When You Burp the Puke Smell

Had friends over tonight for a game night. We played Smarty Party, which was good fun. Had a few drinks after several weeks of going dry. It doesn't take much to feel tipsy these days. I had a couple glasses of some very good Pinot Gris from Alsace. The guy at the wine store complimented me on my selection, which made me feel good. I was tempted to tell him that I just sorta picked it for no good reason, but thought better of it.

I'm listening to Madonna's Confessions Tour right now. I bought it off iTunes. I didn't go to the concert. I didn't even buy the Confessions CD. But I have to say it's good. I think I'm going to go see her the next time she plays LA. Don't care how good her latest CD is. I think she'll put on a good show no matter what. I saw her Reinvention at MSG a few years ago (after her American Life CD, I think). She was great. I went with a good friend, we had floor seats, drank too much champagne and had the best time. I was like the crazy person in the background of those music videos. Singing along to all the songs and giving her the I Love You sign in sign language.

Hello, Friendo

Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men.

I won the Oscar pool at my work last year. I was pretty surprised and, I'll admit, super stoked. I entered this year's pool on Friday. As last year's winner, I feel a keen pressure to repeat, to show that last year wasn't a fluke. As one of my co-workers said, "Chanchow, you are the one to beat."

I submitted my ballot hastily, perhaps overconfidently, and now I'm not feeling too good about my picks. I think it's a toss up this year. Either No Country will win big, or There Will Be Blood will win big, or they will split the vote and something like Diving Bell or Atonement will sneak in in a few categories. For my ballot, I gave a few trophies to Diving Bell. Not sure why I did this; I think this is a weak point in my ballot.

Any Oscar predictions?