Samurai Sunday and Sidebar Glory

I love the fall. I love the colors, the crisp air, pulling out sweaters and jeans... all that stuff. But here's another reason I love fall: rainy chilly Sundays. The kind of day that allows you to stay inside curled up on the couch with slipper socks and tea and movies, with no guilt involved (did I mention I'm a recovering Catholic? So, I'm guilty when I'm outside - not working - and guilty when I'm inside - not taking advantage of beautiful weather. Guilt is omnipresent, and rainy days are like a short respite). This whole weekend has been rainy and 50's and windy and gray. Puuuurrrrfect (that is my curled-up-on-the-couch purr).

So it was a slow day. I've been on a samurai movie kick lately, and revelled in the pleasure with both Rashomon and Sanjuro. Delightfully, I've found that the Bemidji Public Library has a small, but really excellent selection of DVDs, lots of foreign stuff, and lots of Japanese stuff, some of my favorite film.

Oh yes, and as Seredne pointed out (thanks for noticing!) I figured out the sidebar thing, with a little help. And thanks Vinny, for your comment, which provided the illuminating clue I needed to untangle the problem. So that was another thing that pleasantly occupied my time yesterday (pleasantly, that is, after I'd finished banging my head against the monitor in frustration).

But back to samurai! Next week I head back up to Bemidji, where, at the BSU Library, I get to pick up my requested movies, the second and third parts of the Samurai trilogy directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. I rented Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto on a whim a couple of weeks ago, and that's what started me on my current trend. Can't wait to watch the next two, cleverly titled Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple, and Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island. If they're anything like the first one - a misunderstood exiled hero, the woman he's forced to leave behind, and a clever priest who orchestrates his training - I'll be happy.