dragons will actually appear...The King asked the guilds to help kill off all the other dragons the 'canon' (apparently it comes out of the portal. You can also travel through time if you go through it) doesn't hit. It'll be funny if nothing happens...But, I doubt that. It's also the same day the dragons disappeared many years ago. Maybe Natsu and the other Dragon Slayers will see the dragons that raised them. What if they're not all bent on destruction? This story arc has been pretty long. At least, Fairy Tail won the Grand Magic Games. Although, I think that part was to be expected. 

Wrote more of the 10th short story to my nightmare anthology. Played my clarinet for the first time in a long time. Was a little rusty, but much better than I expected.Did some Duke Ellington and Gershwin tunes. 

日本語

Studied the last kanji for this 'grade': 和. If pronounced as 和む or なご.む (nago.mu): to be softened, calm down. As 和やか or なご.やか (nago.yaka): mild, calm, gentle, quiet, harmonious. As 和らぐ or やわ.らぐ (yawa.ragu): to soften, calm down, be mitigated. As 和らげる or やわ.らげる (yawa.rageru): to soften, moderate, relieve. As わ (wa): sum; harmony, peace; (pref) Japan, Japanese style. It may be pronounced as お (o) in some compounds, but not by itself. 和尚 or おしょう (oshou): (hon) preceptor or high priest (esp. in Zen or Pure Land Buddhism); monk (esp. the head monk of a temple); master (of one's art, trade, etc.). 和英 or わえい (waei): Japanese-English. 和菓子 or わがし (wagashi): Japanese confectionery or sweets. There are more on the common compounds list to go over, so I'll be doing more next time.

Practiced my vocab and kanji on JapaneseClass' site. Wasn't too bad. Only missed a few. Pretty good for not being on that site for a while. The system's a lot smoother, too. I had some long combos on there this time. Didn't do any chapter tests this time. Thought the regular practice quiz would be good for getting back into it. Someone mentioned on the front page that there's a site that helps with listening to conversations, called My Kikitori. They quiz you on each audio recording of a normal conversation. They have a normal speaking speed, and a slow one. They suggest listening to the slow one first, and then switching to normal speed. You can play them as much as you want. I did one of them, and got 100% on it. I think they have 'chapter' tests at the end of each section. Sounds like it'll be another great tool. 

Also, finished translating part of the You Maga article. This one was on what to do if your kid comes home from school and show signs of lice. This one kind of made my skin crawl, but it was interesting. This is a section of a long article on adjusting to life in America. What to do for kids, cultural stuff, and learning the language. Read an article on Asahi's site about a DJ-style record turntable being sold to the public for the first time. The same type was apparently used in Perfume's next album. It was interesting. 

National Fried Chicken Day!

Mood:

I love fried chicken! (This was actually a few days ago.) I just try not to have fried things too often. Feels even more special when I allow myself to have it. I like putting a little honey on it. Kind of a Southern thing, I guess. But, makes it awesome!

I'm going to get back into doing my fitness routine. Kind of derailed a bit after that weird week in mid-March with all the medical stuff.Been trying to do it off and on ever since. But, I'm going to give it another go!I lost a lot of weight through my 'routine'. (More than 20 pounds in a few months!) 

I'm also adding 2 more things to it. Doing some jump rope and Pilates. I seem to only be able to do about 5 minutes straight of jump rope.Used to be better at it. Probably will get better with time. Had a hard time with doing the Pilates 'perfectly', but I just need to practice it more. Also, makes me really tired afterwards, but while I'm doing the exercises, I barely notice it. 

Getting back to my 2-mile walks and sit-ups. Decided that I'll do 35 sit-ups twice a day for this week. (So far so good!) Hoping to eventually work my way to more than 65 sit-ups twice a day for a week. That's right about where I stopped before. If I add 5 of them to both times each week like before, it shouldn't take me that long. I followed my way of eating (hate saying 'diet', because you're always on a diet whether good or bad) about the same way I did before March, so not much will change with that. Might be slightly more strict about it. I'm also getting that weird feeling again, occasionally, where I'm sick of eating things. Not a very healthy way of thinking.

