I just wanted to pop on to say that I haven’t completely abandoned this blog, though I’ve been away too, too long; I’ll try not to leave you that long again. (Encouragement welcome in the comments. Also skepticism and derision.)

Highlights from the last five weeks of my existence included:

• a memorable restaurant week meal at The Bazaar by Jose Andreas
• The Wooster Group’s latest staging of North Atlantic at the REDCAT (pictured), now in NY until April 25
• the quadrennial return of my enthusiasm for Curling
• finally catching up with Season One of the The Wire via HBO on demand (now all I have left to see is Season Two)

Other things probably happened too. Buy me a drink and we’ll talk about ‘em.

As I type there’s a little less than 5 hours before the Oscars, so I may as well take this opportunity to throw out my predictions. I’m hoping for surprises but anticipate few. My money would be on Avatar, Bridges, Waltz (he was the movie), Bullock, Mo’Nique, and Up (for best animated). My hope is that Bigelow wins, and that her ex-husband Cameron consoles himself with the gazillion dollars he’s made from Titanic and Avatar.

Furthermore, if Avatar wins for Cinematography, how can they give a trophy to the DP? What did he have to do with it, really? You might as well give it to the guys from Up.

And I don’t care who was nominated, Anvil! The Story of Anvil! was last year’s best documentary.