Sailor Moon Saturday #13!

Man, this is another week where I'm just really not in the mood to talk about Sailor Moon mythology. I'm so tired from doing homework this week. Ugh.

But hey, sometimes we just have to power through!

I'm working on some fun stuff for October and November for the blog, though!

So let's get to it!

Warning: This post is spoiler-heavy for those who have never seen the 90s show or read the manga.

Today we'll be talking about Mamoru Chiba and Endymion.

So, let's talk about the Greek myth of Endymion.

So, remember how I talked about Selene in my second Sailor Moon entry? Well, this is Endymion, her lover. And this was Mamoru Chiba in his past life.

Rather than being a god, Endymion is shown as a mortal - hunter, shepherd, a king, and so forth. His history is a bit muddled, but some have suggested that he was related to (or actually was) an astronomer, which would explain his relationship with Selene.

Let's also note that, well, he's a son of Zeus. What a surprise. Give me a list of gods and mortals that AREN'T related to Zeus, that'd impress me. Selene went to Zeus and asked him to give Endymion eternal youth so he could forever stay beautiful. That's why, when you see paintings of him, he's always asleep and young.

There really isn't much "solid" information about the Endymion mythology, unfortunately. But hopefully this little bit was educational!

Starting in October, I will be talking about spooooky stuff all month! (The Sailor Moon entries will remain, however.) If you have any recommendations for Halloween snacks, scary movies, or creepy books, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email!

xo, Kate

Tofu Fish and Chips!

Hello hello, and welcome to my blog!

Today is going to be a super lame and awful day (filled with homework and SPEECHES, ew), but that's all just a precursor to tomorrow night.

What's tomorrow night?

A new episode of Doctor Who, that's what!

(Is everyone else really diggin' Capaldi's Doctor interpretation? Yeah? Good, me too.)

Today's recipe is one that I adore. It's probably the best thing I've ever made. I've even gotten other people (who are NOT vegan or vegetarian, like my family and my boyfriend) to eat it and they've all liked it. So, yummy yum yum! I was going to save this for a possible future cookbook, but I'm just too impatient and you guys are all way too lovely. I can't hide this from you anymore!

So, for your Doctor Who viewing party, feel free to serve some "fish" and chips!

For all of you Whovians out there, you should know that this was the first "date dish" that the Doctor had with Rose (who is currently tied as my favourite companion - her competition is the new and vibrant Clara). At the end of the episode 'The End of the World' (heh, fitting), Rose and the Doctor discuss going out for some fish and chips and they frolic away together. It's lovely.

This recipe will give you the fish flavour without the overpowering fish "smell" (many vegans, myself included, get a bit overwhelmed with nausea when they pass the seafood section of a grocery store). Thankfully, we have ways of getting around that, right folks!?

Another note: This recipe is one of the most time-consuming ones that I've ever posted here. It's not hard, but do keep in mind that it takes over two hours to prepare. And please, PLEASE read the instructions carefully. I make specific notes and it's easy to flub this up if you don't read carefully. (Really, I'm probably just being overly cautious with you guys.)

ingredients:

for the fish fillets:

• 1 14-ounce container of extra firm tofu (I prefer the Nature's Promise brand, I find Nasoya's texture isn't appealing but that's a personal opinion)
• 4 sheets of nori (roasted seaweed sheets; I found them in my grocery store's Asian section, but you can find them in Asian grocery stores and on Amazon)

for the marinade batch #1:

• 2 Tbsps lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce (I like to use the low sodium ones because they tend to have a more subtle taste)
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• dash of salt

for the marinade batch #2:

• 2 Tbsps lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning 
• dash of salt

for the batter:

• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 Tbsps cornstarch
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 7 Tbsps water

misc:

• 1/4 cup flour, to pat the tofu with (see instructions)
• oil, for frying (I used a plain vegetable oil because I was out of canola oil)
• optional: your favourite bag of frozen "chips" (I used seasoned French fries from the store because I was laaaaazy), or your favourite recipe for homemade ones
• optional: tartar sauce (I whipped up a little homemade one for this, but there are a ton of recipes online and one of these days I'll post mine!)

instructions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for marinade batch #1. Set aside.
2. Press your tofu (either use a tofu press, which I will discuss in a few minutes, or follow these simple instructions). Cut your tofu in whatever fashion you prefer (I used to cut it lengthwise and make five giant pieces in an attempt to make it look more "fish fillet-y", but now I cut it widthwise in order to prevent it from breaking and because it's easier to handle small pieces; do whichever you'd like, but I recommend the small pieces on your first go-around with this recipe). 
3. Lay two sheets of nori into a 5 inch x 9 inch ceramic or glass pan, letting the sides extend. (You'll be heating this, so please make sure you don't use plastic.)
4. Sprinkle each side of the tofu with a dash of salt, lightly, and a dash of Old Bay seasoning. Lay the tofu on top of the nori in the pan, and pour marinade batch #1 over everything evenly. Put two more nori sheets on top, covering the tofu entirely.
5. Place the dish in the microwave and heat on high for two minutes. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
6. After an hour has passed, pour marinade batch #2 over the tofu (you may gently remove the nori and flip them and put the nori back if you wish; that's what I do) and let it sit at room temperature for 1 more hour.
7. (At this point, your tofu has been sitting at room temperature for a total of two hours.) Start prepping your batter. In a medium bowl, whisk 1/4 cup flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and baking soda. Whisk the water into the batter mixture until you get a thick, gooey consistency.
8. Fill a small pot with 1 1/2 inches of oil over medium-low heat. (I like to work with a smaller pot and just do small batches of this at a time; it's more time consuming but safer.) I recommend using a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil (you can use a candy thermometer) but if you're like me and you don't have one, you can drop a tiny amount (I'm talking a DROP) of batter mixture into the oil. If it sizzles and starts to float quickly, your oil is hot enough to start frying.
9. Put some more flour onto a plate (that's what the misc. flour is for) and dip your seasoned tofu fillet into it. Pat flour on and make sure there's an even coating, you want it to start drying up the tofu a little. 
10. Once you have an even coating of flour on your tofu fillet, dip it into the batter and get a nice even coating.
11. NOTE: PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHEN DEEP FRYING AND USING OIL. In the event of a grease fire, you can cover the pan with a lid to remove it's source of oxygen, and if that doesn't work you can snuff it out with baking soda. DO NOT THROW WATER ON A GREASE FIRE. NEVER EVER. I just recommend having baking soda on hand. If your oil starts to smoke, turn down the heat. That means it's too hot. But now that I have given you some safety tips... Carefully, one at a time, put the tofu fillets into the hot oil. If you're an experienced cook you can VERY GENTLY place it into the oil with your bare hands (my boyfriend does this and I cringe whenever I see him do it), or you can use tongs. Be gentle when you do it so the batter stays intact and on your food!
12. Once the tofu is in the oil, fry it for about two minutes. I like to turn it after a minute. Remove from the oil and place it on a plate with a paper towel on it so you can drain some of the excess oil away.
13. Note: Feel free to make your favourite chips with this as well! You can start preheating the oven while the tofu sits in the marinade, whatever floats your boat. And feel free to serve this with tartar sauce. Follow Your Heart makes a really good tartar sauce if you're not in the mood to make your own. (But making your own takes three seconds so really it's up to you.)

I know this recipe SEEMS complicated, but really most of it is just waiting around and then deep frying at the end.

For how complicated the recipe seems, this is serious it for the most part. I mean I left the spices out for the sake of counter space, but look at how simple this is! (I plan on using this fish recipe for more recipes in the future, so watch out!)

Earlier I mentioned using a tofu press to drain your tofu. This is the one I use. Dad bought it for me for my birthday last year and I love it! It's so simple to use, and it takes a lot less time than draining it without a press.

When making your marinade batches, this is the colour you're aiming for. 

Nori is kind of like a stiff piece of paper, so don't be afraid when you're trying to put it in the glass dish; it's okay to break it. (I feel kinda wasteful using it and then throwing it out instead of eating it, but it gets slimy after using it with the marinade and guhhhh the texture just doesn't do it for me!)

I wanted to teach Eric how to make my favourite recipe, so I had him help me with some stuff. (Like cutting tofu!)

Don't be afraid of letting the tofu fillets touch when you put them in the pan! It's okay to have them smush up a little, heh.

This is what they'll look like with the marinade.

Here's the mise en place for when you go to fry them. You take the fillets, dip them in the flour, dip them in the batter, and place them in the oil! When you line them up like this it's a lot easier; then it's just a straight line!

And bam! Fish fillets! Made entirely of tofu, entirely vegan.

You're welcome, guys!

Eric actually ended up taking this photo because I actually really suck at food photography (I'm better with portraits) and it was frustrating me to no end. So thanks for the shot!

