Summertime

Mood:


By DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. To me, an oldie but a goody.I'm still going on kind of a musical odyssey. Going through songs that were big from the year I was born up until now. I'm up to the early 90s. The 80s had some really strange music. But, found a couple of good ones. For the 90s on the other hand, (I don't know if it's because I grew up on these songs or what) I have a lot of faves.Anyways, this song just feels so nostalgic for me. This is their most popular song, and is still being played on the radio around the world. It came out in 1991. In 1998, the song was remixed and '98' was added to the title. It doesn't really feel summery today, sadly. The song sort of makes it feel like it is though.

This is my wallpaper for the month. It's Natsu from Fairy Tail. Thought it looked 'summery'. (Plus, his name means summer.) Trying to make it actually feel like summer.


My Jewish calendar has an old ketubah or marriage contract from Amsterdam in 1835. Also, has a cool wedding ring made out of gold. It just says it's from central Europe and from around 1800-1900. Pretty large gap! I think I'd want something unique like that for mine.It's got what looks to be a castle on top. The last thing they show is a Torah shield made out of silver from The Hague, Netherlands. From 1931. Kind of an interesting collection.


My herb calendar has a pitcher of milk, 4 glasses of herbal milk-yogurt; and a bowl of quark, dill, nasturtium, and chives. One of the more interesting pics from it.


Here's the month-long holidays: Cell Phone Courtesy Month, Family Reunion Month, Mango and Melon Month, National Blueberries Month, National Grilling Month, National Ice Cream Month, National Horseradish Month, National Hot Dog Month, Nectarine and Garlic Month, Social Wellness Month, Women's Motorcycle Month, National Culinary Arts Month. Some are important causes, some are to make you appreciate things you may take for granted, and some are just for fun.


I haven't posted for a while, yet again.I hope to stay more on top of it in the future! I've had kind of a roller coaster ride of emotions this past week, yet again. Felt a bit better after trying to appeal my health insurance's decision. Still haven't heard back. Also, felt better after playing my clarinet more often. But, I'm feeling a lot of pressure with other stuff. And, I think it may take me a while to do them. 


I think I should take the advice some people have told me, and take it easy. Don't make things hard on myself. If I rush it, I'll just get frustrated, emotionally burned out, and won't get much done.Probably wouldn't take care of myself as much in the process. So, one day at a time. Also, give myself some time for fun. If I don't, I really won't be able to focus on things. 


Went to the cafe I usually go to on Wednesdays today, for a Mexican mocha. It was pretty good. A little too heavy on the cinnamon though. Then, for dinner we went to Himalayan Chutney. Had their 'Chicken Butter'. Basically, a butter based curry. Very good, but the sauce was much more heavy and rich, than their chicken tikka masala one. So, couldn't eat as much. Also, got their mango lassi. Pretty tasty stuff.Good enough for a dessert, I think.


While we were talking at the restaurant, I decided that I'd do something similar to what my dad is doing this summer.She's visiting India virtually, using a guidebook, Google Earth, youtube, listening to music from there, has already cooked something from one of those areas she 'visited', and other things. Really cool idea. I might do something like that to virtually visit Japan. It sounds like it'd be fun and interesting. Giving me more of a view on what it's like there. I get somewhat of a view from dramas, news, etc. already. But, it's not really 'visiting' it.After 'visiting' Japan, I might go to other Asian countries like China and South Korea. I love learning about cultures, so it should be fun.


Tomorrow night is when our town does their Independence Day stuff. That cafe that I went to today, will be open later (until around 11), so it might be a good spot to view the fireworks. We're thinking of going then, not sure how early we should be there to get a good spot, though. 


We went to the aquarium yesterday. Had fun there. Not as much as I was expecting, but not bad. Haven't gone to one in years. A lot of the stuff (like the educational things along the way) seemed very childish.And, the stuff I really wanted to see like the giant octopus were either hiding, scrunched up, or behind a lot of people.I liked the moon jelly arch thing. Took a lot of pics. Hopefully, I'll post those soon.

After the aquarium, we went searching through Pike Place Market for a place that's known for their Russian cuisine. Specifically for pierogies and piroshkis. After a while we found it, but it was closed. 


So, we went to a place that was near it, that's known for their chowder. I'm not too fond of chowder, but they had a couple of 'rolls' I could try. I got the curry chicken roll. It's like a huge sandwich. Only there's so much stuff in the middle you can't really pick it up at first. It was cold and had chicken, curry spices, nuts, a little mayo, celery, raisins, some really dry lettuce (almost felt like I was eating straw. Yuck!), all on top of a nice hoagie roll. Wasn't too bad. Only downside was the lettuce, oh and waiting for them to make it. They gave me a free cookie, because of the wait. Their cookies were huge! So, nice value on that. Had that for a 'dinner' later at home.


Starting this week, I decided to change my schedule a bit. Made it more balanced, so I can get to more of the 'extra' stuff. And, I won't feel like I'm running around half the time. I'm going back to writing everyday, doing at least one Japanese lesson a day, going over You Maga stuff everyday, drawing everyday, and going over kanji everyday. If I do any of these just once a week, I'm not getting much from them. 


