2,000!

I've arranged my schedule this semester so that I get to write some mornings. It would be nice if it were every morning, but no. In any case, I wrote 2,000 words this morning. I won't say on what or why or how very very mediocre my writing is, but I am glad just to have sat my butt down and written something.
I also prepared a story to send to a contest.
My plan is to prepare for class on Sunday night so that I may sit down on Monday and Wednesday and (I hope) Friday mornings and write, write, write. Evenings are for grading, reading, etc.
I have a story that I'm stalled on that I hope to work on, and now this new project. It's fun, in any case, so I hope to keep up the fun-ness.
May I just say, also, how much I love Persuasion? It's my favorite Jane Austen novel and I liked the new Masterpiece version last night. (Mostly because it featured Adam, from my favorite MI-5). It was too short (how can you pack all that into 90 minutes?), but it was a good adaptation.
I did not watch The Golden Globe newscast. I just looked at the list this morning. I guess I have to see "There Will Be Blood" now. And "Longford" which I'd never even heard of, but I do love Samantha Morton. And I'm glad Jeremy Piven won. He's my favorite. And Tina Fey. Tina Fey! And "Mad Men" which I've not seen, but I promise to get it on DVD. And "Atonement" no surprise there. But "Diving Bell and the Butterfly" which I listened to on tape (really, analog) and have wanted to see anyway.
That's my Monday update. School seems to be going well. And I exercised 6 out of 7 days last week. I think I lost all the sugar cookie weight.
Happy week!

I'm Not a Politics Junkie But...

I love to listen to coverage of elections. I don't really love the build up, but I like the results and the overstated speeches. I think it has more to do with my love of award shows than any love of politics. Election nights are the award shows of politics.
I'm happy that Obama and Edwards and Hillary are the top three. I agree with Hillary about a lot of things, but I don't really trust her. And Obama has almost no experience. But he has charisma.
Can I just say I hate Romney? I hate him. Why? Too slick, too much money. I love that he outspent Huckabee 20 to 1 and still lost. Ha! Plus Huckabee is a runner, so he's got that goin' for him.
I must finish my syllabus, but that doesn't mean I won't sit here by the radio listening to all the pundits doing what they do best. I will. But while I try to figure stuff out, which might not be productive.

Oscar Redux & AWP Preview

Well, I did pretty well this year. 14 of my picks were correct!
I am most proud of choosing Alan Arkin for Supporting Actor, and "Babel" for original score.
I also like that "Little Miss Sunshine" won for best original screenplay. His was probably my favorite acceptance speech. I liked that when he was kid he had actually taken a 600 mile road trip with his family in a VW van with a broken clutch. 600 miles?!? No big surprises other than Arkin. I guess Melissa Ethridge was a surprise, but I can't say I had strong feelings about that category.

In other news, Hightouchmegastore and I depart on Wednesday for parts Southern (and warm, I'm hoping for warm!). In Atlanta we will hob-nob, no doubt, with great writers and those who possess great wit and charm. I'm speaking, of course, of none other than Otterbutt and Terrible Mother. We may see some other people too, who knows, but those are the important ones. Because of my stupid diet (do I seem testy?), I won't get to drink, but I look forward to enjoying their company while eating copious amounts of allowed food (which are those?) and pointing out famous writers.
No one is reading this year that I would want to stalk, but maybe I'll stand in line to give John Barth some kind of testimonial about how "Lost in the Funhouse" changed my life. It did! I swear!

I hope we get to see a movie on the plane. Yeah! Movie!
See you on the flip side. And by flip side I mean later.

Oscars!

It wouldn't be right if I didn't post my picks for tomorrow's Oscars. I have to say that this year I think I have been the least involved of any year, except for maybe the year Son was born! But, I did manage to see one of the Best Picture nominees, so I feel entitled to pick at will. And so......

Best Picture: Little Miss Sunshine (I love a underdog!)
Director: Martin Scorsese (A make-up Oscar. He deserves one, maybe not for this film....)
Actor: Forest Whitaker!!!! (I heart him!)
Actress: Helen Mirren (the Queen of our hearts!)
Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin (maybe a long shot, but he was so funny!)
Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson (I'm a sucker for a good story)
Adapted Screenplay: Little Children (I wasn't crazy about the novel, but it was a novel!)
Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine (great dialogue!)
Animated Feature: Happy Feet (penguins win!)
Art Direction: Pan's Labyrinth (I haven't seen it, but I've heard)
Documentary Feature: Iraq in Fragments (a political win)
Foreign-Language: The Lives of Others (I've read reviews)
Art Direction: Pan's Labyrinth
Cinematography: The Prestige (because it's the only other one I've seen)
Costume Design: Dreamgirls
Editing: Babel (because it needed some? the cuts from scene to scene?)
Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth
Score: Babel (why not?)
Song: Um, something from Dreamgirls? The odds are good (3 out of 5?) I'll choose "Listen"
Animated Short: The Danish Poet (because it has Poet in the title)
Live action Short: Binta and the Great Idea (I liked the picture)
Documentary Short: Recycled Life (I don't know, I like the title)
Sound Editing: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest (like I have any idea)
Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls (because it has music?)
Visual Effects: Superman Returns (because I've seen it)

Well, check back Monday for my numbers. One year I won a free pass for a movie, and Middlebrow and I saw "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" for free. Yeah! But I haven't entered anything this year.
Did I mention I love award shows?