On the eve of the eve before the Oscars.

Ten (barely connected) thoughts.  Try to keep up.

1. Argo will win Best Picture, because everyone knows some somebody got snubbed for Best Director, and so far all of the other awards committees have given that some somebody the Best Director nod.
2. When I was going to USC, the Oscars were held at the Shrine next to USC and traffic was horrible, but living next to USC meant not having to drive to school, so it was all good.  Living in Los Angeles was the first time I ever had the pleasure in my life of being acquainted with the nightly sounds of helicopters and gun fire.
3. I lived and stayed through the LA Riots, when most of USC students left early, skipping out on exams.  I have previously posted some of the pictures I took.
4. When I moved to Hollywood, I (we) lived just five blocks from the Mann Chinese, but I never went.
5. The Kodak Theatre (now the Dolby Theatre) was built adjacent to the Mann Chinese; I've visited since moving away, but I've never gone to the Mann nor the Kodak Theatre.
6. The neighborhood was not so nice when I lived there.  Young kids and young adults would deal drugs on the street below, and there were frequent stake outs and busts by the LAPD.  Gentrification is probably a good thing, as the neighborhood looks a lot better now.
7. When I (we) moved to Silver Lake, it was more of a secret neighborhood and about 75% gay -- something I (we) didn't realize until after I (we) had moved in.  I (we) had a good laugh about that.  It was West Hollywood, but much closer to downtown.  It was also at the height of the HIV scare, and some of my neighbors had HIV (and died later after I had moved up to Portland).  Now it's a really hip place to live...Hollywood types, too.
8. I do not miss Hollywood, Silver Lake, or Los Angeles in general, even though it has become quite the spectacular place to live in.  It's really easy to get lost in anonymity, or just to get lost; it's also still hard to walk around Los Angeles.
9. But I dearly miss the dorayaki at the Mitsuru Cafe in Little Tokyo.  And the mochi from Fugetsu-Do, too.
10. I used to work at a mochi shop, where we made mochi, manju and shoyu peanuts.

Anyway, my bet is on Argo for Best Picture...although frankly, I would always want to give Best Picture to any film by Quentin Tarantino.

Google Maps actually has this aerial from a previous Oscar Awards.