Bad Dream

That’s Hotaru with my uncle George when she was about a year and a half. It was Easter. We still didn’t know that she was allergic to black chocolate as well as white and they were opening up some eggs. Found that picture last night at my mom’s. The funny thing is there’s a similar picture of him and me on the day I turned one.

Last night, I dreamed that Chibi Usa died and Odango Atama was nowhere to be found after the doctors euthanized the poor child. It was horrible, but at least it’s been over a month since I’ve last had a nightmare about Dr. Tomoe and I used to have them every night.

Oh, I forgot to mention, but Michiru passed her exam! She got a 7 which is a lot more than the 2 she was expecting to get. Good for her! That’s one step closer of getting her degree ^^

Harry Potter tabletop RPG

Been dying to lead a HP RPG game for SO long now, I can’t believe it finally happened. And it was a total success too!

Lana woke up at like 9am and her yowling woke Hotaru up, so she came into our room asking for breakfast. Michiru offered to handle it herself so she got up and followed the kid into the kitchen. They were talking so loud I could still hear them from the bedroom and they (together with the traffic noises) made it sure I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I was in a terrible mood for a couple of hours. Michiru thought it was funny but it wasn’t the least funny to me. I WANTED TO GO ON SLEEPING. Never been a morning person, so this is no news to me.

We spent the morning on the sofa. Michiru and Hotaru were playing that kitty game they’ve been so addicted to lately (they’re close to winning by now) and I just watched them and occasionally talked to them about something else. Then Michiru had to go to work. She’s teaching art to pauper kids in a chapel somewhere two hours from here.

The three of us left the house and went for a short walk through the park while walking Michiru to her bus stop. Then Hotaru and I did some window shopping and chatted about our plans for the summer because the day was perfect. We got Subway on our way home and stopped at the mini mart to buy gluten free food for our guests.

Fran still hadn’t confirmed his presence by then and I was on edge about it, but we bought the snacks anyway, because Odango Atama was bringing Chibi Usa by anyway and Chibi Usa is gluten intolerant. Worst case scenario I’d have lots of snacks for the next few times she came over. But Fran confirmed at the last minute and things were back on track.

Agus got here first and we spent a while talking about his new job and his boss’s unrealistic expectations. Then Fran and his girlfriend Pat arrrived and we got started on them copying their pregen characters into the sheets I had printed. I didn’t print the pregens in advance because I wasn’t sure whether they’d want them or rather make their own. They all got here super late so there was no time for the dragging process that is creating your own character. In any case, the game was a success and they all loved the pregens so it was reassuring.

Odango Atama and Chibi Usa arrived a bit late, as usual. Usagi joined us for our roleplay while the girls played in Hotaru’s room. I didn’t interfere much but they seemed to be having a blast. Usagi was a bit lost at first, but then she got the hang of the game. Sadly, Serenity called and she suddenly felt guilty and went back to being a responsible adult. She said it was time for Chibi Usa’s medicine and that they had to leave because she hadn’t brought it with them. It was sad to see her sober up like that after watching that childish enjoyment sparkle in her eyes. She deserves to catch a break.

That was the first time any players of mine used pregens and I was a bit iffy as people tend to find them dull and plain. Well, I used my beloved RPG characters from the forum, who have like 17 years of history behind them so they are anything but dull, that’s for sure. Agus loved Matt and Pat brought Lizzy to life amazingly well for someone so shy. Fran kinda messed Dave up but that was to be expected of him. Still, Lizzy kept him in character somehow through their interactions. They really looked like a couple going through a rough patch LOL. It was SO GREAT to watch them come to life on their own I almost teared up.

The weather changed radically near the end of the game and my blood pressure plummeted. The guys had to leave by the time I felt better and I waited for Michiru to come back because I was feeling a mop. Turns out trains weren’t leaving to or from her destination and she had to take the bus home so it took her almost twice as long to get there. By the time she got here it was almost midnight, but it was totally worth it. I love sleeping with her (in the most innocent way possible, though the other one is great as well).

Ami is still depressed and thinking about committing suicide, so I’m very worried about her and Michiru if such a thing were to happen. I don’t want her to be upset and it’d be sad if the world lost someone like Ami, so I’ve been trying to find ideas and advice that might help Ami get through her depression. I’ve been there so I know how it feels and it’s not a pretty place to be, you can be sure of that.

