Listening to: "Books! Books! Books! Records! Records! Records!" (album) - Combat Furniture
This afternoon I managed to be as productive as ever. I got both the kitchen and the bathroom cleaned completely (top to bottom). Now all I have to do before my apartment will be perfect is clean up my room and the main area a little bit (which shouldn't be too difficult)
I went downtown at around six and stopped by Mayfair mall (and the little sandwich store in the food court) so that I could visit my friend who was working there. She was actually kind enough to give me a sandwich for free too.
And then I went to a movie. I was actually set on seeing the Batman movie at first, but at the box office I decided to ask the girl to choose which movie I should see, and her choice was so prompt that I changed my mind instantly. I went to see (Miyazaki's) "Howl's Moving Castle".
It was brilliant. As I've mentioned, I'm already a huge fan of every Miyazaki flick. I used to be a big anime nerd, so I've been into all of his movies for a couple years. It all started with a really amazing manga titled "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (there's a movie too, but it's not nearly as good). His first movie that I experienced was titled "Princess Mononoke", followed by "Spirited Away" a few years later. He also has other older movies as well, including "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Castle in the Sky" (among others). Many of these films have been re-released in the past few years via Disney. (As an aside: Miyazaki's "Studio Ghibli" also had a hand in one of the saddest animated movies I've ever seen, titled "Grave of the Fireflies".)
What is my favorite thing about his work? Well to start, I really enjoy his style of animation. His characters always have a realistic design, and yet each individual is unique and personal. I find his films always have a very magical quality to them, one that has captivated me for quite some time. The thing that is amazing about him isn't so much the stories he tells, but the idea that this 60+ year old man still has the imagination and passion to produce quality animated films set in such fantastic settings.
His new film, "Howl's Moving Castle", had the same effect on me that many of his others did. I won't go into details about the plot, but I will say that I left the theatre with a certain sense of wonder and fantasy about me. I definitely recommend anybody who enjoys this sort of movie to go check it out. (If you've never seen a Miyazaki movie before, "Spirited Away" is a good place to start. Of course, I think all his movies are wonderful...)
Anyways, after the movie I walked over to the restaurant where I work to have a few drinks. I had these grand plans to go to a CD release party tonight, but I couldn't remember how to get to it. I wasted a few hours drinking (water of course!) at our restaurants bar before I left with one of my friends (and coworkers... the jerk who wouldn't let me use his printer, haha). We headed down to Lucky together.
Lucky was fun. Good music, and good DJ's (Mod Marty and Longshanks). Lucky is definitely my favorite bar, and because I spend so much time in there, the staff have grown quite friendly with me. (Example: I show my face at the bar, and most of the bartenders pour me a water without even asking. I have trouble getting a glass of water at some clubs, so having one handed to me easily is a big plus!)
We were only at the club for about an hour when my buddy wanted to leave with some girls that were heading over to Evolution. As much fun as I'm sure Evo would have been (ahem..), I was quite content with staying at Lucky, so we parted ways for the evening. (I've never been very fond of one of the girls he was going with...)
Anyways, I'm glad I stayed with Lucky. Eventually all the people that were at that cd party ended up coming down to Lucky, so I danced with them for the rest of the evening. Before the night was over, I was able to visit the small apartment and get a copy of the CD too.
(Someone remind me that I owe this boy two beers.)
And now I'm home... thinking about sleep now... and hopefully planning to finish the last little bit of cleaning tomorrow. Yay to this long weekend, I've been having a lot of fun, and getting lots of relaxing and reorganizing done too.
Ooh, but I write way too much! Oh, Mal... I might take you up on your offer. We need to talk a bit...
As per your request Colette...
This afternoon I managed to be as productive as ever. I got both the kitchen and the bathroom cleaned completely (top to bottom). Now all I have to do before my apartment will be perfect is clean up my room and the main area a little bit (which shouldn't be too difficult)
I went downtown at around six and stopped by Mayfair mall (and the little sandwich store in the food court) so that I could visit my friend who was working there. She was actually kind enough to give me a sandwich for free too.
And then I went to a movie. I was actually set on seeing the Batman movie at first, but at the box office I decided to ask the girl to choose which movie I should see, and her choice was so prompt that I changed my mind instantly. I went to see (Miyazaki's) "Howl's Moving Castle".
It was brilliant. As I've mentioned, I'm already a huge fan of every Miyazaki flick. I used to be a big anime nerd, so I've been into all of his movies for a couple years. It all started with a really amazing manga titled "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" (there's a movie too, but it's not nearly as good). His first movie that I experienced was titled "Princess Mononoke", followed by "Spirited Away" a few years later. He also has other older movies as well, including "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Castle in the Sky" (among others). Many of these films have been re-released in the past few years via Disney. (As an aside: Miyazaki's "Studio Ghibli" also had a hand in one of the saddest animated movies I've ever seen, titled "Grave of the Fireflies".)
What is my favorite thing about his work? Well to start, I really enjoy his style of animation. His characters always have a realistic design, and yet each individual is unique and personal. I find his films always have a very magical quality to them, one that has captivated me for quite some time. The thing that is amazing about him isn't so much the stories he tells, but the idea that this 60+ year old man still has the imagination and passion to produce quality animated films set in such fantastic settings.
His new film, "Howl's Moving Castle", had the same effect on me that many of his others did. I won't go into details about the plot, but I will say that I left the theatre with a certain sense of wonder and fantasy about me. I definitely recommend anybody who enjoys this sort of movie to go check it out. (If you've never seen a Miyazaki movie before, "Spirited Away" is a good place to start. Of course, I think all his movies are wonderful...)
Anyways, after the movie I walked over to the restaurant where I work to have a few drinks. I had these grand plans to go to a CD release party tonight, but I couldn't remember how to get to it. I wasted a few hours drinking (water of course!) at our restaurants bar before I left with one of my friends (and coworkers... the jerk who wouldn't let me use his printer, haha). We headed down to Lucky together.
Lucky was fun. Good music, and good DJ's (Mod Marty and Longshanks). Lucky is definitely my favorite bar, and because I spend so much time in there, the staff have grown quite friendly with me. (Example: I show my face at the bar, and most of the bartenders pour me a water without even asking. I have trouble getting a glass of water at some clubs, so having one handed to me easily is a big plus!)
We were only at the club for about an hour when my buddy wanted to leave with some girls that were heading over to Evolution. As much fun as I'm sure Evo would have been (ahem..), I was quite content with staying at Lucky, so we parted ways for the evening. (I've never been very fond of one of the girls he was going with...)
Anyways, I'm glad I stayed with Lucky. Eventually all the people that were at that cd party ended up coming down to Lucky, so I danced with them for the rest of the evening. Before the night was over, I was able to visit the small apartment and get a copy of the CD too.
(Someone remind me that I owe this boy two beers.)
And now I'm home... thinking about sleep now... and hopefully planning to finish the last little bit of cleaning tomorrow. Yay to this long weekend, I've been having a lot of fun, and getting lots of relaxing and reorganizing done too.
Ooh, but I write way too much! Oh, Mal... I might take you up on your offer. We need to talk a bit...
As per your request Colette...
Sounds like you had a great night! I'm off to work shortly...