Randomness...

-  So how did I do on my Oscar predictions, you might ask?  Pretty darn awesome! I nailed the lead acting, best picture, best enchiladas, and best red carpet interviewer categories.  Totally whiffed on the supporting acting categories. In my defense, I really thought that Christian Bale’s ludicrous performance in Batman had officially eliminated him from any future awards consideration…apparently no one else got this memo. A shame really.  Black Swan was still the best film…but whatever.  And regarding the enchiladas, I heard the phrase “out of this world” bandied about quite a bit…Overall, I’d give the Oscar party a solid A.  Had to hold back the plus since we weren’t able to view any part of the awards show or the red carpet…but those are merely details really.

-  Big news…big news! My favorite café instituted a loyalty card program last week. Pretty much my life’s biggest dream has now been fulfilled. My favorite barista said, “I’ll give you one of our new cards…because I know you come here quite a lot.”  Yeah, I do.  Every 8^th hot drink is free…heaven.

-  On a tangentially related note, I’ve taken up a new café-centric pastime. Since there is a relatively small, core group of people that inhabit the venue on a regular basis, I’ve taken to creating life stories for each of them.  The one I’m currently focusing on involves a group of three young people (1 guy, 2 girls) that often lounge about the café in different combinations. To picture the guy, think Jesus (with the beard, hair, and all) but unambiguously whiter. One of the girls is his girlfriend…she’s rather spunky in a nerdy kind of way. The other girl is a bit more reserved and thoughtful. She often sits at the window with her back to Jesus in an “I’m not really interested in you…but I really am” type of posture. My intuition tells me that they are all in the same program…probably MPhil in Literature or History (or something). Anyway, it’s painfully clear that girl number two is madly in love with Jesus. Her anguish is almost palpable…in the way she glances over her shoulder to see if he’s watching and most notably when they are all three together at one table. How will this play out in the end?  I’m not sure, but I hope it comes to a resolution in the next few months (before I leave, that is)…preferably with an embarrassing confrontation in the café involving spilled coffees, broken plates, and copious tears.  A guy can dream, can’t he?

-  Watched Alice in Wonderland tonight on DVD.  Fantastic costume design and art direction…or so I’ve heard.

-  Guess who’s going to formal at Trinity College on Friday?  Yeah, these guys…well, I think so at least.  Should be fun…finally crashing one of the old schools.  That place will never be the same after we’re done with it.

The Academy Awards 2011 – Predictions

I know you have all been anxiously awaiting this one…because if there is one thing I know, it’s film.  What makes this year’s predictions rather unique is that I’ve actually seen a fair number of the nominated movies, so I won’t have to rely on trailers to make my picks.  So without further ado…

Assessed Essay Number 1 Deadline Week

The title is meant to explain my absence…but here’s what’s been on my mind…

Nothing says love...

...like red roses in a Nike water bottle.

Valentine’s Day Edition: Spreading the Love

First off, big shout out and happy V-Day to all my blogosphere gangsta’s…you guys are so dope!  And on this special day I have to give thanks to my beautiful wife, my parents, siblings, and my awesome friends…without you this wouldn’t be possible…and the world would be missing out on one amazing blog.

Now let’s get down to business…

Week in Review...

Friday night...time to reflect on the week that was...

- If you’re looking for a feel-good film to watch this weekend…don’t watch Biutiful.  If you’re looking for a film that will make you want to go home afterwards, sit on the couch, and stare at the wall for 4 to 5 hours…then do watch Biutiful.  In a nutshell, this Spanish film starring Javier Bardem attempts to prove Murphy’s Law (what can go wrong, will go wrong).  And does it ever go wrong for Javier’s character and literally everyone he comes in contact with.  Now, while this film is extremely intense and very depressing, it’s probably worth it because it’s important to put things in perspective every now and then.  This is kind of like Crash, but to a whole different level. 

What this film really reminded me of is just how lucky I am.  It’s easy to forget that sometimes, but there are literally billions of people in the world living unspeakably painful lives. The full extent of the pain we humans can inflict on each other is really hard to fathom.  And none of us are really innocent.  Every time we buy a knock-off t-shirt or even some vegetables in the supermarket, it’s almost certain that some level of human suffering and injustice has touched that item somewhere in the production chain.  But perhaps the most difficult thing to accept is that there are no easy answers or solutions.  There are many things we should do better or more fairly, but powerful forces are lined up to maintain the status quo.  And on an even deeper level, there are so many ambiguities that make determining what is right and wrong a fundamental challenge.

Can't really think of a good title...story of my week

Ok, I have to admit that I’ve been having a bit of blogger’s block the past few days or so.  I attribute this to two primary factors: (1) My life has been pretty boring in that it’s mainly consisted of going to class (when it hasn’t been cancelled…and that’s all I have to say about that), pretending to write essays and such, going to public lectures that all tend to resemble each other after a while from an irreverent blogger perspective (I mean, how many times can I make fun of people for phrasing their question in the form of a monologue, for example? Who am I kidding…that never gets less funny), applying to jobs I won’t get, and perfecting my personal version of Poker Face (obviously), and (2) The non-boring parts fall into three main categories, (a) mildly funny stuff that doesn’t make sense if you’re not here, (b) very funny stuff that I really can’t write about for fear that the people involved might by chance read the blog, or (c) really fun activities (like the dinner party we went to on Sunday) that go so perfectly that they provide no blog fodder. (By the way, how’s that for a sentence…I suspect the punctuation is highly suspect?  Yeah, I’m easily entertained right now.) Oh yeah…I guess I could add one more category to the last part…(d) very bizarre and grotesque displays of public affection in pubs that I would skewer relentlessly except that I have the strong suspicion…disputed by Michelle but supported by other key parties…that said exhibitionists were mentally impaired. (A highly specific category perhaps…but there you have it.)  Much more awesomeness after the jump...

Anonymity and the decline of civility and sanity…

If you ever get particularly bored, I highly recommend that you surf over to Yahoo.com, click on any news article (no matter the topic), and scroll down to the comments section. There you will find what is, without doubt, the very worst that humanity has to offer. You might be thinking, “Come on…you must be exaggerating.”  Just read it…you’ll be convinced. For example, there’s a story about the typhoon that hit Australia.  One of the comments reads, “I bet that selfish piece of ---- Al Gore is blaming this on global warming!!”  And of course, even if the article is about a little girl saving a homeless kitten, there will be without exception at least 50 to 100 comments along the lines of, “good think (sic) Obama didn’t find the cat, he would have painted the communist symbol on its back, put a muslim head thing on its head and paid for its health care with my money!”  But perhaps the worst comment I’ve seen was this one…quoted word for word from the comment section of an article on HIV/AIDS research…