Happy Chinese New Year!

Mood:

It's the year of the Horse. Interesting that it falls on the first day of the new month of Adar in the Jewish calendar this year.They're both lunar calendars. Maybe I should watch a couple of episodes of Fruits Basket in honor of it? (Might do it tomorrow, though.) It's an anime that is based on the story behind the Chinese zodiac animals. Also, one of the few anime I actually have the official DVDs for. It's a very good series.The manga was even better. Interesting that I like the English dub voices more than the original Japanese ones. That's rare for me.Rin, who is the horse of the zodiac, actually only shows up in the manga. She's pretty cool and strong. Yesterday was National Croissant Day. I love croissants! 

This week has been very weird.It started off really well, but halfway through I felt horrible. I was getting my sit-ups in, going to bed at decent times, and doing walks until then. My stomach started doing somersaults around halfway through the week. I started to go to bed later than I should, and I slept in to get my full amount of sleep. Since I slept in, I didn't get as much stuff done as I could have.Didn't feel like doing my sit-ups because of my stomach. (Felt like I'd throw up during it.) Because of this stuff, I started to feel down too...Just made it all peachy. Well, this weekend and coming week I can try and do better. Hopefully my stomach will calm down a little more, too. 

Went to Red Lobster last night. I got tea, and ordered from their 4-course meal deal again. (It's an awesome deal, and it makes several meals for me!) Decided on the house salad with bleu cheese dressing, chicken tortilla soup, wood-grilled tilapia with broccoli and mashed potatoes, and substituted a dessert that was seasonal and wasn't on there which was red velvet cake in a jar. I usually got their Caesar salad, but the house salad was good too. It was a nice and simple mix of vegetables. Light on the dressing as well, which I like. The tortilla soup didn't have cheese in it like it usually does. So, I asked for some, and they gave me a big sauce bowl full of it. I love cheese, so thinking I shouldn't waste it, I dumped it all in. It was probably more cheese than soup...I usually get the Cajun chicken linguine as my entree. I wanted to try something a little different. There aren't that many options on the meal deal list for me. (It is a seafood place that specializes in lobster and other shellfish...) This was good, though. The fish was very lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. The broccoli was fresh and was still a bit crisp, not overdone. The mash potatoes had a mixture of cheese and pepper in them. They were so good!I didn't realize I could substitute a dessert. The meal deal only lists 3 desserts. Not many, and sometimes those get old.Although, I've only had 2. I have to be in the mood for cheesecake, and I'm not entirely positive that I'd like caramel cheesecake. It sounds odd. Kind of close to sounding like flan, and I hate flan.But, now that I know, there are a lot more options for me. Anyways, the red velvet cake in a jar was awesome!A while back I had their seasonal strawberry shortcake in a jar, and that was amazing too! This had layers of icing, cake, and chocolate chips on top. It's kind of fun to eat it out of a jar. 

Oh, and when I asked for a bread bag for the Cheddar Bay biscuits (which I only ate one of, I was saving the rest for later), our waitress gave me a pre-filled bag of extra ones. I had to ask again for a bag for the ones I already had in the basket. It was a little too generous.I try not to eat too many in one sitting, so a full bag takes me a while to get through. And, to have another bag...Although, I don't think it ended up being the amount I got last time. Our waitress back then kept giving us basket after basket of them. I had put them off to the side so I would remember to get them later. I don't remember how many it ended up being that time. 

I started Switch Girl on Wednesday. I'll talk more about it soon. And, I started Atami no Sousakan or Atami Investigators today. Another Satoshi Miki drama. I love his shows!He's an amazing writer/director. I'll go into more detail soon with this one, too. 

Finished Henshin Interviewer no Yuuutsu or The Melancholy of the Transformer Interviewer. It was really good. Satoshi is as great with his mysteries as his humor. It was kind of a twisted ride. The very end was a bit weird, and I'm not entirely sure that I really got it. Everything was very well done, though. Everything was timed well, the story was interesting although creepy at times, just like Jikou Keisatsu they knew when to be serious and when to be hilarious. Since it dealt with some heavy/dark stuff, it seemed they didn't want to make light of it. Which was good. 

I finished editing the 5th short story to my nightmare anthology. I think this one was quicker than the others. Next time I can start the 6th one. Yay!This one's actual nightmare was even more gruesome than the 5th one. So, hopefully I'll be able to get through it. It'll be interesting to see how this one turns out.

Yesterday, I also played my clarinet. Did a lot of klezmer tunes. It sounded pretty good.

