Night at the Oscars and Other Monday Musings

12 Years a Slave was this year's Best picture winner.  And just like another major nominee last year, Lincoln, it's a movie that never came to Waycross Mall Cinema.  I wonder why.

Why do I do it?  It only makes me feel even more culturally adrift than I already do.  And it's not like I've seen many of the movies that are nominated.  Some are movies that, sorry, are not just the type of movie I see in the theater, like August: Osage County.  Others, like 12 Years A Slave, never come to Waycross.  And others, like American Hustle, are here and gone before I know it.  

Why do I do it?  No one I know watches them, not even Alison.  I try to talk about it with others,  and their eyes glaze over.  

Why do I do it?  Even I watch it in fast time, thanks to the DVR and fast forward.  I didn't start last night until after 10, when we finished watching The Walking Dead.  The only musical performances I watched were U2 and Pink (her Somewhere Over the Rainbow was through the roof amazing).  Ellen was.....Ellen.  I find her pleasant, but not classic or memorable.  The running pizza bit was not that amusing to me, but that's just me.

Why do I do it?  Tradition, I guess.  I have been watching since the sixties.  It is a rite, a passage of time.  Heck, it won't snow here - how else am I gonna know it's a new season?

Gravity won a lot of awards, which was nice, since I actually saw that one.  And it was pretty good.  I thought the best movie of the year was Star Trek :Into the Darkness, but somehow the Academy didn't accept my ballot.

12 Years A Slave won Best Picture, and both Alison and I want to see it.  I saw a friends' post about the movie, and about how those events are not so far distant that they don't affect people.  And that racism and exploitation is still alive and well, even though we may not acknowledge it.  We feel more enlightened and morally superior to those who did such things, but we continue to support exploitative systems, even if we're not highly aware of it.  Cheap prices at a place like Wal-Mart come at a high social cost that we remain mostly oblivious to.  Not only the exploitation of cheap labor abroad, but also in tolerating low paid conditions here at home.  Pay so low that that corporations gladly let the taxpayer pick up the slack in government support of their underpaid workers, and in giving the corporations tax abatements and exemptions.

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As I've mentioned in another post, my sister is now retired.  I'm very happy for her.  However, it is disorienting to have her retire before I can, even though I am older than her.  I am getting up and getting ready to go to work this morning, and she is not.  She is a very busy personality, so she will have plenty to do - it just won't be in working for other people.

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I did go into a health screening, as part of our insurance program, and came out much better than I expected.  I still have a lot of work to do, in being in better shape and improving my diet, but I am pleased with my progress, and my blood pressure was the best it's been in months.  The trick was not to go into work the day I was tested.  I guess work does effect my blood pressure.  What a surprise.

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I am going to make every effort to see Wizard of Oz the first weekend, so I can render a blog story about it in a more timely fashion.  A lot of people at WACT have worked very hard in order to make this a very special show.  It will be a difficult one for me to watch, because I very much wanted to be a part of it, but my work schedule would not permit it.

My work schedule.

Sigh.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait