I just went to my first kung fu class in like, a week, and every time I go I'm reminded how amazing it is to have a body.

Kung Fu works on such a crazy level. It's like, you think you're using your leg to kick, but really you're using your side and butt. And it's not even that, it's like when you're really in it, your body is just riding this spinning wack ball that's just rolling around and exploding at key junctures. I only feel that sometimes, but when Sifu (teacher) demonstrates like, half a move, you see it, Bam!

It's like, everything is cross-training. Learning how better to ride that individual ball of kung fu teaches me how better to swing along with one and many other rockin' energies on the dance floor. Learning balance and focus when I do a weird spinny kick teaches me how to juggle a million things at once and keep centered.

I mean, everything is everything, so it's not just kung fu, it's anything that you deeply enjoy and get really into. It's all cross-training.

Pirates of the Caribbean last night was so great. Instant cult classic. It may look like there are two other main characters, but they're just there to provide a square contrast to the utterly glorious instability of Captain Jack Sparrow. (And to provide a love story to distract those who take themselves too seriously.) Johnny Depp was absurdly superlative.

I can imagine that they've been jacking up the Disneyland (the other D-land) ride. I'm sure there are now Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley look-alikes, and perhaps the captain of your boat will be none other than Captain Jack Sparrow, yarr. That's gonna make me wanna hurl. Maybe I'll never be able to go on that ride again, now that it will have turned into a mere degradation of such a good movie. That's too bad. But I'm happier having the movie. The lines there were always too long anyway.

7:28 p.m. 2003-07-24