Been mostly keeping up with my walks and sit-ups. This is the 2nd week of doing the sit-ups, so I'm doing 10 of them 2x a day. It's starting to feel more substantial. I'm getting more used to the roughly 2-mile walks. I just have to plan when to go each day, because of the weather. On really warm/hot days it'll be a bit late in the day. If it's going to rain, I try to look at the forecast for when it's either dry or lightly raining. If it's going to rain all day, I do have a nice new umbrella, just would be nice to not need it. I've been meeting more of the neighbors this way, too. That's been nice. One of them recently got a smoker and has been smoking meats almost every day since around the 4th of July. It smells so good walking by it. On the 4th, as my parent and I walked past, they told us about it. They were smoking chicken that day. I almost thought he was offering it to us when it was done. That would have been awesome!
I've decided to make at least 1 or 2 recipes from Pinterest a week. I keep finding great sounding ones. I didn't have the motivation to do them mainly because of my health stuff. Sometimes it was because I thought they might be too difficult. Despite searching for single serving recipes, most of the ones I've collected are for multiple servings. Although, maybe I should separate those from the others to see how many there actually are.
Some pins have multiple recipes. Those have themes like casseroles, single serving dinners and/or desserts, slow cooker meals, etc. As it is right now, I've crammed everything into either my Mouthwatering Fare, Cheesy Goodness, Sweet Endings, and Refreshing Drinks collections. Probably need to split them further. Apparently, you can create collections within collections. That might be handy. I can have the main ones, then split them up. The Mouthwatering Fare is more for things that aren't cheese-based. Some of them might have a little, but it's not central. Some of the ones completely without it I might be able to share with my parent. (There are a lot.) She hates cheese. I love cheese. Thus the Cheesy Goodness collection. It'd be fun to create my own desserts, too.
I'm surprised I found any non-alcoholic drink recipes. They sound really good. Some are Starbucks copycats, special tea lattes, milk drinks, different flavored hot chocolate, homemade root beer, ideas for making your own lemonades, and non-alcoholic versions of alcoholic drinks. The ideas for lemonades one has things like watermelon lemonade, strawberry lemonade, pomegranate lemonade, blackberry lemonade, lavender lemonade, etc. Sounds fun and perfect for summer. There are also lots of other pins that are similar that have ideas on making your own version of things like soups, ramen, butters, and flavored salt. I could put those in their own thing. They're like templates. I did the ramen one once, and it felt more 'real' or authentic, but it also felt personalized. I like that sort of thing.
I decided to start with the most recent one I pinned in my Cheesy Goodness collection, which is Spinach Tomato Tortellini. I'm also going to print each recipe out that I try so I can keep track. It's easier to read than on my phone, and I might want to make it again. If it's not a good one, I can toss it and maybe drop the pin from my collections.
This one called for plain tortellini. I got a spinach and cheese bag of them. It really seemed to fit. It was nice to have herbs in it. (It had basil, oregano, and thyme.) Not used to using thyme, though. There was 3 cups of spinach, and they wanted me to chop it up. It's pretty easy to do, but it was a lot. It was the only thing I needed to cut, so that was a plus. I didn't know there was a petite version of canned diced tomatoes. Another interesting thing. I can see why it called for it. I wasn't sure if it needed the juice or not, since they didn't say. I added it and it seems it was perfect that way. The heavy cream and flour were whisked together on the side, then eventually poured in with grated parmesan (used the real stuff) after cooking the other stuff a little while. With the heat still on and whisking it all, it thickened it up. More than I expected. Used quite a bit of garlic, but might have been even better with a little more. After the sauce thickened, they have you add the cooked tortellini and toss it in the sauce. I wasn't sure if the pan I was using was big enough at first. It was just right, though.
It makes a lot. They say 4 servings, but those are way too huge for me. It's more like 8. The good thing about the ones that make so many servings is I can have them for my dinners and/or lunches for the week. Makes it so I don't have to make something more. I think it's healthier this way, too. A lot of homemade stuff can be packed with more nutrients than something from a box, can, or bag. Putting this in My Fitness Pal, it showed that it has a ton of protein, vitamins like vitamin A, calcium, iron, and more. The only downsides are it's slightly high in calories and fat. Another way to look at it is that they're not empty calories, at least. I was able to figure out the portions by putting it all in an empty tupperware container that was on a scale, weighing it at the same time, then dividing it. It was really heavy. Made it easy to figure out. I tried to give myself a full serving the 1st night, but realized it would have overfilled the bowl. I had a little less. Filling up half the bowl I was using with anything is usually a lot for me. Half a serving is plenty. Measured that out for lunch today, and it was enough to feel really satisfying. Also, it tastes better the longer it sits. Becomes more garlicky and I can taste the herbs more today. Seems like a complex and interesting dish.
I think the next dinner thing I'll make is a beef kielbasa, hash browns, garlic, and cheddar soup thing. It's very simple and a crockpot recipe. Just have to slice up the sausage and dump everything in the crockpot (it only has 5 ingredients, 5th being evaporated milk), wait a few hours, and then eat. Makes quite a lot of servings, but again, I can make multiple meals out of it throughout the week.
I'm thinking of making blueberry scones that week, too. However, the recipe's not on Pinterest. I have a mix that has been sitting in the pantry for a while. Why not finally make it? I think I was nervous if it'll turn out. It sounds simple, though. Just need to add an egg, butter, and milk. Then, mix it up, drop them on a cookie sheet, possibly cut them into triangles (don't need to but they tell you how on the package), and bake them. That's another tasty thing to look forward to.
Finished editing Alliance. I might go back to the very beginning. Not sure. Soon, I'll start going through the sequel, Alliance: Dawn. I've been planning out how I want to draw the full-body of Junko. It's mainly been by collecting pics for ideas on it. I'll start actually drawing her soon.