Michiru told me all about her day (as I did mine) and we put our heads together trying to find a way to help one of her students. The poor thing has had a rough life and things might get worse if no one intervenes. Her name is Mora and she sounds like a very sensitive, kind young girl who’s playing mother of her two younger brothers because the parents won’t and everyone at the chapel is afraid she might follow the footsteps of her older sister and hook up with the first guy who promises to take her out of that hellhole of a house. I suggested religion or a job as ways to provide independence so she can leave the house without having to enslave herself to a whimsical man, but there’s no simple solution to her problems. Still, we’ll keep on thinking and something will come up, eventually.

Bad News in the educational front

The weather was nicer today. Nice enough for me to take Hotaru to school, but not super. I still had to rely heavily on salt to keep functional, but it could have been worse.

After dropping her at school, I had a bit of time to spare before my meeting at Mugen Gakuen, so I agree to go for a short walk with Odango Atama and Serenity. They still pressure me heavily to send Hotaru to Rawson’s school, which is where Chibi Usa will be attending next year. But even though I try my best to decline nicely and stand my ground, it’s getting harder to be polite when they keep at it. I mean, if she can go to our first choice school, why send her to the second choice? Because it’s $2000 cheaper? I understand that they can’t afford it, but we can and want what’s best for Hotaru and that’s Mugen Gakuen.

She can still be best friends with Chibi Usa, like I was with Paula when we were young, despite going to different schools and living several miles apart. But having teachers and friends who understand her when she speaks in English and/or Japanese and who share her culture is something no sum of money can buy. Besides, she WANTS to go to the Inifinite Academy. The only way she doesn’t go there will be if they don’t accept her…

And talking about that, there’s some bad news in that front. It appears the mail I got from Mugen Gakuen meant they want to interview me and then her to see if she’ll fit well in there rather than the kid having a seat there granted. I learned that today at the meeting and it upset me greatly. I had an interview with the school’s psychologist who asked me a bunch of weird questions like at what age Hotaru started to walk, was potty trained and quit the nookie. I mean, the kid is six and already speaks three languages, I assure you her development can’t be measured by normal standards.

I told her all about her Japanese and showed her the videos I had prepared and told her other stuff like the crafts we make together and her interest in math… her teaching herself to write and read and a ton other things that I hope will help her get in.

The interview went as well as humanly possible but I was still very upset about her not having a spot secured yet while her friend Lulu does although her mother wrinkles her nose every time someone mentions that they study Japanese in that school. It’s utterly unfair, really and I had a day long anxiety attack because of that. I just couldn’t relax!

Not until Michiru came home at night that is. Then, she told me that her friend Ami is super depressed over something that happened to her recently and says she wants to kill herself. That made me forget all about my problems and focus on how we can help Ami feel better. I’ve been there, so I know it’s very hard to recover, but I trust she’ll find a way with a little help from Michiru and her other friends. She has to. Michiru was super upset about all this and I am worried about her. I don’t want her feeling responsible for whatever outcome this has. So, I’m determined to help however I can.

Back to Odango Atama, I forgot to say that Serenity insisted my mother employed Usagi when she learned that my mom has a hostel. She does all the washing and cleaning almost single handed because she can’t afford to hire help and then they come and assume my mom is rich or something and demand a job… it was SO enraging… but I do understand their situation, their desperation and that’s why I was patient and polite and explained all this. Still, it was rude of them and I didn’t like it one bit, even if I understand their situation.

Had to talk on the phone with my mom several times today so she could calm me down, because I was shaking because of this Mugen Gakuen situation. I fear Hotaru will get super upset if she doesn’t get into the Infinite Academy this year. Plus, the idea of her going to this crappy school another year tortures me. Mom and dad (and Michiru) and my aunt all concur that there’s still a chance Hotaru might get into the school, otherwise they wouldn’t be interviewing me, right? They want to meet her next Thursday and I don’t know how to keep calm and carry on until then… or, more precisely, until I get a YES from that school, be it this year or the next one.

I did tell Hotaru the bad news that they still have to see if they like her before promising she can study there, but I told her that I’ve done all I could and that if she doesn’t get in this year, she most definitely will the next one. That seemed to reassure her more than it did me, to be honest.

We worked on a Fluffle Puff faux vitral to distract ourselves from this setback. It turned out great. Oh and I printed a couple of Hiragana posters for Hotaru. One for her room and the other one for us to use while studying and she absolutely loved them. She sang the hiragana song nonstop and was thrilled with the pictures that came with the letters.

X-Men and Harry Potter

It’s been four years since Hotaru and I last watched the X-Men 90’s cartoon, so I suggested we rewatched it. She was enthusiastic about it and we arranged to do just that after school.

The weather composed itself a bit by today. It was agreeable in the sunshine and kinda chilly in the shadow because of the wind. Still, I was happy to have the sun shining over my head again and both the barometric and blood pressures back to normal.

