Friday Five

1. I'm participating in my first half marathon on Saturday. Due to injury and the realization that I don't enjoy the run-walk program I was doing, I'm not trained. Neither is Joe. So we'll suffer together. I actually like running, which is why I decided to sign up for the half in the first place. But I don't like running with walk breaks, which is how I was training. So I lost my motivation to wake up early in the morning and train. Maybe I'll try again. Maybe I'll give up running. Maybe I'll give in and see a specialist about my foot. We'll see.
   
   
2. LOST Theory of the Week from Televisionary:
   "My current (and possibly off-the-wall theory) is that the flashbacks we've seen over the years were in fact the moments that were seen by Jacob at the looking-glass. I've long wondered if Jacob either exists outside the boundaries of time and space (thus able to manifest as both his past incarnation--the bloodied teenage boy--and his ghostly adult self and appear off- and on-island) or is able to perceive the world through the veil of time, perhaps aided by the looking-glass. Just as Smokey was able to scan the castaways upon coming upon them (as seen when he "reads" Mr. Eko way back when), Jacob is perhaps able to watch these key moments unfold. Which would therefore make the flashbacks not only key plot points but also integral to the larger narrative, giving us an plot-based explanation for why they exist within the series and making Jacob not just a player in the larger game but also one of us as well: a viewer, privy to these characters' pasts in a way that only an omniscient narrator can be."
   
   
3. I'm enjoying my life without caffeine and sodas. Because I'd been drinking caffeine-free Diet Coke or Diet DP when I had the opportunity, I didn't experience caffeine withdraw. I am enjoying sleeping better, except when the stress of my job keeps me awake, like it did one night this week.
   
   
4. As much as I love the Olympics, I'm starting to tire of them. At the same time, I just sat on the edge of my couch watching the results of the Nordic Combined. But that is because I love sports in general. I do not love NBC's time-delayed coverage, which is senseless from Games in the same continent and with results posted on the internet before before aired on NBC.
   
   
5. So haven't been reading lately. It's been Olympics and movies all the time. I still haven't finished the Andre Agassi autobiography I started in December. I devour books, so if I take a break, I don't usually finish. But I want to finish. Have to make myself.
   

Friday Five

1. I've seen all 10 nominees for Best Picture. Finally. I'm partial to the Hurt Locker. Rent it today. It's a thriller about disarming bombs. Don't skip it just because you think it's a "war movie." It's not. Tthe war in Afghanistan is the setting. And it has great cinematography. And it's a directed by a female, the front runner to win and become the first woman best director winner.
   
   
2. It feels like ages ago that we had snow, doesn't it? I didn't go into work Thursday or Friday. On Thursday, I walked a mile or so to eat lunch because I didn't have groceries. I knew the roads weren't bad, but I love the snow, so why not? Here are a few pictures from my journey. (I took them with my new phone; it has a zoom!)
   
   I love the hay barrels in this photo. This is in a field behind my apartment complex.
   
   The resort-style pool at my apartment. Loved the juxtaposition in this photo. Palm trees covered in snow.The road I walked from my apartment to Chick-fil-A.
   
   
   
3. On Friday, I went a little stir crazy. I got out in the afternoon and drove to the mall to see a movie. Poorly chose "Valentine's Day." Do not waste your time or your money. Skip it and put "Love, Actually" in your DVD player. You will thank me.
   
   
4. Saw the Greencards in concert last Wednesday and Zane Williams (!) two days ago. I haven't seen Zane since college. He sounded good, but the venue was awful. Horrible acoustics. Want to see him again when I can really hear what he is singing.
   
   
5. Going to see a documentary film festival this Saturday in Denton. If that interests you and you want to tag along, let me know. We are going to see three Oscar-nominated docs, including the "Cove." So if you are anti-dolphin slaughter, this is the movie for you.
   

Friday Five: Oscar Nominations

I love movies. Shocking revelation, I know. Tuesday was Oscar nomination day, and I have opinions on those nominations. Again, shocking.

1. Unless you've been living under a rock (or simply don't care, which if that is the case, I won't be offended if you stop reading now), the AMPAS expanded the best picture list to include 10 (10!) movies. Crazy. Nominees and my reaction below.
   -Avatar
   - the Blind Side
   - District 9
   - An Education
   - Hurt Locker
   - Inglourious Basterds
   - Precious
   - A Serious Man (have not seen)
   - Up (have not seen)
   - Up in the Air
   
   Super excited about the inclusion of District 9 on this list. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Avatar has to have the worst dialogue of any Best Picture nominee, possibly ever. So bad it was distracting. The Blind Side, really? Tim McGraw can now say he starred in an Oscar-nominated movie.
   
   
2. Overall, don't see the point of expanding the list when the Best Director category is still five. Movies there weren't nominated for best directing are the "second-class citizens" of the best pic race. But with the inclusion of Avatar, the Blind Side, Up and Inglourious Basters, maybe ratings will increase.
   
   
3. What happens if Up loses the Oscar for animation? How can the Academy justify that? It was good enough to be nominated for the overall best picture race, but somehow is not considered the best animated film?
   
   
4. Kathryn Bigelow might become the first woman to win the Oscar for best director! Lee Daniels is the first African American man to be nominated for best director! Exciting! Except I have mixed feelings about Daniels inclusion. Saw Precious, liked it, recommend it. Daniels pulled incredible performances out of his cast - two receiving Oscar nominations - and deserves credit. But I didn't like many choices he made shooting and editing the film, including, but not limited to, the scenes in and around the fantasies. So mixed feelings.
   
   
5. In the Loop was nominated for adapted screenplay. Wow. Just saw this movie last week. Probably the most profane movie every nominated for an screenplay Oscar. You know how sometimes, you watch a movie with repetitive foul language and you get used to it by the end. The profanity in this movie is so over the top (and creative) that you always notice it. It's a British comedy about the lead up the Iraq war. But it's very smart and clever and deserving.