I've finished watching Gunjou no Magmel or Magmel of the Blue Sea. It was ok. Not the best. From looking at comments and reviews about it, I think some people were confused. They were expecting something not as cerebral or complex and more action oriented. Some said there was no plot, but they forget that it was mainly about exploring the dangerous and mysterious new continent, Magmel. Not really about the characters. Although, the main characters were developed and their backgrounds were introduced. The last couple of episodes were mainly about Zero, who's Inyou's assistant. So, that was a bit different. The rest of it kind of reminded me of what Kino's Travels 'theme' was. It wasn't necessarily about Kino, but on the places she explored. Makes the main characters mysterious, too. You don't know much about them, but you still feel something towards them. Another part of GnM was how brutally violent it was when they did fight with either the creatures, plants (there were a lot of carnivorous ones, and some could move), or humans. Similar to KT, as well that way. I don't think it was nearly as good as KT, though.
Finished the 2nd season of One Punch Man. They left it wide open for another season. I hate how Saitama doesn't seem to get much credit. When he fights, most of the time, not many people see it. His fights are often over in a few seconds, and he's growing more bored of them. He should be at number 1 in the rankings. Garou is an interesting character. Reminds me a little of Stain from My Hero Academia. He wasn't really evil or good. He thought both the heroes and villains were unfair with their approaches. He was dubbed Hero Hunter, because he'd pick fights with the heroes to see if he was better than them. He never killed them. Won most of the fights. He wanted to make himself into a monster without actually becoming one. He had a couple of brief encounters with Saitama. So brief, they didn't really see each other. Saitama tends to act on impulse, and the 1st time he immediately thought that Garou was a mugger. He punched him unconscious in a split second upon seeing him. After waking up, he vowed to meet that powerful hero in the future and surpass him. 2nd time, I think Saitama thought he was some random person threatening his friend King. He never looked at the news about the Hero Hunter. Maybe he'll actually meet him next season.
Finished Kenja no Mago or Wise Man's Grandchild. There were some good points to it, but I don't think I liked it. I wanted to. There were a few really odd ecchi moments that almost made me want to drop it. I liked the idea of Merlin adopting a baby he found and training him. He ended up surpassing Merlin early. Shin, the one who was adopted, actually was from our world but he died in a car crash and was reincarnated into that world. In their world, he was found in a carriage accident where his parents died. He was all alone. He doesn't have memories from his previous life, and none of his 'parents' in their world. It was also cool that Shin would think about scientific properties and not need to do an incantation for his magic. Made his magic more potent and faster. Also, made it so he could do anything he thought of. The romance thing wasn't really needed, and I don't know why, but I didn't really like Shin's love interest. She seemed 'off' somehow. The 'villain' was interesting. I don't think I'll watch a 2nd season, if there is one.
Finished the 3rd season of Bungou Stray Dogs. It was good. Nice to see the leaders of both the detective agency and Port Mafia fight, and to know a little about their backgrounds and friendship. Apparently, the detectives, the Port Mafia, and the government are all working together to keep the peace. Interesting to see the man that's basically the boss of all 3 factions. He's supposedly the strongest, yet they said the only ability he had was to turn into a cat. There's something more behind him. No one knows much about him, including those leaders. Most of the time, he apparently acts like he's one of the members of the detective agency's (I don't think she's actually a detective, more like a secretary) cat. She said he usually disappears just before a big calamity. The villain for this season was really cool! No one truly knows how his ability works. He sends messages to his lackeys through playing certain classical pieces, so it's nearly impossible for the detectives to trace what those messages mean. He seems to never be around the people that follow him, which was another surprise for the detectives. They made him out to be slightly smarter than Dazai. He was a few steps ahead most of the season. However, Dazai did manage to outsmart him. I still don't know how they know each other. Maybe they'll cover that in future seasons. They left it open again for one.
Tried to start watching the 2nd season of Dark on Netflix. I remembered that it seemed too convoluted by the end of the 1st season. They tried to make it more so with the 1st episode of this season. It was too much. I normally love cerebral or complex stories, but this was too out there even for me. It seemed there were too many plot holes, too.
Started Ultraviolet on Netflix yesterday. It's a Polish mystery/detective show. Ultraviolet is an online forum for amateur detectives. They solve the cases that police won't touch. Very interesting. They seemed to work much faster than the police, too. In the first episode, the members never meet in person. Not sure if they will. The main character, Ola, was frustrated that the police dismissed a murder she witnessed as a suicide. She saw someone that was pushed over an overpass. So, she went online for help with the case. There's also a retired detective, Henryk, that is like a father figure to her; and a friend, Michal, who actually is a detective. They helped with the case, too. It's highly rated. I haven't watched too many Polish shows. Another interesting side to it.
Finished reading the manga Mother Keeper a while ago. It was ok. Interesting concepts. Started reading Animal no Kuni or Animal Land yesterday. It's about a baby raised by tanuki (raccoon dogs) in a world without humans. I don't know if he was transported to that world or if he's the last surviving human. Before he was carried away by a river from his parents in a basket, they told him that he was a burden. This made him stop crying and give up on life. The tanuki found him, and managed to get him to cry and feel more alive. Their world is interesting. Looks like it'd be even better if it were an anime. The design of the tanuki's faces is really weird. Might take some getting used to.
Showing posts with label One Punch Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label One Punch Man. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Friday, March 11, 2016
National Meatball Day!
Mood:
This holiday was actually on Wednesday. They're like little balls of awesome!
Although, some can be large. I've made some beef, lamb, chicken, and (I think) turkey ones before. The lamb meatballs were interesting. I think it was a Greek recipe. There was mint and cinnamon mixed in them. The chicken ones were for a Japanese corn soup recipe. Meatballs can be good in spaghetti, which is how I usually have them, or in a sandwich. Some are just great by themselves with their own sauce.
I'm starting to get back into my walks again. Yay!
It's been a while. I've felt sick off and on for a while, and that's sapped my motivation to get out there.
Anyways, I'm doing both 2-mile walks again. I hope to increase it to 3 of them in the near future.
The weather's been kind of wild lately.
So, every time I go it's like an adventure. During yesterday morning's walk, it was incredibly windy (we lost power overnight because of it) half the time. There was a mist-like rain every so often, and then it'd downpour. At times, it was nice and sunny with no wind or rain. I guess it also makes it exciting. I had put my hair up in a bun beforehand, so it wouldn't get in my face. Ended up having some tendrils come out anyways, but at least it wasn't all of it in my face. Tried to keep the hood to my coat up when it really started to rain, but it flew off. I probably looked like a mess...