Odango Atama and I went for a walk after dropping Hotaru and Chibi Usa at school. She sent me a novel idea that’s been on her mind for a while so I could proof read it. I was amazed by her creativity and I’m sure it’ll be a HUGE hit as soon as she writes it down properly and gets it published. I’ve promised to help in any way I could, so I gave her my honest opinion and some pointers along with some hearty encouragement to keep on writing.

Then we stopped by a bookstore where I tried to get her to pick a birthday present for herself but she refused and said all she wanted was a play date for Chibi Usa because she didn’t want to make me spend money like that. It was sweet, but I’m still determined to get her a book she might enjoy, even if it takes a while.

After she went home, I walked to the mall and bought a couple of tomes of the New X-Men collection Agus got me started into (more like obsessed with, but whatev). Picked up some Subway on my way home and then worked on editing my own novel’s second draft while eating my sammich ^^

Michiru and I had a couple of super interesting debates about X-Men today, which I enjoyed greatly. She was a bit under the weather so I urged her to go home and get some rest rather than making the effort of coming here and putting on a brave face. Turns out she had a fever and benefited from staying home and cat napping on the sofa all afternoon. I just hope it’s nothing serious and she gets well as soon as possible. I know how much she hates being tied to a bed (or a sofa) rather than running errands all over the city and working like a crazy person. I love her energy levels ❤

Odango Atama and Chibi Usa walked home with us again today after school, at least up until the tunnel, as usual. The girls were running like crazy ahead of us. Usagi told me she’s been having some troubles with her land lord and I suggested to talk to him personally and ask for an extension of her lease for at least another six months so she can get a proper job to pay the rent. It’s not the best option, but it beats going back to Tandil, where baka Mamoru will threaten her with a gun again and try to take Chibi Usa away from her.

No one wants that so yeah… I insisted she talked to the land lord even if he seemed unwilling to help through email. I mean, people are more open to empathy in person after all and the law is on her side. She has a child, so even if she can’t pay the rent, she’s supposed to be allowed to remain there indefinitely. This way, at least it will all be legal.

I suggested she joined a Harry Potter (tabletop RPG) game this weekend or the next one to clear her mind a bit. She says Hotaru and I are her only friends in this city and the poor thing definitely has too much on her plate right now, so yeah. She could use the distraction and the girls could play in Hotaru’s room so we’d be able to thoroughly enjoy ourselves ^^

With that on mind, I told Michiru I was ready to organize the Harry Potter game her sister Miki had asked me to put together sometime soon. Miki and one of her friends confirmed their assistance for next Sunday afternoon. I’ll tell Usagi all about it tomorrow and see if she and Chibi Usa are able to come. I mean, Chibi Usa has therapy on Saturdays so Sunday should be safe, right?

Hotaru and I binge watched about five episodes of the show before she got hungry and asked for tea. She’s still sniffling due to whatever Franco’s boyfriend had (a cold probably) but at least she hasn’t mentioned her ex boyfriend again. It broke my heart to see her cry over a boy for the first time. She seemed so sad that he left her when the subject came up last Saturday.

Anyway, the kid and I took turns picking songs to listen to while she drew a Pikachu and I read about a new Roleplay System for this Harry Potter adventure, as the one I had been using was very inconvenient to be honest.

Setsuna sent me a funny video through Whatsapp about JRPGS but when I asked what was new, she just changed the subject, so I take it something is bothering her and she isn’t ready to talk about it yet. At least her grandma is getting better, which is a relief… if she was ever sick to begin with, which I doubt, but I really don’t mind the lie. I know she sometimes needs her space.

All in all, it was a very productive day.

Netflix and videogames

That’s the peacock vitral Hotaru and I have been working on. It’s still a work in progress but it’s coming along nicely. I have high hopes for it, though this particular plastic is soooo water proof, painting on it is rather complicated. Paint keeps on clumping rather than staying where you put it with the brush so it requires several layers. Very inconvenient. I’ll go for a different kind of plastic next time, but it’s been fun all the same.

Today was a lazy day. Hotaru and I woke up super late because dad drove us home at like five in the morning last night. The kid had been sleeping on my aunt’s bed for hours by then, but still. We were both tired and slept in. It rained all day, so the weather enticed us to sleep in. It was perfect to stay in bed all day binge watching series.

Odango Atama thought today was my birthday. It turns out it’s hers. I said happy birthday to her but not in the fashion I would have wanted to. I wanted to make a fuss over it and couldn’t because she did first and it wasn’t even my birthday so that was a bummer.

