"Hero" movie and miscellany

I watched "Hero" last night, and it's a very pretty film. Reviews are calling it "emotionally distant," and I guess it is more so than what American audiences are used to seeing, but I still got a little sniffly at the various tragic deaths. Also, the visuals are gorgeous! The plot is simple, like a story told from one generation to another. And everyone spoke very clear Mandarin, so I caught a few words here and there. Maybe if I'd had three or four years of studying Chinese instead of just one, I could have understood the whole thing. I wish I could.

Over the weekend, I took a day trip and did a little sightseeing in another city, which I hadn't realized before was so close. Or maybe two hours in the car each way didn't used to fit my standards of "close." Did not do the Labor Day weekend shopping I'd planned, though; after housework, movie, and dinner yesterday, I was just too sleepy.

I've been sadly lax in communicating with my relatives in other regions. I was hoping to have one of my cousins who lives one state away come visit me this summer, but I never followed up on it -- her email is still sitting in my inbox from the end of May. :p Now I understand she's moving halfway across the country, so I guess I've missed my chance.