humble pie

I suppose I'll give an update from the last post on my Oscar predictions, the closest thing to an NCAA bracket you'll ever see me do. The official tally was 12 out of 24, an F by most standards, unless you go to Brown or some place like that. But I did win a prize at my friend's Oscar party (merely by default). I was pleased and very surprised to see George Clooney win as well as Rachel Weiss. And the 3-6 Mafia?!? Are you serious? As Jon Stewart said, "It just got a little easier out there for a pimp." And of course, the upset for the evening, Crash, was a huge surprise and kind of disappointing. I confess I've maybe been a little unfair towards this movie but it still should never have won best picture. There's this tragic thing in the Academy where the indies or even the major studio films that don't pull the box-office never seem to win, such as Traffic, Fargo, and In the Bedroom. Of this year's five films, the other four where definately superior to Crash, which is disappointing. I'm not trying to insult anyone for liking Crash, I liked it as well, it was just the weakest nomination this year. So please go see the others if you haven't, they're terrific.

I left town with a friend this week, not really going home with him, but to a sort of home away from home. It's sort of strange watching someone you're very close to hanging out with other people he's really close to, being a sort of fly on the wall in his life. Situations like that seem to bring my shyness to the front and while I had fun, I think about how I rarely make accurate first impressions. I'm not unstable or anything but I do think it takes a while to get to know me. I would even say there are people I've known for years who still don't have an accurate idea of who I am. Does that make sense? I'm not sure if it's having walls up or what the deal is. Or maybe it's just that I'm overly shy and protective on the outset, which I guess is like having walls up. I just answered that question.