Hotaru spent a couple of hours on the phone with Chibi Usa. They had a long talk about unicorns, Polly Pocket and doll houses.

Michiru dropped by after lunch and spent a couple of hours telling me all about the students in the class yesterday. She brought her tablet with her and the three of us played kitty video games together in it for a long time (with several snack breaks in between) until dinner time. Then, Hotaru went on playing while Michiru and I watched The Time in Between and dozed off on the sofa. Lana napped on my lap ^^ It was so nice.

A cockroach appeared on Hotaru’s desk around midnight and Michiru froze, so I manned up and took care of it. I really need to place the poison in that syringe all over the house in strategic places ASAP. Ever since the upstairs neighbor moved out and the owner of the flat started remodeling there’s been bugs all over the building. Norma complained about that yesterday afternoon, when Hotaru and I ran into her in the downstairs lobby. Lucky it’s not just us, then. But I’ll win the war, you’ll see.

After that, I cleaned and disinfected the entire desk, did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen table and counters, and swept the living room floor. Then Michiru went home and Hotaru spent the best part of an hour telling me a tale about three teams of aliens. Her imagination is AMAZING. Seriously ❤ I love her creativity.

I uploaded one of Hotaru’s new videos to youtube channel ^^

 

Spring Cleaning

Mom dropped by after breakfast today. She’s making the most of her week off, I guess. We chatted while doing laundry and prepared Hotaru’s bento for school. Then I went to drop the kid at school and she went back home, promising to come back later to help me with the spring cleaning.

Odango Atama called me as I was about to eat lunch and we spent an hour on the phone, probably more. She told me the many ways Dr. Tomoe and his family could try to make things difficult for me and how to avoid or counter those moves. She’s been there before with Mamoru, so she has lots of experience and wanted to make sure I didn’t go through the same. That’s so sweet and typical Usagi.

She also informed me on the paperwork needed to make sure Dr. Tomoe can’t steal from Hotaru’s fund anymore. I need her ID for that, but I’ll try to get it the day after tomorrow, since Hotaru and I will be out running errands anyway. She needs to come with me to this place so they can get her signature and fingerprint, which is insane. I mean, she’s only six! But this is the new policy so blah.

I ran into Lolo’s mom at school. We agreed to organize this year’s Halloween party together. She’ll host it on her building’s rec room and I’ll help with the food and decoration. Andrea (that’s her name) thinks we should hire entertainers. I think there’s no need for that if we get creative and I’ve organized some pretty damn amazing games and activities in the past, but she insisted. I gave in, though. I think it’s time I let things go and care (and worry) less about everything.

Hotaru will be SO excited when she hears about the Halloween party. A couple other parents didn’t want to join the committee, because they say it’s a foreign celebration, that’s not even a holiday and it’s unsuitable for children. Whatever. I think any excuse to throw a party is great and our kids will only be young once. What’s the harm in some crazy fun once a year? Next year they’ll be learning to write and read and bring homework home… life won’t be this sweet again. Well, it’s their loss.

Odango Atama and Chibi Usa walked with us today. I had to take Hotaru to therapy with Miss Helga, so they escorted us up until the park. Then they had to go home to change the lock for Queen Serenity, as it was faulty, but Chibi Usa didn’t want to leave the park. She threw a tantrum that Odango Atama didn’t know how to handle, so I did. I think she’s starting to pick some discipline cues from me, though. Noticed that yesterday.

Usagi thinks I should be more feminine, wear tighter clothes and put on make up. I tried to explain… but she didn’t understand. Said people would look down on me. As if they didn’t have a dozen other reasons to do that anyway! I understand her heart was in the right place and I appreciate the feeling, but I really love being who I am and wouldn’t change myself back into a girly girl for a million dollars.

A part of me was hurt she kept on pushing no matter how much I tried to make her understand. I do know she’s from a small town where fitting in and what others think of you matter, but even there, I’d still go for being myself. Uncensored. Like I said, I appreciate the feeling and perhaps, she’ll come around in time, see the advantages of living on a big city. I mean, she’s been here less than a year. It’s only logical she’d still have a small town mentality.

Keep forgetting Odango Atama is from Tandil because she’s an art teacher, a personal trainer and for some reason knows how to fire a gun. She’s promised to teach me how to shoot if I teach her archery. This is going to be a very interesting summer and there’s so much I want to do! I’ve never had a chance to spend a summer with Michiru before. Back in high school, our families kept us apart with holidays and other stuff and last year we had that misunderstanding during the winter… Looking forward to summer. It used to be my favorite season as a kid.

