This weekend was a three day weekend. Which meant I could spend three days instead of two sitting on my ass. Okay, in all honesty I was quite busy as I usually am. I never seem to have much free time, although I tend to rather dislike free time and freak out when I get some. So I went to judo practice on Saturday. It was the first practice of the new year, so pretty much everybody who has ever come showed up and it was kinda like a big party, although a very solemn one. Before practice, we had a big shindig with the priests in the temple which I think would best be described as a benediction. After that, a bunch of kids from the high school and some other judo teachers showed up to kick my ass a little more thoroughly than usual. But it was fun. After that we had some funny bean paste food which wasn't repugnant as I had expected, although appetizing might not be quite the correct adjective to employ in this situation either.

So what else have I done? I saw some movies. First I saw "Pirates of the Caribbean." It was pretty good. I was surprised. I wouldn't call it the greatest movie of all time or anything, but the truth is I didn't find myself groaning or anything like that, which is more than I expected. Johnnie Depp was really good, and from what I heard from the female peanut gallery, Orlando Bloom was really cute. And, I saw "The Last Samurai." It was a great movie. It was really dramatic and serious and steeped in all the western mythology about Japan that is so stereotypical and ridiculous, but within that framework it told a powerful story. It was something interesting to step out of that movie into downtown Ueno, where everything is in English and you might as well be in New York. Helped drive home the point of the movie.

So that's about it. I went down to Akihabara today and bought a new dictionary, so now I will to write simpleminded Japanese entries again. so look for that coming sometime in the near future. I am too lazy to do it right now though. Actually, i am supposed to be drawing a big fancy map for school, but between judo and making mochi the other day, my right arm is really really sore and tired and not drawing too well. I will have to use an older map I drew before. Well, I have had some sort of weird slight illness for more than a week now, so I think I will go to sleep directly. Goodnight!