Mood:
Did a huge overhaul of this blog.
First time modifying it since I started it.
Really needed it. When I started, I didn't know what it would turn into. Didn't expect much, and was somewhat unsure how long it would be active.
Also, thought it would be interesting at the beginning, to have quotes as titles for posts. This morphed into song titles and holidays. It was better to me than possibly just repeating titles or having boring ones.
Plus, I could share some of the songs I found. For the holidays part, I thought it'd be fun to learn about food related ones, about my religious holidays, etc. I still like these ideas for titles. Doing the quotes made the title too long, that's why I stopped doing them.
The template was so old, blogger wasn't really supporting it anymore.
So, I applied a new one. It's made in such a way I can add my own pics to the background in the future. Totally different color scheme, too. I made it a lot wider than it was before. I had one column on the right side for 'gadgets', now there are two. With one, things started to get crowded and long. With two, it seems more even and not nearly as lengthy to me. They have the option of adding a third column, but I think that would be overkill.
I also changed my avatar, and cleared out my About Me info. The avatar is one I use with several other sites. Made it a while back (didn't make the actual image, just cropped and resized it), and have loved it since. It's Hong Kong as a kid from Hetalia. One of my fave characters, and didn't appear much from what I've watched and read. The avatar before that was a 'chibified' version of Katsura from Gintama. Gintama's my fave anime. Katsura's not necessarily my fave from it, but I liked the mood of it. I've made other avatars in the past (again didn't actually create the images), and haven't used some of them yet. Maybe I'll change it in the future. The info for that About Me section seemed too wordy and got in the way. I did update my info on that, and people can still click the 'view my complete profile' link in that section to see it. It's a lot more succinct, too.
Changed the flag counter, too. It didn't restart, but the old code was outdated. This looks more simple, too. I like seeing where people are from when they visit.
Apparently, Blogger has decided to do away with the 'link list' gadget.
So, I made a new 'fave links' list using a text gadget. If the link doesn't have the 's' in https and someone clicks it, it will now look for the link within the blog. They think http isn't as secure. People can still go to those links after being redirected to searching the blog for it. Just take out the url for this blog at the beginning and search. You'll still get to it. You can also search by the name of each link I posted. It's only a few that are like that. Blogger has also changed the 'search' feature to only search within this blog. I kind of like that, though.
I decided not to add some of the links I had before, and added some new ones. One of the ones that I'm not listing anymore was my Wordpress blog. I haven't gone back to it since 2009.
So, it's not active. One day, I might go back to it. It was about exploring Japan. Its culture, music, language, food, movies, and more. It was a lot more extensive than I remembered, when I briefly checked yesterday. The idea of it is still interesting.
I added a few links on Judaism. JTA is more like a news site. Aish is orthodox centered, but has some interesting stuff. Aish means fire. My Jewish Learning is more neutral in its affiliation. There's lots of interesting articles about Judaism itself. It has some news, there are recipes, and more. I'm Reform, so good to have a link to their main site. Although, I'm still leaning a bit towards Modern Orthodox Judaism...That's a different story. They also list synagogues that live stream their services. That's handy for someone like me who's immunosuppressed. Especially during the High Holy Days.
Added AVEN to it, too. Might think about adding the Asexuality Archive. Although, I'm not a big fan of it.
Also, added PLM and CCFA. One's essentially patients sharing each others health info. You can record a lot of your test results, journal about how you're doing, make friends who are going through similar things, keep track of all your medical related stuff, there's a forum, etc. Pretty handy. I haven't been on there in a while, though. CCFA's a good resource for people who have IBD. They have lots of articles, webinars, a forum, videos, quizzes, and more. Just a giant hub of it. 
I've also added direct links to my deviantART and Pinterest. That should be fun. I have a lot of art that I might not show in other places besides dA. Pinterest has a lot of interesting stuff. I'm getting more in touch with my 'style' fashion wise. There are some interesting recipes. There are a ton of other things that I pin.
Updated my lists, too. Finished Fukigen na Mononokean or the Morose Mononokean. It was much better than I expected. I thought they'd address the special powers Ashiya suddenly had while in the Underworld for the first time. It was briefly, and he was very pissed off. Also, felt like there could easily be a 2nd season. So many other unanswered questions...Fuzzy was really cute!
He was the first yokai or demon they exorcised, but he came back to basically be Ashiya's pet. He really cared for him.
Finished reading The Forgotten by Faye Kellerman. It was pretty good. Didn't entirely like the ending, but I shouldn't say much about that, because I'll spoil it. Just in case anybody wanted to read it. The next one that I have of the series is Stone Kiss. Barely have gotten into this one. Luckily, it's also the next book in the series, so no skipping books this time!