Who's ready to dig in?

I know this recipe seems complicated and a little overwhelming, so if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to leave me a comment here or send me an email!

Get cookin', lovelies!

xo, Kate

"Fried" Pickles!

Before we get started though, happy belated 27th birthday to my boyfriend Eric! (Originally I was going to post this on his actual birthday, but I haven't had a steady internet connection available.) My parents and I took him out for Japanese food, and we had a lovely gift exchange!

But enough of that.

Back when I was a vegetarian, I'll admit I made some silly restaurant choices. My one INCREDIBLY guilty pleasure? The fried pickles at Hooters. Everything else there was awful (I mean seriously, it was BAD) but the fried pickles were like heaven on a plate. While on Pinterest the other day, I found a recipe for fried pickles that looked good, and I figured I'd veganize it!

But guess what?

We're not going to actually fry.

We're gonna bake these suckers!

So!

ingredients:

• 1 jar of pickle slices (I used a jar of homemade dill; Eric's mom makes them!)
• 1 Tbsp vegan mayo
• 5-6 Tbsps water
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp *vegan Worcestershire sauce (see note)
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1-2 cups vegan breadcrumbs (I say start with 1 and increase from there as needed)

instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the mayo, water, flour, vegan Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, and Cajun seasoning.
2. Place paper towels (I use two) on a plate and pat the pickle slices as dry as you can.
3. Put the vegan breadcrumbs on a plate and spread them out a little so there's a thin layer over the entire plate.
4. Put each pickle slice into the medium bowl with the vegan mayo mixture, then pat each side lightly with breadcrumbs. Place these on a baking sheet with parchment paper on it.
5. Once you're done coating each pickle slice, turn your oven's broiler on (to high) and broil for three minutes on each side. Serve with your favourite Ranch dressing!

The other day I discovered that you can buy vegan mayonnaise AT THE DOLLAR STORE YOU GUYS. Enough of the "veganism is sooooo expensive" nonsense. It's the DAMN DOLLAR STORE. Two of these jars equals one at Whole Foods, which is way more expensive ($5 A JAR) and these last longer. (Granted, it's because they're not refrigerated due to an extra preservative, so if you're against preservatives then I guess go with the more expensive refrigerated stuff. But I'm a reckless college kid that's all for cheapness and chemicals. YAY CHEAP CHEMICALS.)

It's gonna feel like a wittle baby jar (I mean, I have baby hands so that should tell you something) but you're getting more for your money overall. Don't fall for the large jars at Target. They feel more satisfying, yes, but it's all lies.

(If you go to the Just Mayo website and put in your zip code, they'll give you stores near you where you can purchase it. I get mine at Dollar Trees, which I do believe are a national thing, but be sure to check!)

I called for vegan Worcestershire sauce for this recipe. This is the kind I personally use. I buy it at a local health food store, but you can get it on Amazon, veganessentials.com, and so on. You can even make your own if you're not a lazy bum like me!

Here's my mise en place. (The stuff in the bowl is flour, and the stuff behind the pickles is my dry Ranch dressing mix.)

As stated earlier, I did use homemade pickles. These were a little too thick for my liking, but Eric's mom has kindly made more with thinner slices so I'll try that again in the future!

When you mix together the vegan mayo mixture, this is the kind of texture you're aiming for. It's almost eggy, if I remember eggs correctly. 

Drying out the pickles, la la la!

Before they're baked. Mmmmmm, pickles.

And after the broiling process! 

I used mine as a side for a Gardein chipotle black bean burger (which I've only recently tried and fallen in love with!) and serve it with a side of ranch dressing. (There are multiple vegan ranch dressing recipes online, so try to experiment with some and find something you like!)

These are a lot lighter than ones that are deep fried, but the breading retains a nice flavour. (After I made these, I tried to share them with Eric - who had unfortunately just eaten - and he told me that he wished he was hungry because he wanted some! Oh well, next time perhaps!)

If I have an internet connection tomorrow, I have a special surprise recipe for you guys. It's one of my all-time favourite dishes, and I rarely ever make it because I am, as I said, a lazy bum. So cross your fingers!

xo, Kate 

Sailor Moon Saturday #12!

Hi guys!

I actually kind of forgot about Sailor Moon Saturday for a few minutes. I have a friend coming over today for a slumber party and another friend coming over and we're all going to watch Doctor Who tonight (anyone else here a fan?) so I was a little preoccupied with getting the house in shape.

