Basketball Bender

My excuse for not really blogging last week revolved around the start of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. As a college b-ball fan, this is my favorite time of year. I used two of my vacation days so I could gorge myself on the sport. I bounced back and forth between my TV and the computer in order to catch as many games as possible. I think I ended up watching about 44-ish hours TH-SUN. It's been awhile since there have been that many overtimes and games won by a basket at the very end.

I'm happy to see the Duke is still in it. I nervous about their game with Baylor later today, but I think they have a good shot at going to the Final Four this year. As long as the big three all hit their season averages, and we keep up inside, I think they are there.

When I haven't been watching basketball this week (I can't even tell you how tired I was after the double OT Xavier/K-State game), I have been enjoying/subjecting myself to local high school theater. More frighteningly, musical theater. Those of you with whom I have discussed theater, know how much I don't really like musicals. They make almost no sense to me. I find it annoying that suddenly everyone in town breaks into song and dance.

There are exceptions to my hate. If the story itself has something to do with music, I'm usually cool with it. I love Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I enjoy Grease. I liked Rent, but that's probably more because of how contemporary the music was.

I also dig The Music Man. A good friend of mine teaches English, Writing and a few other things at a local high school. He is the director of the fall play and co-director of the spring musical. He has been into theater all his life and has an extremely supportive wife, so he really pushes the high school theater program as close to a college program as possible. I think he is safely into JuCo range. Anyway, I saw his production of The Music Man on Friday night and was really impressed. The sets looked way beyond what most high schools do. The staging was really good. The choreography rocked. The kids all acted well and pretty much everyone who had a singing part had a solid voice. One of the side players did such a great job with her small part, I actually felt compelled to tell her in the "meet and greet" afterward that she was my new favorite person.

The flip side of this was a production of Once Upon a Mattress that I saw last night. Can I just say can't see the point/logic of writing a musical where one of the main-ish characters is MUTE!!! Seriously! The songs the mute king participated in almost caused my soul to leave my body in hopes of finding shelter. I don't blame the kids really. They are only performing what has been written and acting the way they are being directed. It was like watching a really bad game of charades with some music tossed in. For some reason, at the end of most of the songs, the kids were doing the thing where they face the audience and as they are hitting that final note, lifting one arm out from their body. Eh? Okay for swing choir maybe, but not a good thing for musical theater...unless it's a big, everybody is in it, finale sort of song where choreography has been involved, then it is a little more understandable.

Here's a couple of random blurbs about the office:

Worst recent quote from the guy in the office next to mine (on the phone to a customer I believe):

"When someone drops a deuce, it kills the whole hallway."

Sadly, he is correct about this, but still. For some reason, the boys can't figure out that the Lysol disinfectant is not the same as air freshener.

I think I have decided to change the name of our "let's be best friends" lunches from Hands Across the Office to That Time Of The Month. Why I didn't come up with that the first time I don't know.

Okay, games are gonna start soon and I still have to make lunch.

GO DUKE!

One out of Two

Well crap. Illinois just didn't have it for the second overtime. I think their chances are still good for getting into the tournament. Duke hangs on to go to the championship tomorrow! Guess I'll go see the new Matt Damon flick during the week.

Half Time

WOO HOO! Illinois is up at the half. My poor remote is getting bitch slapped today. I'm constantly bouncing back and forth between IL vs. Ohio St. on CBS and Duke vs. Miami on ESPN. Miami, not surprisingly, has come back and hit a 3 pointer with seconds to spare to go up at the half. I think things should be getting going again soon so this is a short hello.

I changed the look of the page. I'm not super excited, but I haven't had a chance to look for a lot of options. Maybe after the games are done today...

I-L-L!

I-N-I!

Drowning, Not Waving

I think I may have used that post title before, but after the last few weeks, it is worth a repeat. Things have freakishly picked up at work. In general, that's good. More bids means the chance at more jobs. What is not good is having one of the reps losing track of what is bidding when...it results in me getting handed decent sized bids and having about 6 hrs. to get them finished. Ugh. I've pulled about 3-4 hours of overtime the last couple weeks which has left me less than enthused about getting on the computer when I get home.

But, if anything will pull me back, it will be the Oscars. And Maru the cat videos, but I digress.

I have a feeling that this year's Oscars will be more of a popularity contest than usual. I've had a chance to see most of the nom'd performances and movies so here's what I think:

Best Actor: I think Clooney or Colin Firth should win, but Jeff Bridges probably will win. And, he probably deserves it (I never did make it to Crazy Heart). Bridges has won most of the Best Actor awards that have already been given out and thankfully, is crazy talented.

Best Actress: I think it should go to Carey Mulligan for An Education. It will probably go to Sandra Bullock. Don't get me wrong. I am a Sandra fan. I don't always like her choices, but she's a nice person and I think she works hard when she makes a film. She's quite good in The Blind Side, but I'm not sure it's a role that has the traditional "Oscar-ness" to it. Still, she's a nice person, a lot of Hollywood folks like her and who knows when she will get another part that will bring her this close to taking home the golden man.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds should and will win. He is the absolute best thing about that movie. Well, that and the use of the song "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)." He makes the evil that is a Nazi all the more creepy by making him articulate and eerily calm.

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique should and will win. She had no fear playing an abusive mother and her final monologue will knock the air out of your lungs. It's too bad that Up in The Air hadn't come out this year because Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick were both very good too.

Best Score: Up should win. When I watch this movie, I always cry at the same three places. I am convinced that the third time I cry, it's because of Michael Giacchino's score that calls back to the first time I cried. I love Giacchino's work (he does the music for Lost) and I'm pulling for him.

Best Foreign Film: I'll admit that I haven't seen any of the nominated films. Not surprising since it's rare that a foreign flick comes anywhere near where I live. But, the film A Prophet is directed by the guy who did "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" which I really enjoyed so I'm pulling for him. Another option is The White Ribbon, which I've heard lots of good things about. The only problem is it is really long and there's a chance not all the voters took the time to watch it.

Best Adapted Screenplay: In the Loop should win. I just watched this movie on DVD and it was one of the funniest and wittiest scripts I've heard in a while. The film is about the political maneuvering and backstabbing that occurs while Britain and the U.S. decide whether they are going to invade an unnamed Middle Eastern country on the premise of their being weapons of mass destruction, but no one has been able to provide evidence that the WMD's even exist. Sound familiar? I will admit that I pretty much love any movie that features British people cussing in profuse and creative ways. Sadly, that could be the downfall for this screenplay. If In The Loop doesn't get it, I'm pulling for either Up In The Air or An Education.

Best Original Screenplay: This was tough because I haven't seen The Messenger or A Serious Man. I'm leaning towards A Serious Man because I'd heard such good things about the script.

Best Animated Feature: Up. I wish Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox had come out in different years because they are worthy of this award as well.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow should win. After he snagged a Golden Globe though, I think James Cameron will take it home, which sucks.

Best Picture: I think it should be either Up or The Hurt Locker (though I am also secretly rooting for District 9, but there's no way that's happening...). I think if James doesn't get best director, The Hurt Locker has a shot here. It's been pretty traditional to have the film done by the best director win best picture. It doesn't happen all the time, but often enough. I do like James Cameron. I frickin' love Aliens. But, Avatar is not the best picture released this year.

We'll see how I do with these guesses come Sunday night. Good thing I'm not putting down any money on this stuff.