OK, so the ticket's purchased, the plans are made, and I'm headed to San Francisco Jan. 18. Why, you may ask?

On that date at 11 a.m. starts a rally & march to protest making war on Iraq, and also serves as a memorial to Martin Luther King.

I'm kind of excited. Activism is rather unlike me, but this is a subject on which I feel very strongly. I've been more radical in the past than I am now, but I'm significantly more willing to put actions to words these days.

As an added bonus, I'll get to bask in the balmy airs of the Bay Area once again and see at least my dear friend Chris, and possibly others if the opportunity presents itself.

Further updates on my life and news will follow before long, I hope, but I wanted to put that little bit out there. Anyone who's interested in going, and perhaps going in my presence, please let me know. Should be interesting!

I'm bouncing up and down with happiness. *bounce bounce* My Solaris Criterion Collection DVD came via UPS today (again with that Super-Saver shipping, but this time it took less than a day and a half to reach me)! Now I can puzzle anew at that five minute cars-on-the-freeway scene and revel in this restored and remastered cut. Tarkovsky rewlz.

And also on the subject of Solaris, I saw the new movie this weekend. Pretty fricking great, really. Definitely not an action-packed pyrotechnic extravaganza, but not quite the tender love story some of the commercials make it out to be. It starts about where the Tarkovsky one does but gradually takes steps farther afield and ends in an altogether different manner.

It poses a lot of questions about the nature of love, memory, existence, attachment, etc., but deliberately avoids answering them. It's a movie you'll keep thinking about long after you leave the theater. Please go see it.