I took the nicest nap at Miss Helga’s waiting room. LOL I took the 3DS with me but catching up on sleep was more important, it seems. Miss Helga wants to have an interview with me next week  (Thursday) so she can bring me up to date on Hotaru’s progress. She’s absolutely infatuated with the kid, so hopefully, it’ll be good news. She did say the little firefly was particularly well behaved today. I wonder why.

Then we bought milk and juice on our way home. The walk was very nice and, by the time I got here, I felt ready for bed. Mom arrived a few minutes later and we tackled the gargantuan task of sorting through Hotaru’s clothes and toys. There was SO MUCH that doesn’t fit or hasn’t gotten attention from her anymore, whatever charity gets those bags will be lucky. Mom wanted to just tidy up as quickly as possible, but I insisted we were thorough.

I went through every single basket and pile of toys and sorted everything into piles on Hotaru’s bed by cathegories. Shopkins, Littlest Pet Shops, LalaLoopsies, My Little Ponies, and a VERY long etcetera. Then, I placed everything on its designated drawer or plastic container (after mom had rinsed them with lysol) and she put them on Hotaru’s doll house, since she has made it very clear that dolls don’t hold her attention for long.

It took longer than we expected, but it was well worth it. Hotaru’s room does look like a proper little girl’s dormitory now rather than a sty. And everything is at hand, especially the things she uses the most. I wanted to take a picture but, by the time we were done with it, I only had enough spare energy to crawl to the bathroom and take a quick shower. After that, I was on auto pilot. Yet, I managed to get a lot more done.

Mom and I did another batch of laundry, changed Hotaru’s sheets, and then I got dinner started right before she left. Then the kid and I watched an episode of Mr. Selfridge (she’s grounded because Chibi Usa and her hid from Odango Atama and I again today after I made it clear yesterday that it was a huge no-no), as she can’t choose what to watch tonight and has to join in on whatever I watch if she wants to.

Then she went to her room to play with her toys while I worked on my fanart some more. I managed to finish Haruka, too. Go me! Michiru has been working on a secret art project for the past two weeks. She says it’s a surprise so I’m not allowed to see it and she won’t even give me a hint, but insists I’m gonna love it. I wonder what she’s drawing. It can’t be one of the beasts for her bestiary illustration book, because she’s never made a fuss over them before.

Hotaru wanted to do a quick craft before bedtime, so we painted with cardboard on a sheet of paper. It was fun, twisting the cardboard pieces and cord into strange shapes before dipping them in paint. They made for the weirdest ponies I’ve ever seen. Still, it was fun. I’ve seen they’ve used that technique before at her school, so the rules were very clear.

Hotaru’s class studied medieval stained glass while she was sick so she missed the only decent craft they did this year, which sucks. Luckily for her, I’ve done some pretty decent stained glass crafts myself when I was in elementary school, so I signed up for the challenge. We’re making our own stained glass projects this week and they’ll be MUCH more elaborated than the ones they did at school, with real paint on the film and an actual motif rather than just glueing colored paper to a translucent plastic. Yes, they can’t even get THAT right at her school… and even medieval folks did!

The idea is to cover Hotaru’s bedroom window glasses with the stained glass, so the light that comes through her window in the morning is all fun and colorful. Also, I’d like to make some crepe paper flowers to decorate the living room. Spring is finally here and I want to celebrate!

 

Project: Embroidery

I finished the embroidery project I’ve been working on for three of the past five days (because I didn’t get anything done over the weekend). It’s a pillow case for Hotaru, made of her old crib blankets.

The kid grew up so fast, she barely had any chance to use them and, honestly, if Michiru and I ever have more babies, we’ll buy them new stuff. Hotaru had tons of new stuff, they deserve the same and we luckily don’t need hand me downs.

I saw mom this morning. She came by to drop Hotaru’s certificate for school. The one I left at her place accidentally the other day. She wouldn’t have been able to go to school without it. Walking with mom and doing some window shopping was SO nice. It took me back to when I was sixteen and she was just divorced my dad. We used to go for long walks and talk a lot. It was so nostalgic. But in a good way. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Hotaru went back to school today after SO long. She was thrilled and the happiest I’ve seen her in the past two weeks. She loved seeing her friends again and going back to her routine. They gave her the T-shirt senior kids about to enter elementary school wear. It has a self portrait of her (cosplaying as Misty from Pokemon) printed in it. It was insanely expensive and we missed the ceremony because of her pink eye, so yeah… not as thrilled about that as we should have been.

