a tie…

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I did that Bing It On thing, or whatever it’s called. Five searches, two sets of results side by side in the same format for each search. You choose which side pleases you more, right or left, with an “I can’t decide between them” option. I searched….hmmm…I forget now. Myself, hiking trails in NW CT, 20th Century Boys, Etsushi Toyokawa, and candle making. Two for Google, two for Bing, one I couldn’t pick a winner.

Candle making was won by Bing. I chose the side with results for candle making sites over the side with ads for stores that sold candle making supplies. The loser here was Google, but Google won when I typed in my own name. *smiley face*

I actually don’t remember now what the other three results were specifically.

Our computer intranet at work uses both IE and Chrome, with Bing as a default search in IE. Yet they switched from IE to Chrome in the past year or so, and now we use Google for store e-mail and other applications (google drive, and spreadsheets, and things like that)

So it was a tie, however, my loyalty remains with Google. Doodles, anyone? JFGI.

Honestly, I miss Jeeves.

Cheated

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Yesterday we went to see Ironman 3. Finally. I’ve been trying to go see it since the weekend it came out. We decided to go to the 3D version: 1) because I found that the new 3D is not half bad at all. In fact, it’s quite good. And 2) because of the really, really cool 3D glasses they’re giving out.

iron-man-3d-glasses

So when we asked for our glasses, after paying for our tickets, and she handed us the same, plain, black 3D glasses they have for every show, I was almost close to angry. And then the woman said she didn’t know what we were talking about. Well, whatever.

The movie was excellent, the story went places I didn’t expect, not having, thankfully, heard or seen any spoilers. Ben Kingsley was a quiet delight, very much enjoyed his character, I must say.

This week I hope to see Star Trek. No cool glasses expected, but I still wish I had the Ironman ones!

You should read this. Really.

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Blade of Lightning

*Water.*
*Earth.*
*Air.*
*Spirit to hold us.*
*Knowledge to keep us.*
*Warrior to defend.*

There are three Faces a Keeper can swear to, and three elements to bind their souls. But the elements number four, and although Fire was forbidden nearly five hundred years ago, the time for it to return is at hand. And the only thing standing between the Keepers of the Way and total destruction is Kei Ayumi.

“What are your weapons?” Keeper of Earth Secchi Amara asks Kei Ayumi the first time they meet. “Anything,” she answers. And Secchi soon learns it is not a boast, for although he may be the ranking warrior in the Fortress of Earth, Kei Ayumi is beyond deadly. With a past hidden in smoke and fire, and wrapped in a grief so profound she cannot even speak of it, Kei Ayumi faces challenges that daunt even a warrior. For although she has only just been bound to the Wayline, her path will take her from the snow covered Galdain Mountains to the hot sands of the Honshara desert as she tries to unlock her lost memories, defeat an enemy wreathed in flames, and face a firestorm of lightning.

Blade of Lightning – Book One of The Keepers of the Way is available for Kindle and Nook, and at Smashwords.
Amazon Kindle US Edition
Amazon Kindle UK Edition
Barnes and Noble Nook Edition
Smashwords
also available through iTunes

Adrift in Tokyo (a tale of The Hair)

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Just finished watching Adrift in Tokyo, a Japanese movie based on a book by Yoshinaga Fujita. (which I can’t find in English sadly, as I’d love to read it now that I’ve seen the film)

Adrift_in_Tokyo

The plot synopsis from Wikipedia says, “Leading a lazy life, Fumiya has been a student for 8 years and owes money to loan sharks. One day, a man named Fukuhara comes to collect the loan, which Fumiya cannot pay. So Fukuhara makes a proposition: He will cancel the debt as long as Fumiya agrees to walk with him across Tokyo to the police station of Kasumigaseki, where he intends to turn himself for a crime he deeply regrets. Not having much choice, Fumiya accepts the deal. Thus begins their journey.”

It stars Tomokazu Miura as Fukuhara, and (what really drew me in) Jo Odagiri as Fumiya, sporting a head of hair that is at first glance terrifying; at second glance, glorious. But The Hair (it should have it’s own line in the credits) grows on you, and within minutes you can’t imagine Fumiya any other way. In fact, it becomes almost attractive. Almost.

the hair

Jo Odagiri on the left (THE HAIR RULES) and Tomokazu Miura on the right. (Don’t ask about the nose.)

