So, it's awards season for the movies of 2009. And I am way behind in seeing movies and being ready.
Backup - I love awards season and the awards shows. I know a lot of people don't care for them or think they don't make good picks, etc., but I think they are fun. Especially the Oscars. I don't always agree with their nominations or the choice for winners either, but still love to watch and discuss.
Every year since 2004, my friend and I have hosted an Oscar Party. It is so much fun to get ready for it as well as the party itself. We are both accountants and it's a time to be creative. We make a poster of the nominations in major categories including pictures of actors, directors both in character/job and as normal - it's neat sometimes to see the difference in character pictures vs their actual appearance - and give descriptions, how many times nominated and for what films, etc. We also make a poster board of every movie nominated in every category and give people stickers to mark what movies they've seen - we give a prize to the guest who has seen the most nominated films - some people come thinking they haven't seen many and then realize they've seen a lot more when they count other categories like song, sound, and other technical categories.
Then there's the display, for each movie nominated for best picture we do a food dish that relates to that movie in some way, a picture of the poster for the movie and also other displays/props that relate to the movie. To do this, you have to have seen the movie! This year they will have 10 rather than 5 best picture nominees which will be a huge jump and a lot more work - we've thought about giving certain guests the chance to bring their own food/display for 5 of the nominees so we only have to continue with 5 ourselves. We also do the ballot game, having everyone fill out ballots and then give prizes for most picks right and sometimes a prize for least picks right. I think we are eliminating that one this year because we found some guests were trying to lose and that's a waste of the money we spend on the prizes.
Anyway, my point is that by this time I have already in the fall made a list of movies I think have a chance of nominations and seen as many on the list as they come out and then when the other awards shows nominations come out, adjust my list as necessary and the movies I need to see and have some ideas for props/food/display for what I think may be a best picture nomination.
Due to my migraine disability being so bad lately, I am nowhere - not even step one, nor have I seen very many movies. I love this time of year partly because of what I do to get ready for it and because it causes me to see movies I may have passed up seeing otherwise and then end up being a movie I love so I am so happy that the awards season got me to see the movie - even if it didn't end up with a nomination.
I have seen a few movies that are being talked about, and I need to feel grateful for that. I can't help that going to the movies is more painful than it used to be or causes me to be worse off for a while painwise. I need to be patting myself on the back for what I can do and not beating myself up for what I can't do. Sure, I usually am at the top of the list, if not top, of having seen the most movies (not that I get the award, it goes to a guest) but that just won't be this year and I have to get over it.
I am thankful my son and I saw Avatar on Christmas Eve. It's nominated for a Golden Globe as well as Inglorious Bastards which I saw in September. And Hurt Locker is on InDemand so I can watch here at home. So, I am on my way a little.
I am going to look forward to the awards shows and our Oscar Party and not feel down about my situation being different than other years.
One thing though - we switch every year whose house we have it at and this is my year - have to enlist hubby's help in getting the house ready and really cleaned up for it. Don't have the energy I used to and have to take lots of breaks. But, I know this so I will start earlier than usual and take breaks and ask for help.
Good luck to all the nominees at the Golden Globes tomorrow night (or tonight now - its 2:20 in the am).
I have trouble sleeping with the pain and so my sleep schedule is a bit awry.
I will not let my migraine disability control me and my ability to have this enjoyment!
I've read a lot of your blog, and find it very interesting. I've been a migrainuer since I was a teen too. blah...blah...blah...I won't bore you with all the typical details, but now I have been having siezures (which my husband and I prevent with medicating the silent migraines, which seem to throw me into the siezures) and, according to online study, migralepsy. Anyways, it's just helpful every once in a while to find someone else going through near what I do. I was just searching for a way to treat this eye migriane/menstrual migraine that I going through tonight. Anyways. Thanks for blogging.
ReplyDeleteElsie - thanks for your comment - I agree, it is so helpful to know that others are going through the same/similar circumstances although it also breaks my heart. The upside is that there is a network of people you can relate to.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of migralepsy. I have NTS - a type of dysautomia or syncope and unlike many people with it - mine comes with seizure like symptoms - looks scary I hear, I'm usually out and not a witness to it - but we aren't treating it right now because every treatment we've tried lowers by blood pressure too much and I already have too low blood pressure - better than high though, I guess. Also not treating my familial tremor which has gotten much worse with the migraine pain being constant and so bad but again, treatments lower my blood pressure too much. So, I live with the shaking and have to watch out with fainting episodes. We are focusing and reducing my constant pain level before we move to try to eliminate it or work on other problems. Except of course my thyroid which cannot be ignored.
Thanks for your comment and for reading. I get a lot of strength from people like you.
Elizabeth