Finished watching the first season of Liar Game. I really liked this series! Suspense was great. I could easily figure out their schemes, and how to win the games, but it still was exciting. The background music was perfect. Really fit the mood. I'll start the second season next time. Hopefully it's as good as the first!


Also finished watching Kagi no Kakatta Heya or Locked Room. It was really great too! Ohno was awesome! I think he was even better in this drama, than he was in Maou. The ending left it wide open for a second season. Not sure if it'll happen. But, it'd be cool! 


Finished Tsuritama. It was really good, and had a very unique feel to it. Turned out the fish that they had to catch ended up being really small. He was kind of cute when he turned into his 'human' form. I'm glad it was a good ending. This show had some lightheartedness and humor mixed in with some pretty intense stuff. Very interesting blend.


Finished Acchi Kocchi today. I loved this show!It was cute, hilarious, had a violent streak (which I love), and each character had a lot of personality. Sad to see it end too. Hopefully they'll make a second season. 


So, with all these shows ending, it gives me another opportunity to explore. There's a couple of new anime coming out this month (or next month) that I'm really interested in. Those are Sword Art Online, and Blood Lad. They seem like they'd have a lot of potential. Tried the manga for Sword Art Online, but it didn't really grab me. I think the anime version may be better. There are certain things that are suited more as an anime rather than manga. So, we'll see. Also, if those don't work for me I might try Accel World, Black Rock Shooter, Clannad, Starry Sky, and/or Baka to Test. If there's more than 2 that I want to see I'll put Bleach on hold, until next season. (Or whenever the other shows will end.) Bleach is such a long series, it'll be good to take breaks from it. 

日本語

The kanji for today is: 家. Or: いえ (ie), や (ya), うち (uchi), か (ka), け (ke). It means: house, expert, family, home, performer, professional, family name, lineage. 

Finished up the first 2 questions in the meme. First one, is Zero having a pleasant dream, and second is what would Fray look like as a fish. It's been so fun so far. Next, I have to humiliate Ravel. Poor thing, some of the other characters tend to ignore him. But, I really like his personality. So, maybe I won't be too harsh on him.

deviantART faves: OC Number Replacement Meme: The Rainforest Commission: Wickedly I did not make these! First, an interesting writing meme on what happens when 12 of your original characters are lost in a South American rainforest. Yay! I get to torture them some more! Second, another awesome drawing by an artist I watch. Really epic looking. 

Shavuot

Mood:


Actually ended at sundown today. Started Saturday night. It celebrates the giving of the Torah. You're supposed to eat a lot of dairy foods for a number of reasons. One reason they say, is before we got the Torah, we weren't obligated to follow its laws (kind of hard when you don't know about it yet), which included the ritual slaughter of animals and kashrut. Since all the pots and dishes, now had to be made kosher before use, they opted to eat dairy foods. Another one's, the Torah was compared to milk by Solomon, saying "Like honey and milk, it lies under your tongue." The Hebrew word for milk is chalav, and the gematria (numerical value for each letter added up) of it is 40. Moses spent 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai while receiving the Torah. 40 seems to come up a lot.Anyways, I'm more than happy to have dairy foods to celebrate it.


You're also supposed to study Torah at least from sundown the first night up until dawn the next day. Some people actually bring sleeping bags to it. Some say it's because they overslept the day the Torah was given, and Moses had to wake them up. Since G-d was already waiting on the mountaintop. To rectify this perceived flaw, many of us stay up all night studying Torah. This tradition started in 1533. 


I managed to get to our Torah study or Tikun Leil Shavuot Saturday night. It didn't go until dawn. But, I could have gone home and continued studying until then.I was already tired by the time I got home, though. It ended at around 10. I was starting to yawn towards the end. Kind of sad. We talked about a passage in the Torah, that says "we will do, and we will hear". A little while later it says the opposite "we will hear, and we will do". So, we went over some midrash (rabbinic commentary), and discussed what we thought about it. It seemed really simple, but turned out more interesting than I thought it would be.


The second part was on the 10 'commandments'. We actually call them the 10 'utterances' in Hebrew, not technically commandments. We discussed if we can still relate to them in the modern world, would we re-word them, and would we add any to the list. Another interesting discussion. Oddly while we were doing the 2nd part, I was being attacked by mosquitoes. This was indoors! They'll find me anywhere this time of year.


I tried to get a ride to my therapy appointment for Tuesday. Called a lot of people. One person told me she could get me there, but couldn't drive me back. After asking around some more, apparently, no one could drive me back.So, I looked at the bus system. Which was kind of hard to figure out where the closest stop was to the building. I would have to use 4 buses in order to get home. It would take about 2 hours. Another bad part of that, is the time it would end. The bus service would stop about halfway on my way home. I'd be stuck.So, I decided to cancel, and reschedule it tomorrow. It just wasn't meant to be. Maybe I can give people enough time in advance, or I can get something for when my dad goes on summer vacation. 


