Rising and Advancing of a Spirit...

I just read on Warren Ellis' blog that he was thinking of writing Master of Kung Fu but wouldn't do it without Fu Manchu, and Marvel let the license for Fu Manchu lapse.

My mind is... not so much boggling as stretching for ideas. What would Warren Ellis do with Shang-Chi? Has he ever written a philosophical, zennish character?

The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu was my favourite comic, in the hands of Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy. The 'games of death and deceit', the 'rising and advancing of a spirit' - they had the tone just right. I loved it so much.

But Warren Ellis?

Ah well, it isn't going to happen, so there's no point speculating. But I do wonder what it might have been.

If you're curious, there's more information on Wikipedia.

Torchwood: 'Tout Change'...

I learned today that Torchwood series 1 was going to be starting all over again on another Canadian channel. In French.

This filled me with the irresistible urge to watch the series in French.

It took some research, but I tracked the station down and found it in my cable listings, with Torchwood listed to begin on Monday. Then discovered that I don't actually get that station. But I also noticed, in searching for Torchwood, that the very same channel is airing Doctor Who. I don't know what season they're showing, or even what Doctor, but does it matter? I'm there!

So I phoned up Rogers Cable, and lo and behold, I now get several French stations including the one I really want, #683. But I get something called "Historia" as well - that sounds promising. Dare I hope that the French are making all sorts of historical documentaries about the middle ages, and it won't all be 20th century wars?

Monday they show "Tout Change". "Everything Changes".

French with a Welsh accent? I doubt it. When I watched Smallville in French, Lex Luthor sounded as if he came from downtown Montreal. This will probably be dubbed in France, and they'll all sound continental-European. Les aventures de Capitaine Jacques Harknesse.

I can hardly wait.

At least this will tide me over for the week before series 2 starts. Less than two weeks, and already the wait seems interminable.

Why are Saturdays never long enough?

It was a good day.

My yoga practice was superb. It's only been a little more than two weeks since I started doing my daily weights/yoga routine (each on alternate days) and already I can feel a huge difference. And see a huge difference, just in what I can do. And it's the full-spectrum light that seems to be making it possible for me to even attempt this, which I still find an incredible and terrifying thing.

So I felt all energized and happy, and took oatmeal up to maaseru and maaboroshi for breakfast.

Then: some quick-but-serious housework.

Then: lunch at the Ben Ben with a friend from Vancouver who's in town for the week. I lvoe the Ben Ben restuarant on Somerset - it's the only place I know which can be reliably counted on to serve congee at any time of the day. I was there once, though, when the congee cook was on holiday in San Francisco. I guess, considering how delicious his work is, he deserved a holiday.... In any case, again today I got to eat the BBQ duck congee that I love so much.

The afternoon was fairly productive, too. Then Beulah came over and we watched The Sarah Jane Adventures, series 1, episode 7 - I loved the plot. The end of the episode was the middle of the story, a terrible cliffhanger, at which point we went (with maaseru to the Green Door for supper. It was mostly snowing - occasionally raining. What kind of weather is that? Beulah opted to go home then, for fear the driving might get worse, and maaseru and I had tea, cookies and my latest weakness: President's Choice Butter Fudge, "a crumbly old-fashioned delight". It's the closest thing in flavour and texture that I've ever found to my mother's wonderful recipe for "Maple Cream" from an old version of The Joy of Cooking. Aaah. Perfection exists.

Then I wrote, and though I didn't write the quantity I'd hoped for, I'm most pleased with the quality.

Hoping for some time to write tomorrow, too.... But not holding my breath.