Happy February! (Hard to believe we're already in the second month of 2021, right?) It was another cold week; it snowed multiple times (and fluffy cat was none to keen on the prospect lol). She opted to stay snuggled in bed with me, by the fire, in her blanket tent, or on the couch for most of the week. She thought she wanted to go outside, but the cold and snow proved to be significant deterrents. Once she was about to walk outside in the snow, but after feeling it barely touch her foot, she immediately turned around and wanted to go back to the warm comfort of indoors. I can't say I blame her--it was the coldest it's been all winter this week. There was a semi "warm" day this week, but the cold seemed to be the ultimate ruler of the temperature this week.
The February Goddess Provisions box arrived this week. This month's theme: Isis, which I found exciting. I've felt especially drawn to Isis lately (especially starting last year). I look forward to checking out the Isis deck. Anyone else feel close to Isis lately?
April, Iris, and I hung out a lot this week. We met together for brunch and had pancakes at Iris's request. It was pretty tasty, and Iris was so ecstatic to enjoy her pancakes. She showed off My Little Pony Friendship is Magic (April tells me that it's Iris's favorite right now). We had fun at the park, with Iris chasing after us, trying to stomp on our shadows (it was really cute--she insist that we "run" away so she could catch us and our shadows lol). She "drove" us around in her car, bringing us to the house of her friend, Pickle Minne (her imaginary friend); she informed us that Pickle Minnie has a cat and a dog--both named Doodoo Ow (just like what she dubbed the reindeer lol). She ran a food stand, ran away from the whale (because she said it was going to eat her), and defended me from the T-rex so it wouldn't eat me. She sang and danced to the song "Breakfast Burrito" before deciding that she would make herself a human burrito with her piano mat (she dubbed herself the butterfly burrito). April asked if I wanted to go with them to do the boring task of getting more gas for the car--the line for the pump was fairly long, so we ended up chatting (mostly about the fun times we had in the past); Iris was extremely quiet. Upon looking behind us, I found her passed out asleep. While back at their place, Iris ran around trying to give people "booty shots" with her Doc McStuffins toy shot. We also decided to get crafty; with Valentine's Day coming up, April suggested making Valentines. I opted to go for a rainbow theme--Iris wanted to help us make them, but her help consisted of cutting paper like crazy and adding an obscene amount of glitter glue (lol). She kept asking if she could add the glitter glue to what we were working on; I had no qualms about collaborating with her, but I reminded her that I wanted to finish my part first (coloring and cutting out a shape really doesn't work well if the piece of paper you're working on is sopping wet with glitter glue lol). She was so excited to help, though, so she kept asking literally every few seconds if I was done yet. It could have been annoying, but her enthusiasm was adorable. It was lots of fun to create together, and it was really nice not having pressure to do anything in particular. The heart I made using April's water color markers combined with Iris's ample glitter glue turned out super cool--a lot like tie dye, so we want to try making more like that. The regular water color one was fine, but the color seemed to run and mix differently when Iris helped fold and press it together. There's nothing wrong with that one, but we prefer the water color marker version better. April's turned out neat, too, resembling a tree in the middle of the heart. Iris has what seems to be an almost never-ending supply of energy; April is a champ of a mom--you're doing great!
I helped out with a bit of last minute tutoring this week. He was happy to see me, and I brought him his birthday present, which he loved. He started French class (the encore classes have been going through rotation thus far--he's had stuff like drama, art, engineering/tech). His French teacher shared a song called "Elle Me Dit," and it was pretty catchy (although he didn't particularly care for it). I also stopped by his birthday parade this weekend, and it was great to see how happy he was to see all the people that care about him to help celebrate his birthday. It was also a plus that it didn't start snowing until well after his parade.
Here are the Perler bead creations for the week. April suggested I try a rainbow tie dye collection, and it's been a lot of fun to create.
I enjoyed anime and reading fanfic like usual. This week's fanfic: The Silver Dove and the Raven, Love in the Time of Kimora, Misery Loves Company, White Dresses, Kisses, Kimono Patterns, Taciturn, Contradiction, Love Boats, and Swimming in Silk. If you have any favorite fanfics featuring Sesshomaru, please share! I loved the most recent episode of YashaHime; Sesshomaru and his magnificent self appeared! He totally saved the girls (even if he would never openly admit it--he's not one to vocalize his feelings, so really, it's no surprise). Kirinmaru mentioned that he needed Sesshomaru to do something, which got me wondering. Sesshomaru isn't one to do the bidding of others, but if Kirinmaru truly is in control of the dream butterfly, which has been seen going back to the Tree of Ages/Goshinboku (where Rin is currently inside), then they probably reached some sort of agreement. I already suspected that Sesshomaru had something to do with the whole dream butterfly/Setsuna not being able to sleep thing--I mean, after Zero was able to find the twins in their sleep, it's a no-brainer that Sesshomaru would want to eliminate the possibility of a repeat. Plus, if it also was to protect Rin, there's no way that he wouldn't go all out to protect his family/pack. Towa being sent off to the future prevented Zero from finding her again, so it's not like Sesshomaru had to concern himself with Zero finding her. It makes me wonder what Kirinmaru wants Sesshomaru to do, and I still have all these questions about flipping Riku. What goes on in that head of his? Seriously, I don't know his motives, but he seems to be pulling all of the strings, much like Naraku (whom I never cared for, but I can't find myself hating Riku thus far--he's interesting but such a mystery).
