Yay for cupcakes!
I like them, just don't have them too often. There's such a variety out there. It's also Lemonade Day. That's always good, and easy to make. A few days ago, it was really hot. Now, going back into the 70s, feels a bit cold.
The forecast says it'll go down into the 60s Wednesday through Friday. That's not very summer-ish weather. Although, it's a lot more bearable than around 90.
Couldn't go to the cafe the day the group decided to play mahj, since it was too hot. We went the day before, and since there isn't any air-conditioning, it was really hot. Almost like an oven. That next day was hotter, so I'm glad I didn't go.
Friday night we went to an outdoor Shabbat service and potluck at someone's place. It was beautiful.
Lots of people came, so there was plenty of food. Dad made koushari, and it seemed to be a hit. I always love that stuff!
It's an Egyptian dish. It's mainly made with lentils, rice, elbow noodles, onions, and garlic (lots of it!). Got to catch up with a lot of people. Some I haven't seen since last year. And, some I met for the first time. Had a lot of positive comments about my hair. There was a ton of awesome desserts too. Barely could see what was there, because of the lighting. But whatever I grabbed, most of it was really good.
There was some whitish-green plums that looked like candy. There was a berry cobbler, lemon tart, brownies, and more. Had a lot of fun! Only downside, was finding out later that my arms were attacked by mosquitoes. Now I have red splotches everywhere. They seem to always attack me during the summer.
Also, while I was there, I was reminded that the High Holy Days (or Days of Awe) are coming up soon. Just started the month of Elul, which means we have one month according to the Jewish calendar until it starts with Rosh Hashanah. Or our New Year. (It's literally 'Head of the Year'.) I can't believe that!
It'll be my first High Holy Days without Mom. Of course, I did go on my own to High Holy Day services while I was in college. But, we were still able to compare things. So sad.
Although, we're supposed to be happy on Rosh Hashanah. So, I'll try my best to.
We usually make something for it, too. Maybe my shoulder would be healed by then, so I can. I've made teiglach before. (These little dough nuggets cooked in honey with orange or lemon rind. Really, a sticky and sweet candy. I love it!
) In the past, Mom's made honey cake too. Eating honey on Rosh Hashanah symbolizes a sweet New Year. So, we tend to eat a lot of it. Maybe I'll try making both? We'll see.
The style was very old school, and I wanted something a bit more. Plus, the quests were tiring, and seemed like they were all the same. Wasn't sure if my computer would run Grand Fantasia very well. But, it runs pretty smoothly. The characters/scenery seems a lot more 'real'. The quests are interesting and a little challenging. (It'd be boring if it wasn't challenging.) The only problem I had was the fact that the girls start off with such a short skirt.
But, that changes a bit. You can buy longer ones in-game. Had a creepy guy keep following me asking if he could marry me. He stopped once I boarded a ship. Managed to find a shirt (looks more like a corset), that will poison any enemy I'm attacking. That's pretty cool. My current sword looks awesome too. And, I'm only at character level 11. Decided to be a warrior this time. I like fighting with swords in these type of games, so why not? We also get a sprite. They can find rare materials, research sword techniques, eventually learn how to fight with you, and more. Watched Ghost Mama. I think Tonbo is a really cute kid. And he wants to please everybody. This time he was able to help his mom reconcile with his grandfather. Baka to Test was pretty funny. (Still not as funny as Gintama! I miss it!) They were sent on a scavenger hunt to find special 'treasures'. Like tickets to an amusement park, tickets for a lifetime of desserts, etc. Kekkaishi was actually kind of interesting. Yoshimori has to take care of a swamp god. He looks a bit creepy. His bed broke, and it's up to his family to fix it. Once he fell into the lake, where the bed is, he forgot entirely what his 'mission' was. Looked a bit like he was Alice from Alice and Wonderland.
Managed to get some writing done. Started posting the chapters to a new forum I'm apart of. They seem to really like it. I'm not exactly sure where my current chapter is headed.
I like it so far, though.Worked a bit more on my kanji. 強 has a lot of compound words. There's 3 very long columns of the most used ones. It means strong, but there are some compounds that have it, that seem like it has nothing to do with strength. Good that I'm doing this then. Also, still practicing the previous kanji I've worked on. 組 (くみ or kumi) is the 'new' kanji that I went over today. It means set (of items), group (of people), class (of students), company (esp. construction), team. Translated a part of that You Maga article on American life and learning English. Went over a lesson from my book. It was slightly confusing this time, but figured it out in the end. Read an article in Japanese on Asahi's website (Asahi's a popular newspaper), about an earthquake in Indonesia.
Finished part of the original character drawing meme. Tried to draw a tornado, but I'm not sure if it ended up right.
The person who made the blank meme said to throw in a unicorn somehow. So, it's being sucked up into the tornado. The next one should be interesting. My main character and I trapped in a room with a lifetime supply of Twinkies and a gun. We're there for a week, and they ask what happened. There's many ways that can go down...
