Monday, 11 November 2002

Today is one of those days that seems colder than it is. We went for an after-lunch walk (combined it with running an errand--heading over to Kinko's to copy the sales tax form that Jackie needed to file for her sales at the Spinners and Weavers Guild show and sale). I already felt a little cold before we left, so I wore my parka, and was glad I did.

Now that I'm writing about it, I've gone and checked the actual weather for today and see that it wasn't just a matter of perception. The forecast had been a high of 47, but the temperature actually topped out at 40° F. There's nothing like actually being colder than expected to make it feel colder than expected.

We've had a great time with my mom visiting. We've eaten too much good food (but partially made up for it by having a very light lunch today). We got in some good exercise, with two long walks and a session at the Fitness Center yesterday, as well as our shorter walk today.

We went to see "Spirited Away," the new Miyazaki film. It was a lot of fun. The story structure is a classical hero's journey, with a hero who is afraid at the beginning, but learns to do what needs to be done by the end. It models small successes from practicing simple virtues like kindness, diligence, persistence, and courtesy, which I always like to see. (On the other hand, I hate stories that unrealistically portray enormous success from practicing simple virtues. Showing a bully disarmed by simply kindness is just insulting.) Lots of neat stuff. I especially liked the Radish Spirit.

It seems natural to compare it to "Lilo & Stitch," if for no other reason than that they're both animated movies that came out the same year. "Lilo & Stitch" is a better, more complex story. Because of her own nature, Lilo can understand why Stitch acts the way he does. But it's not just a story of two characters who teach one another the things they most need to learn. In teaching Stitch what he needs to learn, Lilo is forced to see that she needs to learn the very same lesson. It's a powerful truth about life.

Today we've mostly been lazy. I wrote a tiny bit, read some (mostly yesterday's news), played some StarCraft with my brother and nephew. A good day.