Random Monday thoughts

For me, the Academy Awards serve primarily as a source of things to add to my Netflix queue. I don’t really like going to the movies, because I get really irked by inconsiderate people, and local cinemas seem to be overrun with them. Also, important films that address complex contemporary issues are always better if you can pause them while you go get some Wheat Thins and hummus from the kitchen.

(Some movies, like Sahara, can’t even be improved by pausing or salty snacks, as we discovered on Sunday. Also, someone should really point out to Matthew McConaughey that all he really has going for him are his looks, so he might be a little more careful with his grooming choices. Dude looked awful in that movie.)

I didn’t watch the Oscar show, but I’m glad Rachel Weisz won. I’ve always had a mini-crush on her because she’s lovely, talented, makes pretty good choices, and is always charming during interviews. I’ve liked her since the Mummy movies, which I love. I know they aren’t great, but they’re the closest anyone’s come to putting the Peabody-Emerson dynamic on screen.

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Speaking of the Peabody-Emerson dynamic, Elizabeth Peters has another mystery in the series, Tomb of the Golden Bird, due out at the end of this month. I can’t wait to see how she inserts her sprawling cast of Egyptologists into the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb.

While up at Borders on Saturday, I noticed that there’s a new Joe Keenan novel on the shelves. (I was just thinking it was time to re-read his hilarious Blue Heaven and Putting on the Ritz.) My Lucky Star takes Philip, Gilbert and Claire to Hollywood. If it’s half as funny as the previous books, it will be very funny indeed.

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I held off on buying it Saturday because that particular Borders has a really good manga selection, and I’m weak. A quick transcript of a conversation I had with myself:

The David who talks a good game about the diversity of the category: I really should step out of my comfort zone and buy something unusual.

The David who almost always wins these arguments: Ooh, there’s the second volume of Tenshi Ja Nai!! And Ultra Maniac 4! Eee!

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I spent much of the weekend wishing I was somewhere else, usually either Key West or Zion National Park. All of this wanderlust got me thinking about which con to attend this year. I had a great time at SPX last year, but I feel like I should go to a major manga/anime show at least once, and Otakon is just as convenient to attend.