Still, up an hour later than usual, although I got to bed at my usual hour, to breakfast at the usual place (packing a backup pair of glasses), a run by the bank to deposit my last unemployment check, compliments of the federal unemployment extension (something I hope they're contemplating repeating), home now feeling pretty good. Pretty good, pretty good. We'll go with “pretty good”, but we'll see if I venture out later for a proper walk. Get out there and take some pictures. Not mine the wedding photographs for family members who probably won't mind seeing their mugs up on the internet knowing, as they do, no one in Seattle will ever see them.

In fact, except for Homeland Security, I'm not sure anyone in the state of Washington ever sees them. Famous last words, right? Words that get the plot rolling in an adventure movie? Someone unexpected out there in front of a flat panel display in an air conditioned room the size of a football stadium buried deep in the bowels of a mountain situated where the wind blows and men in uniform patrol a desolate plain with dogs and infrared goggles.

What in the hell are you talking about?

I'm just rambling.

Two movies arrived yesterday from Netflix, one of them, Kamikaze Girls, really excellent. Now with a name like that, at my age, you'd have to think not only is the guy a whacko, but a whacko to the degree you wouldn't necessarily want to be caught alone in the same room with him. If I were, say, a teenager, OK. Teenager tastes have a long way to go before they mature, the hormones are rampant and that's the demographic movies with names like these are after. But I bring this up because the movie (Japanese with English subtitles) is both unique and what is I suspect an out of the box classic. Well, in Japan.

The story of a self-absorbed high school student completely addicted to fashion, life in modern day Japan as fashion - the Rococo period, frilly outfits - and her outlook and commentary on the meaning of life and existence (and embroidery), her friendship with a biker girl her age (exotic motor scooters, embroidered jackets, no frilly outfits whatsoever), Pachinko parlors and, well, funny off the wall scenes and camera angles described by one reviewer as “a syrupy sweet depiction of some of the Harajuku/Yoyogi park girls...”.

So naturally I ordered a copy from Amazon with the idea of sending it as a birthday present to a friend who'd appreciate both its narrow focus (knowing, for example, what Harajuku/Yoyogi park was about) as well as the mindless genius of the thing, except I won't (send it), of course, for reasons not relevant to go into. But we wander here into the silly.

So you recommend the movie to people who might never think to rent something with a name like that?

Well, if they find it mindless and dull, it's still not icky or anything and won't stick to their shoes. We are talking movies, after all. And besides, the YouTube intro is warning enough.