hi everyone.

i've been trying to live my life with more integrity...  doing stuff that i'm supposed to.  doing things that are in alignment with what i feel are important things...  reading, writing.  stuff like that.

i've been trying to think about what makes a good story.  what is interesting in a story that interests me? i dabbled into "the girl with the dragon tattoo" today, and i also watched the pilot episode of "breaking bad."  both have elements that i consider essential to a good story.  for instance, one thing i actually enjoy reading are the habits of mind of individuals, their modus operandi, particularly when we get to see them "at work" on a project.  at least, that's what i think i enjoyed when reading "the girl with the dragon tattoo."  i suppose what i enjoyed were the description of blomkvist's (one of the main characters in "the girl with the dragon tattoo") settling in on the island, and how he eased into his task of solving the mystery.  it represents, to me, the same task of a writer: an immersion in a story, and the sifting through of material to find some kernel of truth which can then serve as a seed crystal for the creation of something- interesting...

with regards to "breaking bad," i suppose a big draw is the depiction of compelling characters with clear, simple motivations.  even motivations that take on unexpected directions...

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i also watched the latest miyazaki film, "from on poppy hill," or something to that effect.  the animation was not as smooth or as convincing as some of the other high production features from studio ghibli, and quite frankly, i think the intended audience was japanese nationals, because it tended to have a sort of preachy nationalistic theme to it (the preservation of a latin quarter building represented a return to the old [i.e. traditional] japanese culture), but all in all, it was a good film.  love, in the face of a mix up of genealogy...

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well, that's it for now.