The bootlegging mission to Amarillo on Saturday was successful. I went to a Wal-Mart Supercenter, where the prices were about 20% less than the liquor stores in Lubbock. Didn't get anything too fancy, though: Ravenswood Zinfandel, Yellow Tail Shiraz (1.5 ml), Bella Sera Merlot (1.5 ml), Blue Moon, Guinness, Pilsner Urquell, New Belgium. That should last a couple of months. Then tried the sushi bar, which was ok but I've decided that sushi is too expensive for a main course--$15 for 6 pieces of nigri sushi! The cold Asahi hit the spot on that hot Texas afternoon, though. Then went to B&N to kill a few hours drinking Sumatra and skimming through Eusebius. A beautiful young married woman seating next to me was reading a self-help book on finding love, which struck me as odd. I was interested to see that, according to Eusebius, the church at Rome rejected the Letter to the Hebrews, ironic considering that many modern-day RC apologists argue that only their church's approval can give us any confidence in the table of contents of the NT Canon. Then went to the cinema to see Howl's Moving Castle. It's not one of Miyazaki's better efforts, unfortunately, but there's enough beauty and imagination in it to make it worth watching nonetheless. B-.

iTunes downloads: Lindsey Buckingham, "Trouble" (yeah, it's Lite Rock, but that nylon-string picking is quite nice); Bob Dylan, "Simple Twist of Fate" (live version) and "Tangled up in Blue" (NY version, better than the album version).