Juno, Junot and Juneau

Mainstream movies have generally gotten so bad, or at least not suitable enough to my taste, that movies aren't really as much a part of my life as they used to be. One thing I try to do, though, for which I have no good explanation, is see the Academy Award Best-Picture nominees before the Oscars are announced. That gets a little harder every year, but I keep doing it. So when the Best Picture nominations were announced a couple weeks ago, I was a little dismayed that I had seen none of the five, which means I have to see all five by February 24th... Plus the event might be really a letdown if no stars show for the award show because of the current writers' strike. Oh well!

So Jerry I went to the see the first of the five the other night -- Juno, which turned out to be a wonderfully funny and well-written little movie.. I say "little", meaning no stars, very little budget, so no chance of winning the big prize... But see it! You'll like it! The other films to see before the 24th: No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, and Atonement. Stayed tuned!

Meanwhile, when not working or going to the movies, I've started reading a very good 2007 novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I've found very few goods novels the last couple years, so this one is a good find (although, actually, I'm only on page 60 so far).

and I hate to do something so stereotypically Minnesotan as mention the weather again, but this morning after walking (somehow surviving) to work this morning, I checked the temperature and it was -13 with a -32 windchill. At that same moment, it was 9 degrees in Juneau, Alaska, with a -6 windchill. Sounds like a vacation spot to me!