Today's morning walk was just nice and sunny. It's cooler, temperature wise, than it looks out there.
I'm also back to doing my sit-ups on a regular basis. I'm starting off with 10 twice a day, again. A good starting point. Trying to stick more to the way I want to eat, too. As close to 1200 calories a day as I can. I normally spread those out between 5 meals. My range that I set for myself is 1200-1600. I won't go below 1200. If I want to splurge every once in a while, I might allow myself up to 1800. But, no more than that. For a while, since I was feeling lousy and sick, I didn't care as much. It actually feels good to get back to it.
I don't feel really hungry most of the time. Except for when I wake up, but I think that's normal. In order to have my meds more balanced, it's best for me to have 5 small meals throughout the day, too. They even say it's best in general for people with IBD. Still hope to, in the future, talk to a nutritionist about what I need more of. And, then I'll jumble things around again. I know I've had malabsorption issues (particularly with protein), so I'm trying to have things as balanced as I can for now. Doesn't mean I should load up on calories until I talk to someone about it. I've gotten back into tracking it with My Fitness Pal's app, as well. They apparently don't like the amount of calories I've had so far this week. Saying it's too little.
I also rescheduled that appointment with my gastroenterologist. It was going to be March 17th, but apparently she didn't tell her staff that she'd still be on vacation at that time. They called a little while ago, telling me to reschedule. So, this time it's for April 4th, and pretty early in the morning. Especially early for me, since it's kind of a ways out there. I asked about getting a later time, and they said the next one that's in the afternoon is in June. She wanted to see me last month...
So, I don't think that works. I'm having some more issues that I might bring up through an email to her. Her staff will probably get it, but at least they'll know. I don't mind them helping me while she's gone. Not sure what they can do about it, though. I can't really do one of those nasty tests she wanted me to do with this 'problem'. Not sure they can do a sigmoidoscopy, either. It'll be my first time, and I'm nervous about it.
I want to be knocked out for it, but I'm not sure if they'll really do that. She also wants me to do another blood test in the middle of the month. She didn't ask me to do it last month, because she wanted to make sure the prednisone was out of my system. That way she can see if it helped at all with absorbing azathioprine. She seemed doubtful when I talked to her last. She said she'd talk more about remicade and humira at the appointment, if the tests come back the way she expects them to. I might have some things to bring up, too.
Also, my ears have been hurting a lot lately. They started hurting around the time I felt the most sick last month. I have a strange Eustachian tube problem, where my ears have too much wax and fluid. Sometimes just the fluid moving around really hurts. It can make internal noises, too. (It makes some really freaky sounds.) Of course, I'm the only one that can hear it, since it's just fluid moving. It's unusual, but I'm told by doctors to use Q-tips in my ears every day. Of course, in a careful way. I usually use a kit to clean out my ears once a month, but haven't for a couple of months. That might be my problem. Also, weather and pressure changes can affect it. So can getting water in my ears. When it's really bad, I lose my sense of balance, too. I'll have to clean it out and see if it gets better. It feels like my eardrums are going to burst or the ears themselves are going to rip apart, though.
I can usually hear extremely well after I clean them.
Finished reading Asklepios, yesterday. Seemed like a very abrupt ending. They left so many things up in the air. Makes me feel like the mangaka was forced to end it early.
There were a lot of twists in the end, too. Interesting to see who was actually on Buzz's side and who wasn't. And, one person wasn't exactly who he claimed to be. They even ended with hints that Pare might still be alive. Caligula, one of the most ruthless knights, was saved by Buzz. He still considers him a heretic, and he has made it his mission in life to kill anyone who's deemed a heretic by the church. So, when he found out he was saved by him, he immediately tried to taunt Buzz into killing him. He thought it was too much to be saved by the 'enemy'. He also lost an arm and a leg after his canon backfired on himself. His remaining arm was injured so badly, he couldn't use a sword beforehand. (He tried to shoot an arrow at them, but it didn't work.) I don't think he could hurt them after what he's gone through. The last scene with him, was that he had just escaped the room they were letting him rest in. He was crawling slowly through the woods with the help of a small knife. Kind of sad. The church also officially stopped calling Buzz a heretic.
I'm really liking One Punch Man so far. It seems like a normal 'superhero' sort of show. But, it's very unique in humor, interesting characters, the way Saitama acts, and both Genos and Saitama's powers are off the charts. Saitama more so than Genos. Saitama is so powerful, he sometimes underestimates it. Both Saitama and Genos decided to take the 'Hero Exams' in order to join the Hero Association. Genos got perfect scores in both the written and physical exam. He ended up being S-ranked. S-ranked heroes are the highest ranked. Saitama didn't do very well on the written exam, but was too good for the physical one. He broke most of the machines. So, he ended up being C-ranked. Yet, the people who assigned them ranks believe he's probably S level. He just didn't care much about the written exam. His attention span is really short, too. So, the organization will keep a close eye on both Genos and him. Saitama's not sure what his superhero name should be. Probably will end up being 'One Punch Man'...Not sure about Genos. He's a cyborg, and has become Saitama's disciple. Saitama reluctantly agreed to it.
I'm looking at more ways of promoting my novel. Smashwords has some interesting guides for that. I was going to print off some fliers, and put them up in a bunch of places. (Including around our neighborhood.) But, I'm really low on black ink. I'm also curious about other ways, for the time being.
I don't have to do the fliers right away, anyways. I think I have to plan where I want them a bit more, too. I did ask those 2 congregations if they could promote it in their newsletters. The one I really don't care much about anymore, hasn't responded. The other one said they'll promote it on their facebook page instead. I'm cool with that. At least people that I know from that congregation will have a chance to see it. They also linked my official facebook page for that novel in their post about it. I'm not expecting a reply from the other congregation.
(Just thought I'd ask both of them, just in case.) Also, I noticed that a lot of their members are in Israel right now, so I'm not sure if they even saw the email yet. Oh well. I might fill out a Smashwords interview thing. They say it helps some authors get noticed more. You get to choose the questions, and can even create some of them. Sounds fun. I might add hyperlinks to the novels in my forum signatures. I think I have the first novel hyperlinked in a couple of them.