I also had the strong impulse to rewatch No Game No Life. I ended up finding out that it had a movie, too, which I eagerly decided to watch. As it was titled No Game No Life: Zero, I anticipated that it would take place prior to Sora and Shiro's arrival to Disboard, but I didn't anticipate how much before it would take place. That movie was intense and deeply played with my emotions--it was like a truck plowed full-speed into my emotions. After finishing the movie I noticed that it was labeled as "emotional"--no kidding. I wondered why the impulse to rewatch No Game No Life was so strong--it was nonignorable. I surmised that it was in relation to Sora and Shiro's belief in this world (the earth-realm) being a "shit game." Many people likely feel that way, now more than ever with all the restrictions and fear. I don't think that was the main point, though. I believe it has more to do with people giving up before they even try and taking things too seriously. Kurumi, like the bulk of immanity, believes that humans are too weak and would thus need the protection of the elves in order to survive. The limiting beliefs restrict humanity/immanity's ability to grow and thrive. Sora and Shiro shatter such beliefs and strive much higher to show off human potential, refusing to settle. Excluding Tet, the rest of the world doubts that any human could possibly defeat the other races--lacking in magic, magic-sensing abilities, or enhanced senses/physical abilities, immanity is considered to be weak. Yet time and time again Sora and Shiro push the limits, savoring the game and defeating the odds. Everyone else can't seem to comprehend the notion of having fun when playing a game. Sora and Shiro recognize it all being one big game and seek to have fun while proving the strength of immanity: intelligence. They take purposeful action rather than opting to remain stagnant and stationary (i.e. Kurumi's plan to have immanity close off its borders, isolating themselves so they could lose no more--they wouldn't suffer any more losses with such a plan, but they wouldn't be able to grow further either). This feels like the universe emphasizing the importance of purposeful action and a strong belief in what we can accomplish. We need to challenge the odds, push our luck, and try what others have never dared to attempt in order to move forward. Continuing on as we always have will only result in further stagnation and loss. We need to channel our inner Sora and Shiro in order to change the world for the better. If we refuse to take even the first step, the world we seek will never come to fruition. We can accomplish anything we set our minds to if we have the courage to move forward. Remaining in the known will not serve us to our fullest potential. It's only by venturing into the unknown that we can reach our greatest heights. Many people likely are clinging to the familiar right now, not wanting to suffer any further losses. Many have lost jobs, businesses, loved ones. A lot are hurting. It's like immanity after losing all of its resources and land save for the capital city after the rule of the so-called "Foolish King." Many have hit rock bottom. It can be dark, oppressive, smothering, and down-right terrifying, but once you hit rock bottom, you can only go up. That is, of course, unless you choose to remain there. That is a choice. You get to make that call. It might not be an easy call to make when you feel so lost, confused, and defeated, but it's your decision to make. To you choose to climb higher or remain where you are? I agree with Sora's belief that many humans aren't acting from the highest level of consciousness right now. People can be down-right cruel if they choose to be, but like Sora, I believe in humanity's potential. Its potential is so great--it can shatter obstacles, reaching heights higher than we can even conceive of. We need to actively choose such a path, though. It cannot be achieved by sitting idly, twiddling our thumbs, pretending everything is great. I don't know all the steps to take, but we need to take that first step and continue to move forward. If we join forces, sincerely believing in one another, we can be an undefeatable, unstoppable team just like Blank. Sora and Shiro may be "fictional characters," but they illustrate just what humanity could accomplish if it gave itself the chance. Take care of yourselves; ensure you get sufficient rest and relaxation. Believe in yourself, and don't sell yourself short. We've got this--we just need to do our best and continue striving forward. Stay blessed, everyone~
Here's some food for thought from Amanda Ellis emphasizing the importance of venturing into the unknown:
Here's more food for thought from Ralph Smart on Infinite Waters:
Food for thought to consider for the week:
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