BUT, then I remembered we have some stuff to talk about today, so here we go!

(Warning: This post will be spoiler-heavy and filled with images, so run away if you haven't seen it yet!)

Today's episode is entitled 'Act 6 - Tuxedo Mask'.

So, this kind of bothers me about this show (as opposed to, you know, any anime that takes place in Japan), but Mamoru is EXCEPTIONALLY well-built? I suppose that's possible, considering he's probably been training for this stuff since childhood. But, I dunno. Japanese people tend to be on the shorter, slimmer side (obviously there are exceptions, but when I was there I was shocked at how easily I could "deal" with things; when I was on trains traveling between areas, I could easily hold the ropes as opposed to here, where I basically just have to cling to whatever I can for my life and I mean I'm barely 5'1" so). But he seems to be a BEAST for a kid. Yeah, keep in mind he's only 17. (Er, maybe 18 in this one? I forget. But I want to say 17.)

But let's move on from that point.

Tuxedo Mask takes it upon himself to GO TO THE MEDIA AND TALK ABOUT HOW HE WANTS THE LEGENDARY SILVER CRYSTAL? Ummmmm. He basically wants people to start "talking about it" so he can perhaps find some new information, but this just seemed like a poor choice.

The popular question, though, seems to be IS HE OUR ENEMY OR NOT!?!?!?







(Wait, European Commander? I mean I guess that'd make sense because of the hair colour but since when was Zoisite specifically European? Can someone clarify this?)

Meanwhile, the Sailor Scouts are kind of losing their shit because they don't know what's going on with the Crystal or Tuxedo Mask. So, naturally Usagi imagines that a video game is giving her advice.

Now, this is really more for the fans of the 90s show, but can we PLEASE laugh at and appreciate this moment? Back when the anime was dubbed for the US, the company in charge of handling this was called DiC. They were known for some of their conservative choices, and oh man is this one a doozy. They thought the idea of such a feminine character would "confuse" children, so when the show was originally brought here they had the idea of changing Zoisite's gender from male to female. It was hard for them to picture kids being "okay" with a stereotypically-feminine man. I mean, god forbid right? No wonder we have such issues with gender! Why can't a man have feminine features? Is that suddenly "demeaning"? A lot of Sailor Moon fans (myself included) were really pissed about this change. It was more demeaning that they felt the need to change the gender, quite frankly. Why couldn't Zoisite be a man? Or even gender neutral? (Although I'll stick with man because that's what he is canonically known as in the comics.) The original manga-ka Naoko Takeuchi obviously isn't sold on "stereotypical genders", as she writes in characters that a. look feminine but are masculine b. look masculine but are feminine c. look both and are both (specifically I'm talking about the Sailor Starlights but I'll come back to them much much later). So while I can't know her reaction because I'm NOT her, I doubt she would've been thrilled with this change either.

So, let's take a moment to laugh at Zoisite disguising himself as a woman.

Zoisite takes advantage of the pandemonium that Tuxedo Mask started, and hypnotizes people into looking for the Crystal for him.

The Sailor Scouts group up to discuss their next plan, and Luna reveals to them that there is a secret base for them underneath the arcade! How convenient.

I mean, this looks pretty impressive. Who built this? Not to put Luna down, but she IS a cat and she surely has physical limitations. So seriously, who built that? (Probably Sailor V or something but HONESTLY who knows? In fact, she probably didn't actually, considering she was originally based in England and Luna seems to have no prior relationship with her.)




Luna brings up, yet again, the possibility of Tuxedo Mask being an enemy. Only this time Usagi runs away in anger and sadness. Wah wah.



While running away, she runs into him and they have a brief discussion about him. He apologizes to her and opens up about himself a little. He discusses how he feels frustrated by his own personal limitations, and then proceeds to cheer up Usagi when she gets a little overwhelmed by her own notions of limitations.

Meanwhile, the other Sailor Scouts are having their own battle with Zoisite when we are finally really introduced to Queen Beryl. The Sailor Scouts comment on the evil energy she brings, and basically they make it sound like she a shitstorm that's a-comin'.




So yeah, Tuxedo Mask cheers on Usagi and she transforms and saves the day. Only now, she's overexerted her energy and she passes out.

She awakens in a strange apartment, only to find that it is Mamoru's place and she finally pieces together that Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask. Yes!

I was really excited for this episode and it did not disappoint. This was more about character development than battles. I'm really excited for the next one though, as I find Mamoru to be an interesting and underestimated character (both in Sailor Moon and in anime/manga in general). So I'm excited for him to finally go into detail about his past!