We ran into Odango Atama and Chibi Usa at the school entrance and we walked halfway home together as we do almost every day, though I never find the time to write about it. Odango Atama invited herself home with us for tea so we all walked here and the girls ran like crazy all the way. It’s great to see Chibi Usa is slowly getting her health back. The poor thing has been through so much! And at such a young age!

Hotaru and her went to play in her room with the cat and the thousands of toys the little firefly has. She gave Chibi Usa a couple of them as presents because she’s such a giving little girl ❤ I’m immensely proud of her and I love being her parent.

They had juice and some leftover cookies from Chibi Usa’s school snack, because I didn’t have any wheat free snacks here, since I wasn’t planning on having her over. And we didn’t stop by a mini market on our way home either, but they were too excited by their enchanted world of illusions and endless games to be hungry or care.

Odango Atama and I talked about our misfortunes. This past couple of years seem to be crappy ones to be a Libra. Her birthday is next Sunday! I couldn’t believe it! I like her even more now ^^ I’m hoping to get her a nice present, but I still don’t know what it can be. She’s super sporty (she’s a personal trainer, duh!) so it might be something related to that. Dunno, but she’s in serious need of some self care.

It seems she hasn’t taken some time off for herself and her hobbies in forever. I mean, I understand that it’s hard to care for a child that needs dialysis and can’t eat wheat, but she needs some down time or she’ll go insane. The poor woman.

I told her that and she said she might be interested in going for a walk every day, but I have the feeling she needs more than just that. I suggested the free classes the government offers in 45 different areas and explained how it works, which ones are available at which center and other tips.

Then she inquired about my painting and writing and I discovered that she, too, has an idea for a novel, so we spent the best part of an hour talking about writing and starting a writing workshop (which is ironic, because I was just telling Michiru the other day that I wished I had someone to workshop with XD). Anyway, I offered to beta for her if she did make up her mind to start writing.

Her plot seems AMAZING from what she told me, so I really hope she does get writing. I can’t wait to read it and I love having someone to share my passion for creating stories with.

Last night, I got tickets for a Mozart concert at the Opera House next Friday (because it’s my birthday on Thursday and I wanted to pamper myself somehow). It was the last day and the tickets were almost sold out, so I got them despite knowing Michiru wouldn’t be able to come with me. Taking Setsuna and not her makes me feel guilty, but Michiru works until 9pm on Fridays and her workplace is over an hour away from the Opera House. The show starts at 8pm and I have to be there an hour in advance to collect the tickets so there’s no way of fixing that.

Besides, I’ll take Michiru to the Opera House soon enough. I want to propose to her at a restaurant that’s two blocks away from it called Petit Colon, so I’ll take her to a concert before that of course. In a way, it’s good I’m taking Setsuna with me. It’ll give me an idea of what to expect when I finally can take Michiru there. It’ll take a while, though. She has class on Thursdays and the concerts I wanted to take her to are… yep, on Thursdays as well. Perhaps in the summer.

I’m still super excited about going to the Colon Opera House. I’ve never been there before. Not in an official grown up fashion anyway. I’ve been there with my school before, but that’s not the same. It’s the third best Opera House world wide! And the tickets were quite affordable as well. The view is null but the idea is to listen rather than to watch so yeah… Setsuna is as excited as I am, but she’s concerned about the dressing code. I couldn’t sleep last night thinking of that so I guess that’s why we’re friends. We think alike!

Besides, I have been neglecting Setsuna a lot lately and this will be a nice way to reconnect with her. Speaking of friends, got a message from my friend Nacho today. He said “Hey, Ruka! Your birthday’s coming up! How have you been?” And I know his is coming up as well, because it’s six days after mine, so I suggested we got the boys together for a double celebration this Sunday or perhaps next weekend. I’m SO looking forward to seeing them again.

Good talks

Hotaru went back to school today. I forgot to mention that yesterday my mom got a call from Dr. Tomoe’s mother asking why Hotaru hadn’t been going to school. Mom asked her how she knew this and she said that she called the school every day to know if she was there (which I think it’s a bit creepy and screams STALKER, but whatever).

Mom called me to warn me this at night, after she had left. She said that woman might call and she did while I was on the phone with her. She called my cell phone. I love my mom ❤ She’s a genius for warning me. What if I didn’t check the caller ID before picking up!? The stress! Just thinking about it stresses me senseless!

Hotaru and I played Animal Jam for a little while. Not too long because I was still super tired and not feeling well even if she did. I managed to type s few hundred words into my novel. I apologize to Lex and Gypsy for the nonsense. I’ll have to edit that heavily later on LOL Gods know what I might have written! I don’t even remember!