日本語

Yesterday, I studied more compounds for 発, and started studying the kanji 反. 発足 or ほっそく (hossoku): starting, inauguration, launch, founding, establishment, start-up. 発心 or ほっしん (hosshin): spiritual (or religious) awakening, resolution. 発疹 or はっしん (hasshin): rash, eruption. 自発 or じはつ (jihatsu): spontaneous. 蒸発 or じょうはつ (jouhatsu): evaporation; unexplained disappearance. 反す or かえ.す (kae.su): to turn over, turn upside down, overturn; (after the -ます stem of a verb) to repeat..., do...back. 反らす or そ.らす (so.rasu): to bend, warp, curve. 反る or そ.る (so.ru): to warp, be warped, curve, be curved, be arched, bend, be bent; to bend backward (body or body part, e.g. fingers). As はん (han): (pref) anti-. As たん (tan): a measure of fabric for kimonos, haori, and other clothes. 反物 or たんもの (tanmono): fabric, cloth, textiles, drapery, dry-goods, piece goods; measure of kimono material. 反映 or はんえい (hanei): reflection (light, image, situation, attitude, etc.), reflecting; influence, application (e.g. of an update). 

National Apricot Day!

Mood:

I love apricots!Dried or fresh, they're both awesome! Apricot trees were found in China about 4000 years ago. It became popular in the Mediterranean soon after. There are a lot of other ways to eat them as well. It's also National Static Electricity Day. Interesting that there's a holiday like that.

During my afternoon walk yesterday, it was pouring down heavy rain. I thought having an umbrella would keep me dry. It helped a lot, but from my knees down I was drenched.The water even made it into my sneakers. The socks I wore are the type that are like sponges, and will absorb any amount of liquid. They also swell up when they've absorbed enough liquid. So, my socks were absolutely soaked. My feet were really cold. But, I didn't realize how drenched they were until I took them off before going to bed. They made a squishy sound, and were dripping.I wiped off my feet after, and then put them under the covers as I tried to go to sleep. I was still freezing for a while. Didn't help with getting sleep, either. Once I finally had warmed up, the bed felt really comfy, and I went into a deep sleep. When my alarm went off soon after, I felt that I hadn't slept enough and went back to bed. So, I ended up sleeping in, and it threw my day off a little.Oh well. I needed it. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll get up when I want to. 

In Interviewer, it was very interesting. It wasn't too funny of an episode, but it dealt with some heavy stuff like rape. Sad and a bit disturbing, but it was well done. The mystery behind the 'Tulip Murders' just seems to be getting more and more complicated. The more info they find, the more questions they have. Everything seems to be connected in some way. The people behind everything (we don't really know who) have retaliated against Jiro and Rika. They've hacked into their bank accounts, freezing their debit/credit cards. Plus, put out a novel under Jiro's name. It claims to be his 100th novel on the Tulip Murders. He hasn't even started to write it yet. That was the reason behind going to investigate the mystery in the first place. It was an interesting topic that he thought he could finally draw inspiration from for his 100th novel. He had writer's block for a while before reading about the case online. Oddly, he finds reality boring, and tends to write fiction. But, he's discovering that reality may not be as boring as he had thought. 

Naruto Shippuden is finally back after taking a break for 2 or 3 weeks. Better than putting out a bunch of fillers...They've started to reveal what really happened to Obito, what the actual connection is between him and Madara (they are related, but Madara was supposed to have died long before Obito was born), and the meaning behind everything that's happened. Madara joined the fight with Obito against Naruto, Kakashi, Guy, and Killer Bee. The Kages aren't looking too great, but Tsunade might be able to save them. There was a new ending, but I still don't really like it. 

I'm catching up on the manga version of Hitman Reborn. Still have a ways until I get to where the anime ended, but I'm getting there. I'm curious as to what happens in the story afterwards. The manga went on for a much longer time. So, it's been interesting. The characters are in a bit of a different style than they were in the anime. Although, I think the design is getting closer to that anime version. Makes sense since the manga started before the anime did. Designs generally do change over time, especially with such a long series. Tsuna and the guardians have gotten the real half of the rings that officially designate them as the new boss (successor) and guardians of the Vongola. The leader of Varia feels that he's the rightful next boss, and that his guardians deserve them too. He was adopted into the family and the 9th treated him like his own son. Tsuna hasn't met the 9th yet, and yet the 9th has officially chosen him. It's kind of sad. Anyways, in order to see who's the true successor, they have to go head to head. (They'll get the other half of their rings when they defeat their opponents.) So, the Arcobaleno are going to split up and train them one on one in order to beat Varia. Varia ends up being really cool, and a close ally in the story. They just have a misunderstanding at this point in the story, really.