The next episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will be debuting on October 4th and is entitled 'Act 7 - Mamoru Chiba'.

I currently watch the show on Crunchyroll, but you can also find it on Hulu.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, please feel free to leave me a comment below or send me an email!

xo, Kate

Edit: In my original post I said that 4Kids was responsible for the gender swap of Zoisite, but a reader reminded me that it was actually DiC. Thanks for the correction, it's been noted above!

Movie Madness: Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

Yesterday was a pretty easy day. I had my one class on campus and I got my science lab grade back. I did a lot better than I expected. (Although I always think I'm going to fail, so it's kind of hard to go any lower than that.) I was almost late to class because a vending machine ate some of my money and I swearrrrr the fact that they made me fill out paperwork for $1 is ridiculous to me. I ended up just going to the "cafe" (their way of attempting to class up the college) and getting water and some roasted red pepper hummus and pita slices. That's pretty much the only vegan option readily available and on the go. And it was HORRIBLE. I had no idea they could mess up hummus that badly.

Taken from my Instagram (if you want to follow me, my username is chasingpages). Not only was the portion size HORRIBLY off (and I mean, really? a lettuce leaf? now my pita is soggy!), but I swear to god the hummus was BLAND. The pita was BLAND. I might as well have been eating cardboard. For $3, I was pretty angry. I wish I had stopped at Wawa instead. Fucking disgrace. (I'm really mostly annoyed at the fact that this was SO EXPENSIVE and some of the nasty, chemical-ridden foods there are sooooooo much cheaper. And we wonder why we're fat. Ugh. But that's an entirely different discussion.)

I'm going to be doing some homework today (I like to stay ahead a little), so I'm actually writing this the day before. I was going to read tonight, but I'm just not in the reading mood. Which is unfortunate, I really wanted to get through some more of my book collection.

But that's okay, because now I'm making room in my Netflix queue. And I'm sure my Netflix account is probably incredibly grateful.

So, here's the piece we're watchin' tonight.

Tonight's feature is 'Escape from Alcatraz', starring Clint Eastwood and directed by Don Siegel. 

I haven't seen this in a REALLY long time. I honestly can't remember the last time I watched it. Maaaaaybe high school? (Which was almost a decade ago, oh god. MORTALITY. SETTING IN. DEATH APPROACHING. I'M GETTING OLD. WHEEZE WHEEZE.)

The movie is loosely based around the true events of an escape from Alcatraz that had been planned by three prisoners. (I checked up on some of this through Wikipedia, and apparently it was never confirmed if they ACTUALLY escaped or not, but supposedly people had caught glimpses of them so it's currently believed to be true. But you never know, really. This could always be thrown off by the Rashomon effect - the idea where multiple people could all witness the same event but have completely different stories. Perhaps multiple people had "seen them", but others that were there may not have. Who knows?)

I'll admit I haven't seen much of Eastwood's work, but he's generally hit or miss with me. But he's a hit here. (Also, the only films of his that I HAVE seen are from this era, so whenever I see the current-day Eastwood I'm completely thrown off.) He has the harsh look of a criminal (dramatic and sharp cheekbones and jawline), yet he has the eyes of an intelligent and well-spoken man. (In the shower scene, doesn't he actually look a bit like Bryan Cranston? Maybe I'm stretching, but.) Eastwood gives an incredible performance though. In my mind, I had no doubt that he was indeed a prisoner. Sometimes I forgot Alcatraz wasn't operational anymore, and perhaps Eastwood was still in there, rotting away.

I thought the idea of keeping The Warden nameless was incredibly clever. It kept him from being humanized by the audience, and kept us from really cheering for him or sympathizing. He was a "villain" we could boo against because he was an "unknown" figure.

I looooove Litmus and his little mouse. I loved the idea of his nickname and the reasoning behind it. And I mean come on, a prisoner with a soft spot for animals? It's just kind of refreshing to think of a criminal having some good in him, and it shows that not everyone is good or evil. You're not one or the other, you're a bit of both. (Though you maaaay have one that's a bit stronger than the other, heh.) Also, he bathes the sweet little mouse by HAND. That's precious and so endearing! But Doc the painter might be my favourite. Art therapy, a wonderful train of thought that is sadly falling away in these times (for some reason), has proven to be helpful, and I can't see why it's so dismissed. The idea of someone digging inside themselves and trying to find something beautiful is terrifying, yet brilliant. It makes people think.