The kid and I spent a good couple of hours drawing later at night and then I felt good enough to dance a couple of Just Dance songs with her… and by a couple I mean like 1/3 of one and 1/4 of a different song half an hour later. Her? She was completely fine and jumping all over the place by today. Kids really bounce back super easily and I’ve been drinking lots of orange juice and stuff!!

She is humming a song she made up as I type. The lyrics are “Okaasan daisuki” She’s SOOOO adorable ❤ I absolutely love her and I’m glad that I was feeling well enough to spend quality time with her today. I missed her these past few days while I was a zombie and I know she’s missed me too. Oh, and I cleaned the fish tank yesterday somehow. It was like climbing Mount Everest but I did it for Leeboo.

Hotaru spent a couple of hours on the phone with Chibi Usa today. They used our cellphones for a whatsapp call and talked about nonsense and sent each other pictures and a ton of emoticons and played something regarding monsters, judging by Hotaru’s screams of “MONSTEEEEER!” that came from her room. LOL They’re so cute ❤ Thinking of it, Chibi Usa didn’t come to school today. I wonder if she’s better from her asthma fit. Odango Atama told me she had one a couple of days back which isn’t surprising considering the weather we’ve been having.

The school wants us parents to organize something neat for Teachers Day (or was it Students Day?) and they held a meeting on Friday… or Monday. I really can’t remember. Thing is I wasn’t able to attend for health reasons (so it was probably Monday) and then they decided for a Kermes and sent me a text with the game that I was assigned to. I think I’m in a group with the Korean girl’s mom and someone else… one of the boys’ parents I think.

We have to organize carrying an egg till the finish line with a spoon. And these two women want to get together to talk about it!! I mean it’s carrying a freaking (plastic, hopefully) egg with a spoon for a couple of meters!!! How complicated can it get for the activity to require a meeting!?!?! I did tell them I was down with the flu and that I wouldn’t be able to go. They said I should let them know when I’m better so we could meet. WHAT GIVES!?

Michiru and I had a really nice chat about one of the classes she’s taking. It’s about education methods used nowadays and how they could be improved/reformed. It was very interesting and I loved being able to share that with her and reconnect. I felt a little disconnected from her what with me being a zombie all week. I wasn’t up for chatting or anything, really. It was super tiring.

I also had a great chat with Setsuna (who’s been thoroughly enjoying her brand new boyfriend 😉 about Michiru and I. I wanted her opinion on some things I have had on my mind lately. Mostly this blood issue that came up a while ago and other similar concerns.

Setsuna’s advice was golden, as usual. She eased my fears and helped me see the situation as it was and analyze it objectively. Now I feel happier than ever to have Michiru in my life, both for me and for Hotaru’s sake. Setsuna is right. We might not always agree on how to parent, but I know she means well (that tough love is just the way she’s been brought up) and it’s good for the kid to have a different perspective from mine. It’ll be enriching for her to have one parent who is very understanding and another one who helps her face reality bravely.

Clearly, I can’t be the first one since I’m always running away from everything, so Michiru will probably have to teach both Hotaru and I how to be braver.

Oh, also, I told Setsuna in confidence that I’ve ordered my jeweler to start working on Michiru’s engagement ring last week. I’ve designed it back in 2004 and always kept that design very close to my heart. Told absolutely no one about it until last month when Setsuna and I discussed my intention of proposing to Michiru this summer.

Then, as we started dating and things got more serious, I decided that it was time to see if Oscar would be able to craft such a ring and I started looking online for similar designs I could use to explain to him what I needed. Turns out there was such a ring! Someone has designed it after all! It was likely to happen (and I don’t mind, really… who cares about someone across the globe with the same ring when I’ve dreamed of it for twelve years!?).

I had googled it several times in the past, through the years, because it was exactly the ring that I had Lex give to Gypsy when proposing to her (yes, I know, I’m a romantic deep inside). All my anual searches came back negative: there wasn’t anything QUITE like what I had on mind. Well, the one I found this time isn’t EXACTLY what I wanted, but I explained to the man which things I wanted changed.

I trust his judgment because Oscar has made me beautiful rings in the past ❤ And this one will be the best so far. I can feel it! ❤ I asked him not to use my design for other clients and I know he’ll be quiet about it.

Oh, Hotaru and I sang karaoke before bedtime (and played Animal Jam in the afternoon for a little while, killed a few dozen phantoms). LOL. It was fun and I loved showing her old songs and seeing her reactions to them and having my own shocks with her trendy favorites. She listens to Skrillex for God’s sake!

Also, Hotaru told me today that she’s not SUPER sad about Mr. Remus anymore, because she can finally think about him and think of the good times and that he had a good life. I wish I could! I say I can because that’s what expected of me, but I still feel my heart crunched every time I remember him in his final moments.

