How many times must something repeat before it becomes a tradition? I ask this because Wednesday nights have become (I hate to use the word routine) a series of repeated activities. A set and a half of tennis with a co-worker, dinner at Mikaku and an episode of Samurai Jack. I'll be the first to admit it...Samurai Jack kicks so much ass, but more on that later.

The tennis is good exercise. Like Alex said last night, "It's no where championship level, but it's addictive to us." Addictive because we are pretty evenly matched...duce games 70% of the time, tie-break sets, etc...and we are both friendly competitors (i.e. we want to win, but not necessarily beat our opponent).

After the match, my friends at Mikaku serve Japanese food - as good if not better than what I remember eating - when I was living over there. Tabemono wa ooishi so desu yo!

Back to the hotel at 10 to catch an episode of Samurai Jack. Jack's an intriguing fellow with a quest...find the portal, get back home, kill Aku...all gets back to normal. Many drawl a line of similarity between this show and David Carradine's Kung Fu. Yes, they are both feudal Japanese characters and operate with the code of the samurai...but Jack's show is actually interesting. No one made (like Jules Winfield said) "travelling around from village to village, getting into adventures" interesting or exciting until the A-Team...and you had to FIND those idiots. Carradine found you, kinda like the clap or the tax man.

But Samurai Jack's different. He comes across you or your town, you're in trouble, and Jack takes care of it. Then, Jack leaves...doesn't try to communicate a message or some moral lesson, doesn't give a joke or a punchline..."Haven't seen the portal? Thanks...goodbye." Kung Fu could have made it by taking a lesson or two.

Now, in some major hollywood studio basement somewhere...some script writer has the Samurai Jack screenplay in its 3rd draft with Chow Yun Fat in the lead role. I'd pay to see that. Hopefully you would too...