There was one scene that especially struck me in a very particular sad way. When Morris first meets English, English talks about how if he had been fighting with white men, he probably wouldn't be serving two 99-year sentences back-to-back. And I was hit by this because it's still true today. I mean, maybe he wouldn't get 99-year sentences, but this still happens. I always thought we were better than this - that maybe we'd evolve as human beings. And I guess we have, but it's at a much slower rate than I had anticipated. I didn't even understand the concepts of racism and sexism and homophobia and such when I was a child. People were people. Even though I grew up in a predominantly white community, I still wasn't really shocked when I saw someone that wasn't white, either? I remember being a kid and some of the other kids would make a fuss, and I just sat there quietly in confusion. And sometimes I'm still like that. I'll hear people hissing at those that are different and I just get confused. I'll hear people talking about how "gays are evil" and "oh fuck these n-words" and blah blah blah, and I just get confused. I wonder where they thoughts come from, where this ridiculous hatred comes from. Sometimes it's almost comical to me - that people can DESPISE those they've never met before. I mean, an entire race! That's a loooooot of people to hate. It must be exhausting. Maybe that's a reason to pity hateful people. It seems to be a tiring gig. But I could be wrong. Who knows? I've never claimed to be intelligent or wise, heh.

As stated before, 'Escape from Alcatraz' is currently available to stream on Netflix, or buy on Amazon. It's an iconic movie that you should check out at least once in your life! (Plus, if you haven't seen it before, they reference it on The Simpsons in a few instances and after you watch it, you'll GET the references. And your friends will think you're "cultured" or something! That'll show them.)

If you have any movie suggestions or any questions, feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email!

xo, Kate

Book Buddies - Love in the Asylum by Lisa Carey

So, I was actually going to post this yesterday but I got distracted by some household chores so I didn't get to finish the book until a little bit later in the evening than I had originally wanted. So, I'm really writing this on Sunday night and saving it for tomorrow (er, today). 

Nothing really thrilling has happened lately. The craft room is almost put together, and I'm just missing a few "big" pieces for it. So, hurray for that! And there's school. School's been pretty good. The kids in my effective speaking class are kind of major dicks, but they're young so I guess I'll just be nice and chalk it up to age. (But I mean here's a quick reality check: they're probably just actual dicks.) But everyone has been nice in this one stupid class I have to take called "Integration of Knowledge". I dunno if every college has a busywork class like this, but maybe! And apparently my teacher finds my snarky criticism of one of the textbooks charming, heh. Thank goodness. I guess I can be kind of a pill sometimes when I write. High schools should take a page out of colleges and give their students a bit more freedom. I generally don't feel like I have to cater to the teachers as much anymore; I generally write "honestly" now.

Lately I've been trying to go through some of my books and *gasp* clear out some of what I own. I'm trying to thin out my collection a bit before I graduate and (possibly) move away for "real" college. So, this book fell into that pile of "hey I should read this and see if it's worth taking with me when I leave Pennsylvania in the dust".

(Sorry for the poor photo quality, this was taken with my phone in some subpar lighting conditions.)

The story is basically split into two narratives. We're first introduced to Alba and Oscar, two patients in a mental institution. And guess what? They fall in LOVE!? (Cause the title wasn't enough of a spoiler.) Alba is a children's book author with bipolar disorder and anxiety issues (at least that's what she's diagnosed with) and Oscar is a recovering drug addict. They manage to go on a few little adventures together that I guess are supposed to be charming. The other narrative involves a woman that had been committed to this same hospital years earlier; she was diagnosed as a schizophrenic with epilepsy, but to her Native American tribe she was seen as a healer and her "fits" were really just her going off into "The Land of the Dead" to heal people. So, was she magical or was she mentally unstable?

I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. I always kind of find the idea of premises like this as being a bit misleading. The author clearly did some research (she lists sources in the back), but I didn't feel like she could really empathize with what it means to be mentally ill. I might be coming off a bit harsh about this because of my own personal history though, I'll admit that. I just, I feel like Carey was forcing a love story in when I can't realistically see these two characters getting together in the long run. 

I also found that the two narratives didn't really blend well together. I wish we could've stuck with Alba and Oscar OR "Mary" the healer. You know, one or the other. I thought that when put together, I couldn't really focus on or enjoy either fully. This should've just been two separate books. 