Got some writing done. This short story in my nightmare anthology is getting longer than my other ones. Still falls under the short story type. It's gotten quite exciting though.It's going on long after the real nightmare ended, but explains quite a bit. I guess it's also a way for me to make some sense of them.

Played my clarinet. Haven't done it for a while, but I sounded pretty good. Maybe better than last time. Although, I remember that exercise helps with playing the instrument. Since it all has to do with breathing, lung capacity, and I guess a bit of endurance. Exercise in general can help with that. (And, I've upped my exercise routine lately.) Did a lot of klezmer tunes.

National Cocoa Day!

Mood:

I love cocoa!This is apparently related to the beverage hot cocoa or hot chocolate. In America, we usually use these terms interchangeably. But, technically hot chocolate is made from heated water or milk with melted chocolate pieces, while hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder and heated water or milk. Either way, it's good! I usually like some with marshmallows. We've got hot chocolate with tiny ones. Guess I can have some more later.

I'm feeling pretty sick today.Almost like I have a cold. My nose is running, sinuses are full, have a huge headache on both sides of my head, etc. I was finally feeling normal for about a week. That weird stuff that I had before that week seems to have gone away, at least.I've been having tea, mandarin oranges, took an antihistamine, and took my usual vitamin. So, hopefully that'll help. I have felt slightly better since this morning at least. I just need to take it easy on myself. I probably should be in bed...But, I get restless when I do, even if I'm very sick. 

Last weekend, was bone chilling cold. Record low temps for the area. Despite this, we went to a Japanese buffet for the first time Saturday night. Apparently, it's very popular. We had to wait a while in the waiting room. The door was constantly opening and closing, bringing in the cold air. Even with coats, gloves, scarves, lots of people, etc. it was really cold in there. Eventually, we were able to get a table. It's a very big place. Tons of sushi, a salad bar, various kinds of meats, soups, appetizers, desserts, etc. I don't think I got to everything, there was so much stuff there. There weren't too many specifically Japanese things. That was mainly the sushi and miso soup. (Which I didn't have either of...) There was a lot of general Asian stuff. Mostly from China and Korea. But, it was mostly very good all around.They had a huge chocolate fountain. The only things I didn't like were 3 desserts and the iced tea was a bit odd.

The next night we went to a movie theater to watch Gravity in 3D. (The theater is actually maybe 5 minutes away from the buffet.) I think I might have only seen one other movie in 3D when I was little, but can't remember what it was. My contacts were messing with me most of the time.But, it was still fun to see. I'm not sure if I was 'thrilled' about the movie. A lot of it didn't seem realistic. But, it did have cool effects and imagery. The whole thing might have been a dream, she could have died the time she was hurling through space by herself at the beginning, several things might be able to explain away the unrealistic stuff. And, it ended kind of abruptly. So, I have a mixed opinion about the whole thing. 

In the Interviewer, it's becoming more and more funny. Kind of an off beat/eccentric/campy sort of humor. It's apparently getting pretty raunchy, too. Kind of surprised me a bit. I'm really liking this show. And, the main actor has improvised a lot of stuff for the character. I respect him even more now. 

In Naruto Shippuden, it was an emotional episode. I'm about 3 episodes behind. Itachi is an amazing character. He took most of his secrets to the grave. He had to be reanimated and work together with his younger brother, Sasuke, in order to come clean about them. He put Kabuto in a mind loop, and was able to get him to release his reanimation jutsu. This also meant that Itachi had to 'die' again. So, Itachi essentially ended the war. There's a lot fewer enemies to fight. I think Tobi might be the last one...They still haven't revealed much on who he really is. They've hinted that it might be Obito though. Looks like things are only getting more interesting.

Wrote more of the 4th short story to my nightmare anthology. Haven't really gotten to the 'scary' stuff yet in this one. But, there are hints that things might not be right or they're unsettling. Then again, I haven't gotten to the actual nightmare yet. I have to set it up a bit. 

Played my clarinet. Did some tunes from my advanced solo book. Stumbled a bit this time, but that might be because I haven't been keeping up with playing everyday for the last week. It's been off and on. Hopefully, I can stay on track with it now. I sounded pretty good this time overall, even with the occasional stumble.

日本語

Studied more compounds for: 度. The general meanings for this one are: (counter) degrees, occurrence, time, strength of alcohol. 度量衡 or どりょうこう (doryoukou): weights and measures. 度合い or どあい (doai): degree, extent. 温度 or おんど (ondo): temperature. 感度 or かんど (kando): sensitivity, reception (e.g. radio and television), severity (quake). 湿度 or しつど (shitsudo): level of humidity. 態度 or たいど (taido): attitude, manner, behavior. 丁度 or ちょうど (choudo): (this is usually written in kana, instead of the kanji form) just, right, exactly. 調度 or ちょうど (choudo): supplies, furniture, fixtures. 程度 or ていど (teido): degree, amount, grade, standard, (suf) of the order of (following a number). 年度 or ねんど (nendo): fiscal year; academic year, school year. 

