I'll Watch

Today is the big Academy Awards presentation, and I must confess mixed feelings about it. I don't feel compelled to watch the broadcast, but inevitably there are parties and less elaborate gatherings to watch, and I do have a policy of not refusing human companionship. If the awarding of trophies to a lot of movies and people, some of whom deserve it and some of whom don't, is the reason why people get together, than who am I to quibble over it?

I would have to check to be sure, but I think I have seen few if any of the films under consideration, so I will be hard-pressed to feel any real stake in any of the awards. I will have no more than a gut feeling about what deserves to win. I will be driven mainly by existing affection for various directors and actors, possibly leading me to wish for unjust results. As I have no regard for the methods by which the awards are actually distributed, I am not too sorry about my own methods for selecting personal favorites.

Many parties for watching the Oscars will have great food, but I am aware of none for the place I'm going to. Its main attraction, other than the close friends who I'll see there, is that it could only be closer to my place if it was in my place. The Oscar-nominated film themed foods at other parties would be nice, but these days I am rationing my energy. Perhaps we'll order in something, which is about all I need.

The main draw in watching will not be the outcomes or the food, but the presentation. One thing I do not want is to be left out of the inevitable national discussion over whatever little thing goes wrong or whatever incredible thing happens. I hate being left out, and while I'll tolerate it under other circumstances, the threat of that in conjunction with seeing friends is a stick and carrot that works on me quite well.