Lint's Oscar Picks

I'm running out of time, so I'll forgo the explanations...

BEST PICTURE: Little Miss Sunshine
ACTOR: Forest Whitaker
ACTRESS: Helen Mirren
SUP. ACTOR: Eddie Murphy
SUP. ACTRESS: Jennifer Hudson
ANIMATED FEATURE: Cars
ART DIRECTION: Dreamgirls
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Children of Men
COSTUME DESIGN: Marie Antoinette
DIRECTING: The Departed
DOC FEATURE: An Inconvenient Truth
DOC SHORT: Two Hands
FILM EDITING: United 93
FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Pan's Labyrinth
MAKEUP: Pan's Labyrinth
ORIGINAL SCORE: The Queen
ORIGINAL SONG: "Love You I Do"
SHORT ANIMATED: The Little Matchgirl
SHORT LIVE ACTION: Eramos Pocos
SOUND EDITING: Pirates
SOUND MIXING: Apocalypto
VISUAL EFFECTS: Pirates
SCREENPLAY ADAPTED: The Departed
SCREENPLAY ORIGINAL: Little Miss Sunshine

the official M.A.Y.A. Years Oscar picks (well, at least my picks.)

I am proud to say that I have won whatever Oscar pool I have been in five out of the past six years. The one year I didn't do so well was the year I put money on it. I learned my lesson.

this year, the Oscars have snuck up on me. I FINALLY finished all the best picture films this week, so I feel set to make my official predictions. Come back tomorrow night, so I can gloat. Yay.
Oh, I'm only going to put the major categories. I didn't get to see all the animated shorts. Sorry.

Best Picture:
Should win: Little Miss Sunshine. Truthfully, this wasn't that great of a year for movies. Of course, I saw some phenomenal stuff, but as a whole...eh. However, I saw Little Miss Sunshine up in Monterey during a spontaneous trip before school started. It was in this small theater with a bunch of old people. Oh man, it was AWESOME. I have never heard a more pleased group of geriatrics. It was great. This is a typical comedy format, but the writing and acting give it freshness and vitality.
The other movies were good. I really liked Letters from Iwo Jima and it makes me want to see Flags of our Fathers. I dug The Queen...it was a lot different than what I expected. The Departed was a hoot, even though the film burnt out in the cheap-o theater I saw it in. I liked Babel, but wasn't that impressed, really.
Will win: Most likely Babel, but I'm going to go on a limb and say that Little Miss Sunshine will pull off the upset. I think it might happen.
The REAL best movie of the year: Pan's Labyrinth. Oh good lord was that amazing!!!!

Best actor:
Should win: I didn't see Venus, but I'm gonna say Peter O'Toole because it's a tragedy that he never won for Lawrence of Arabia.
Will win: Forest Whitaker. Dude, he rocked it in Last King of Scotland. That movie would have been a shell of a story if it wasn't for his performance.

Best Actress:
Should win: Helen Mirren. She was Queen Elizabeth II. I saw the actual Queen when I was in England. Mirren had her down to a tee. On the other hand, Kate Winslet is the best actor/actress this side of 30. Little Children was unbelievably good...worthy of a best picture nod.
Will win: Helen Mirren.

Best Supporting Actor:
Should win: Alan Arkin. He gave a level of depth that is very nuanced in this movie. A close second is Jackie Earle Haley who put in a haunting performance in Little Children. He's not only a feel-good story, he's really a great actor.
Will win: Eddie Murphy. Honestly, his performance was good, but not great, but he'll win.

Best Supporting Actress:
Should win: Jennifer Hudson. The only lock in any of these categories. Aside from her, Dreamgirls was highly overrated.
Will win: Jennifer Hudson.

Best Director:
Should win: Martin Scorsese. If he doesn't win, there is no justice in the world.
Will win: Scorsese, or else the mob is putting a hit on all the Academy voters.

Best Documentary:
An Unconvenient Truth. I don't care if you agree with global warming or not, go see this movie.

