Can anyone tell me the date?

Due to a bank error in my favour I am still on holiday. I have now been on holiday so long I no longer remember the date. I have the feeling I presently exist sometime in early April. The blooming cherry blossoms also suggest that it's about that time. It's so very relaxing to not know the date.

I remember the day because I have to look for the next power yoga class on the gym's schedule.

The Return of the Princess of Pain
The bright side to this extended holiday is that I've been able to go to power yoga almost daily.
The dark side to this though is that from the start of April (another reason I have a general idea of when I am) someone thought it would be a great idea to lengthen the class from 45 minutes to 1 hour. To initiate me into this new format I had the battle hobbit from my first class. For some reason our paths haven't crossed since then. A bloody good thing too for her desire to dispense pain hasn't lessened. If this had been my first class, I would never have continued power yoga. It was every bit as difficult as the first class I had with her - with a bonus 15 minutes. Classes with the other instructors are going ok. But anything that requires standing on one leg is still right out.

Holy heat wave, Batman
Today the mercury went all the way to 24 with the sun out and shining. I think that's 6 degrees more than yesterday. Really felt like it was spring.

Friends
Last Saturday was supposed to be a cherry blossom viewing party where I would catch up to a few friends that I haven't seen since the Christmas party. But due to cancellations and a no show at that time by the cherry blossoms it ended up being four others and myself at a Chinese restaurant in Naka Meguro. It was especially good to see Ted and Sumie as I hadn't seen them since Ted's surprise party three months ago. I ended up hanging around and harassing them for most of the day. After lunch, and a walk around to look at the flowerless trees, we went to Shibuya so that Ted could see if the stock at the bike section of Tokyu Hands had changed since he was last there. Sumie's now too big to move nimbly, thus they were unable to ditch me by escaping into the crowds and crowds of people in Shibuya. The three of us went to dinner at a nice little cafe / restaurant back in Naka Meguro.

The Movie Maven
I know I promised spoiler-free reviews, but I want to address a specific point in the Star Wars: Episode III trailer. If you don't want to know anything about the trailer, then scroll past it to the Open Range review, wherein I'll remain spoiler-free.




Star Wars: Episode III Trailer
While I was watching this trailer I was, for a little over a minute, 10 years old again. Wow, it is so shiny! Wow, there are going to be big space battles! Wow, there's going to be the climactic lightsaber battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan! All is forgiven George. You are the "Father of our Dreams."

And then Obi-Wan bleats out, "But you were the chosen one!" in a really whiney voice that was so reminiscent of Luke's, "I care" I was immediately wrenched back to reality with alarm bells ringing. Wait, that's right. The last two films in this series were also helmed and penned by George, and they were, to be kind, simply awful. If that line weren’t in the preview, I would have flown at light speed to the cinema expecting the Citizen Kane of space opera. But now I'm once again sensing a disturbance in the Force.





Open Range
I'm a sucker for a good western, with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Unforgiven two of my mostest favouritest films. While Open Range isn't quite in the same league, it is a very good watch. It's not so much a western as a character study of the two lead leads, which are excellently downplayed by Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall. It has an unbroken easygoing pace that until the violent conclusion never even reaches a trot. This is fitting with the plains lifestyle and age of the two men, who basically ruminate on life, love, and loss in their simple and clear fashion for most of the film's running time. What makes it a western is they do this sometimes on horseback, sometimes in the saloon, and eventually while gunning down the worthless varmints who had it coming. I found it a sad, passionate, beautiful, violent yet very funny tale. But I'd certainly understand it if you don't.

For those who enjoy a mature and well-crafted western.