It's been strange without my main overhead light. I'm using a tiny cheap looking shade lamp over my computer (I usually use it on my nightstand), so I can at least look at my keyboard. Occasionally, I've also been using a small apple cinnamon scented candle. Opened up my blinds for a little bit today. Which was better, but it makes a glare on my monitor. It's been good for the day, but doesn't do much when it gets dark. Thought about using one of our kerosene wick lamps, but they're either very low on liquid, or there's not much wick left.


I've been feeling a bit more stressed out since my light went out. My jeans apparently have a hole in them, and I highly doubt they're repairable. I only have like one other pair of pants. Plus, the stress of not getting a ride for tomorrow. And, wanting to get closer to my friends. I've been having these weird headaches, my arm's starting to hurt more. I just hope things will settle down a bit more soon.


There have been good things too. Like the Shavuot thing, progressing more on my story, getting better with my kanji, sounding better on my clarinet, and other things. 


Found a site where I can look at and download things for my sims on the Sims 2. Interesting hairstyles, eyes, clothes, etc. Easier for me to base a character on one of my own characters from my story. I just like messing with them. I'm so horrible to my original characters.


Didn't go to services, again this passed Saturday. But, I did look at the portion. It's the beginning of Numbers. A bunch of census taking, and family names. Also, said where the priests and each tribe are supposed to camp. Just about the most interesting part of the portion.


Manage to find some more music. A couple from the 80s. I'm still doing that thing with searching through songs that were popular every year I was alive. Finally finished the 80s. I think I only found a few from that time period. The 90s might have more, because I really grew up then. I don't know, we'll see. It's kind of an odyssey. Fun, but weird.


Played my clarinet today. Did some classical music, jazz, and Irish tunes. Wasn't too bad. Only messed up a couple of times, but I rarely mess up on those spots. Weird.


Kagi no Kakatta Heya was interesting. I kind of like how every episode has something a little different in the opening sequence. Kind of gives a hint about what that one will be about. This time it was about a play. The play was about a locked-room murder, and it just so happened that the victim was killed in a similar way. It was interesting how the killer escaped. He made people think he was the playwright, but he really had someone do it for him secretly. The actor who did it for him, was happy to, since he paid him well. But, another actor found out, and was going to use it against him. The 'playwright' didn't want that to happen, and killed him. The actual writer was suspected of doing it through most of the episode. Sad.


Acchi Kocchi was cute, yet violent, again. It was summer, and the girls decide to go to Io's place. Sakaki was already there doing his homework with Io. The girls get mistaken for scammers by a not-all-there Io. Later, they clear it up, and everybody but Sakaki and Mayoi start playing video games. Bugging the heck out of them. They had some mishaps at a summer festival, too. Apparently, all animals love Io. He didn't even have to try in a game where you try to scoop up goldfish and put them in a jar of water. They just jumped out for him. He also was awesome at any game he tried there. He's a pretty cool character. 

In Kekkaishi, Yoshimori and Yumeko go off to try and help Masahiko (or as Yoshimori calls him, the patissier ghost), pass over. They think if he talks to his brother, it'll help him. He thinks his brother hates him, but his brother visits the spot where he died all the time. He starts thinking maybe he should talk to him. He comes from a well to do family who sold kamaboko and chikuwa (or fish paste). But, Masahiko wasn't interested in that and opened up his own pastry shop after learning the craft. So, his brother was forced to take over. Masahiko also likes to give tips to Yoshimori on his candy castle he's trying to perfect. It'll be kind of sad when he does pass over. So far, I'm liking the manga a lot more than the anime. I think the quality of the art, and how they tell the story, isn't very good. Might stop watching the anime soon, because of it.


Wrote a bit more of chapter 16 of my story. Wasn't too focused this time, what with trying to get a ride. So, I might have to go over it again tomorrow. I still feel like I'm getting the excitement of writing it back.

日本語

Typed out the entire first paragraph of the You Maga article I'm working on. Actually didn't have to look up too many things. I guess I'm on the right track then. The Japanese lesson from my book was about comparing things. Their adjectives don't have a comparative form. So they use something that literally means 'side' or 'alternative' with it. The order of the sentence is a bit different too. But, very interesting. Got most of the practice sentences correct. Today's kanji was: 強. Or: つよ.い (tsuyo.i), つよ.まる (tsuyo.maru), つよ.める (tsuyo.meru), し.いる (shiiru), こわ.い (kowa.i), きょう (kyou), ごう (gou). It means strong, powerful, potent, mighty, tough, stiff, stubborn, intense, forces, forceful. Read an article in Japanese from Asahi's online site. It's about a cat cafe that just opened in Vienna. One of the first in Europe. They're extremely popular in Japan.

deviantART fave: Silhouette I did not make this! A pic of a pretty cat's silhouette. 

Youtube:

A report on the popularity of cat cafes in Japan, in Japanese. But, I think people will get the gist of it even if they don't know Japanese: