3894

Space debris heading for the planet! Neutrinos traveling faster than the speed of light! Man flames out because of spontaneous human combustion (SHC)! And, oh yeah, congress can't clear and pass an appropriation bill that would help people who were hit by recent catastrophes! Maybe we should just erase this copy of the time line and pick another channel!

Weight training went well today. Still having some trouble hoisting the 12-lb weights in standing presses, but it will happen. Had a delicious tuina session this morning. Have another scheduled for next Tuesday (assuming I don't get hit by any orbital debris).

Watched a short Japanese film--Patriotism: The Rite of Love and Death. It's a stark, brief film about a soldier committing seppuku along with his wife. The images are spare and luminous. The final act is nauseating--no redeeming value. Thank goodness it was a short film! Also watched a Norwegian film--Mirush (also titled Blodsband--meaning blood ties, I think). It's about a young boy who runs away from Albania to look for his father in Oslo. He finds his father who doesn't know that they are related. The boy talks the father into hiring him on to help with the father's cafe. The story is gritty and brutal. The boy is a natural con man and manages to get his father caught in a web of problems that the child helps create. Except for one unnecessary over-the-top killing scene, the film is well done. It's a tense thriller with audacious moments centered around the boy's desire to flirt with danger.

Laundry day (again) tomorrow! Can't wait to watch the tumblers spin!