Watched the finale to Tokage. Kind of sad that it was the last episode, but it was a good ending. They caught the real 'Spider', and found out who the spy was. Hence, suspicion is off of Tokage for being a spy. The police commissioner was the real spy. He said he was absolutely terrified of Tokage. Thinking someday he'll figure it all out. It'd be cool if there was a second season, but since they figured out who the Spider and spy were, I don't know where they could go from there. 

Also, finished watching the second special of Great Teacher Onizuka 2012. It was a pretty good one. Kind of a more intricate story than usual. I'll watch the 3rd one next time. That one's about the class graduating. 

Played my clarinet on Monday. Haven't done it in a while. Hope to get back to a regular schedule with this as well. Did some more klezmer tunes. Wasn't too bad considering that its been a while. 

Got back into writing the first short story in my nightmare anthology. Close to the end of this one. The others sound like they might be a bit easier to work with. I wanted to do one based on the first recurring nightmare that I can remember. It was twisted, but one of the shortest nightmares I've had. Tough to work a story around it. But, I love challenges when it comes to writing.I also put it into a first person perspective. I wasn't really used to that.

For my first novel, Alliance, I finally sold a book! Yay!It hasn't been out for long, and I didn't advertise it much. I put a link to it in my signature on a forum I had just joined, and someone saw it. They immediately bought and downloaded it. I think they were from the forum I was on before it recently shut down. They had 'migrated' to this new forum as well. I don't recognize the username, but I do recognize the avatar and signature. So cool that they bought it! So happy! I told them that they were the first one to buy it, and they said that they felt honored. Up to 16 downloads. (One of someone buying it, the rest got the free sample.) People are still checking it out, apparently. The view count is still kind of high. Hasn't gone back to zero since I've told people at the reunion about it. So, I know they're looking at it at least.

Went to Red Lobster Monday night. They were having a special for a 4-course meal at a cheap price. I got some iced tea, a small Caesar salad, small cup of chicken tortilla soup, Cajun chicken linguine, brownie a la mode, and of course some cheddar biscuits (kind of like the bread sticks at Olive Garden, they're complimentary). The salad was pretty good and wasn't drenched with dressing. 

The soup was a bit spicier than they told me it would be.I have a weird thing where I can't eat spicy food, because it messes with my gut. Happened after I was hospitalized twice, and they used heavy antibiotics. So, it killed off all the good flora and fauna down there. That usually aids in digestion. It'll never be like it used to be, but it can come close if I'm careful with things. I used to love spicy foods, so it's kind of hard for me.Anyways, it wasn't too bad besides being a bit spicy. It was the only soup from the selection that I thought I could eat, too. I don't eat shellfish or pork products, and all the other soups had those things. Had half of this and the salad, even though they were both small portions. Had half of the biscuits, and put the rest in the bag along with the other stuff.

The Cajun chicken linguine was really good.Usually when things say 'Cajun' in this area, they're so overpowering with the pepper(?) that you can't taste the actual dish. I don't think that's very authentic.Sure, I know it can have a bold flavor, but you should be able to taste what else is there. This one was really nice and smooth tasting. Had a little 'pow', but I could taste the other stuff. Kind of a bit sweet too. The cheese was a nice touch, as well. Probably ate a little less than half of the linguine. I was already getting really full.

The brownie was really good.Really hot and soft. Kind of the consistency of what the cake part of a lava cake is like. The ice cream was good too. The brownie was rather small, so I allowed myself to eat all of it. 

Ended up taking a bunch of this stuff home. Made 2 more meals for me. Probably could have made 3 more meals instead, but I had the last bit for a brunch. Thought I could eat the rest of it, if it represented essentially 2 meals anyways. Good stuff. So, I stuck pretty closely to my way of eating. Didn't feel deprived at all. In fact, I felt a lot more comfortable and good.And, it's always a nice feeling that you can have the same awesome stuff the next day or a couple of days more.

