Thoughts from this Friday, the 10th of March:

1. I leave for a Seattle training and then Holden Village next Wednesday, and I can't wait!

2. I wish Brokeback Mountain had won best picture, but I'm not really sure why I wish that. Is it more of me wanting it to win because of the subject matter, and thus wanting it to win to make a statement? Or is it more of what it should be - i.e., that it was the best film of the past year? Well, I don't know the answer. But I will say that the five films up for best picture must be the best collection of films nominated for the Academy Award that I've seen in many, many years. I highly recommend you see all of them (okay, yes, even I haven't seen all of them, but I will):

-Brokeback Mountain
-Capote
-Munich
-Good Night and Good Luck
-Crash

With, of course, the final one taking home the Oscar.

I will say, however, that I feel Heath Ledger deserved the Best Actor Oscar, and it has nothing to do with my very biased love for the film. If it is an award for "acting", and we have an straight educated man from Australia acting like a gay roughneck from the country whose accent is thicker than the refried beans he ate every day, then we have a winner, hands down. Yes, the Academy looks at more than simply the vast difference between the character and the actor him or herself, but what knocked my socks off about Heath's performance was the lack of dialogue.

Ennis Del Mar (Heath's character) is a man of very few words, but not few emotions. In order to convey the inner-workings of this complicated ranchhand, Heath became the awkwardness, socially-repressed love, and intensity that was Ennis. There were certain moments in the movie when I was sure he would burst - I mean, you could literally feel the emotions radiating from his body. Damn! I get shivers just thinking about it.

I should start working. But there is much more I could say about the Oscars. For instance,

3. Jon Stewart. I've read some reports that have ripped into him. Give the guy a break! You're the host for the Oscars, for God's sakes! That is pretty much the worst audience ever, as you have actors who have dragged themselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 3 pm in order to get their $50,000 suit on and bravely battle the Hollywood traffic from the backseat of their limo, and they aren't in the mood to be made fun of! (except, of course, George "Sexiest Man Alive" Clooney) I think the Oscar crowd is the coldest crowd you could ask for, and still Jon Stewart stuck it out! I thought he was damn funny, but then again I'm in love with The Daily Show, and he was the same wonderful presence: self-effacing, quippy, and sharp as a tack.

4. Okay, I'm really going to go now. My new diet of no meat for Lent is challenging, indeed, and I'm just trying to find every food possible that isn't meat. Wish me luck!