I managed to play my clarinet for 2 days in a row.
Still doing 45 minutes of it. If I end up doing it more often, I might make the practice time 50 minutes instead. It felt good to play again. I'm also trying to go over pieces more until I get the spots I mess up down. I used to go over pieces so much that I got sick of them. But, I think I need to go back to that sort of thing. I don't think I'll improve much if I just play straight through a piece, and then immediately move on to the next. I'll probably continue to mess up the piece in the same spots. After playing the ones I mess up on correctly, I can start honing it in more to perfecting the whole thing.
I started drawing out designs for symbols that represent each short story in my 2nd novel. (There are 12 of them.) After I'm through with them, I'll put them up on deviantART, and then make a Youtube vid with them. I'm a little stuck on symbols for a couple of them, but I'm sure I'll figure something out later. Some are really easy. Like a ribbon for the story, Ribbon. Or, a mask for Faceless. I'm also trying to decide if I want more than one symbol for each story.
日本語
This holiday was actually on Wednesday. They're like little balls of awesome!
Although, some can be large. I've made some beef, lamb, chicken, and (I think) turkey ones before. The lamb meatballs were interesting. I think it was a Greek recipe. There was mint and cinnamon mixed in them. The chicken ones were for a Japanese corn soup recipe. Meatballs can be good in spaghetti, which is how I usually have them, or in a sandwich. Some are just great by themselves with their own sauce. I'm starting to get back into my walks again. Yay!
It's been a while. I've felt sick off and on for a while, and that's sapped my motivation to get out there.Anyways, I'm doing both 2-mile walks again. I hope to increase it to 3 of them in the near future. The weather's been kind of wild lately.
So, every time I go it's like an adventure. During yesterday morning's walk, it was incredibly windy (we lost power overnight because of it) half the time. There was a mist-like rain every so often, and then it'd downpour. At times, it was nice and sunny with no wind or rain. I guess it also makes it exciting. I had put my hair up in a bun beforehand, so it wouldn't get in my face. Ended up having some tendrils come out anyways, but at least it wasn't all of it in my face. Tried to keep the hood to my coat up when it really started to rain, but it flew off. I probably looked like a mess...Today's morning walk was just nice and sunny. It's cooler, temperature wise, than it looks out there.I'm also back to doing my sit-ups on a regular basis. I'm starting off with 10 twice a day, again. A good starting point. Trying to stick more to the way I want to eat, too. As close to 1200 calories a day as I can. I normally spread those out between 5 meals. My range that I set for myself is 1200-1600. I won't go below 1200. If I want to splurge every once in a while, I might allow myself up to 1800. But, no more than that. For a while, since I was feeling lousy and sick, I didn't care as much. It actually feels good to get back to it.
I don't feel really hungry most of the time. Except for when I wake up, but I think that's normal. In order to have my meds more balanced, it's best for me to have 5 small meals throughout the day, too. They even say it's best in general for people with IBD. Still hope to, in the future, talk to a nutritionist about what I need more of. And, then I'll jumble things around again. I know I've had malabsorption issues (particularly with protein), so I'm trying to have things as balanced as I can for now. Doesn't mean I should load up on calories until I talk to someone about it. I've gotten back into tracking it with My Fitness Pal's app, as well. They apparently don't like the amount of calories I've had so far this week. Saying it's too little.I also rescheduled that appointment with my gastroenterologist. It was going to be March 17th, but apparently she didn't tell her staff that she'd still be on vacation at that time. They called a little while ago, telling me to reschedule. So, this time it's for April 4th, and pretty early in the morning. Especially early for me, since it's kind of a ways out there. I asked about getting a later time, and they said the next one that's in the afternoon is in June. She wanted to see me last month...
So, I don't think that works. I'm having some more issues that I might bring up through an email to her. Her staff will probably get it, but at least they'll know. I don't mind them helping me while she's gone. Not sure what they can do about it, though. I can't really do one of those nasty tests she wanted me to do with this 'problem'. Not sure they can do a sigmoidoscopy, either. It'll be my first time, and I'm nervous about it.I want to be knocked out for it, but I'm not sure if they'll really do that. She also wants me to do another blood test in the middle of the month. She didn't ask me to do it last month, because she wanted to make sure the prednisone was out of my system. That way she can see if it helped at all with absorbing azathioprine. She seemed doubtful when I talked to her last. She said she'd talk more about remicade and humira at the appointment, if the tests come back the way she expects them to. I might have some things to bring up, too. Also, my ears have been hurting a lot lately. They started hurting around the time I felt the most sick last month. I have a strange Eustachian tube problem, where my ears have too much wax and fluid. Sometimes just the fluid moving around really hurts. It can make internal noises, too. (It makes some really freaky sounds.) Of course, I'm the only one that can hear it, since it's just fluid moving. It's unusual, but I'm told by doctors to use Q-tips in my ears every day. Of course, in a careful way. I usually use a kit to clean out my ears once a month, but haven't for a couple of months. That might be my problem. Also, weather and pressure changes can affect it. So can getting water in my ears. When it's really bad, I lose my sense of balance, too. I'll have to clean it out and see if it gets better. It feels like my eardrums are going to burst or the ears themselves are going to rip apart, though.
I can usually hear extremely well after I clean them. Finished reading Asklepios, yesterday. Seemed like a very abrupt ending. They left so many things up in the air. Makes me feel like the mangaka was forced to end it early.