Went to Starbucks yesterday. Got an iced chai, and a blueberry scone. Both were really good. Ate half the scone, and saved the rest for later. While there, I finished reading The Essential Kabbalah by Daniel Matt. It was pretty good and fascinating.Didn't really expect to finish it while I was there. The next book will be on American-Jewish folklore. Jewish folklore's usually an interesting topic. Hopefully, it'll be a good one. 

Got another follower on PatientsLikeMe. I'm amazed by this site.The only downside is that they don't have everything that I've used (treatments and such)/gone through/etc. But, they said they're constantly updating. They do have a lot of stuff though. So far I've only remembered 11 of my 'conditions'. But, there are more. I seem to remember them when I get off the site, though. I didn't think I had that many.And, in that case, I doubt someone would have exactly the same conditions. Although, people have come close.

Youtube:
2 vids featuring 2 parts of a hilarious and awesome scene from Gintama. Gintoki's voice actor or seiyuu's amazing! One of the best:

National Herbs and Spices Day!

Mood:

This was actually yesterday. Life would be boring without herbs and spices. (I can't really fathom that...) Interesting thing to celebrate, though. I love to experiment with them sometimes while cooking. 

Haven't changed my wallpaper for the month yet. Not sure if I will. My spice calendar features fennel this month. It gives detailed info on its history, where it originated from (which was the Mediterranean), wine pairings, and simple recipes. 

My Jewish calendar features an oil painting on canvas called Alley in the Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam. It's by Max Liebermann, from Amsterdam, 1908. Interesting painting. There's also a Havdalah plate, by Bauscher (doesn't give a first name), made out of porcelain and glaze. From Weiden, Oberpfalz, Germany, around 1922-1930. Plus, a spice tower (also used during Havdalah), maker is unknown, and made out of silver. It's from Central Europe, around 1800-1900. Kind of sounds like they have no idea where the spice tower came from, or when for that matter.Interesting one, though. Havdalah is a short ceremony marking the end of Shabbat each week. We smell sweet spices during it, out of decorative 'towers' or 'boxes'. It symbolizes the sweetness of Shabbat, whose pleasant aroma we breathe in one last time, so it might last us through the week to come until we can welcome Shabbat again. 

The month-long holidays are: National Candy Month, National Dairy Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Seafood Month, LGBT Pride Month, Migraine Awareness Month, National Camping Month. Some are important causes, some are to make you appreciate things you may take for granted, and some are just for fun. Sounds like an interesting mix this month.

Lots of stuff coming up this month!My 10-year high school reunion is at the end of the month, and there's a few 'mini-events' throughout the rest of the month. Went to the first one a week from last Sunday. Was just supposed to be a get together at a park. Only 3 classmates showed up. One brought a significant other, and another brought her 2 little kids. (The kids were so cute!) I was the only one not on the committee.Kind of sad. I'm really curious about how everyone's doing. I didn't know the other 2 classmates too well, even during high school. One of them the name and face looks extremely familiar, but I know I didn't see her much. The other classmate I just vaguely remember. But, it's kind of a good opportunity to make new friends, too.

The next event was on Friday at a restaurant near the bay downtown. It's usually so noisy there, so I was a bit reluctant about it. Walked all the way down there. Almost 2 miles downhill. Not as bad as walking 2 miles uphill, but still killed my hips and legs.The scenery was beautiful, though. Once I was there, I needed to sit a few minutes to catch my breath. Then, I asked about their reservation. The people at the front looked at me like I was crazy. They finally said that there was a rather large group out on the deck overlooking the bay. I had to ask them again about where the deck was. Couldn't see it too well. Very rude staff at the front...Anyways, I found them. They had forgotten to make a reservation. Oh joy.There were more people than I expected. Which was nice. Someone recognized me right away, and I immediately recognized him, too. He looks just slightly different, but not much. The girls that were at the park, were there too. A lot of the others looked similar to what they did in high school. One girl I couldn't recognize until she was gone. It dawned on me then. (Sometimes we'd eat our lunches in the cafeteria together.) Got to meet a lot of other people's significant others and kids. That was interesting. Talked quite a bit. Had a hard time actually eating, since I was talking so much. I tend to mumble or talk really quietly when I'm nervous and when I haven't seen people in so long. Feel like I might have acted like an idiot, but maybe a lot of other people were nervous too.Maybe this will help with seeing people at the main event. 