Perhaps I'm alone though, as this has fairly good reviews on Amazon. But I found that the author romanticized mental illness too much for my taste. (Though I did think some of Alba's panic attacks WERE portrayed well; specifically the one at the carnival.)

I would not read this again and I'll be putting it in my pile of books to give away at my next book exchange party, but maybe this just wasn't for me in general! If you've ever read it or end up reading it, feel free to let me know what you thought of it!

If you have any suggestions for books for me to read, feel free to leave me a message or send me an email! I actually have a list and I'm constantly adding stuff, so I love hearing about different books!

xo, Kate

Sailor Moon Saturday #11!

Hello everyone!

I really wasn't in the mood to write this today, to be honest. It's so gloomy and dreary here today. I just wanted to put together more of my craft room (pictures will be up soon) and NOT do any of the things I actually needed done today (like homework and this blog post). But nooooo, I'm a responsible adult now! *jazz hands*

I've had a good week! Yesterday I went to Cherry Hill Mall over in New Jersey with my parents. I've never been there before (and honestly I've only ever been to Cherry Hill a grand total of two times in my life) and it's so very posh and cute over there! The mall kind of reminds me of King of Prussia. Mom got me some lovely things (which I might post about on here tomorrow, we'll see!) and we had lunch and she bought me a pizza to take home. It was a great day out!

I was going to go see Guardians of the Galaxy today finally, but Eric's asleep (damn you insomnia!) and I just feel too guilty to wake him. I want to try to let him sleep in peace so I'll just wake him for Doctor Who tonight.

But I guess for now I'll be good and write up this new Sailor Moon entry.

Warning: This post is spoiler-heavy for those who have never seen the 90s show or read the manga.

Today we'll be talking about Makoto Kino and Jupiter.

We will be focusing on Jupiter and Zeus! (Yeah, you heard that right. ZEUS.)

Jupiter is known as being the king of the sky. Badass. Also, shocker, but he's the god of thunder. Hmmmm, maybe this is why Makoto uses lightning!?!?!? In the original Roman lore, Jupiter is the brother of Neptune and Pluto. I could kind of see Makoto being related to Michiru and Setsuna. While I wouldn't say she's as "mature" as the other two, she has that same kind of intimidating nature. (Does that even make sense?)

You know how when we go into a court, we're typically asked to swear on a Bible and tell the truth or so help us God? (I wonder what I'd swear on - maybe a pizza.) Well, back in the day you'd swear to Jupiter. When you took an oath in an office position, you'd swear to Jupiter. I think people kind of underestimate Jupiter but I mean when you look at his position in this context, that's pretty intense. You're swearing your life and honour to him. Show him respect, man.

We kind of always think of Dionysus and Bacchus when it comes to wine (for really obvious reasons), but many wine events were also devoted to Jupiter! Grapes were kind of a fickle plant, so by praying to Jupiter, they could pray for better weather to grow them in! (The more you knowwwww.)

Let's see, more fun facts. Jupiter is also known as Jove. So you know that saying "By Jove!"? Well, that's "By Jupiter!". All I can think of is that scene in My Fair Lady when Rex Harrison goes "By Jove I think she's got it!" because he's just shouting about Jupiter. And when I was talking about swearing an oath to Jupiter earlier, they really usually used the name "Jove". Jove was also a part of the term "jovial", and is commonly used in foreign languages for the word for Thursday! (Examples: jeudi for the French language, jueves for Spanish, and so on!)

And then we have Zeus! I'll try my best to keep this as brief yet informative as I possibly can. I'm sure you guys are aware of the volume of Zeus lore, so there's going to be some stuff that I'm cutting out.

Zeus is basically the father of all of the gods ever. He ruled Mount Olympus and was the god of (gasp) the sky and of thunder!? Anyone else sensing the theme!? He's also the father of Aphrodite (I can't picture Makoto being Minako's mom in any universe). But yeah, Zeus was a player. He was the father of soooooo many gods and humans, it's kind of like a cluttered Jerry Springer episode. (He was also the father of Apollo and Artemis! So, look alive Sailor Moon fans.)

Let's briefly talk about Zeus' birth. His father Cronus wasn't exactly the nicest in the world - he had learned that his son would overthrow him, so every time his wife gave birth to a kid, he SWALLOWED that baby. That's right. He'd eat his kids so they wouldn't take him down. Talk about some damn insecurities. But Rhea (Zeus' mom) went to one of those who had given Cronus the prophecy about being overthrown and asked for help in protecting Zeus, who was currently chillin' out in her womb. So, when Zeus was born, Rhea gave Cronus a blanket that was wrapped around A DAMN ROCK and Cronus was like "Oh hey, sure!" and ate a rock. He was so hungry and desperate for his children's lives that he seriously didn't take the time to notice that he ate a damn rock.