There were a lot of twists in the end, too. Interesting to see who was actually on Buzz's side and who wasn't. And, one person wasn't exactly who he claimed to be. They even ended with hints that Pare might still be alive. Caligula, one of the most ruthless knights, was saved by Buzz. He still considers him a heretic, and he has made it his mission in life to kill anyone who's deemed a heretic by the church. So, when he found out he was saved by him, he immediately tried to taunt Buzz into killing him. He thought it was too much to be saved by the 'enemy'. He also lost an arm and a leg after his canon backfired on himself. His remaining arm was injured so badly, he couldn't use a sword beforehand. (He tried to shoot an arrow at them, but it didn't work.) I don't think he could hurt them after what he's gone through. The last scene with him, was that he had just escaped the room they were letting him rest in. He was crawling slowly through the woods with the help of a small knife. Kind of sad. The church also officially stopped calling Buzz a heretic.I'm really liking One Punch Man so far. It seems like a normal 'superhero' sort of show. But, it's very unique in humor, interesting characters, the way Saitama acts, and both Genos and Saitama's powers are off the charts. Saitama more so than Genos. Saitama is so powerful, he sometimes underestimates it. Both Saitama and Genos decided to take the 'Hero Exams' in order to join the Hero Association. Genos got perfect scores in both the written and physical exam. He ended up being S-ranked. S-ranked heroes are the highest ranked. Saitama didn't do very well on the written exam, but was too good for the physical one. He broke most of the machines. So, he ended up being C-ranked. Yet, the people who assigned them ranks believe he's probably S level. He just didn't care much about the written exam. His attention span is really short, too. So, the organization will keep a close eye on both Genos and him. Saitama's not sure what his superhero name should be. Probably will end up being 'One Punch Man'...Not sure about Genos. He's a cyborg, and has become Saitama's disciple. Saitama reluctantly agreed to it.
I'm looking at more ways of promoting my novel. Smashwords has some interesting guides for that. I was going to print off some fliers, and put them up in a bunch of places. (Including around our neighborhood.) But, I'm really low on black ink. I'm also curious about other ways, for the time being.
I don't have to do the fliers right away, anyways. I think I have to plan where I want them a bit more, too. I did ask those 2 congregations if they could promote it in their newsletters. The one I really don't care much about anymore, hasn't responded. The other one said they'll promote it on their facebook page instead. I'm cool with that. At least people that I know from that congregation will have a chance to see it. They also linked my official facebook page for that novel in their post about it. I'm not expecting a reply from the other congregation.(Just thought I'd ask both of them, just in case.) Also, I noticed that a lot of their members are in Israel right now, so I'm not sure if they even saw the email yet. Oh well. I might fill out a Smashwords interview thing. They say it helps some authors get noticed more. You get to choose the questions, and can even create some of them. Sounds fun. I might add hyperlinks to the novels in my forum signatures. I think I have the first novel hyperlinked in a couple of them. I managed to play my clarinet for 2 days in a row.
Still doing 45 minutes of it. If I end up doing it more often, I might make the practice time 50 minutes instead. It felt good to play again. I'm also trying to go over pieces more until I get the spots I mess up down. I used to go over pieces so much that I got sick of them. But, I think I need to go back to that sort of thing. I don't think I'll improve much if I just play straight through a piece, and then immediately move on to the next. I'll probably continue to mess up the piece in the same spots. After playing the ones I mess up on correctly, I can start honing it in more to perfecting the whole thing. I started drawing out designs for symbols that represent each short story in my 2nd novel. (There are 12 of them.) After I'm through with them, I'll put them up on deviantART, and then make a Youtube vid with them. I'm a little stuck on symbols for a couple of them, but I'm sure I'll figure something out later. Some are really easy. Like a ribbon for the story, Ribbon. Or, a mask for Faceless. I'm also trying to decide if I want more than one symbol for each story.
日本語
Studied compounds for 散, and started studying the kanji 残. In general, 散 means scatter, disperse, spend, squander. 散光 or さんこう (sankou): scattered light. 散在 or さんざい (sanzai): to be scattered, straggle, be found here and there. 散財 or さんざい (sanzai): expense, waste of money, extravagance. 散策 or さんさく (sansaku): walking, strolling, roaming, wandering, exploring. 散々 or さんざん (sanzan): thoroughly, completely, utterly; severely, harshly, terribly, miserably, wretchedly, badly. 散発 or さんぱつ (sanpatsu): sporadic, scattering. 散髪 or さんぱつ (sanpatsu): (having a) haircut, hair-dressing. 散布 or さんぷ (sanpu): scattering, sprinkling, spraying. 散文 or さんぶん (sanbun): prose. 散歩 or さんぽ (sanpo): walk, stroll. 散漫 or さんまん (sanman): vague, distracted, loose, half-hearted, diffuse. When 残 is pronounced as ざん (zan): remaining, leftover, excess. As 残る or のこ.る (noko.ru): to remain, be left. I also practiced a bit on JapaneseClass' site. Next time I might do more of the chapter tests. Haven't done them in a while.
Youtube:
An interesting Pandora Hearts amv. The series has Alice and Wonderland elements, so the song fits:
Youtube:
An interesting Pandora Hearts amv. The series has Alice and Wonderland elements, so the song fits:
Thursday, February 11, 2016
National Pizza Day!
Mood:
This holiday was on Tuesday. I love pizza, though!
There are so many different kinds! Some of my faves are: BBQ chicken, Greek (feta, artichoke, etc.), cheese, Alfredo, and more. There's a local market that's known for their pizza and hot dogs. They have a different pizza featured each month. It's interesting just to see what they've come up with. Like baked potato, stuffed jalapeno peppers, chili, etc. Pretty unique. I think my first BBQ chicken one was there. (They also sell their brand of pizza dough, which is kind of cool.) I've only had deep dish pizza a couple of times, and I don't really feel it's actually pizza.I guess since I grew up on a New York style, it's affected me that way. But, I feel deep dish is more like a casserole. Like a pizza flavored one. That doesn't mean it's bad. The couple of times I've had them, they were pretty good.
It was also National Bagels and Lox Day. I sometimes really like it, but either I have to be in the mood for it, or it has to be a really good bagel and a more shredded type of lox. I'm ok with it other times. I also like it with some capers. Garlic and herb boursin can be good with it, too. I'm not really a fan of plain cream cheese. Sometimes just having margarine with it is good enough.
Today's Get Out Your Guitar Day. I've never learned how to play it, but it always seems interesting. Basically the only string instrument I tried to learn to play was the violin back in elementary school. (I think I was 8 or 9. Just before playing the recorder for a little while.) But, that's a different sort of thing. So, I guess if you know how to play, and have one, play it!Even if you don't know how to play, maybe start learning.
Dad left for New Orleans on Tuesday. It's for a convention, and she's going to be giving a presentation there. Kind of cool. I think she said this is her 4th time going to New Orleans, but 1st time going after Katrina. Hopefully she'll have fun there. It seems like she already is. She won't be back until Sunday.
