30 Apr 07
Still sick. But I can’t complain; my garden is in full flush, I have a good job with fun co-workers, and I’m blessed with a huge amount of entertainment. It’s worth the occasional cold.
29 Apr 07
Last week’s trip seems to have given me a touch of…something. I won’t describe the grotesque details, but safe to say I am sick. I hope it won’t last; I want to go to work tomorrow. I comforted myself by watching Versus, a movie by the live-action Japanese director I saw last weekend, Ryuhei Kitamura. […]
28 Apr 07
And I’m back. The trip was precisely fine: informative and uneventful. I didn’t have a great time—I never like changes to my comfortable life, and yes that worries me on occasion—but nothing remotely bad happened. ‘Twas strange, though, being in a company town. Cedar Rapids is mixed zoning, strip malls glaring at industrial plants that […]
22 Apr 07
I’ll be travelling on business this week, so expect few updates to this site. To completely change the subject, if you ever get the chance to watch the Taiwanese film The Puppetmaster, be prepared for an excruciating documentary style in which every shot lasts, on average, three minutes. And in which the theme appears to […]
21 Apr 07
I’m back from an anime and manga panel discussion at the Smithsonian. I sat literally a few feet away from Monkey Punch (creator of Lupin III), Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (president of Production I.G.), and Ryuhei Kitamura (live-action movie director). A few random notes: In one month in 2007, 250 manga magazines are published in Japan, and […]
20 Apr 07
Some of you may remember the cooking show that I made and posted on YouTube last winter. I’ve reposted the website, where you can browse and watch the videos.
19 Apr 07
I read half a dozen self-improvement blogs every day. This week, I’ve become increasingly disillusioned with them. Several of them focus on things to do to improve your life. Go to the gym. Get away from toxic people. Envision wild success and focus all your time on that. But these are all external circumstances. Isn’t […]
17 Apr 07
After watching the first episode of an amazing BBC documentary, “The Secret Life of The Manic Depressive,” I’ve made a few key realizations. Most of my major life decisions are driven by pride. I crave fame. My reach exceeds my grasp. I start many grandiose projects when I’m feeling great, only to feel overwhelmed when […]
15 Apr 07
David Allen writes: One subtle life skill should become part of the competency set for all professionals (and all people): How fast can you get back to “ready”? How easily and rapidly can you relax and refocus when it’s necessary to do so? How good are you at creating a centered, balanced, aware, and open […]
13 Apr 07
Just finished watching Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress. I like Kurosawa’s films, but I just don’t love them like many people do. This one’s no exception; it’s very good, but I’ve no interest in watching it again. Well, except for one spear fight halfway through. But he holds his shots for much longer than I feel […]