Best Foreign film:
I would like to take this brief opportunity and thank Guerillmo Del Toro for sticking to his guns and creating one of the best freaking movies I have seen in quite a while. I would also like to thank the country of Mexico for allowing such great directors to come into being. And I would finally like to the thanks the parents of Maribel Verdu for having sex and creating her. (She plays a crucial role in Pan's Labyrinth. Also, if you've seen Y Tu Mama Tambien, which I highly recommend you do, then you'll understand.)
Oh: Pan's Labyrinth better win this category.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Should win: Borat. Borat should have also been nominated for best picture and Sasha Baron Cohen should have nominated for best actor. He would had won if that would had happened. Alas, this great movie only gets some due in this category.
Will win: The Departed.

Best Original Screenplay:
This one is actually a toughie. All the screenplays were very cool and rather strong.
Should win: Pan's Labyrinth.
Will win: Probably Babel.


OK, as a last bit: here's my picks for the top five movies of the year. Like I said, this wasn't that strong of a year, but there were some really good movies.

1. Pan's Labyrinth. Just too good to be overlooked.
2. Borat. The genius is not in the character, but in the mirror it shows America.
3. The Fountain. I lot of people hated it. I loved it. I loved it for its purity and for its vision.
4. Little Children. What made this so good was that this could really happen and does happen. Everywhere and anywhere.
5. Little Miss Sunshine. Too good, too cute.

Neil Postman lives on and on and on...

For those fans of the late philosopher Neil Postman, or those remembering Dr. Ganas's Senior Seminar, I found this article on The Disappearance of Childhood. I have not read that book and I wasn't a fan of Technopoly, but in my old age, I might reconsider.
Enjoy.

>Childhood

Alicia's Story

I stumbled across Alicia's Story yesterday. It's a series in the San Francisco Chronicle written by a M.A.Y.A. battling one of the rarest forms of cancer: alveolar soft part sarcoma. Alicia was first diagnosed almost two years ago, at age 23 (three years after her own mother died of breast cancer), and she chronicles every test and treatment and emotion along the way.

At the end of chapter one, Alicia wrote: "If I get through this, this story will help me remember the important moments along the way, the details, the dizzying emotions. And, in the worst of all circumstances, if I go through this life-changing ordeal and my body just wears out and I die, I will die a writer. The one thing I've always wanted to be."

Read it. You won't regret it.

Alicia's Story

So, maybe the pre-historic people had the right idea...

This article ran in Sunday's L.A. Times. It deals perfectly about the shift in marriage and relationships. This author makes the point that what we understand as the "proper" view of marriage may not be what is most effective for both males and females.
Have a read:

here

Is that wedding bells I hear...oh, just my ears ringing...

I do have to say that it's quite ironic that there is no one but me and the owner in Cafe Young and Lazy.
I personnally enjoy this place specificially for that reason. Faster Wi-Fi, good organic coffee and no reasons to slack off other than the ones I conjure up.

The new semester is in full swing, thus the late start to 2007 for the M.A.Y.A. Years. These next four months will challenge me in ways I haven't been challenged before, so I'll apologize up front for the lack of frequency, but I promise to be as consistent as possible.

A story spoke of how unmarried women now dominate the census landscape. There are now more unmarried people than married people. Either folks are getting married later in life, or choosing to live with a partner or partners.

I might be completely off-base here, but I've always surmised that the cultural understanding is that women are in more of a pressing need to be married than men. The economical gap and the desire to have a two-parent household has always made this so.
Of course, that isn't the case anymore, which is a great thing. However, the side effect of all of this is the shifting from a communal society to an individualistic society. In essence, the need of community and coupleship has altered in its definitions and forms. Community now comes with friends intead of spouses as the predominate factor. Self-reliance and actualization are tops in the life goals of people. I think of myself as an individual first, rather than a member of society first.

What does this mean for marriage? I'm not sure. I can say that this means a lot for the M.A.Y.A. Years. The first focus isn't on getting a wife, but rather establishing your life. Then maybe you can get married...maybe. Folks are having sex at an earlier age and the quest for intimacy takes on a different variable.

I do wonder...what is this doing to men? In my opinion, it is men who need to be married more than women. It is men who need a community more than women. Some would point to the presence of patriarchy as evidence. I think that is true to a point. But I feel the fundamental issue is the desire for connection for men, which I feel is different from women (of course, I speak this as a dude, so there you go.)
Men have gained an identity from being the man of the house, the head of the household, the leader of most things. That desire is inherent in most men. But as society shifts to self first, couple maybe, I wonder how masculinity and manhood will adapt, if it will at all.

I mean, God said, "It is not good that man should be alone." I think God was on to something.

What do you think?

A list to end the year...

I know it's such a cliche, but I'm amazed how fast this year has flown by.

Last year, I was at my friend Tim's house, about to become a homeowner, start up a masters program, continue my work at the newspaper and flee the troubles of 2005.

This Sunday will find me at my friend Jason's house, which is down the street from my friend Tim's house, happy to no longer be a homeowner, be knee-deep in my master's program, no longer work at the newspapers and struggle to fully embrace the uncertainty of 2006.

I suppose one of the key elements of the M.A.Y.A. Years is this process of discovery. There are two questions that have to be asked and answered:
1. Who am I?
2. What am I going to do about it?

I am now fully convinced that once you come up with an answer, you realize how much it really doesn't suffice.

I used to be gung-ho about figuring out what exactly happening during the course of a year and creating resolutions for the new year. Last year, I even had a theme "Breathe and be." I think I accomplished that in some ways, and barely began to start in other ways.
This year, I don't want to set any goals. However, that's not gonna happen. I'm a goal-oriented person, whether I admit it or not. I need goals, challenges, dreams to keep going. My quarterlife crisis hasn't been not having something to strive for...it's been figuring out which thing to cross off the list first.

Nevertheless, one thing that did stick out this year that I want to keep with me. 2006 saw the story of the George Mason men's basketball team. Their rise to the Final Four was nothing short of amazing.
I read an article about the coach, Jim Larranga in the L.A. Times. In the story, the coach was talking about his team philosophy and how he got there. He talked about levels of commitments and being a real team. He spoke of meeting his mentor often and sharing the pages upon pages of "stuff" he had on basketball.
His mentor would eventually tell him that all the pages and pages were simply not needed. In the end, one only needs one page of "stuff" to coach basketball. Everything else is everything else.
So, Larranga set up to create one page worth of essentials. It took him about two years, but once it was done, he said he had a peace of mind and a clear philosophy about how to coach.

I have to say this article really affected me. I keep hearing that you know what you know when you know it. Everything else is everything else. Is this really true?
So, this year, I started this one page. What are the absolute essentials that I need to live a good life (in addition to salvation and such). Here's what I got so far:

Despite my hesitations, or maybe because of my hesitations, I do believe that God is a loving Being.
I believe that I am a good person.
My outlook of life and all that it entails depends solely on me. I alone provide the lenses upon which I see the world.
God and I are the only two beings that get to define who I am.
Life consists of forces and beings; this interaction creates connection and chaos. Because of this, I make choices, and choices make me. Some things can be attributed to God, other things are attributed to the forces of life.
I believe that I am a spiritual being having a human experience, not a human being having a spiritual experience. My spirit is the “key” to me.
I have an inherent need to connect with other people, and this inherent need must be nourished and fulfilled. My dual consciousness--having a strong self that is connected to others – demands my highest priority.
The real world is the world I make real.
The future, like the past, is a manifestation of now. The past is now memories, and the future is entrenched with expectation. I am living in the present, and the future is open and undefined. I trust the freedom of the spirit, which I believe comes from God, to open and unveil the future.
I know what I know when I know it.
I believe in Christ, and his message of redemption and hope. I claim Christ as my Savior, knowing my relationship with Christ is spirit to spirit.
I know that the truth is in the shifting middle: the endpoints are constantly moving, the middle point is quite vast, with huge pockets of undefined clarity yet to be discovered and revealed.
I know that time is a string of pearls, or a moving train, or some other metaphor. In essence, time is how I perceive it. Moments provide opportunities for life to occur. It is in those moments where life truly exists.

I do realize that this is very philosophical and such. I guess that's the foundation that's needed.
So, in leaving 2006 and looking forward to the new Year, the M.A.Y.A. Years (well, at least me) is calling on you, dear reader, for advice. What should I add? Take away? Any good ideas for this new year and enjoying the time of the Middle Aged Young Adult?

Anyways, may the New Year be one of greatness, fruitfulness and joy.

Tis the season for more postings...

But that will have to wait for just a bit longer.

Nevertheless, Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the M.A.Y.A. Years!

Life is in the coffee...

This comes from my friend Jamie. Very, very cool stuff.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of
coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, and some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee. After all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress."

"Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it 'it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups...and then began eyeing each
other's cups."

"Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews the coffee, not the cups ... enjoy your coffee."

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, It means you've
decided to see beyond the imperfections

Live in peace and peace will live in you.

Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles, but it does ruin today's happiness.

Barely afloat in a river of academia...

I am about six pages short of being done with this semester.

If anything, I learned that I shouldn't put off for tomorrow what I can do the day after.

Anyways, sorry for the lack of consistent posts. Both Linterella and I are swamped, but soon, we should return with more holiday M.A.Y.A. goodness.

Hello. I'm Descartes.

I found the following quote by Descartes in an article in The New Yorker today:

"When I consider the fact that I have doubts, or that I am a thing that is incomplete and dependent, then there arises in me a clear and distinct idea of a being who is independent and complete, that is, an idea of God. And from the mere fact that there is such an idea within me, or that I who possess this idea exist, I clearly infer that God also exists, and that every single moment of my entire existence depends on him... And now, from this contemplation of the true God, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and the sciences lie hidden, I think I can see a way forward to the knowledge of other things."

Descartes. Damn.

I have a vague recollection of studying Descartes in school, probably in my college philosophy class, but I can't remember a thing about him. Before today I'm not sure I could have accurately attributed the famous line, "I think, therefore I am," to him. And I certainly don't remember finding him all that interesting, as I did after reading the above passage, which prompted further research and reading.

It is truly unfortunate the amount of information that was wasted on me in school. I just wasn't at all interested in most things presented to me, especially anything related to math, science, or history. There were too many formulas, too many laws, too many names, too many dates, to remember. So I just didn't bother. I clung to just-this-side-of-passing grades in these subjects for most of my life. In fact, I had to take both high school intermediate algebra and college algebra twice. I stayed afloat only because my grades in other subjects—like art, literature, creative writing, drama, leadership, yearbook, humanities, pop culture, etc.—more than made up for it.

During parent-teacher conferences in grade school, my teachers would often blame my performance, or lack thereof, on "boredom." They thought that I was not sufficiently challenged on an intellectual level, that this stuff was somehow below me. Eh. As wonderfully brainy as that makes me sound, I don't think that was the case. It wasn't boredom. It was laziness and egocentrism. I was only interested in learning what I wanted to learn when I wanted to learn it. I had nearly encyclopedic knowledge of some subjects while my other courses were merely blocks of time set aside for me to read, write poetry, pass notes, or doodle.

But a funny thing happened shortly after college graduation. I suddenly became very interested in everything I once ignored, especially the sciences, history, politics, and theology. For five years, I've been on something of a rabid quest to fill these gaping holes in my brain. And the more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know (didn't Einstein say something like that?), which then prompts me to know more. It's crazy, this quest. Endless. I have 14 magazine subscriptions—three of which are weeklies—from Time to Vanity Fair to National Geographic to Wired. I'm addicted to online news websites. I'm equally addicted to Merriam-Webster Online and Wikipedia. I keep word lists and subject lists to look up later. I'm an animal.

And to what end? I'm not sure, really. Information thrills me. It provides context. Challenge. I'm continually growing and adapting as I learn more about myself, the world, God. I have courage in my convictions. It's just a shame I didn't start earlier...

Monday musings-Thanksgiving edition

This week, ABC News and USA Today begin a series on "Young and in Debt." From what I heard, it really will be something worth checking out.
Here's info:

young and in debt

In turkey news, this will be the first Thanksgiving in a long time that I can actually enjoy the family fights and scary snarls without having to rush off to work. I've been practicing my loving insults towards Grandpa in the mirror every night for the past two weeks! Yay!

All this talk about fat is making me hungry...

I'm sitting here in my Communication Policy class on Tuesday. This class is a simulation, in which class members take on official roles, either in government or in the private interest. I am Rupert Murdoch (the irony is so delicious...)
Right now, we are discussing regulation on advertising for junk food. The argument being offered is that the government has a responsibility to provide standards on how much advertising is directed at children and how much impetus should the industry have in providing healthy choices.
It's all great, but it leaves me with the issue of responsibility: at what point does personal responsibility end and social responsibility begin? Is there overlap? Or does it matter?
If working in tandem, than all aspects of accountability can be covered. Kids can eat healthier because parents are providing more nutrition, as well as the school, while the messages being sent through advertising is lessened.
But it doesn't work in tandem, and that is the problem.
What does that have to do with the M.A.Y.A. Years? Probably not a whole lot, except for the reality that somewhere along these lines, M.A.Y.A.s should have an active role in personal AND social responsibility.

Supposedly. (Of course, I say this with a slice of Domino's pizza next to me, as well as some Coke. And I really am craving a Krispy Kreme donut right now. Delicious.)

Post-election nonsense

Linterella and I make a point not to talk specifically about politics on this blog because that is not the purpose.
Regardless of how you (the reader) voted, I think we have seen a great victory for our political process. And that is especially true in terms of M.A.Y.A.S.
Young people had the highest turnout in the past 20 years. It's also worth noting that nearly half of those that voted who are under the age of 30 are for troop withdrawl in Iraq. Of course, that means that almost half either aren't or whatever.
Anyways, here's the link:

young person turnout

In other related political stuff, thanks to whoever found the article on the abstinence program for twentysomethings. Here is the link if anyone didn't see it in the comments and is interested:

abstinence

Again, I don't want to go into political arguments and such, but I do want to ask this: Is this program necessary? I can understand some sort of pregnancy prevention for teenagers and those who are not in a position to support a child (or themselves). However, in a general sense, I would think someone in their 20s should have the comprehension of sex, pregnancy and responsibility. I understand there are extreme examples, but on the whole, if one doesn't understand sex (or had some sort of a sexual experience) by this point is beyond the purview of the government.

Plus, I really don't think the government should take a stance of sexual development...but that's politics.

And I thought the Star Wars defense system was goofy enough...

I read the Bush administration has allocated funds for an abstinence program for twentysomethings.

SERIOUSLY?!?

Does anyone know anything about this?

Would you like foam on your career change?

For the past four years or so, I have worked in the career path of my choice, more or less. I am a news junkie and love newspapers. It breaks my heart to see them go down the vicious circle of corporate crap, but in the end, there is nothing better than picking up the paper in the morning...and doing the Suduko puzzle.
For several reasons, I quit my job at the last paper in July. The main decision was to go get my master's full-time, combined with I was tired of working nights and weekends and especially tired of the bullshit going on at the paper.
Fast forward a few months, and I got a job working at a coffee shop. It's about 20 hours a week, the boss seems quite nice and it'll be fun to do while I'm finishing up my degree. Plus, I'm thinking about opening up a coffee shop one of these days, so it's great experience.

So how come part of me feels like I'm now an official loser?

I'm trying really hard to fight this "career" mindset. It's the path of life...go to school, get an education, get a wife (or husband/partner/whatever works for you) and get a career. Not a job, but a CAREER. Do that for 40 years, then retire.

This is your life.

I want to do some many things in my life, including working at a coffee shop. Honestly, I have always wanted to do that. I think it would be tons of fun.

So how come part of me feels like I'm now an official loser?

Instead of going upwards and onwards, I just dropped on the social ladder, slightly to the left of "customer service representative" and "whinny blogger."
Wait...eh, never mind.

I don't consider this a career change as I do a "the opportunity came and I have the time and I want to do it, so I'm doing it while I can, dammit!" move.

So come visit, but don't ask for free coffee. Only the girlfriend gets that privilege...now, to find a girl and a friend...

Getting in on the Monday Musings action.

That's right. I still live.

While I was out being an AWOL MAYA, I came across the following article about marriage. It stems from a Census statistic stating that married households are no longer the majority in America. But it's not that there's been a rise in divorce. Of the 37 million "unmarried, non-family households," an overwhelming 83 percent are actually roommates--single twentysomethings living with their friends. People like me! And, man, do we have A LOT of living to do before we finally get around to getting married. Read it or perish.

Has being married gone out of style?

Monday musings-Week of Oct. 23

My life feels like Jello: slowly solidifying, but still wobbly and with that goofy gellatin aftertaste to it.

I am pretty much set on school: if I quit, it'll have to be on conscientious objector status.

I might get a job at a coffee shop. Why? (That's sorta rhetorical, it beats market research, I keep telling myself.)

I might be getting a place with a friend.

I might, I might, I might...

I'm sitting at Young and Lazy enjoying the Jazz, and I'm reminded of the Jazz Vespers at All Saints I attended last night. The band was kick ass, and the message was really good.

Fans of Don Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" will appreciate this: part of the allure of Jazz music is that part of playing is trying to figure out which notes to play. There's this strong sense of being in improvisational Jazz: the notes being play work for that particular moment, in that particular place, in that particular venue and for that particular audience. If a wrong note is played, all the musicians do is play another note. Don't be diheartened or disillusioned, just play another note.

The minister said that Jazz is holy. I agree. There is definitely a spiritual tangent to Jazz music, the understanding that life is improvisation. When I feel like I'm completely, blindly, absurdly winging it, it is in those moments that I am truly living.

Jazz music also can bring about good sex, which brings me to this:

Brits need more lovin

They said don't live a life full of regret.

Monday musings (which happen to fall on Tuesday, I know)-Week of Oct. 17

Hey gang,
Four articles popped up on PopMatters.com, a Web site dedicated to all things pop culture. They are quite good, although a bit generic. But hey, what can you expect from Mainstream Media?
Check them out the articles on:

Job satisfaction

Family

Racial identity

Religion

I hope you enjoy them.
Also, I want to send a shout-out if see if there are any particular topics we should cover. Finances, relationships, what to do when you are in dire need to pee, only to find Dad taking his sweet time (maybe that's just me...). Anyhow, it there's anything that strikes your fancy, send a comment or write an e-mail. You'll be glad you did.

A world of possibility on Aisle 4...

I am in a grocery store.

I can tell you with near certainty that this is the correct store. I have complete confidence that it has everything I need.

I also find myself in the right section of the store. I'm in no need for frozen salmon, nor am I out of toilet paper. Whatever I need, it contains some sort of a dairy product.

As I peruse the section, I make a startling realization about what I am looking for: I am in the wrong aisle. I keep looking, searching, gawking, begging for what I am looking for to be in this aisle.

But alas, it is not here. For this reason, I feel frustration beyond belief. How can I be so close, yet so far away? How come the signs mention everything that is soap and soup, but yet not provide the "God's will in neon lights" that I'm looking for?

Even more simplistic, if I am in the wrong aisle, how the hell do I get to the right aisle? Time? Positive thinking? A new suit?