Early Tuesday morning, I woke up to feeling really sick. I think it was just before I heard Dad getting ready to leave. I've felt sick ever since.
It's mainly a cough/sore throat. But, I also have a very sore runny nose (tissues make my nose feel even more sore...), been sneezing often, and have a headache. Yay!It's getting heard to swallow things. At some point, I thought maybe it was my IBD, because it also feels like my throat's closing up. They say Crohn's can travel to the esophagus. (In that case, it would cause inflammation there. Making it irritated and start to swell/close up.) But, I don't think it'd make my nose go crazy, or make me sneeze, or give me a headache. With the combo of everything, my stomach's starting to hurt, too. I've been checking my temp occasionally. It's been slightly higher than my norm, but it hasn't been high enough yet to be a fever. My norm is actually pretty low. Like, 96.7 degrees. So, when it does reach fever territory, I definitely feel it.
Tea has been helping a lot, which is good because we have quite a lot of it, and I love it.
I tried the lemon and ginger one last night. The smell was kind of horrid to me, but the taste wasn't bad. Not the best, but ok. I've had just regular ginger tea, and have liked it in the past. It's surprisingly refreshing, and usually doesn't taste the way I expect it to. Maybe lemon does something different to it? Some of my faves that we have now are: Moroccan mint, orange spice, and Earl Grey. Interestingly, eating seems to be helping a bit, too. Kind of soothes my throat for some reason.
I decided to announce my book being published at 2 of the forums I frequent. The first one I wasn't sure whether I should have it as a status or a new 'off topic' thread.
They do have a writer's section, but it's devoted to an anime/manga theme. Like, fanfiction. Mine doesn't fall under that category. The off topic section is very generalized, and pretty much anything goes, except for spam. So, I did it as a status. I immediately started getting likes and comments saying 'congrats'. There was one person in the comment section that said: "Please teach me your novel writing ways!", and asked how I even was able to write a novel. I kind of felt flattered. My 'novel writing ways'.
Another person sent me a private message asking for tips for a rookie. He was finished with his first light novel, was editing it, and was going to move on to the next one in his series. I told him I didn't know much about light novels, to be honest. But, I gave him as many tips as I could from a regular novel standpoint. I felt flattered by that, too. People asking me for tips...seems almost surreal.
He replied back pretty quickly, and said I was a great help. I didn't think I was, but that also made me feel good. It's nice to help others when I can. Another person said she googled it, and both books piqued her interest. Pretty awesome!
With the other forum, I posted it in their writer's club section. As of the last time I checked, there hasn't been any response. I've had quite a few views of it, though. I wonder if I should make a short status about it on there, too? I don't know how many people actually look at the writers section. Either way, I'll slowly announce it on other forums, as well. Some are more active than others, but it's another way to get it out there. I've also been invited to a brand new forum, so I might announce it on there, too. I have a lot more places to promote it, as well.
Yesterday was the last day of taking prednisone for me. So today's the first day totally without it. I probably won't really feel the effects until tomorrow. I'm glad I don't have to think about taking any pill just after breakfast now. I have to take omeprazole 30 minutes before breakfast, but I feel that's easier to take since it's just after I wake up. I'm still not finished with my balsalazide prescription. But, when I finish it, I can go off of it. Yay!So, technically the only IBD related one left will be azathioprine. And, that's at a lower dose. The omeprazole was technically unrelated to my IBD when I got on it. At least, we didn't know about it back then. I was throwing up all the time, without warning. My doctor, at the time, decided on a whim to try omeprazole, and it worked. We still don't know why I kept throwing up. I might have to get off of azathioprine, too. That's if the prednisone didn't jump start it into absorbing azathioprine better. If it doesn't help, I'll have to go on heavier/stronger meds. Either remicade or humira. I'm a little scared about that.But, we'll see.
Wednesday afternoon, there was someone at the door. They were aggressively knocking, pounding on the door, and ringing the doorbell. At first, I thought I wouldn't answer it, because a. I'm sick, and b. I might get sicker. Couldn't really talk very well, either. It hurt to do so for a certain amount of time. They knocked, pounded on the door, and rang the doorbell for about a minute or two. Since it was for so long, and so aggressive, I especially didn't want to answer it. After I heard them walk off the front porch, I thought they'd leave. About 5 minutes later, they came back, and did it all for a little longer amount of time. Eventually, they did finally leave. But, it was kind of scary.Later, when I went to go check the mail, I noticed they left an ad stuffed in the outside glass door handle. It was for repairing roofs, porches, decks, etc. They wrote their name down, too. All that to advertise something like that...
I think that would make most customers weary of them. I also thought that what if they were burglars? And, that was like their cover? I've heard about similar things happening in other areas across the country from facebook and the news. That's even scarier. I hope that wasn't the case, but it was pretty unusual. If it was, I feel even better that I didn't answer it.
One of the frozen things I got for dinners while Dad was gone, were meat and potato hand pies. There are 2 of them per package. So, 2 servings each, meaning 2 dinners for me. The 'meat' part is beef. The hand pies themselves are 'inspired' by the Australian version. It's really good.
They put seasonings on top of the pie, which made it interesting, too. Kind of a zesty filling. I did the oven option, and it came out awesome. Nice and crisp. They're really filled up with stuff. Huge chunks of beef and potatoes with some onions in there. Almost like having stew in a pie you can pick up. Decent size for a serving, and not bad on calories. (Not too bad on sodium, either.)
Another frozen dinner thing I found was a chicken breast stuffed with broccoli and cheese, and breaded on the outside. It looks really good. And, like the other, the package contains 2 servings. So, 2 more meals for me. It's not bad on the calories either. I'm thinking of having one of them tomorrow night with some instant mashed potatoes. (Of course, the mashed potatoes will have garlic and chives.
Might put a little chicken broth in there.) Sounds like an awesome one, too. I also got some chocolate muffins with chocolate chips. I'm having half of one each night, except I might have a full one tomorrow night. They're not big like one of our local markets does theirs, but they're pretty decently sized. It's been enough for me to have half lately. Like a shot of chocolate.
