Radioactive

Mood:

This is a cover sung by the Kaito vocaloid. The original is by Imagine Dragons. I might like this version more.The person who created this version seems very talented. Originally Kaito was made with a Japanese voice bank, and his English version is rather new. Interestingly, the first vocaloids were English. (Leon and Lola.) But, I've always liked the way Kaito sounds. (I think he's my fave vocaloid.) Even if they purposely make him sound computerized, he still sounds good. He goes a little lower in his singing than usual in this one, but I think it gives it more depth. 

I managed to get my morning walk in!It was just starting to heat up, and was rather humid. So, halfway through I was sweating like crazy.I manage to do more of my normal speed, too. (Enough to be considered a 'brisk walk'.) Haven't done that in a while. An hour or so after, there was thunder, and soon after that a downpour. Glad I wasn't stuck out in that.I've kept up with my 5 sit-ups twice a day so far, too. Got my second walk in for the day after dinner, again. That was nice.

My gastroenterologist emailed me back last night. She first said that the IBD test I recently got back isn't 100% reliable, and it doesn't change if they repeat the test. She also mentioned that it's hard to distinguish between Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis with some people. While I'm on azathioprine, she said I should stay away from 'live' vaccines like anthrax, intranasal influenza, MMR, OPV, smallpox, BCG, typhoid live oral, varicella, and yellow fever. It's ok to get things like the flu shot and the vaccine for pneumonia, since they don't contain a live virus. Going off of another question I asked her, she said I probably have a very irritated colon.She said that should improve over time. I love how at the end of the email she says to ask her more questions during the phone appointment on the 21st. Like, go away, I'm busy right now...At least that's how it feels. Other people say things like if you have a question, ask your doctor. Meaning contact them, and that's what their messaging system is for. Oh, well. Maybe she just wants to hear directly from me rather than read it? Or, she'll go over new stuff that might answer my questions? She'll probably ask for another test of some sort.

I'm really liking Magico so far!There's a lot of unique qualities to their world, some of the characters, 'quests' or rituals, how they get their ability to use certain magic, etc. Very interesting. I hadn't seen much about it beforehand, but I'm glad that someone recommended it. I didn't think it'd be very long either. I'm glad it is, though. Their most recent 'ritual' was to attain the wedding dress, ring, and something else I'm forgetting. A group of 3 brothers had stolen them from a vault, and told Shion that if he wanted them he'd have to kill them. Those brothers just wanted the items in order to get Emma, so they could get her special hidden power that can destroy the world. The main ritual is to essentially counteract that. Shion and Emma have to go through the 'marriage' one in order for her to be/stay 'normal'. (It has lots of individual rituals they have to fulfill in order to finish the main one.) Her power can wake up on its own and goes berserk when it does. Anyways, they beat the brothers, and get the items fulfilling that part of the ritual. The brothers had a really sad story, by the way. The remaining brother seemed to continue to go through turmoil after he was captured and thrown in jail. They'll punish him with their magic for a 120 years...Emma tried on the dress, and it immediately started attacking and she went up into the air. Apparently, if you're really emotional, the dress defends itself from what it deems as threatening. It sprouts wings, legs, attacks anything around it, and flies. The only way to keep it under control is to say 'closet'. She was emotional because she's feeling even more for him than before that ritual. She's not sure what to make of it. Luu's fight was cool, too. She can summon her 18 year old self (she's like 12 right now), and fight with 100 times the power she currently has. It lasts for a 100 hits that she lands on the enemy. So, it's not really a long time, but she might not need much time. She's kind of considered an adopted daughter to them. I like the talking cat, too. She seems like the only one who has common sense. Very bright, too.

I finally decided on a title for my nightmare anthology!It's: Sweet Endless Terror: An Anthology of Nightmares. It was either that or A Dreadful Nightmare World. I was going back and forth between them for so long.Sweet Endless Terror might sound the best out of the two. Next time I'll finally get to putting everything together. I'm glad I finally got this out of the way.

Played my clarinet. I'm thinking of increasing the practice time each week until I hit an hour. I'm starting with 30 minutes. I just feel better when it's an hour long. Like I get a lot more done, I can 'feel' it more, I think I improve faster that way, etc. I sounded a lot better than I expected today.Did some Duke Ellington, Gershwin, and a little of my advanced classical solo book. Seemed like there was more of a flow between high notes. Fixing the keys probably helped a lot with that. Sounded nice and rich, too. It does 'feel' better. I'm happy with what they did.