I think I only have 2 more books of the series.
Finished reading Tegami Bachi or Letter Bee. It had a very trippy end. It was pretty good. Felt like the manga would never end. I've watched both seasons of the anime as well. Very interesting series overall.
Finished reading A+B or Angel+Blood. This one was extremely short. Could have gone on for a while, too. They introduced a couple of big characters, and ended it like that. Maybe it was axed before they got very far? It had a lot of potential.
Almost done watching Servamp. Servamp is a combo of Servant and Vampire. It's better than I expected. The vampires were created by a human, and there's supposed to only be 7 of them. An 8th was made, though. (Not sure why yet.) All, except that 8th, have names that correspond to a 'sin'. The main one is Sloth aka Sleepy Ash. He's the oldest. These vampires have 'Eves' who are human. The Eves use them in battle. They're basically their slaves after they've made a contract. The vampires can turn humans who are on the brink of death into subclass vampires. They're not as powerful, but get enough of them, and they can do damage. The main vampires also turn into animals. Sleepy Ash turns into a cat, there's a hedgehog, there's a bat, there's a butterfly, etc. All 7 of the main, along with their Eves, are in a battle against the 8th vampire, Tsubaki. He has an army of subclasses, and I don't think he has an Eve. He's kind of crazy, and loves to kill humans. Some of the scenes he shows up in, it's raining blood.
I might find some new emoticons in the future. It would've been great if Blogger had its own set.
Right now, I've been using some from dA. Getting kind of tired of them, though...We'll see. Might not be for a while.
Mood:
Yay for jazz!
(This was actually yesterday, but since I don't post on Saturday, why not?) It needs to be appreciated more.
Jazz is awesome! Loved it since I first heard it. I tried to get into jazz band when I was in high school, but my director told me that clarinets don't belong in a jazz band.
She's the only one I know who had that opinion. Clarinets are very jazzy! (Take Benny Goodman, for example!) In the future, I hope to form my own klezmer band.
Which is like Jewish jazz. This holiday was created in 1991 by musician D. Michael Denny.
It's been a little warmer this weekend. Still not quite holding our normal temp, but it's better. Found a lot of cool music today!
So, look forward to that. Tasha seems to be becoming more brave. Hopefully, that means the spray and plug-in thing is working.
Found another great site yesterday, as well. It's called Ikasu Anime. Ikasu can mean cool, stylish, smart, or sharp. Really interesting community. And, seems like I can share what I've been working on, there as well. Already have 8 friends, and I didn't do much.
One of them asked if they could read my novel, or what I have up at the moment. I guess the way I described it, was interesting enough. Hearing that makes me happy. They also have an interesting game. It's Bleach characters vs Naruto characters. Kind of similar to Mortal Kombat. Only problem was, it was all in Japanese. (Except for the Ready...Go! thing.) So, it was another test for me, to figure out what the text meant. This site seems to be quite new. So, it'll be interesting to see it develop.
Changed my avatar's look. A lot better than the chef outfit I had on for the TinierCafe event. I love that panda.
It's animated to climb up and down my arm, and look at people. Haven't really used the fireworks before. Weird to see them suddenly appear. The wolf ears, I thought, would look stupid. But, they're not too bad. I really wanted something 'different' as an outfit. Also, in TinierCafe, I don't have to do much, but my cafe's already a 4 and half star restaurant. I can't get more waiters yet, so things have been backing up. And, the one I have looks tired most of the time. So sad!
Also, watched Inception. It was really good, and a little trippy. I think it could have been shortened by quite a bit, though. It wasn't as 'mind-bending' as I thought it would be, either. It had some downs, and some ups. We didn't go to services again yesterday. Mom's still not well enough. My parents went to another nice restaurant for their anniversary. I was very content with just my frozen Tony's Philly Cheese Steaks.
deviantART: Mee 05 Interview YOUR Vampire OC APH Blame Canada Sugar Sphere Dessert APH-chased by zombie? Lioness Bunny Cake II I did not make these! First, a very cute pic of a young kitten. Second, a written meme to interview your vampire oc. It should be fun to do with my vamp oc, Vincent. Third, a funny (and nice) drawing of Canada, from Hetalia, wearing a South Park themed shirt. Fourth, an awesome looking piece of candy. I'm curious as to the actual process of how this person made it. Fifth, a drawing of China, England, and America from Hetalia trying to run from zombies. Kind of funny. Sixth, a cool drawing of an oc from an artist I watch. Seventh, a really cute and awesome looking cake.
Youtube:
A really cute puppy trying to sleep on the stairs:
Mood:
Yay! For frozen food!
