Journal Xerithane's Journal: Kurosawa Akira and Seven Samurai 7

So, this weekend I decidedly spent it not working. I was in front of the computer for maybe 3 hours at most. Damn. I can't even begin to talk about how much different a weekend is when you dedicate it to not doing anything.

It's not exactly true, I did do some things. Most of which were productive. I am moving at the end of the month, so I had to find a new place to live. That was the most time consuming task through the weekend, and it yielded most positive results. I found an awesome 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment for $645 a month, with all utilities (except electricity) included. Hot damn, great deal.

Still gives me my office space, a guest bathroom, and the area is very nice. Easy commute to work, and there aren't 3 flights of stairs to get to my bedroom. Woo.

So, after that deed was done it's off to have some fun. This includes movie binges. I've been lacking in the movie department, and this week at a local theater is a Seven Samura showing. The whole month is a Kurosawa block, this equals good.

I also rented Spider Man, I saw it in the theater but felt like watching it again. Good movie, although I still think they bastardized Green Goblin.

Seven Samurai is awesome. The movie that is the inspiration for A Bugs Life, Magnificent Seven, and my ambition to become a samurai. If you haven't seen it, find a 2 hour and 48 minute block where you aren't doing anything and check it out. Make sure you try to get the modern subtitled version (Even if you speak Japanese, they use very old form) because they just did such a great job with it. Including "Damaged Goods" in response to a devirginized peasant girl. How good is that?

I went down to the good chess cafe, and got smacked around. Proving it's been way to long since I'd been down there. It makes me feel good when I get referred by good players as "tricky." My style of play is turning into massive baited plays, walking on a dangerous line in hopes of coming up enough to win easily. This works well but you tend to either lose horribly or win greatly. When playing 2000+ players it tends towards the former.

In one game, I had a play that looks like it would turn into an easy mate. It almost worked, and was one move away. I ended up an officer up, and even on pawns after a pawn sacrifice. Unfortunately he was a slow player, and caught the impending trap before it could be fully executed. I then played an extremely weak move which was a major blunder costing me the game. Which was the second time in a row... It's great fun to play down there, at the place I normally play I win much more than I lose so it's nice to go the tier up to where the good players are.