Went through the bottom part of my closet. Spent a couple of hours on it, and filled 6 bags' worth.Last time I went through about 1/3 of the hanging stuff. I've never gone through the bottom part before. I feel like I lost so much, and am somewhat lighter. I can move my closet doors a lot more freely. Probably the way it was meant to be...Got rid of most of my shoes. In fact, of the ones that were there, and the 2 pairs I keep on the outside (slippers and sneakers), I probably have around 9 or 10 pairs left. I think there might be more on the top storage area of the closet. A lot of the shoes I threw out were once Mom's. Some don't fit me, and some aren't my style. Either way they weren't suitable to go to Goodwill or something. There was a pair that looked brand new, had the tags still, and the elastic string connecting them still as well. I thought if it didn't fit me, or I didn't like it, or something; I certainly should be able to donate it. Nope.Turns out the leather to those sandals was incredibly brittle, and became more so over time. It made weird crunchy sounds, and there were stress marks. Not really suitable to donate this way. I found my old jellies from when I was little. That was interesting to see. I loved them so much and wore them everywhere, so of course they were really run down and beaten up. Had to toss them. What's the point in keeping them if I won't be able to use them?Also found 3 pairs of marching band shoes. All of them looked pretty bad. Not sure why I had 3 pairs...I know I had some in college that were different than my high school ones, and I'm not sure about the 3rd. Had to toss all of them, too.

I was just going to stop at the shoes, but everything seemed to flow into each other in there.Turned into one big mess that I had to dismantle. Found some old large blankets piled up that I think I was just storing them there. That would have been ok, except they got in the way and they were deteriorating quickly.There were a ton of clothes down there, too. Things like old jeans with holes in them, old pj's, cardigans, and other things crammed in there. I found 2 shirts and a cardigan that I thought I had lost. I'll wash them before I try them on. Found my old rust colored dress with a leaf pattern that I wore to a high school band dance in New York City. It was just after a big international competition, and collectively we played at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. It looks really wrinkly, but I might try it on in the future and try to iron it if it fits. I really liked it.It actually goes from a red color to an orangey rust color going from the top to the bottom. I still have the pearl necklace, earrings, and bracelet that go with it. It's not a normal sort of pearl necklace or bracelet. It's got an interesting gold pattern interwoven between large spaces of pearls. Really cool. I think they're a bit more metallic-looking, too. So, if it fits, I could have the whole matching outfit. Even found the small top jacket thing that goes over it. I'll try it on once I go back to the hanging stuff.

Found some boxes full of old letters and such. It was cool to see, and I think that's something to keep. Found my old electronic keyboard I played when I was a little kid. I thought I had lost it. It still had power even though it had been sitting in its box for years.I'm keeping that. Found my rock collection. Didn't think it was very impressive, and decided to toss it. Found a box full of art stuff. Everything looked too old to use, and the art I had in it didn't look that great to me. So, I tossed it. I had let Rosie, my cat, into the closet once everything was cleared for the first time. She seemed to like it, and looked cozy in there. I can see my closet floor now! Yay!Made quite a dent going through stuff in there. 

Election Day!

Mood:

Hopefully people voted. (Obviously, those in the US.) I was reluctant about it, but did it a couple of weeks ago. It sometimes feels like a chore to do...But, it's our duty as citizens, and it could change things for the better. (Or, for the worst, if no one votes...) It sometimes feels like a chore, because I think it's best to be an informed voter. You have to know what you're getting into with each choice. For certain candidates it's easy because there's only one choice for the position. The hardest ones seem to be the initiatives. Yesterday was also National Candy Day. Yay for candy! 

This is my wallpaper for November. It's the Kaito vocaloid. It's also my birth month, and I wanted a wallpaper that's somehow birthday-ish for it. I'm not sure if I like it enough, though.It looks somewhat ethereal, but fun. Kaito is one of my fave vocaloids. He's depicted in many different ways, and his voice is very versatile. The company behind the vocaloids, only set certain things for each character. Like Kaito loves ice cream, he wears blue almost navy nail polish, has blue hair, and usually wears a long blue scarf. That's basically it. Leaves a lot for fans, and users of the product, to mess with. I also like Len, Luka, and Gakupo. The wallpaper is in an interesting perspective.

My Italy calendar features Rome this time. Today's pic's of roses in a botanical garden. Yesterday and the day before was a pic of the Oculus of the Pantheon. The day before that, it was a peony in a botanical garden. And, on the first it was of a flower street vendor. Kind of interesting things they're showing me. 

