Warm night; the windows are wide open, and there's the faint scent of cigars drifting in from the apartment above me. The streets are noisy, filled with revellers enjoying the long midsummer's night. The sun will turn now, fade earlier, a reminder that, while summer has just begun, autumn is not so far away, and that we need to enjoy what we have when we have it.

Bought the new Harry Potter novel today, even though I've yet to read number four. There were piles of it at the bookstore, and I couldn't help myself. Sheer volume is powerful advertisement. I'll get cracking on Goblet of Fire as soon as I've finished whatever it is I'm currently reading.

Watched Kiki's Delivery Service this evening, a beautiful anime from the hands of Studio Ghibli and writer/director Hayao Miyazaki, the most brilliant living animation director in the world. Kiki is lighter than some of Miyazaki's other movies - Princess Mononoke, for instance, or my personal favourite, Spirited Away - but it's certainly no less entertaining, touching, and magical. Disney has just released a two-disc DVD of the film, and it's a definite must-buy. Heck, get the Miyazaki 3-pack while you're at it, featuring new editions of Kiki, Spirited Away, and Castle in the Sky. If you've never seen these animated masterpieces, you've missed out on a wonderful experience. Buy. Now.  ¶ 01:04