My Friend

Mood:

By SPYAIR. An awesome song about friendship. I'm usually not a sucker for that kind of stuff, but they did it so well. I'm starting to really like this band. I know they've done a few theme songs for Gintama (I love this anime), and at the time I thought they were pretty good. But, didn't really listen to more of their songs. They debuted in 2005, and have 5 members. They have apparently done theme songs for 3 other anime. I found a cool Gintama amv that also translates part of the main chorus. (They sound cool 'live' on youtube as well.)

It's been pretty cold today.I'm thinking of doing only one of my walks later because of it. I'm just not used to the cold yet. 

Started watching Henshin Interviewer no Yuuutsu or Transformation Interviewer's Depression. (I think it'd be better translated as The Melancholy of the Transformation Interviewer...) It's good so far. It has one of my fave actors as the lead, which is a plus. A bit campy, has a lot of dark humor, and all the characters are eccentric to say the least. Really reminds me of Jikou Keisatsu or Time Limit Detective. Same type of humor, people act similar, etc. Shirakawa Jiro is a gifted writer, and he's published 99 mystery novels with 'trickery magic' as the theme. He's been writing non-stop since winning the grand prize at a writing competition when he was 15. Now, he's faced with writer's block while trying to start his 100th novel. 3 months pass, and he still has writer's block. In order to try and get inspired, he scours the internet for stories about unsolved murders. He stumbles upon a story about 2 women that were murdered and seemed to be posed as tulips. He decides to go to the town where the women lived. In order to interview people about the incident, he 'transforms' into a man named Aonuma Rio. Who seems to look much more approachable than what he truly looks like. Women seem to be more drawn to him as well. Where if he's himself, they're terrified of him. The pic on the upper left is what he looks like before he 'transforms', and the main pic is him after. Funny thing is the after transformation part is how the actor actually presents himself normally. So, it kind of seems like it's reverse...The girl in the pic is his assistant/editor. 

Naruto Shippuden was kind of sad. Kabuto eventually got stuck in a genjutsu (lit. Illusion Techniques, it messes with their enemy's perception of reality) time loop, where it's the same scene over and over again. It messes with his mind, and he starts to go a bit crazy trying to get out of it. Itachi's really brilliant. The fact that he's been reanimated by Kabuto hasn't changed that. He worked pretty well with Sasuke to fight Kabuto. Itachi wanted to take Kabuto out alive, since he's the one that essentially controls the war. Interesting to see what happens next. 

Ao no Exorcist was interesting. Izumo was kidnapped by the Illuminati to be used for some sort of ritual, since they basically used up her mother for it. Shima was apparently working for the Illuminati as a spy. The others are out searching for Izumo in her hometown. Although, something is very off about the townspeople. 

Wrote some more of the 3rd short story to my nightmare anthology. Interesting to see where it will go. Played my clarinet. Did some Irish and Klezmer tunes. Sounded pretty good this time. 

Tried to at least start my next drawing. I might have to start over.I thought the 'Drawing Bible' would help me, but it doesn't really help for multiple characters of different heights. I think I might base them off an old Max (original character) full body drawing. I used my old anatomy book for that one, and I think he turned out pretty good. I'll just have to tweak with the proportions with each character I add. Should be interesting. 

日本語

Studied more compounds for 調. The general meanings to this kanji are: investigate, exorcise, key (music), meter, prepare, tone, tune, writing style, note. 長調 or ちょうちょう (chouchou): major key (music). 調和 or ちょうわ (chouwa): harmony. 口調 or くちょう (kuchou): tone (e.g. of voice, etc.), (verbal) expression. 調律 or ちょうりつ (chouritsu): tuning (musical). 強調 or きょうちょう (kyouchou): emphasis, highlight, stress, stressed point. 好調 or こうちょう (kouchou): favorable, promising, satisfactory, in good shape. 哀調 or あいちょう (aichou): plaintive, mournful melody, minor key. 同調 or どうちょう (douchou): sympathy, agreement with, alignment, conformity, tuning. 調薬 or ちょうやく (chouyaku): dose. 単調 or たんちょう (tanchou): monotony, monotone, dullness. I'll study more compounds for this one tomorrow. There aren't that many left, so I might be able to move on to the next kanji as well.