oscar buzz

So for the first time in years, I didn't make it to nycfilmcritic's oscar soiree. Be sure to check out his "Morning After" review column.

Anyway, instead of schlepping to Brooklyn, I went to the top of Manhattan, the end of the A Line for Doc P's party in her swank new apartment. Many congrats to the Doc and her sweetie for getting engaged! They're so low key, I didn't even notice the ring until the end of the night -- and it's a lovely thick silver band with a ruby. Very classy...and I'm sure it fits perfectly under the latex gloves she uses at work. Funny how I know that's the first concern of all my doctor friends who get engaged. Yeah, the ring's beautiful, but can you wear it all the time? And this one, you definitely can :)

It started snowing quite a bit that night, and by the time I emerged at half past midnight, several inches of big, fluffy snow had fallen, transforming the neighborhood and the city into a winter wonderland. I saw pet owners and dogs frolicking in the park right by the Doc's apartment. It was so beautiful -- such a pity I had no one to start a snowball fight with. I would've built a snowman too, but I needed to get back home, and that was at least an hour + ride. At least the trains were running...so, unlike the scenes in The Warriors, I got home with no incident.

I think I'm happy that The Departed won -- although I would've been happy with The Queen or Little Miss Sunshine. At least movies that I saw were in the running. I'm somewhat interested in Babel -- but sometimes, I don't want to see ensemble stories. They either work, or they're too confusing for me to keep track of who's who.