The Oscars 2022

Oh what a night at The Academy Awards!

Jubilation

Celebration 

Fashion

And the slap witnessed on live television. 

Let's get to the shallow stuff first. What we always discuss at the Oscar's - the fashion! The women in red dominated my favorites list - Ariana DuBose, Kirsten Dunst, and Rosie Perez. Megan Thee Stallion was stunning both on the red carpet and in her musical number from Encanto, first in blue and then in yellow. Jada Pinket Smith wore a very dramatic emerald green gown, and even though orange is my least favorite color,  Aunjanue Ellis' dress was stunning. On the flip side, Kristen Stewart, H.E.R, and Billie Ellish were easily my least favorite looks this year.

Usually I don't discuss what the men were wearing, but there were some bold fashion choices among the males this year, including Simu Liu, David Oyelowo, and Wesley Snipes. Encanto singer Sabastian Yatra was a man after my own heart, rocking a light pink suit on the red carpet, and a dark suit embellished with butterflies during his performance. Was I on the Timothee Chalamet train, applauding his lack of shirt on the red carpet and at the ceremony? No, but he can wear that when he's hanging out with me.

Now let's get to the awards:

Hooray for CODA!!

The little streaming movie that could won Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Motion Picture. And Troy Kotsur became the first Deaf male to win an Oscar - in this case, Best Supporting Actor. 

Dune was the big winner of the night, taking home awards in six technical categories.

Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for portraying Tammy Faye Bakker Messner. I loved her acceptance speech and grew to like her brown and lavender dress.

I was also very pleased to see Kenneth Branagh win Best Original Screenplay for his autobiographical film Belfast.

The surprise of the night was that Power of the Dog, which was nominated in twelve categories, only took home one award, Best Director for Jane Campion.

And now on to what everyone is talking about - Will Smith, Chris Rock, and the slap seen around the world. Here's my hopefully brief take, for what it's worth: There was wrong on both sides. Chris Rock should not have made a joke about Jada's medical condition. Will absolutely should not have hit him. It was a terrible thing to witness. I don't know Will Smith, but I read his book recently, and he came across as a good, honest, hardworking person. Perfect? No. But a decent human being. And not prone to violence. In the heat of the moment, he made a really bad decision. I would hate to see his reputation tarnished over one very public outburst. 

He apologized to the Academy and to his fellow nominees when he accepted the Best Actor Award. Tonight he released a statement where he apologized to Chris Rock, and the rest of the world. Maybe his lawyers made him do it. But it came across as sincere and heartfelt to me. He understands that he is a role model to many. He also acknowledged that violence is never the answer. But I believe him when he said, "Love can make you do crazy things." 

So, back to the good of the Oscars: CODA! As Troy said in his acceptance speech, "This is dedicated to the Deaf community,  to the CODA community,  to the disability community. THIS IS OUR MOMENT." CODA winning doesn't erase the sting of Crip Camp losing to an octopus last year for the best documentary award. But at least we had reason to celebrate this year.

librarianintx 

Everything Happens for a Reason

Yesterday I knocked over a glass of milk that was on my bedside table.

Didn't make me happy of course.

But I didn't have a meltdown. 

I didn't cry over spilled milk.

Not this time anyway.

I took it as a sign.

A sign that I needed to clean my bedside table.

So as I mopped up the spilled milk, I also put away (and wiped off) the jewelry and pens that were cluttering the table. I threw away the half-used tissues and the empty pill bottles (after I called to refill the prescriptions). 

I made sure the milk remnants were gone and the table wasn't sticky. I wiped under the base of the cordless telephone (yes, I still have a landline) and my travel alarm clock that is a back-up to my cell phone alarm.

I wish I had not spilled the milk. In addition to wasting food, it was irritating to have to clean it up. But when would I have taken the time to clean up the table if I had not knocked over the glass?

Everything happens for a reason. 

librarianintx 

inside Jokes

I LOVE inside jokes!!

It's not about shutting other people out. 

Not at all.

It's just about stories I can laugh about with friends. 

Recently I was two friends.

We were talking about a famous musician, who shall remain unnamed.

As we were talking, I walked into another room, and said. "What an asshole."

I was referring to said musician. 

But one of my friends thought I was talking about him!

"OMG, what did I say or do? I'm so sorry," he called out, concern in his voice.

When we figured out what happened, we all fell out laughing.

For the rest of the evening, we would call each other assholes and laugh ourselves silly.

That is how an inside joke begins.

librarianintx 

Shoes

I was a small kid, and now I'm a small adult.

I'm about 4' 10", and very underweight.

I can wear women's shirts, jackets, and dresses if they come in extra small and/or petite sizes. But mostly I'm relegated to the children's sections. I wear boys jeans and pants. I don't even do well with junior clothes. That's how small I am.

The upside to wearing kids clothes: the price.

The downside: I'm a middle aged woman shopping in sections where the clothes have Disney or cartoon characters on them, the colors are often unnaturally bright, and the dresses have sparkles or ruffles.

And don't get me started on underwear or nightshirts. Lingerie? Please. There's a reason sexy bed wear doesn't come in my size.

Shoes are also a big problem. I wear a size 2 - 2 and 1/2 in a children's shoe, which translates to a size 4 in an adult shoe. Do you know how many shoes are available in a size 4? Not. Very. Many. I also have a very narrow foot, and I can't wear high heels. But you say, "Well, girls shoes don't have heels anyway. They are shoes for young girls." Think again, my friend.

I know, it's a conundrum. 

Lingerie in my size? Nope

High heels? Yup.

About 30 years ago Petite Sophisticate closed their stores. I was devastated. That was a store that carried clothes for tiny females like me. I was in school at the time, but I spent several hundred dollars to stock up on dress shirts, dress pants, sweater sets, jackets, and even two dress suits. I still have some of those clothes.

About 20 years ago I discovered SAS shoes. Their orthotic shoes are not trendy or sexy, but they fit me very well, they are comfortable, and they last forever, which is good,  because they can be Hella expensive. I've also had good luck at Payless finding dressy girls shoes that look like women's shoes, minus the high heels.

But back to SAS. I had been seeing posts on Facebook that the SAS store in San Antonio was closing. They were offering shoes at sensational prices - $180 shoes for $17! Yes please! I was stressed that they were (apparently) closing and worried about the possibility of future naked feet. So even though my three pair of SAS shoes were in good condition, I followed the link and purchased three more pair. THREE pairs of SAS shoes for $77?!?!? Unbelievable!

You know where I'm going.

I checked my email after completing the purchase, and saw that the seller had a Chinese name.

I've been scammed.

Good news: The SAS store is not closing.

Bad news: My feet are still small. So is the rest of me.

But good news: I've managed over the years to cultivate a wardrobe and shoe collection that I'm happy with.

Having an expert shopper for a mother has helped.

librarianintx 

My Grandmother's House

Riding through a neighborhood in Central Austin, I saw houses that reminded me of my grandmother's house, and a cascade of memories washed over me.

Nanny died almost twenty years ago, four days after my birthday. 

I remember so much about her house.

The big tree in the front yard.

The steps where my sister and I posed in matching  spring dresses.

The car wash next door.

The rear steps with no railing that led to her backyard, where she hung her laundry on a line and we picked figs from a neighbor's tree.

Nanny's small green rocking chair that graced her living room now sits in my old room at my mother's house, and the chaise lounge from her bedroom now resides in my sister's old room.

I remember the little green stepstool I used to reach the sink in the kitchen and bathroom, and the Dr Seuss books she kept in the cabinet for me. When she died, I looked for them, but they were gone. I hope she gave them to a little soul who enjoyed them as much as I did.

I remember Friday night dinners with the aunts, uncles, and cousins - chicken soup, roasted chicken, gribenes (fried chicken fat with chopped egg and green onion, yes, we actually ate it and loved it!) and sand tart cookies. She was even invited on a local news program to make her famous sand tarts.

One of the most memorable things about Nanny's house was her porch swing. We all loved that swing. We knew Nanny was in decline because when we told her the swing had been stolen, she just shrugged and didn't say anything.

Houses are things.

Books, steps tools, rocking chairs and porch swings are things.

But they all hold memories.

Reminders that live within us, and become part of the stories we impart to future generations, long after the loved ones, and these objects, have moved on.

librarianintx 

Update: Mom let me know that Nanny was on TV making her mondel bread cookies, not her sand tarts. She called them her "pregnant cookies".

Award Shows

For a long time I didn't watch movies.

I was more into television and books.

I didn't enjoy going to the movie theater.

The moving images on the big screen would make me dizzy.

But I would still watch the award shows.

The Golden Globes

The Screen Actors Guild

The Oscar's

Even though I had not seen the movies, I wanted to know who won.

And I enjoyed seeing what everyone was wearing. 

I still had favorite actors and actresses, but if I had not seen the movies, I didn't know who to root for.

I have learned that watching award shows is more fun when you have seen the nominated movies.

Last weekend I watched the SAG's. I had seen a few of the movies: Power of the Dog, Nightmare Alley, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and King Richard. I had not seen CODA or House of Gucci yet, but I knew enough about them to want them to win.

So I was thrilled when CODA won best movie, and Will Smith took home the prize for best male actor. Although I had not seen her performance, I was hoping Lady Gaga would win best actress for House of Gucci, but I was happy for Jessica Chastain, and I think she was definitely worthy of the win.

For the most part I loved the fashion. There were many beautiful dresses. My top five, in no particular order, were Jennifer Hudson and Helen Mirror in pale pink, Kerry Washington in yellow, Saniyya Sydney in blue, and Ariana DuBose in hot pink. Although Lady Gaga did not make my top five, she looked stunning, and I loved the old Hollywood glamour she brought to the SAG's, dripping in jewels with her platinum blond hair in long waves and her form-fitting white and gold floor-length gown. 

On the flip side, my least favorite looks were Hailee Steinfield, in a black bra dress with a strand of hair plastered to her forehead, and Emilia Jones, wearing a gray chain-mail type dress over a black bra and a pair of high-waisted briefs. No shade. Just keeping it real.

librarianintx