Originally published at Oh So Boring.... You can comment here or there.

My predictions for this year’s noms in the “main” categories. Don’t want to  do writing since I can never remember what’s adapted or original. I’ve tried to figure out the shocker that shows up in categories from time to time. We shall find out how bad I was soon!

Best Picture

1. 127 Hours
2. Black Swan
3. The Fighter
4. The Ghost Writer — Dark Horse!
5. Inception
6. The Kids Are All Right
7. The King’s Speech
8. The Social Network
9. Toy Story 3
10. True Grit

Best Director

1. Ben Affleck (The Town) — Shocker!
2. Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
3. David Fincher (The Social Network)
4. Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech)
5. Christopher Nolan (Inception)

Best Actor

1. Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
2. Robert Duvall (Get Low)
3. Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
4. Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
5. James Franco (127 Hours)

Best Actress

1. Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
2. Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
3. Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) — Maybe?
4. Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
5. Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Best Supp. Actor

1. Christian Bale (The Fighter)
2. Matt Damon (True Grit)
3. Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
4. Jeremy Renner (The Town)
5. Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)

Best Supp. Actress

1. Amy Adams (The Fighter)
2. Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
3. Barbara Hershey (Black Swan) — Ooooh, take that Mila!
4. Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
5. Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom) — Heard about her on NPR this morning

Originally published at Oh So Boring.... You can comment here or there.

Many people think that relativity is some obscure science concept that is only important to academics and nerds like myself, when, in fact, relativity is important on a daily basis. GPS? Without taking relativity into account, they’d be wildly inaccurate on the order of kilometers per day. And recently there was a new bit of science done that shows it’s important in another place: your car battery!

Originally published at Oh So Boring.... You can comment here or there.

While I’m being all updatetastic, another question: how is one supposed to buy food at IKEA?

You see, in my nearby IKEA store, you do the whole maze upstairs, then venture downstairs to the smaller-stuff section (kitchen gadgets, pillows, vases, light bulbs, &c.), pass through the flat-pack storage area and get to the checkout registers. So far, so good. But, then, just beyond the registers, you see the little grocery area with the meatballs, the lingonberry preserves, all sorts of yummy food.

After the registers.

So how exactly am I supposed to buy, say, a fancy napkin holder and some meatballs?  Do I buy the holder, grab some meatballs, and then get back in line to check out again? This seems to offend my sense of efficiency.

Or, is there some place to stash my holder before I check out, then get the meatballs, and then checkout? This seems smarter to me because it’s just one trip through the register.

Oh, and I know one answer is: buy the food at the register in the food area. Guess what? In the 10-15 times I’ve been to IKEA the last few years, that grocery register has never been manned. Never ever never ever. I think it’s actually an art installation I don’t get.

Yours in still confused,

Matt

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Okay, I know, I know, I don’t post anymore. Ah well. Comes and goes in waves, I guess.  This post is about something that just irked me today: my dryer.

Namely, I’m annoyed by my dryer’s dial which has a setting for “More Dry” and “Less Dry”. Wha? How can clothes be more or less dry? I washed them, they are wet; I dry them, they are dry. If something is less dry, it is wet. If something is more dry, it’s dry.

Am I just nuts here?

Yours in confused,

Matt

Originally published at Oh So Boring.... You can comment here or there.

This post gets the sometimes-often disclaimer of “whiny, long, etc.” So, proceed after the cut if you dare…

Originally published at Oh So Boring.... You can comment here or there.

Today was Red Cross Day and when I went in they asked if I’d like to do double red blood cells today. The last time I tried that, things didn’t go well for me (trainee bloodletter plus hard-to-find vein in my left arm), but I thought I could let that stop me.

So, I said yes and was seated next to the apheresis machine and, after much whining and cowardice on the author’s part, I am now two red blood cell units down. Eep. All in all, not a bad experience for two reasons. One, I decided to use my right arm this time. Sure, it’s my dominant arm, so it’s annoying to be bandaged up right now, but it also has a beautiful vein.  The second reason was the amazing Ama (perhaps Amma?). She was my vampire today and she was patient with scaredy-cat Matt and just great all around. And, I got a cool sticker:

After that, did some errands, hit the library, and got some Ethiopian. Figured some lentils and collard greens would help restore some lost iron (which I need to do).

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Just remembered I’m going to give blood on Saturday at ye olde Rede Crosse. It’s weird how I still have trepidation about this.  Hmm.

Of course, it didn’t help last time that I had a blood taker that was, well, not quite as good as one would hope. (I’m being *very* diplomatic.) That was also my first time doing double red blood cells. Not sure I’ll do that again.

Well, maybe if blood taker lady isn’t there.

No matter what, though, GIVE BLOOD EVERYONE!

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For a long time, I had resisted switching to Google Chrome for one simple reason: background tabs and Google Reader.

On Firefox, I am able to use Tab Mix Plus so that when I press “v” in Google Reader, the item will open in a background tab. I’m the sort of bloke who likes to open a lot of tabs before reading them.

Now, however, I found this extension: Google Reader Open entry in background tab

With this extension, hmm, Chrome might just win.

Originally published at Oh So Boring.... You can comment here or there.

I’ve decided to devote this weekend to me and myself. I’ve been under some stress and I need some time to just relax and decompress. I deserve it!

To that end, I decided that I should go get some dim sum at the newly reopened Hollywood East Cafe. Normally I’d go with the foodies of DonRockwell.com (who introduced me to their dim sum back when it was on University Blvd), and they are going tomorrow afternoon, but Sunday didn’t quite work out for me this weekend (other plans). So, I thought, go this morning, you deserve it! And here are the dishes I got. (Sorry for the photo quality. iPhone + restaurant lighting…)

First up is one of my favorites from visits past, Assorted Meat with Sweet Rice in Lotus Leaves:

Yummy glutinous rice filled with Chinese sausage, pork, some other meat, nuts(?), all wrapped up in lotus leaves and steamed. Mmm.

Next, Pork and Shrimp Steamed Bean Curd Skin Rolls:

Not sure I ever had these, but they were much better than I was expecting.

Next up the char siu bao, roasted pork buns, in their two classic varieties, steamed and baked:

I got both types because while I’ve always been a baked bun fan, some I know love the steamed and I thought I’d see if I’d changed. I haven’t, those baked buns are as good as they look, but I’ll eat either.

Next up was a revelation for me, Vegetables in Fried Bean Curd Skin:

These were great, a dish I’m pretty sure I’ve never had there. Stuffed with black mushroom for sure and maybe bamboo shoot? Not sure, but all yummy!

Finally, the dish that I have been anticipating the return of most of all, the Carrot Dessert:

These are fried, sweet desserts in the shape and color of carrots. They don’t contain carrot and they don’t taste like carrots…they are just yummy.

And I’d like to say I appreciate the patience and understanding of the nice man at Hollywood East who, I have no doubt, helped spur the kitchen on to get the Carrots made a bit faster than usual (I was at the place when they opened, not exactly the lunch rush yet).

Good start to a less-stress weekend.

Originally published at Oh So Boring.... You can comment here or there.

It’s that time of year again. The cherry trees are blooming around the Tidal Basin and that means one thing: Matt gets up early and acts like a tourist!  Me and my wee point-and-shoot joined the vast army of people with good cameras down near the Jefferson Memorial and pictures were taken: