The good
- Crash! Up until the last moment I was torn between it and Brokeback. And you know, I still am. Simultaneously happy and sad about the outcome.
- March of the Penguins! That was my big moment of undiluted pleasure and happy SMSing for the night.
- George Clooney’s speech.
- Ang Lee! I’m glad that he got best director and Crash got best picture. That honors both great films of the year.
- The fact that Woody Allen didn’t win for plagiarizing himself and re-making a movie I saw in the eighties. Dude, it’s still the same movie if it’s set and London and doesn’t star aging Jews.
- Best score for Brokeback Mountain. Every once in a while there’s a score that really brings you back to the movie. Truly deserved.
- Keira Knightley was an abomination as Elizabeth Bennet. I’m glad Oscar went home with someone else, even if it was Reese.

The bad
- The pimp song. What the hell?
- Still no Oscar for Joaquin, who is fantastic. On the other hand, I have to admit Walk the Line wasn’t his best role ever, and I’m quite confident he’ll get his one day.
- I just can’t bring myself to like Reese.
- Not enough awards for Brokeback. I would have liked to see one actor get an oscar, and my choice was Michelle Williams.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman’s acceptance speech. Yeah, he’s good, but I would have liked him to… oh, I don’t know… emote.
- Jennifer tripping. Doh!
- What’s the deal with making Jack Nicholson the center of it all? Yeah, we loved you in The Shining. Can we move the f*ck on?

The meh
- Jon Stewart. Love him, but I thought he was a little too subdued. I don’t know if the biggest show on Earth is the right venue for his ironic, understated humor and funny little faces.

Overall, an Oscar night that, while it was a little more engaging than the past years, still didn’t manage to make it all the way to “exciting”. Maybe it’s because I rushed out to see all the Best Picture nominees over the past two weeks out of Oscar-night obligation rather than inclination. Maybe something more controversial than boys kissing boys has to happen. Maybe I’m getting old, but Oscar night just isn’t as spicy as it used to be.

You know that gibberish-yet-strangely-intelligible language Sims characters use? Depeche Mode has re-recorded one of its songs in it. I don’t know how to feel about that, but I gotta hear it.

And while we’re on the topic, I still think there really isn’t any other way to play the Sims than to use your real life friends - and watch some of them do weird things like constantly following others into the bathroom.

The title of this post is how Sim-MJ asks Sim-Martine how she is. But Sim-Martine doesn’t like other people very much, so it’s not a very good sim.

PAIN!!!!!

I started working with my trainer this week. We began on Wednesday with an in-depth fitness evaluation which came up pretty much as expected: good cardio basis, strong muscles and the worst flexibility he’s ever seen.

This morning we started the Gestapo boot camp training. Holy crap. I really never expected it to hurt this much. We pushed every little muscle until there was nothing left in it. While balancing on an instability plank.

My whole body aflame, I could hardly put on my jacket to go to work when it was over.

I may be awakening my inner amazon warrior, but my outer one has trouble stapling two sheets together now.

Tomorrow, appointment with the stretch specialist (or maybe with a stretcher), nutritional evaluation on Monday at 7 am.

Three days down, 87 to go.

Funny how we see what we want to see.

My hopeless romantic of a friend Extravaganza Me saw Brokeback Mountain and loved it. It made her cry. She said “When true love is… separated by circumstances”, it breaks her heart.

I saw Brokeback Mountain and loved it. I took it as a critique of traditional ideas about nuclear coupledom (which as you know I consider so outdated). I was uplifted by the thought that love is fulfilling in whatever form it comes, even when it doesn’t follow the conventional, ordained path.

What it was actually about doesn’t really matter, does it?

lightspeedchick: they asked if I wanted a man or woman trainer and I said man without thinking about it
Gord: Its a good combo for you. You train more like a guy.
Gord: No offense
lightspeedchick: my first reason for saying guy was that I thought he’d make me train harder, be more ruthless
lightspeedchick: isn’t that sexist of me
lightspeedchick: but truth be told, it hits my vanity spot to have a hot guy evaluate how I’m doing
Gord: Yes, but a little sexism is more often than not realistic in certain cases.
Gord: When I worked at the Y most Female/Female trainers ended up chatting more than working out.
Gord: I call it the bartender syndrome
Gord: You already have a sista (in fact many!) you don’t have to pay for one.
lightspeedchick: right
Gord: When it comes to physical training you want to invoke your inner amazon warrior, not get all empathic and social with another chick.
lightspeedchick: oooh, I like that. invoke the inner amazon warrior
Gord: Exercise is about triggering the survival/combat instincts we all have. Just picture yourself as a female “God of War” (like the video game!)
lightspeedchick: oh man, you should be a motivator. I mean, you’re a certified trainer AND you even kinda look like tony robbins!
Gord: Its what I would do if they weren’t paying me 90k to chat online with cool chicks.
lightspeedchick: and to use superhero analogies to boost their motivation Gord: Don’t think for an instant that the “Amazon Warrior” comment wouldn’t conjure up Wonder Woman images!
Gord: I know my audience!!!!

(image via ign)