Garaphernalia 7.5

is of course Disney World.

I’ve been there three previous times and I love it. I think its a great litmus test for people. Either they love it or they hate it. If they hate it, then i think it says something about them, but I’m not sure what.

I’m going again over spring break with my family. Its the trip my parents always wanted to take when me and my brother were kids, but never were able to do.

We’ll be there almost a full week and stay at the Wilderness Lodge, which is really an amazing hotel. Two things I’m going to do while I’m there: 1) get a back stage tour, 2) get the play list of music they play in the Wilderness Lodge lobby.

I leave on March 11 and should have lots of photos when I return.

I feel like a guy who just had to shoot the dog he’s had for 15 years.

I’m not going to get into details, but I got myself in a lose/lose situation and I saw only one way out that let me keep my sanity and dignity. Doing it was one of the most painful things I’ve ever had to do, and I had to hurt someone I really care about in the process.

I feel like crap on so many different levels, I can’t even keep track of them all.

Enough negativity. Tomorrow something fun.

I can’t put into words how bad this day is and how much worse its going to get. I feel like I’m staring a train heading straight for me.

That has been my weekend. I’m not using the Magnetic Force Microscope mind you, i just share an office with it.

Back to work.

Since my last post, I’ve dropped about 6 pounds and have made some noticable improvements in my stamina. This was to be expected. I’ve been keeping busy enough that I haven’t real had any urge to eat much. I’m eating about one meal a day, maybe with a snack if I feel hungry.

Reducing food intake is actually pretty easy for me. My eating habits are so erratic that I’ll sometimes go an entire day without eating, and other days I’ll eat a ton. The biggest factor is how busy I am and how much free time I have on my hands. I also try to have something like Diet Coke or water to drink at all times along with gum. That can usually take care of any desire I have to eat when I really don’t need to.

I’m focusing mostly on aerobic exercise at this point. In the past I found it easier to do strenght exercises, and I will do that, but only after I lose another 15 pounds. I think the bigger priority is maximizing caloric expendatures and building endurance rather than muscle mass right now.

I’ll be spending most of the weekend holed up at the IRM finishing up the last test on this phase of my project, and trying to get all the class work I have done. I’ve been just reserving my weekends for catching up on work from the previous week. It seems to work.

Oscar nominations are out and I’ll try to see all the remainin films nominated for big awards that I haven’t seen. As in most years, I’ve seen all the big contenders. I haven’t seen: Brokeback Mountain, Crash, A History of Violence, and Transamerica.

Based on who was nominated and what I’ve seen, here is who I’d vote for:

Best Picture: Munich
Best Director: Steven Speilberg, Munich
Best Actor: Philip Seymore Hoffman, Capote
Best Actress: Kiera Knightly, Pride & Prejudice (yes, that’s right)
Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney, Syriana
Best Supporting Actress: Catherine Keener, Capote
Cinematography: The New World
Adapted Screenplay: Munich
Original Screenplay: Good Night and Good Luck

Of these, I’d guess that 1 or 2 will actually win. Of course, I might change my mind after I see more films too.

Who got robbed?

Best Actress: Q’Orianka Kilcher, The New World
Best Score: The New World
Best Actor: Eric Bana, Munich
Best Actor: Steve Catrell, The 40 Year Old Virgin
Best Supporting Actor: Ciarán Hinds, Munich
Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush, Munich
Special Effects: Sin City
Costume Design and Art Decoration: Kingdom of Heaven

As always, let the power of markets work for you and base your Oscar party picks on the Hollywood Stock Exchange. They’re almost always right. (wait until the day before to make your picks however) For categories they don’t track, just pick whatever the respective guild picked for their awards. Pick the Holocaust film for best documentary or whatever is closest to the Holocaust.