Milkis, Zelda, and Pink. Awesome sauce!

It's very quiet at this moment. Johnny is having a much deserved sleepy morning. The neighbors dogs aren't even barking. Writing was inevitable. ;)
I will be seeing a therapist for the first (recent) time tomorrow. I'm a little nervous, but not too much. I expect it to be a good experience, even if it's hard. I want to be able to work through the things that are holding me back and let myself be more joyful in how I live my life. A little while ago, I had a friend criticize me for a few hours for the decisions I have made. But, you know, there came a time for me where I realized I needed to make changes. I let go of some of the fear and now life is a lot different than I had planned. But, it's also so much better now. We're in a new place and I'm excited to let this new version of myself grow. It's kind of funny that things are okay now so I need someone to teach me how to be. :D And I'm going to be! :)

We found an awesome Asian Market since I posted last. They have a whole room dedicated to dishes and other fun things like that. They have 3 different freezer sections. I am a big fan of Japanese sugary snacks. And, thanks to Brandon, a Korean soda called Milkis (which this place has in 3 flavors!!!). I got the ingredients I needed and tried making dumplings/potstickers. A girlfriend of mine gave me her recipe, so I decided to be daring. ;) I got them a little dark on one side, but they turned out pretty good!
John also got me into an online game (gasp!) called Perfect World. I haven't really gamed much in a long time. I remember why I always loved it. You can control what happens to you in a game. You can be brave and be a hero and for a while be in a different place where the things you daydreamed about as a kid can be real. Of course I'm not going to be one of the people that lets that world replace mine. No no no. But gaming has always been pretty therapeutic for me. And piano. And cooking, reading, writing... All of those require a lot of focus and concentration so it sweeps your mind clear of anything else. I got back in touch with that little kid sitting on the blue rug in the basement with the light streaming in the window playing Metroid and Zelda and getting a sense of accomplishment and a sense of being capable and in control of something. :) Everybody needs an escape like that - some people crochet or go rock climbing or dance. I love how different people are.
And it's my birthday this week. I'm not going to do the girl thing and be bummed about getting older. It does kind of suck that life is slipping past, but that's how it goes. I'm going to have a fun and happy day with lots of pink involved. (Indeed.) And I'll need to decide about birthday dinner and cake and such. :) When I was little my mom always made me stuffed shells for dinner and she always decorated a cake for me with flowers on it and such girly cuteness that thrilled me to my core. I really appreciate that. I might attempt such... or we might buy one because I'm really bad at frosting cakes. Mom taught me and taught me. Someday I'll be good at it. And I'll narrate while I frost, like Alton Brown: use a spatula to smooth the frosting onto the cake thusly. (I love how much Alton says "thusly!")
So: it's going to be a great week everybody!!! :D With much pink. I'll let you know how it goes. ;)