Decided to start the anime One Punch Man yesterday. I think I might like it. There seemed to be some similar elements as Gintama. Lots of parody and comedy. It's about a superhero, named Saitama, who can defeat villains with a single punch. He's become bored of his own powers, since he can easily overwhelm an enemy. So, he's constantly looking for stronger opponents that can pose more of a challenge for him. There were several monsters that he defeated in the first episode, and they touched a bit on his past. He wasn't always bald (apparently he trained so hard, his hair fell out), and he considers being a superhero as a hobby. They haven't shown what else he does, if it's just a hobby. At the end of the episode, there seemed to be another strong character that showed up in the middle of a pasture full of dead cows. Should be interesting to see who he really is. I think he's the one on the left in the pic.
Gintama has become really serious lately. Somewhat somber, too. They tried to inject a bit more humor in with the most current episode, which was nice. The shogun was assassinated, despite everyone trying to prevent it from happening. That's when the atmosphere of it started to feel heavier.
Everyone loved him, he was funny, kind, and stuck up for the people. The new shogun is ruthless, doesn't care about anyone but himself, and no one likes him. He essentially clawed his way up to the top. He's also a puppet for an already corrupt part of the government. They disbanded the shinsengumi, too. (Shinsengumi are essentially the police.) Kondo, the head of the shinsengumi, was sentenced to be beheaded for failing to protect the shogun, and 'allowing' him to be assassinated. When Hijikata, he was the vice commander, had a dream about Kondo being executed, I thought it was real at first. But, luckily, he's not dead yet. The joui rebels are siding with the previous officers of the shinsengumi. They were enemies before. Katsura, the leader of the joui rebels (and one of Gintoki's friends), saved Gintoki just so he could be thrown in jail with Kondo. He wanted to make a plan with him. I have a feeling they might save Kondo, overthrow the new shogun, and reform the shinsengumi. At least, I hope so.
This holiday was on Tuesday. I love pizza, though!
There are so many different kinds! Some of my faves are: BBQ chicken, Greek (feta, artichoke, etc.), cheese, Alfredo, and more. There's a local market that's known for their pizza and hot dogs. They have a different pizza featured each month. It's interesting just to see what they've come up with. Like baked potato, stuffed jalapeno peppers, chili, etc. Pretty unique. I think my first BBQ chicken one was there. (They also sell their brand of pizza dough, which is kind of cool.) I've only had deep dish pizza a couple of times, and I don't really feel it's actually pizza.I guess since I grew up on a New York style, it's affected me that way. But, I feel deep dish is more like a casserole. Like a pizza flavored one. That doesn't mean it's bad. The couple of times I've had them, they were pretty good. It was also National Bagels and Lox Day. I sometimes really like it, but either I have to be in the mood for it, or it has to be a really good bagel and a more shredded type of lox. I'm ok with it other times. I also like it with some capers. Garlic and herb boursin can be good with it, too. I'm not really a fan of plain cream cheese. Sometimes just having margarine with it is good enough.
Today's Get Out Your Guitar Day. I've never learned how to play it, but it always seems interesting. Basically the only string instrument I tried to learn to play was the violin back in elementary school. (I think I was 8 or 9. Just before playing the recorder for a little while.) But, that's a different sort of thing. So, I guess if you know how to play, and have one, play it!
Even if you don't know how to play, maybe start learning. Dad left for New Orleans on Tuesday. It's for a convention, and she's going to be giving a presentation there. Kind of cool. I think she said this is her 4th time going to New Orleans, but 1st time going after Katrina. Hopefully she'll have fun there. It seems like she already is. She won't be back until Sunday.
Early Tuesday morning, I woke up to feeling really sick. I think it was just before I heard Dad getting ready to leave. I've felt sick ever since.
It's mainly a cough/sore throat. But, I also have a very sore runny nose (tissues make my nose feel even more sore...), been sneezing often, and have a headache. Yay!It's getting heard to swallow things. At some point, I thought maybe it was my IBD, because it also feels like my throat's closing up. They say Crohn's can travel to the esophagus. (In that case, it would cause inflammation there. Making it irritated and start to swell/close up.) But, I don't think it'd make my nose go crazy, or make me sneeze, or give me a headache. With the combo of everything, my stomach's starting to hurt, too. I've been checking my temp occasionally. It's been slightly higher than my norm, but it hasn't been high enough yet to be a fever. My norm is actually pretty low. Like, 96.7 degrees. So, when it does reach fever territory, I definitely feel it. Tea has been helping a lot, which is good because we have quite a lot of it, and I love it.
I tried the lemon and ginger one last night. The smell was kind of horrid to me, but the taste wasn't bad. Not the best, but ok. I've had just regular ginger tea, and have liked it in the past. It's surprisingly refreshing, and usually doesn't taste the way I expect it to. Maybe lemon does something different to it? Some of my faves that we have now are: Moroccan mint, orange spice, and Earl Grey. Interestingly, eating seems to be helping a bit, too. Kind of soothes my throat for some reason.I decided to announce my book being published at 2 of the forums I frequent. The first one I wasn't sure whether I should have it as a status or a new 'off topic' thread.
They do have a writer's section, but it's devoted to an anime/manga theme. Like, fanfiction. Mine doesn't fall under that category. The off topic section is very generalized, and pretty much anything goes, except for spam. So, I did it as a status. I immediately started getting likes and comments saying 'congrats'. There was one person in the comment section that said: "Please teach me your novel writing ways!", and asked how I even was able to write a novel. I kind of felt flattered. My 'novel writing ways'.Another person sent me a private message asking for tips for a rookie. He was finished with his first light novel, was editing it, and was going to move on to the next one in his series. I told him I didn't know much about light novels, to be honest. But, I gave him as many tips as I could from a regular novel standpoint. I felt flattered by that, too. People asking me for tips...seems almost surreal.He replied back pretty quickly, and said I was a great help. I didn't think I was, but that also made me feel good. It's nice to help others when I can. Another person said she googled it, and both books piqued her interest. Pretty awesome!With the other forum, I posted it in their writer's club section. As of the last time I checked, there hasn't been any response. I've had quite a few views of it, though. I wonder if I should make a short status about it on there, too? I don't know how many people actually look at the writers section. Either way, I'll slowly announce it on other forums, as well. Some are more active than others, but it's another way to get it out there. I've also been invited to a brand new forum, so I might announce it on there, too. I have a lot more places to promote it, as well.Yesterday was the last day of taking prednisone for me. So today's the first day totally without it. I probably won't really feel the effects until tomorrow. I'm glad I don't have to think about taking any pill just after breakfast now. I have to take omeprazole 30 minutes before breakfast, but I feel that's easier to take since it's just after I wake up. I'm still not finished with my balsalazide prescription. But, when I finish it, I can go off of it. Yay!
