I got my package from Amazon Japan today with Miyazaki's Spirited Away. That was really quick. They said it'd take four to six weeks. It took two. It can't possibly have gone by land (i.e. sea), like the site said. Boats travel slowly.

Planes fast. Boats slow. Even a child knows this.

But it did indeed arrive, and I just watched the first ten minutes. Amazing. Can't wait to watch the rest of it, probably this weekend. Too bad none of the extras have English subtitles, though. They look pretty interesting. The US DVD will probably be released this Christmas, so I'll pick that up too.

Had my first Spanish-lesson tonight. It was a lot of fun. Learned some basics, and ninety minutes flashed by in a jiffy. The three of us - my brother, my pal Dag, and myself - were pretty much the only guys in the class (there was one other, but he was together with his girlfriend, so he'd probably being forced into attending). Everyone else, including the teacher: women (obviously). Does this mean that it's unmanly to learn Spanish? That it's a womanly pursuit, much like knitting and childbirth? What sexist nonsense, says I! Poo on archaic norms and societal expectations!

And, heck, what's so wrong about spending Thursday evenings in a classroom filled with women, expanding my cultural and linguistic horizons? Nothing, that's what. Nothing at all.

Besides, the teacher was really cute. Never a bad thing.

Tomorrow, it's Friday (in case you'd missed that somehow), and I've been invited to a fancy-schmancy party - the official opening of a seasonal exhibit here in Oslo - where I, a base commercialist, will mingle with the high-and-mighty of the artistic elite. And drink lots of white wine, probably. I'll have to, just to work up the guts to say "hullo" to people who probably quote Sartre and Kant like I quote Buffy the Vampire Slayer (i.e. often, and well). I haven't even read Don Quixote yet. I'll be the odd man out. Then again, there's fun to be had, new people to meet, and, of course, white wine.

I'll wear my Good Jeans.

Feel like sleeping a lot this weekend, but I've finally gotten around to working on the outline of a new screenplay - currently called "Sunflower" - that I'm pretty excited about, so I should really spend some time with that, while I'm still extremely motivated. I'll talk more about it when it's progressed beyond the pen-and-paper stage. In about, oh, four weeks.  ¶ 23:43