There's a huge selection of good frozen foods out there. It's kind of amazing. Apparently, the international frozen food industry started in the US. Frozen vegetables, meat, fruit, and fish were first packaged and offered to consumers in 1930. The person who developed the process was Clarence Birdseye. This was designated, and signed by Ronald Reagan, as a holiday in 1984.
We were still slightly below normal during the weekend. But, at least, it didn't snow. It looks like it may start to get warmer.
My computer was running very slow today.
So, I didn't get through half the things I wanted to do. It took a while, but I settled a financial thing. At least, they won't bug me for another year if it goes through.
I also looked at a site haven't visited in a long time. It's みんなのきょうの料理 or Today's Menu for Everyone. An amazing recipe site in Japanese. I decided to actually write something in the 'about you' field of my profile.
I doubt anyone will comment, but it was kind of fun.
I also looked at the FAQ section, just to get a better 'grasp' of the site. It makes a bit more sense now. And, it was interesting that other people, that actually live in Japan, had similar questions. Then, I looked at their video section. I forgot about half of what's on the site.So, sad. There's videos that give general cooking tips, and some that go through the entire process of the dishes with you. The dishes range from incredibly basic stuff, to like, expert levels. It's very interesting, and seems very helpful. Then, I looked around at the recipes. Found 2 promising ones. Will probably go back to see if I can find more.
These will also give me some ideas. Mom has her treatment this week, so I have to cook. We have leftovers for a couple of the nights. So, that's good. Oh, and the site has quite a variety of different types of food. I think they get people from other countries on there sharing their recipes, too.
I changed my Selfy's outfit again. This seems drastically different than last time.
It may look a bit weird, too. I was just throwing things, that I haven't used yet in my closet, together. Kind of fun. The snowflakes in the back actually move. I wanted to use the eye patch for a while. Thought the headphones were interesting. I like the scarf, too. Won the dress, and sealed evil panda from Gacha campaigns. She's also got a crystal ball and chain as her shoes. That was another Gacha item. Most of the stuff I have, I won them through a Gacha. Yay! I don't think she looks too bad.
Went to services yesterday.
Had a good turnout this time. Probably because the Rabbi and our cantor led it. This was the last portion of the book of Exodus. Next, we'll start Leviticus. There was someone there from a class, who had to write about his experience going to a Shabbat service. He seemed a bit overwhelmed. His mother, asked a bunch of questions. She looked very fascinated by the whole thing.
It's always interesting to hear what people ask. Someone had made the challah again this time. So much better than the place they usually get it from.
Played a little of the Sims 2. Taiwan is finally pregnant!
Yay! Hong Kong's excited about it. Not sure how Taiwan feels. I'll get to see soon what it will look like. Managed to get Taiwan and Hong Kong promoted. They're making quite a bit of money now. So, soon I'll get them a new house too.
I was going to write to my penpal today. But, I ran out of time.
I'll try to do it during the week. Watched Tokyo Wankei. Only one more episode left. Turns out Mika and Ryosuke aren't related. Ryosuke, after being told before that he was her brother, put on a play to make it look like he slept with Mari. (His ex.) It was just so Mika would 'move on'. She had no idea, at the time, that he thought they were siblings. Mika found out the truth, and on her wedding day she ran away to find him. As she was starting to run across the street, a motorcycle ran into her. Now she has amnesia. Talk about drama!
Now that she had the ok from her father, and approval from Ryosuke's father, it's disturbing. Just as Ryosuke was going to board his plane, he looked like he was going to change his mind. Craziness! I hope she gets her memories back, and they end up together. But, I'm not sure if it's going to be such a happy ending.
Juui Dolittle was really intense. It dealt with the subject of euthanasia. A very difficult topic.
There was a woman who had agonized over the decision to euthanize her cat. She has breast cancer. And, stopped treatment to save money to go act in a French movie. It was her dream job and she finally got it. Her cat, since she's had him, had problems with using the litter box. She tried everything, including various training techniques. But, he never learned. So, thinking no one else will want to take care of him, she wanted his life to end 'peacefully' before she left. Turned out, all he had was 5 polyps. But, they blocked his anus, and things were being backed up. It was nasty, but once those were removed he was fine. When she heard about it, she said she'd find another acting role somewhere in Japan. And, she decided to go back to her treatment. She said if he can beat whatever he had, maybe she can do it too. Also, she wants to live on, so she can take care of him.
deviantART faves: Cthulhu FAIL cupcake I did not make these! First, one of the most epic prints of Cthulhu I've seen. Really cool lighting, and colors. Second, a funny and cute drawing of a cupcake who's fallen over.