Just noticed that they posted some pics that were taken at that event. The only pic I'm in just shows a little of me from behind. So you only see my hair, part of my hands, and a little of the side of my upper torso. With the other classmates you at least see their faces...I wasn't shying away from the camera this time. I'm a little disturbed by that. But, I guess it's their loss.

Got the Philly prime rib dip with fries, and some iced tea. The iced tea tasted really horrible.(Pouring a bunch of sweetener in didn't help.) The sandwich was so full of stuff and lying open-faced, it made it difficult to eat. But, it was pretty good. The fries still had the skins on them, which I love.The waitress was extremely nice. The little kids' meals were served in large paper boats. That was kind of cute, and they got a kick out of it. They told us that the easiest way to do the bill was to have everyone's orders on one, instead of separately. It would have been so much easier if we each had a separate bill. But, it was settled eventually. The classmates got together and took a group pic at the beginning. (This one hasn't been posted yet, and I'm not sure if they'll do it on fb. I'll definitely be in that one.) That was nice. The next mini-event is in about a week and a half at a bar and grill. I've never been there, but it sounds like it'd be fun. They normally have a karaoke bar set up, too. I was told they might not have it for that night, though. It's an adult event, so that'd be nice too. 

That following Friday, there will be 3 things happening at the same time. One is another reunion mini-event at that same restaurant, which I'm not too fond of. Another is the Trans Pride march. I'm an ally, they're kind of like family, and they want me there, too. (Plus, my dad's trans.) They have some little events after the march, too. The 3rd thing is Pride Shabbat. Which is interesting, and can be fun. Don't know too many people that go to it, though. So, I'm leaning more towards the Trans Pride thing. The next day is the reunion's main event. The next day after, is another reunion mini-event at the park that's a potluck. Then, a few days later, I'll be going to a wedding. And, sometime in the middle of this month, someone asked my dad and I to go to their graduation party. So, yay!So many things! I'll probably pass out or something. Oh, and let's not forget that I get to see one of my cousins at the end of this month, too! 

Found out the day before yesterday that my health coverage was dropped. The funny thing is online it's still saying that I have it. Even ordered some meds after the date it said in the letter, and that was covered. So, I don't know. Still waiting for a call from Starbucks about working there. If I do get it, they offer health insurance. One of the many reasons why it'll be the best place for me. Looked a bit more at other places that cover health care. There aren't too many in town. But, I'm also looking at neighboring towns, and possibly at Seattle. It'd be interesting if I end up working in the area I want to move to, before I live there.I told myself not to worry too much, because things just get worse if I do. Just look at things calmly. Still do them, but don't panic about things, I guess. Things will hopefully work out for the best this way. When I worry too much I get stressed out, tired, don't think about my own health as much, end up doing something I'll regret later, etc. 

Watched Django Unchained. Much better than I expected. Some Tarantino films I love, and some not so much.This was brutally violent, extremely hilarious at times, gut wrenching, music was amazing, etc. Lots of spaghetti western parodies. 

Finished watching Great Teacher Onizuka's first special. It was awesome! There's apparently 2 more specials. So, I'll get to those soon. I'll start writing one of the short stories from my nightmare anthology novel, soon. Up to 15 downloads of the free sample for Alliance. Yay! Also, had another person say online that she'll buy it soon. And one person from the support group is interested. I don't have his email, so I'll give him the info at the next meeting. So, things might be looking up on that front. I still have to advertise a bit. 

Youtube:
Some hilarious moments of Nakatsu from the Jdrama, Hana Kimi:

Hetalia amv featuring the song Bad Apple in different languages. It's originally a vocaloid song: 

Cool and touching Gintama amv:

Interesting dance performance:

What happens when a kitten meets a hedgehog: