It's That Time of Year Again...

Oscar time!

It has become a tradition for myself and Colin to see every picture nominated for Best Picture. Prior to the nominations we had seen Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed. The weekend before the nominations were announced we were deciding whether to see The Queen or The Last King of Scotland. We figured both had a good shot at a best picture nod, so we chose to see the latter... We saw The Queen last night.

That leaves us a few weeks to see Letters from Iwo Jima and Babel. Considering how much time we spend in the movie theatre, that shouldn't be a problem.

Here are the other Oscar nominated movies (not nominated for best pic) I've seen:

The Last King of Scotland (Forest Whitaker, Actor in a leading role)
The Devil Wears Prada (Meryl Streep, Actress in a leading role; Costume design)
Happy Feet (Animated feature film)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Art Direction; Sound editing; Sound Mixing; Visual Effects)
Children of Men (Cinematography; Film editing; Writing - Adapted screenplay)
An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary Feature; Music - song)
Apocalypto (Makeup; Sound editing; Sound Mixing)
Flags of our Fathers (Sound editing; Sound Mixing)
Superman Returns (Visual Effects)
Borat (Writing - Adapted Screenplay)

Update

Exciting title, eh?

I thought I would be bored to tears by now since I've been out of work for a month, but (either good or bad) that is just not the case. In fact, I wonder how I got anything done working full time.

I've been doing lots to keep myself occupied. Of course the first couple of weeks off work I was busy with my high school reunion, Christmas and New Years. Then Colin and I went on an impromptu trip to Calgary to visit with family, take a bit of a break and to see what Calgary has to offer.

And boy does Calgary have a lot to offer: jobs, affordable homes... but we won't be leaving Vancouver anytime soon. I don't know if I can give up oceans and mountains, among other things, for flat and brown (ok undulating hills and brown). But Calgary does have a lot to offer: the people are friendly, people know how to drive, the traffic is light, I don't have to pay a million dollars for a decent home in a decent part of town...

So what I have to been doing to keep myself busy? Well for starters, applying for work. After weeks of pulling my hair out and taking books out of the library, I have finally found a cover letter style I'm happy with. As frustrating as the process has been I've learned about myself, my work experiences and skills.

Other than that, I've been going to Curves, swimming, Polynesian Dancing, hanging out with friends, turning out and organizing our apartment, and working on my volunteer positions. I was recently elected Marketing Coordinator for my sorority's local alum chapter, and internationally I'm volunteering as an alumnae programming specialist.

So, as you can see (or read), more than enough to keep me busy.

I have to say, I'm really liking this not working thing, apart from the lack of money... but I do have a job interview next week. It's with Crofton for the position of Alumnae Relations Officer...

Aloha

Leathal Weapons

My Polynesian dance classes have resumed - we are moving away from Hawaiian, focusing more on Tahitian, and last night we started what I've been waiting for... Maori dancing.

Last night I used Poi balls for the first time. It was a lot of fun, dangerous too. Once those things get going it's pretty crazy. I can't tell you how many times I walloped myself in the face, head and back. But once you learn to control them, it's a treat to see.

The funniest thing was someone lost control of their Poi ball, and it flying across the dance studio.

I Must Be Crazy

I am currently in Calgary, visiting family and checking out the possibility of relocating. But after looking at today's forecast, I don't think the latter will be happening. It is currently -15, with a windchill factor of -28.

I haven't actually been outside yet... and I don't think I want too... but we are heading downtown today, so I don't have much choice in the matter.

Yesterday we drove around Calgary checking out the different neighbourhoods. It was -6 (cold enough in my books), and we had the luxury of heated seats. Today we are walking to the bus stop and walking around downtown.

Calgary is very different from Vancouver, in good ways and bad ways, but I think experiencing today's weather will keep me firmly planted in Vancouver (or at least the SW coast of BC).