Fatale Abstraction

I took the day off work today, since I'm exhausted and in the middle of a no-days-off jag until March 11.

Woke up late. It's amazing, because I've always preferred awakening naturally somewhere around the crack of noon, but crawling out of bed at 8:30 seemed gloriously late, compared to recent times.

I've been cleaning this morning, but mostly I've gathered up crap to drop off at Goodwill. What is it about a sparkling gorgeous spring-like day that seems so right for getting rid of clutter?

I have so many interests that I've accumulated too much stuff along the way. Times have changed, though. If there's something you have only a vague sentimental attachment to, you can send it on its way, confident in the fact that you can always acquire another later on ebay, should the need arise. Most likely, that day will never come, will it? I've also cleared 23 garments from my closet. YAY! Anyway, the entire back of LouLou is full of the first wave of crap for Goodwill, and there'll be more to come. Here's to spring cleaning.

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I admit it: I am weak. Despite my vow otherwise, I set the DVR to record the Oscar ceremony. What an ambling congregation of twaddle that was! About 11 o'clock last night, I began watching and the 4-ish hour extravaganza took me about 45 minutes. Honestly.

Let me just touch on a few points of note:

Presenters of best director award were Francis Coppola, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas. Now who didn't see the oft passed-over-on-Oscar-night Martin Scorsese's number being up? I mean, the 4 of them were in film school together. Yeah, it was a happy night for Marty, but there were no "aha"s of surprise in the audience, nor were there at home, I suspect. Oh, and is anybody buying the cover-up of his weak chin that Lucas is doing with that beard? If anything, it makes him look deformed. I just don't know. I think he needs to stop trimming it and grow a hedge over the jowls, frankly, because it's just not working.

Best Documentary? Al Gore's self-apotheosis, of course. *Yawn* Thank goodness he invented the internet so I could promulgate harangues thereon to register my great disdain for him and all his faulty "science."

Host Ellen Degeneres joked that since this show was green, the producers wanted her to recycle some of her old jokes. I normally find her sparkly and delightful, but she seemed almost subdued compared to her usual vivacious show persona - perhaps she was under some weird pressure we could never guess at.

Well, it may have been green, but it was dry as toast, and this is what comes of a politically correct, monolithic lockstep bunch of numb-nuts with not the will (or the ability) to break out of the pack with all the other sheep. So glad I didn't spend more than 45 minutes on this.

Jodie Foster? Stunning.

Cate Blanchett looked amazing in that gun-metal dress, and Kate Winslet was divine in sherbet-green.

Jennifer Lopez: WTF???

Gwenyth Paltrow astonished me by looking absolutely breathtaking, and even, almost, beautiful. I think she misses the mark more than she hits it, generally, and last night she was spot-on.

One sparkling moment, however, nearly redeemed the whole spectacle. Forrest Whitaker is astonishing, and his acceptance speech for best actor revealed who he is as a person and why he acts, rather than being a laundry list of payback thank-yous and political grandstanding. Well done, for a change.