Go see Amélie.

Ads often say 'if you see only one movie, see this one' and other such banter. If people only saw one movie per year, I doubt it could live up to that amount of expectation. Amélie, the english translation of the French movie 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain', comes as close as any movie ever has.

This is the movie that renewed my faith in cinematography.

It is the kind of movie you have to see without knowing what it's about; go see it fresh, free of spoilers or predictions -- if the translation is of any quality, you'll see why it was ported over from Europe in the first place.

I've started up a topic in The Laughin' Possum part of the Forum discussing Amélie -- once you do see it, drop on by and share your opinion of it. I'd like to see what others think of this film. (I'd keep out of there unless you saw it, however, as it's very likely to be a breeding ground for spoilers.)

On another note, this week's webcomic pick is Gluemeat, by Case Yorke. A coworker of my girlfriend, his work combines vector art with handpainted backgrounds and portrays some of the most biting dry wit I've seen in an online publication. A work that will both draw you in by making you identify with it, yet somehow set off a few sparks with its antagonistic overtones, Gluemeat is a great way to start the working day. Check it out!

And go see Amélie.

Wow, I think this is the first strip that went relatively smoothly. I'm almost afraid. Of course, I still started at 8pm, mostly because of several small house problems that I felt I had to fix (like the lightbulbs in one of the upstairs bathrooms).

This whole not having to work for 3-4 hours early thing is really working out for me. I tried to sleep in until 1 just because I could, but could only make 12:45. Ah well. 9.5 hours will do.

Another small thing that just tickles me pink is a small reorganization of my room that frees up a crate right by my desk to hold my D&D books. You don't know how good it is to not rummage thru a pile on the floor for them. Now I only have to do that for papers.

And since I finished so early tonight, I can spoil myself rotten playing Dynasty Warriors 2! ..well, ok, I can get shot in the back over and over again in the battle at Chi Bi, but still..this game has been eating goodly amounts of my time since Dave (my manager at work) let me borrow it.

Today I was also a bit dissapointed to find that most of the weapons in Blade of the Immortal are fake (made up, sprung from the author's fertile imagination, etc.). Damn. They look so cool, though! I feel the constant need to drop them into the roleplaying games I play, especially D&D. And there's really not much stopping me. Whip dagger, anyone? I think I have wiggle room for just about any BS weapon I want :)

Dell also keeps sending me small ad pamphlets featuring expensive tech toys. What keeps grabbing my eye is the Elph digital cam and the 64 meg card for it....

My desire for more electronic devices is nearly endless.

Needless to say I threw away the pamphlet. The buggers can have my money some other time, I need comics and books. It's like heroin.