Mood:
Shouldn't everyday be love your pet day?I guess it gives us an excuse to spoil them more for a day. I love my cats, and other animals we've had over the years. Each one is special.
And, has a different personality. I love how people ask if you're a cat or dog person. What if you're both, and then some?Here's to Tasha and Rosie! (And, hopefully, someday they'll get along.)
Well, it's already getting pretty cold. But, the rest of the week will be much more so.They said it's no longer a matter of 'if' you'll get snow, but 'when' and how much. So...yay!
At least I have a nice warm home. And, I don't have to drive.
I changed my Gaia avatar. Somewhat in honor of their 8th anniversary.
The Coco Fleece hat was one of the gifts for it. Another free item was the V-Day 2k11 Radio Jack's balloon, for Valentine's Day. It says "Did you know...you stink." A lot more 'attitude' than the other balloon. I kind of like that.I still love the murderous panda. I've been wanting to use the fireplace for a while. Still like the belly tattoo. It's a little goofy overall, but I like it.I have a lot more 'darker' items I've won that I hope to use in the future. Most are from Halloween. I love that kind of stuff.
Watched Tokyo Wankei. It's getting a lot more complicated, and somewhat depressing.I hope Mika and Ryosuke still end up together. We'll see. Also, watched Juui Dolittle yesterday. I like that they tried to educate the kids about what they should do around wild animals. They especially shouldn't feed boars from plastic bags.
Kind of stupid on their part. And, almost killed a boar they were trying to protect. Hanabishi tried to operate on a golden lab. It reminded him of his own dog he worked on. The one that ended up traumatizing him so much, he couldn't operate since then. He thought he had beaten it, so he tried it again. He ended up collapsing and blacking out.
I've felt somewhat similar to that. While taking my animal science labs, I almost fainted from looking at things like intestines, watching pigs get neutered, etc. It was just great.
(Not to mention the meat class I had to take...You don't want to know.
) I also get that way with just the sight of blood. I've actually fainted before. When a nurse was going to draw my blood, I started to feel really dizzy. She thought I should go into the bathroom to sit and relax for a minute. As soon as she left and closed the door, I fainted and hit everything possible going down.
The handicap railing, paper towel dispenser, toilet bowl, etc. She came running after the thuds. So, yeah, I know how he feels.
I hope he can get over it.
I went to services yesterday. It was such a low turn out.
Weird, since the person leading, our old cantor, usually draws crowds. It was just Mom, me, the cantor, and 2 other people. So sad. We couldn't do half the service because of it. Have to have a minyan, or 10 people at least to do the Torah service. So, we had a little Torah study instead.That was kind of nice. I love our old cantor's voice. Maybe more than our current one. She sounds so into everything, too. It's somewhat refreshing.The portion this time's about the Golden Calf. Pretty famous part. We also studied a little of the prayer book or siddur. Don't usually do that, so that was really interesting. One of the members had made a challah for the end this time. A lot tastier than the place they usually get it from.
Started a new family in the Sims 2. Got a little tired of Hungary and Prussia. Might go back to them to see what happens when I let them age. The new family's still based off of Hetalia. It's Hong Kong and Taiwan. I'm just having fun with these characters. I try to have their personalities and looks be as close to the actual characters as possible. Makes for some interesting times.
Apparently, HK doesn't talk much, but Taiwan's almost a chatter box. The first day they were there, about 6 other sims showed up to welcome them. Somehow managed to let them talk to all of them for a while.
Gave everybody food, and for some reason, everyone needed to go to the bathroom at the same time. Wahoo!Makes it even more hilarious. Especially when you can only afford one bathroom at the beginning.
Those other sims stayed the entire day at their house. HK was visibly irritated by it. Taiwan looked really happy. I've already had them try for a baby. So, it'll be interesting to see what it looks like. I wonder, if I don't like it, I can change their appearance later? I guess I can see. So, fun times with them.
They seem a lot different than that other family. Also, Taiwan started as a paramedic in the medical field. HK is working in the mail room. I think they said it's the start of the business field. Funny, Taiwan ended up being fortune centered, but didn't end up in business. At least, not yet. HK's centered on family. I hope to eventually move them to a different looking home. I'll see what happens.
My parents left this morning. Hope they're having fun!It's kind of been nice here. Although, it's a lot quieter, and the cats want more attention. I get to blare my music if I want, though. That kind of takes care of the quieter bit.I had some more rice porridge for breakfast, and leftover spaghetti for dinner. Also, had an awesome half a muffin for dessert! They're huge muffins. Can't eat the whole thing. Pretty good stuff.
Thinking of making a tuna casserole tomorrow. I have lots of other ideas for dinners. Should be fun.
Also, I found a lot of cool songs today. I still need more!