There was a small side story running through of a group of three office workers who were worried about a co-worker. They decide to check up on her (it is actually relevant to the main storyline, though the two lines never cross) but never quite manage to stay on track. I found myself waiting almost impatiently to see what would cause them to veer off course every time they showed up onscreen.

It was actually a really sweet film, quietly funny in places, sad in others, heartwarming throughout. I’ve only seen Odagiri before this in Mushi-shi, but since I really liked both Mushi-shi and Adrift in Tokyo, I plan to look out for more of his stuff. Though I didn’t realize it until after, I’d seen Miura in The Taste of Tea a year or so ago. (Also recommended.)

All in all a good find, this movie. Watch it.

You won’t regret it, if only for The Hair.

mushshi Taste-of-tea

From Up On Poppy Hill

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I was lucky enough to go see Studio Ghibli’s latest, From Up On Poppy Hill, last week. It’s been released to a limited amount of theaters, which generally means the closest city would be Boston or New York, but for some odd reason it showed up on the list as playing at The Moviehouse in Millerton, NY.

I had checked the theater list about a month prior, and Millerton wasn’t listed. Then I saw a post on Facebook saying they had added cities, so I checked, thinking maybe Hartford would be there. Instead I saw Millerton, which is not only near, (about 40 minutes) but a much nicer drive than into Hartford. The catch? It was only playing there for two more days. I happened to be off from my paying job that day, but had to work the next day. So it was then, or never.

I texted my daughter to see if she wanted to go. If not, I would go to an earlier show, but she did, and her best friend was able to come as well. Her best friend is a HUGE Hayao Miyazaki fan, just like me. So that afternoon, we headed out.

As I said, it’s a gorgeous drive, and it was one of the first really nice days we’ve had. The girls had been separated for a couple of weeks due to an out-of-state vacation, so they jabbered and talked non-stop the whole way while I enjoyed the scenery and kept the car window down.

I think I’ve only been to Millerton once before, a long time ago, so I had to drive up and down Main Street twice before I saw the theater. The picture on their website didn’t prepare me for how tiny the entrance once. Then I had to turn around and come back to find a parking space.

They had four movies playing, so they must have four theaters. Poppy Hill was playing in what was called The Screening Room, up this steep, wide staircase to the second floor. Outside in the hallway was a coffee bar, so the girls bought a coffee something-or-other. I sent them downstairs for popcorn, but felt guilty once we got in the theater. It’s for artsy-fartsy films, I’m guessing. It’s a small, living room-sized room with couches and chairs. Big windows, and one nice wall with speakers along the bottom. Not made for popcorn eaters.

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At first it was just the three of us, and we naturally sat on the couches. A bad choice, it turned out later, because the backs were far too low for comfort when you’re tilting your head to watch the screen. They were wide enough to slide down and get comfy, but I don’t slide well. Then we were joined by two elderly women, and I think two men came in just before it began. The manager (?) came in before the movie started and told us what would be playing next week and so on, and we felt even more out of place with our tub of popcorn.

This was not a theater made with anime fans in mind, and they might have been slightly horrified at Rachel’s pink hair and Kethry’s trans style, accompanied by my white hair, Black Butler t-shirt, and our back packs. But this was Miyazaki, and this was Studio Ghibli, and no way were we going to miss it.

If they issue it in a wider release take yourself to see it. It was just what you’d want from both Miyazaki’s and Ghibli. Not as childlike as Ponyo or Kiki, no fantasy elements like in Princess Mononoke or Spiritied Away, or my two absolute favorites, My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle.

It’s described as a ‘coming of age’ story, and it is, but it is also a nice, gentle love story. It had that slice-of-life feel that so many Japanese films have, where not much really happens, but what does happen fills you up. And in Umi and Shun’s lives, the little that happened meant everything to them.

Rachel pointed something out that I hadn’t realized before. In nearly every movie from Miyazaki or Ghibli, there is always a major house cleaning scene. I have no idea what the significance of that is, but thinking back, she’s right. I wonder what it means. (I did search for that one damned piece of popcorn I know I spilled, but I couldn’t find it, I swear.)

up-on-poppy-hill-poster