I try to remember him alive and well, but I honestly can only conjure the last time I saw him when I try to remember him twitching his cute little nose or running. It’s hell. Then I keep thinking of my mom, who probably has similar memories of my childhood dog, Roger and I feel for her. I’m glad that Hotaru didn’t have to see him in the end the way I did that last day. God, I love this kid enough to face death so she doesn’t have to.

At the park with friends

We stopped at the park with Hotaru’s friend Vicky for a while after school. We ran into her and her uncle and, after learning we were heading for the same place, we all sort of ended up going together. It was super awkward because Vicky’s uncle is super quiet and shy and I don’t know how to relate to that kind of people (I really dislike quiet and shy people).

After that, Hotaru stepped on mud and I thought she did it on purpose so I told her we were going home but then halfway there she said it wasn’t on purpose and we went back to the park. Vicky and her uncle weren’t there anymore, which was a relief to me but I felt kinda sorry for Hotaru, though she enjoyed our time there thoroughly.

While we were at the park, we ran into one of her school mates who was absent today because he was sick (the kid in the orange tee). I think it was SUPER irresponsible of her mother to take him out to the park when he was with a temperature of 39° last night. I hate that kind of parents.

She played on the slide and monkey bars for a while, then built a mound of some sort at the sandbox and climbed her favorite tree. Then we caught a couple of pokemon and came back home where she took a bubble bath while I worked on my novel.

I’ve been writing A LOT lately. I love it ^^

We had uncle Angel’s party at night, but we didn’t go because I was feeling too tired and kinda queasy because of all the stress, so we played Animal Jam and had a quiet night in.

She was sad about missing Dr. Tomoe before bedtime but I started reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to her and she calmed down and fell asleep. I hate to see her cry.

Lulu’s Birthday Party

Today was Lulu’s 6th birthday party. She’s one of Hotaru’s friends from school and the kid was super excited about it. We’ve been to parties in this venue before and it was absolutely amazing. The make up artist they hired did such a wonderful job! It was a hundred times better than the one we hired for Hotaru’s party and I’m not ashamed to say it.

She had tons of different paints, from glow in the dark and impressive pallete of colorful glitter shades to the wonderful gradient you can see in Hotaru’s face. She said she wanted an Outer Senshi rainbow and the poor woman was clueless so I had to explain it to her but she did an outstanding job! And even glued a few gems on her forehead too. So adorable!

I was in awe at these multicolor body paint kits where all you had to do to get a perfect gradient was run a sponge over the thing and then apply! Hotaru’s started with light green near the eyes and went through a darker shade of green, teal, light blue, dark blue, indigo before settling for purple near her temples. Her choice of lipstick was off, as Michiru remarked when she saw the picture, but otherwise it was wonderful and those white swirls! My! What an impressive display of fine motor skills!

A few other moms and kids and I went to the park to catch pokemon after the party. It was fun ^^ I stayed at the venue during the event, talking to other mothers about Dr. Tomoe and my plans to transfer Hotaru to the Mugen Gakuen school next year. Lulu’s mother wants to transfer little Lulu as well. She’s also coming to the meting on Thursday. It’d be nice for them to transfer together. That way, Hotaru would have a friend she knows and adapting would be easier for the pair… not that I’m a fan of this particular kid but it could be worse. It could be Juana xD

Michiru had to work to cover up for one of her coworkers, so we didn’t see each other. The plan was to have Hotaru spend the night at my mom’s to keep her company as Leo was still in hospital while Michiru and I attended her sister Miki’s costume birthday party as something we couldn’t define yesterday because nothing was good enough for either of us and we kept on going off topic with silly jokes about unbecoming costumes.

Thing is Leo was discharged today and Michiru was super exhausted from working nearly 14 hours yesterday and an entire shift today, and I was still feeling crappy from having seen Dr. Tomoe face to face again (and having him turn someone else neutral against me again despite the fact that it is him who is a perverse monster!). So it all aligned against having crazy fun. I was in no mood for a party and neither was Michiru. She just helped Miki and her friend get everything ready and went straight to bed while I watched my Spanish soap opera and took my mind off everything by focusing on spies and cold wars.

I explained to Hotaru that I was very very tired because I was running very important errands for her sake yesterday that I hope she someday will understand and needed some peace and quiet to unwind. The little firefly was super understanding and tried to keep it quiet for my sake, which I really really appreciated. Besides, the party and pokemon hunting exhausted her so much she napped for a long time and was naturally calm at night.