Saturday, July 28, 2001

Fair quiet, have I found thee here,
And innocence, thy sister dear!
Mistaken long, I sought you then
In busy companies of men.
Your sacred plants, if here below
Only among the plants will grow.
Society is all but rude,
To this delicious solitude.
— from “The Garden”, Andrew Marvell (1621–1678)

Blood and ashes, this is a beautiful day. There is only a smattering of clouds; the sun is bright, the humidity has fled like a beaten bully, and the mperature is just the teensiest bit cool. Perfect.

I went to McLean Bible Church to teach about Redemption this morning, only to be the only one who showed up. So I read another chapter of American Gods, and got some chores done while I was out.

I came home and had a wonderful lunch, then cleaned my part of the house, mowed the lawns, and jumped into the pool for about twenty minutes. I then watched Masamune Shirow’s Appleseed.

I found Appleseed to be a pretty good use of 68 minutes. There was nothing in it that I particularly loved, and the constant stream of profanity in the English dub got old quickly, but it had a good set of characters and a decent story. It’s a shame that the deeper elements of the plot and setting were never developed.

After dinner, Mom and I watched a Cartoon Network presentation of three Wallace and Grommit featurettes, which we enjoyed immensely. Afterwards, I watched a Good Eats episode on cabbage…a surprisingly useful vegetable, if cooked properly. It’s too easy to make it turn out “the color of an army jeep,” as the host put it.

I also received my trade paperback of Mark Kalesniko’s Mail Order Bride, a “graphic novel” about a geeky American who orders an Asian bride. I was entranced by the subtlety of the couple’s relationship and the artist’s mastery of visual pacing, but unfortunately I felt that the ending fell flat on its face. Indeed, there really is no ending; the two have a gigantic fight, then the book ends with a review of scenes from the beginning of their relationship, when both are awkward and shy around each other. It was a real disappointment. Besides all of the vulgarity.

And now, I’m getting ready for bed. I wish I could say I’d been more productive today — I’d hoped to work on Calliope, and write reviews of Appleseed and Mail Order Bride, but I’m too tired. Maybe tomorrow.