Justin Cecil's Blog

Every now and then I find a book or a series of books that I think should get a lot more attention (I mentioned one such series in a previous blog entry ). Recently I discovered a series of graphic novels written and illustrated by a Belgium man named Roger Leloup about a young girl named Yoko Tsuno, an engineer who gets involved in a series of adventures throughout the world. So far I've read four of these books, and have enjoyed each adventure. This is a fun series, and I found Yoko Tsuno to be a very interesting character. She's a young woman originally from Japan who eventually settled in Belgium, and continues to travel the world (and apparently in a few volumes of the series I have yet to read, into space). In addition to being competent in her profession as an electrical engineer, Yoko is also skilled in an insane number of skills, including but not limited to martial arts, swimming, scuba diving, and flying multiple types of aircraft. No matter where she ends up, ...

One day a few years back I went to downtown Seattle for a job interview. Once it was finished I took the bus to get back home. While waiting for the bus, a couple of people asked if I was a Jehovah's Witness, and I answered no; this seemed to happen to me whenever I got dressed up in a suit and tie for a job interview. On the bus there was a man of generous proportions, dressed in grey sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt, with the addition of a bike helmet on his head. If the fellow bus rider didn't say anything I wouldn't have paid him much mind, and would have occupied myself with either my phone or the book I was reading at the time. But alas, he opened his mouth and I couldn't help but listen to him. "I'm a multibillionaire," said the grey sweatpants wearing gentleman. He spoke to another bus rider, and not to me, although I was within earshot. "Really?" said the other bus driver. Based on the tone of his voice, I honestly couldn...

1. This past Tuesday I saw the movie The Meg,  which I enjoyed immensely. Perhaps not necessarily a contender for the Oscar for Best Picture, but it was filled with action scenes involving a giant shark that was attacking people (along with funny moments), which is all I was really asking for in that movie. 2. I went to the Seattle Art Museum this past Thursday. Every month in Seattle several of the museums have free admission on the first Thursday, and when I've had the day off on that particular day I've often taken advantage of that. I've been to the Seattle Art Museum a few times and have always enjoyed it; it's filled with several amazing works of art throughout history. I also brought my sketchbook with me and did a few quick sketches of some of the artwork. 3. Been trying to find a book to read for the past week or so. I grabbed a few library books but just couldn't get into them, so I turned them back in after reading just a few pages or chapters or...

" The screen is a magic medium. It has such power that it can retain interest as it conveys emotions and moods that no other art form can hope to tackle." - Stanley Kubrick I had the day off from work this past Tuesday so I engaged in one of my favorite activities, going to the movies. I would consider myself a big movie buff, and while I enjoy watching movies at home, whether it be by DVD or streaming or any other format, I would consider seeing a movie on the big screen to be the best way to experience a film. I ended up watching two films on the big screen; I used my MoviePass for one and paid discounted Tuesday prices for another. In the late afternoon I watched Crazy Rich Asians , which I loved. But before that I watched the film 2001: A Space Odyssey . It's a movie I've seen on DVD a few times, and I've read the book series by Arthur C. Clark. Recently it was not only rereleased to theaters for its fiftieth anniversary, but also put onto IMAX. I ...