My Jewish calendar's main pic for this month's of a spice box, maker is anonymous, made out of silver, from Poland; 1847. This one's pretty cool and unique looking. Normally they're shaped like towers. (Ours is in a glass spice shaker jar. My mom painted things related to it on the sides. It's simple, but nice.) They're used during the Havdalah service. (It concludes Shabbat.) We sniff the spices in order to carry the sweet spice of Shabbat into the coming week, and to wake us gently to our earthly responsibilities. It also has to do with us having an extra soul or spirit when Shabbat begins, and it leaving us at the end. Some say that smell is the most 'spiritual' sense, and the spices soothes and comforts our regular soul which doesn't feel as whole afterwards. This one is shaped like a big flower that hasn't bloomed yet. The bud looks kind of like a giant dark silver blueberry with slits (probably to smell the spices) at the top of it. The platform it 'stands' on is shaped like a big leaf. It'd be cool to have one like that.It's fascinating how old it is. The second pic's of a another spice box, unknown maker, made out of silver, from Tula, Russia; 1800-1900. It's in the traditional shape of a tower. Complete with a little flag at the top, and bells at the bottom. Still cool to see. The third pic's of a Torah mantle, maker's anonymous; made out of textile, silk, silver thread, and cotton; from the Netherlands; 1775-1790. Without looking at this one close up, it looks kind of scary. But when up close, it has a really nice design of tree branches with buds. They're just in really fine detail. Cool to see something like this that old too.

The month-long holidays are: Georgia Pecan Month, National Peanut Butter Lover's Month, National Pepper Month, National Pomegranate Month, National Novel Writing Month. Some are for important causes, some are to make you appreciate things you may take for granted, and some are just for fun. Not many this time. But, some pretty good food holidays. I like that there's a month where people are encouraged to write a novel. Maybe they'll continue to write them throughout the rest of the year...

For Halloween we didn't hand out candy this time. Nobody came to the door, which was nice. We watched The Possession. I mainly wanted to see it because of the Jewish references, and I generally like horror. Plus, it had Matisyahu in it. Thought it'd be interesting to see him act. It wasn't as great as I thought it would be.It was really slow at times. And, wasn't really memorable to me...There were a few parts that were interesting. Some things were left unanswered, too. After that, I watched videos from my youtube playlists that seemed Halloween-themed. Those were fun to watch. 

During the movie Rosie, our cat, decided to curl up in my lap. She hasn't really done that before.She was so high up in my lap that she had her ear up to where my heart is. She seemed to be listening to it. Then, she became really loose and happy. She put her paw over my hand, almost as if to say: "Don't move." I think that's one of her happiest moments that I've seen. It was so cute!Once she finally was off, my left arm had fallen asleep and hurt, but it was worth it. We used to have lap cats, but our current ones haven't been. Maybe this'll be a new 'thing' for her. She seems to be even more clingy lately. I don't know if it's just because the weather's getting colder...But, it's kind of nice. 

Got a new bed spread on Sunday. My old one was starting to get really huge holes, ratty ends, strings coming off of it, etc. I usually would forget about it until I went to bed again.I haven't had any new bedding for, I'm guessing, almost 10 years. That's a long time. I guess it was high time to get new bedding. I had to get rid of most of my old bedding. Even the 'extra' blankets I used for more warmth weren't really usable anymore. The set I got is a pattern I'm not used to, but is interesting.Most of the sheets are white. The top blanket has a white background with bunches of black, white, and kind of dark lavender-colored flowers with their leaves and stems scattered in clumps throughout. That blanket is black underneath. The pillow sham has a similar design. First time I've changed the bed skirt since I was 14.And, really, that was my mom who did it. She wanted to surprise me for my birthday with a new bed spread, new window curtains that matched the bed, and a really nice stereo. That was a long time ago. (At least, it was to me...) This time the bed skirt's white as well. The whole thing feels silky soft. Really nice to sleep in. Rosie seems to approve of it, too.

I also got new black slippers that same day. They kind of feel like wedged shoes. They actually have a heel to them. I also can't just 'slip' into them. I have to actually use my hands. They're really soft, and are fluffy around the ankles. It almost feels like they're giving me hugs when I wear them.I really like them, except for the part of not actually being able to slip into them easily. That's ok, though. 

Also got some new navy, almost black-colored, towels. Again, the ones I had were pretty old, had 'strings', ratty, etc. These new ones feel like velvet and are pretty fluffy. The only downside with getting new towels is trying to get rid of all that extra lint or fuzz.I thought they were free of it after I washed them. I was wrong...So, I've washed and dried them a few more times, and I think they're better now. The lint trap in the dryer was absolutely full the last couple of times I did it.

I have finally decided what I might want to do for my birthday weekend.I'm thinking of first going to Mizuki Buffet for lunch, which is huge and has a wide variety of Japanese food along with the other Asian cuisines. It seems to be the least crowded for lunch, and it's cheaper than if we went to dinner there. 

After that, I want to go to Uwajimaya. I love that place!It amazes me every time I go there. It's a huge Asian supermarket. There's a wide variety of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, etc. stuff. Interestingly, they have some German and Russian things there, too. They have their own bookstore full of books in Japanese, a huge seafood section (a lot of it's fresh and in tanks), a food court, and more. The bakery section's interesting, too. You can even live above the store itself in their apartments...