Zeus originally forced Cronus to throw up his siblings, so hurray family reunion! He then divided up who would rule which part of the world with his two brothers, Poseidon and Hades. (So again with the different relations, but once more Makoto would be related to Michiru and Setsuna.)

If you Google it, the Wikipedia page for Zeus gives a really nice list of all of the children he had (including both from gods and from humans). It's frightening how long it is, really.

That's it for this week, kiddies! Next week we'll have a new episode of Sailor Moon and all will be well again! If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, leave me a message below or send me an email!

xo, Kate

Sailor Moon Saturday #10!

Hello everyone! How're we all doing? I'm still kind of in a funk (my depression has worsened physically; I'm achey, like when you have the flu, and it hurts to move). Eating has been rough too - I made pizza yesterday for national Cheese Pizza Day but even that was hard to force down. My stomach is in pain all of the time, basically. But then I remembered that Sailor Moon was on today! Yesssssss.

(Warning: This post will be filled with images and will be spoiler-heavy, so turn back now if you wanna avoid all of that.)

Today's episode was entitled 'Act 5 - Makoto, Sailor Jupiter'.

Honestly, I mainly took a screenshot of this because I want that umbrella. I mean LOOK AT IT.

We're first introduced to Makoto Kino after she saves Usagi from being hit by a car. Because Usagi kind of just farts around sometimes and doesn't pay attention to what's going on around her (Luna even brings this up right before the incident).

We then learn that there's a rumour about a haunted wedding dress shop and this causes Usagi and her friends to fantasize a bit (it's also kind of nice to see that Usagi has friends that aren't the other Sailor Scouts).

Animated food always looks better than the real deal. (Especially in Studio Ghibli films, ugh.) I have a few bento boxes and I gotta tell ya, I don't know how these kids survive on such a small amount of food. It just makes me hungrier! (Maybe this is the benefit of a big breakfast. Or any kind of breakfast.) But yeah, we learn that underneath her tall and kind of tomboyish exterior is the soul of a delicate lady.

Remember how I mentioned in one of my last entries that one of the things people seem to gloss over is Usagi's ability to make friends easily? WELL. When the smartest girl in the group can see it.... Hmm.

So, a youma takes over the arcade guy's mind and he tricks Makoto, blah blah. He looks like someone she used to like.

Tuxedo Mask is obviously brilliant (or a stalker) because he's already figured out that Usagi is Sailor Moon (I mean, how many girls in Japan have long blonde hair? Spoiler, but when I was there I did not see ONE) and he leads her to the trouble. And I mean, her cute hair bows!? They're all the colours of the bows of the Scouts, ugh.

Men are being men and sucking the energy out of girls because you know, that's how looooove works. But they arrive before she's seriously hurt.

Oh hey, a haunted bride!

I wouldn't mess with her if I saw her on the street. Her complexion is ghastly.

We get a cute flashback that ends when Makoto is rejected, whoops. But at least she's rockin' that scarf.

And then she just kind of watches her crush and his girlfriend walk into the sunset. Oh. No sweetie, no. You can do better.

Makoto starts feeling betrayed and kind of spirals into a depression before Usagi gives her an inspiring speech about how love is never foolish. (Which, while nice and I'm gonna let it slide, is not necessarily true.)

With new confidence, Makoto transforms into Sailor Jupiter with a badass transformation sequence!

I mean seriously. BADASS.

Yes you do recognize it, Nephrite. BECAUSE YOU WERE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER *screams into the sky*.

So yeah, Luna's kind of second-guessing her suspicions about Tuxedo Mask. Good, it's about damn time.

There ya go. It's about more than men!

Yayyyy, Usagi gets a new toy!

I was very pleased with this episode. Before, my favourite Sailor Scout had been Sailor Moon but I might've converted to being a Sailor Jupiter fan! I never really thought about it before.

The next episode of Sailor Moon Crystal will be debuting on September 20th (ughhhhh!) and is entitled 'Act 6 - Tuxedo Mask'.

I'm currently watching the show on Crunchyroll, but you can also find it on Hulu.

If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, feel free to leave me a message below or send me an email!

xo, Kate