So, technically the only IBD related one left will be azathioprine. And, that's at a lower dose. The omeprazole was technically unrelated to my IBD when I got on it. At least, we didn't know about it back then. I was throwing up all the time, without warning. My doctor, at the time, decided on a whim to try omeprazole, and it worked. We still don't know why I kept throwing up. I might have to get off of azathioprine, too. That's if the prednisone didn't jump start it into absorbing azathioprine better. If it doesn't help, I'll have to go on heavier/stronger meds. Either remicade or humira. I'm a little scared about that.But, we'll see.Wednesday afternoon, there was someone at the door. They were aggressively knocking, pounding on the door, and ringing the doorbell. At first, I thought I wouldn't answer it, because a. I'm sick, and b. I might get sicker. Couldn't really talk very well, either. It hurt to do so for a certain amount of time. They knocked, pounded on the door, and rang the doorbell for about a minute or two. Since it was for so long, and so aggressive, I especially didn't want to answer it. After I heard them walk off the front porch, I thought they'd leave. About 5 minutes later, they came back, and did it all for a little longer amount of time. Eventually, they did finally leave. But, it was kind of scary.
Later, when I went to go check the mail, I noticed they left an ad stuffed in the outside glass door handle. It was for repairing roofs, porches, decks, etc. They wrote their name down, too. All that to advertise something like that...I think that would make most customers weary of them. I also thought that what if they were burglars? And, that was like their cover? I've heard about similar things happening in other areas across the country from facebook and the news. That's even scarier. I hope that wasn't the case, but it was pretty unusual. If it was, I feel even better that I didn't answer it.One of the frozen things I got for dinners while Dad was gone, were meat and potato hand pies. There are 2 of them per package. So, 2 servings each, meaning 2 dinners for me. The 'meat' part is beef. The hand pies themselves are 'inspired' by the Australian version. It's really good.
They put seasonings on top of the pie, which made it interesting, too. Kind of a zesty filling. I did the oven option, and it came out awesome. Nice and crisp. They're really filled up with stuff. Huge chunks of beef and potatoes with some onions in there. Almost like having stew in a pie you can pick up. Decent size for a serving, and not bad on calories. (Not too bad on sodium, either.) Another frozen dinner thing I found was a chicken breast stuffed with broccoli and cheese, and breaded on the outside. It looks really good. And, like the other, the package contains 2 servings. So, 2 more meals for me. It's not bad on the calories either. I'm thinking of having one of them tomorrow night with some instant mashed potatoes. (Of course, the mashed potatoes will have garlic and chives.
Might put a little chicken broth in there.) Sounds like an awesome one, too. I also got some chocolate muffins with chocolate chips. I'm having half of one each night, except I might have a full one tomorrow night. They're not big like one of our local markets does theirs, but they're pretty decently sized. It's been enough for me to have half lately. Like a shot of chocolate. Decided to start the anime One Punch Man yesterday. I think I might like it. There seemed to be some similar elements as Gintama. Lots of parody and comedy. It's about a superhero, named Saitama, who can defeat villains with a single punch. He's become bored of his own powers, since he can easily overwhelm an enemy. So, he's constantly looking for stronger opponents that can pose more of a challenge for him. There were several monsters that he defeated in the first episode, and they touched a bit on his past. He wasn't always bald (apparently he trained so hard, his hair fell out), and he considers being a superhero as a hobby. They haven't shown what else he does, if it's just a hobby. At the end of the episode, there seemed to be another strong character that showed up in the middle of a pasture full of dead cows. Should be interesting to see who he really is. I think he's the one on the left in the pic.
Gintama has become really serious lately. Somewhat somber, too. They tried to inject a bit more humor in with the most current episode, which was nice. The shogun was assassinated, despite everyone trying to prevent it from happening. That's when the atmosphere of it started to feel heavier.
Everyone loved him, he was funny, kind, and stuck up for the people. The new shogun is ruthless, doesn't care about anyone but himself, and no one likes him. He essentially clawed his way up to the top. He's also a puppet for an already corrupt part of the government. They disbanded the shinsengumi, too. (Shinsengumi are essentially the police.) Kondo, the head of the shinsengumi, was sentenced to be beheaded for failing to protect the shogun, and 'allowing' him to be assassinated. When Hijikata, he was the vice commander, had a dream about Kondo being executed, I thought it was real at first. But, luckily, he's not dead yet. The joui rebels are siding with the previous officers of the shinsengumi. They were enemies before. Katsura, the leader of the joui rebels (and one of Gintoki's friends), saved Gintoki just so he could be thrown in jail with Kondo. He wanted to make a plan with him. I have a feeling they might save Kondo, overthrow the new shogun, and reform the shinsengumi. At least, I hope so.
日本語
Studied the kanji: 察, 参, and started 産. There was only one pronunciation for 察: さつ (satsu). It means: guess, presume, surmise, judge, understand. 参 pronounced as さん (san): (used in legal documents) three; (pref) tri-. As しん (shin): Chinese "Three Stars" constellation (one of the 28 mansions). As 参る or まい.る (mai.ru): (humble) (usually in kana, not kanji) to go, come, call; to be defeated, collapse, die; to be annoyed, be nonplussed; to be madly in love. The general meanings for 産 are: give birth, produces, bear, yield, childbirth, native, property. Did pretty well with JapaneseClass' practice section. Might have broken my own record for number of combos correct in a row. I had 92 correct in a row. What got me was a silly mistake...But, that's pretty good. Hopefully, I'll get to doing more of the tests in the future, too. Lately, they've made a few changes. I'm still getting used to them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)