I just got a call from an on-line friend I'm very fond of! You know who you are! It was so good talking to you.

So I'm all happy now, and I want to share that we just had a new book released for DMG. If you want to read it, head over to emanga.com. Not sure if it'll be available on Kindle or Nook. (I hope so).

Awakened Dreamer by Azusa Kurosawa



The main story is rather dark, with gorgeous (and sexy!) art. The one-shots are amazingly good. I really enjoyed translating this one.

My daughter got into Lowell High School, the prestigious, most sought-after public high school in San Francisco. She's thrilled. Me too.

With fits and starts, I move forward through life.

Last night, I had to work late, attending an evening session to present our fare increase propsal to ferry passengers. When I got home, I was tired, and raised my voice to Francine at one point. I think we were both surprised. Since everything in July, I've worked hard to present her with a calm, confident, warm mom.

I'm working on my third DMG manga, Fantasy Paradise. It's very slow-going, though I can't figure out why. On the surface, it's not particularly hard, yet I keep running into these bubbles where I hesitate and look things up and ponder and spend ridiculous amounts of time.

I'm only translating two pages a day. However, I know from experience that I will get the job done, and pretty soon I will have a time when I can wrestle this chapter into submission and return to a more productive pace.

Silly Gossip, localized by Boys Love Bang Bang (translated by me!). It's currently #62 most popular of mangas on Kindle.

Tonight I prepared the dough for my mom's famous holiday dinner rolls. They are loved by everyone that I can think of.

As most of the people who ever read my journal know, in mid-July I suffered a life-changing event. Some of you know what the event was, and some have been kind and understanding just knowing that it was something major.

No matter how bad I think life is treating me, I hope I am always able to carry on and even help others when possible.

Tonight I mixed this dough remembering my mother, who, even though I spent many years being angry with her, I now realize did so much for me, and I think of her looking down on me now and feeling sad I've had such a terrible thing come into my life and feeling proud of me when I carry on regardless.

So here is her recipe. It's best if you put a little love in it.

Gilda's Yeast Rolls

Dissolve a pkg dry yeast in 1/2 c. warm water

Cream together:
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. sugar

Add 1/2 c. hot water to butter and sugar.

Add the yeast mixture.

Beat 1 egg lightly and add to mixture.

Add
1/2 t. salt
3 c. flour

Mix well.

Cover bowl with a damp towel and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, punch down and roll out and cut as for biscuits.

Place the rolls on greased pans and let rise till doubled (takes about 3 hours).

Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Double recipe for large holiday dinners.

I love to travel with my family (I'm talking about the family I had, not the family I was born in). We have made so many precious memories traveling the US and the world together!

I also like to talk about life with them.

With the family I was born with, we used to play this game called Tripoley. I used to love to play that with them. Or any game that's good with a large number of people!

When we were little we'd play "The bus to heaven." We'd line up all the dining room chairs (well this is when my mom was mopping the dining room floor and would put them in the living room), and one of us would be the driver and the rest would be angels going to Heaven.

And there were other times when my little brother got a cool gift like a space station or a jungle set, and we'd introduce various dolls into the story and just improvise some kind of crazy scenario.

Posted also at Garage Sale Japan.

Assorted yaoi manga and DJ's--within US I'll ship media mail, so that's about $2.41 for one or two manga. International will be about $11.00 depending on destination for a single volume.

( Do I have something you want? )

I almost cried this afternoon when I read the definition of "eucatastrophe." But I actually really truly cried in therapy on Monday evening.

I collect chickens. Little chicken knick knacks, to be precise. It all started with a chicken-shaped salt dish that I found in an antique store in Red Bluff on a trip up to Oregon. They used to have that kind of salt dish at my favorite restaurant, so I was really happy to find it.

Mine is similar to this, only it's red and has a few dings in it:




In New Zealand, one of the cutest souvenirs you can find is a Happy Hen. They are ceramic objects shaped like a chicken and painted in either realistic or fanciful colors. I bought them for my friends, and finally a friend got one for me when I took care of his pet birds while he was in New Zealand.

These are Happy Hens currently for sale. I personally think mine is MUCH cuter.




Then I found some Navajo chickens on a visit to Tucson (they used to have a great crafts shop, the Kaibab shop, there, which has since closed). I think I gave one away and kept one.

Mine is similar to this, but it's yellow:




One of my favorites is a little nest of chicken eggs with a hen on top of it.

I've received other that are much less precious, but how does one turn down such a gift? One smiles and receives gladly.

I also have a couple of pigs. I actually do love chickens and pigs in real life, too, so my collection reflects my actual love of certain animals.

I also have quite a huge collection of Blue Ridge dinnerware in various apple patterns. Maybe I'll post about that another time :)