Next, I want to go and look around the International District. I don't think I've actually done that before. I'm not sure if I've ever been to the Chinatown that's there. I've been to other ones out of state, though. There's a Japantown, Little Saigon, and a Fillipino area. It sounds like it'll be interesting just to look briefly at these places.

On Sunday, I want to have brunch at the Oak Table. That place is amazing, too!I went there a few years ago for my birthday. They're kind of European themed, but with more of a lean towards German/Bavarian. I think I got their 'famous' apple pancake last time. It was huge!Really thick and airy. There's an apple filling inside, as well as apples and sauce on the outside. It'd be interesting to have that again. I might start my birthday list later today. I know it's late, and I might not get anything around it, but it's good to have one.

Went to group last night. Met a couple of new people. Interesting discussions, too. The only problem I had was someone rattled off about 2 or 3 Jewish prejudices and acted like it was no big deal.And, they were super old ones at that. I thought people stopped thinking like that a while ago. Good thing everyone else spoke up and had a problem with it too. She's normally a very nice person, so it through me aback. I'm a little weary when people think like that about anyone, let alone the group I'm apart of...I don't think she apologized, and just shrugged. I understand if it was maybe one thing, and she was very apologetic about it afterwards. That'd be fine, because at least it would be cleared up with the other party actually thinking about their own actions. So I feel iffy about it now...

Went to Shari's with the group afterwards. Haven't done that in a while. I decided to get the apple pie in a jar. Thought it was the most birthday-like for me. After we told the waitress about my birthday, she grabbed the jar and went back into the kitchen. A while later, when she came back, it had sprinkles and 2 maraschino cherries on top of the whipped cream. It was very sweet of her. It was all very good.

Kuroshitsuji or Black Butler's manga version has been surprising lately. I like Lizzy a lot more now. She's Ciel's fiancee. Up until recently she seemed too girly, childish, weak, etc. But, that was apparently a front. She was told since she could remember that girls were meant to seem weaker and inferior to boys or their future husbands. They were supposed to be into cute things and gossip. She was born into a family of knights and all of them, including the women, were taught to be intelligent, tough, strong, etc. All the things that seemed to go up against what other people told her. She started to like those things, but thought Ciel would hate her for it, so she felt trapped. She was about to be attacked by the zombies that encircled her on the sinking luxury liner, when she suddenly fought back. She knew her life was in danger, and no one could get to her in time. She apparently was hiding 2 daggers under the dress she wore. She looked so sad as she peered at Ciel before fighting them. But, to her surprise, he was even more interested in her afterwards. 

The Undertaker was behind the whole zombie thing. They finally showed his face, too. His scythe is cool looking. It really is a scythe, but part of the long handle looks like a skeleton. The blade comes out of its head. First time seeing a Shinigami's (a Shinigami is lit. a Death G-d. Similar to Grim Reapers) scythe actually be one. They usually just call their weapons that. Those can be things like lawnmowers, garden shears, and chainsaws. The Undertaker used it on Sebastian, and it showed his memories of when he first met Ciel. It was cool to see more of what happened in between when Ciel was saved, and having the other servants join him. Both Ciel and Sebastian taught each other about everything they could. Since Sebastian's a demon, his sense of taste is different. So there was a long thing about how he tried to perfect the dishes, even though he couldn't taste them. He also had to learn more about humans, how to treat them, and take care of them. Sebastian taught Ciel a lot of things too. Like how to ride a horse, Latin, shooting a rifle, etc. 

After Sebastian recovered, the fight between him, Grell, and Knox vs the Undertaker continued. Eventually, the boat started to sink at a quicker pace, and they knew they had to get out of there soon. The Undertaker dropped something that Ciel caught. He told him to keep it for him, since it was very precious. Then, the Undertaker used his scythe to split the boat in half. He's pretty strong...This is an exciting arc!

Started watching a Jdrama called Sakura. It has a lot of actors that I'm familiar with. I'm glad to see one of my fave actresses, Yukie Nakama, being in something again. She's amazing, and has been in many awesome shows. One role she's probably most famous for is Yankumi from Gokusen, but she's played some other pretty interesting characters. In this one, she's an extremely good listener. Her name's Sakura. She's a morning radio talk show host, and a detective. She's normally undercover during the day working in the complaints office at the police station, and at other times she's working undercover for actual cases. Sometimes she goes as herself. Not many people know who she actually is. Her grandmother runs a restaurant, so she occasionally helps out. Her sister is tough and kind of a badass. Also a detective. Not sure if she works undercover, though. She tends to conveniently show up when they need help...Their grandmother used to be on the police force, too. They spent a bit of time in the US, so occasionally they'll start talking in English or about what they witnessed there. It's not in a condescending way, which is nice.