And the Award goes to...

I had known Teri for barely a month when I invited her to my house for an "Oscar Party"--almost a dozen of us, including my movie passionate son, sitting around my then living room over great snacks rooting for our favorites.  It was actually the first time Teri was ever at my house.  She remembers it as a night when she was wondering what sort of person (meaning me) actually watches all these Oscar-nominated movies?!

That was the year Sean Penn won as Best Actor for his role as gay activist Harvey Milk and we lesbians hooted and hollered; and the year Slumdog Millionaire won for Best Picture.

Last year (see photo), we watched the Academy Awards with all the kids at my former in-laws house.  If I'm not mistaken, my ex man-husband and his new partner were there too, as were friends/boyfriends/etc. of the kids.  And, that is where we are heading tonight, practice cake in hand (that is what I am calling all the cakes I'm baking to practice and prepare for Wedding baking), to see who wears what, who says what, and whether or not our favorites actually receive the recognition they deserve!

Movies...movie-watching is one of the most interesting platforms for comparing differences.  Since partnering with Teri, I have seen more Science Fiction and Action Adventure movies than I have seen in my entire life; I have seen movies that I NEVER would have imagined being able to sit through (and to be honest, I actually really enjoyed some of them!)  For her part, she has opened her viewing eyes to some foreign and Indie films that she would have never gone anywhere near.  We have both expanded our genres and while we both now draw the line at some movies we just aren't willing to sit though (she went to see Tron with another friend of ours and I watched Last Year at Marienbad alone when she was at work), it is one of the great platforms of compromise and open-mindedness in our relationships.

Yesterday, it was Teri's idea to try to squeeze in a couple of the nominated movies that we hadn't seen and we walked over to the movie house to see both True Grit and The King's Speech.  It has bee a long time since I've created a double feature day at the movies!

If you ask Teri, she will tell you that she had to get used to a family that debates and discusses movies, actors, performances, etc.  and we do.  Movies were one of the artforms I used to try to teach my kids how to support opinions and be able to discuss different ideas and themes while being able to listen to others too.  Plus, I just LOVE movies and plays.  On my side of things, I have been learning the value of movies as entertainment--sometimes it IS fun just to watch things go fast or blow up or to see really eye-opening special effects.

So, tonight, we will be together watching the awards--we haven't missed sharing the Oscars together since we met (I hope I can say that 40 years from now!)  I think Teri has chosen The King's Speech as her favorite of the nominated pictures but I'm not entirely sure which movie I think should win.  I am just going to love sharing the fun of the evening with my Girl and the fam!