This week in prognosticated data.

Things that I hope will arrive at my office: one long-ago ordered bookshelf.

Amount of books that will fit on my hoped-for shelves: ten boxes' worth, please oh please.

Hours I will spend in my office: between three and twenty-five? 

Syllabi that will be completed: two. I hope.

Books that I will finish reading: two.

Reviews of books that I will commence writing: two. (I hope.)

Number of meals I will cook and/or otherwise prepare at home: five breakfasts, three lunches, four dinners. 

Proportion of clothing I will cull from my closets to give away, because items to be given no longer give me, personally, a spark of joy: 25%, I hope.

Christmas trees that will come down down down: one.

Remaining holiday food that will be either eaten or discarded, such as naked sugar cookies and stale baked goods:  all of it, ALL! come hell or high water.

Poems to be written: I am planning on three.

Number of birthdays this week in my family: one!

Amount of birthday cake I will eat, even so: not one piece, because the birthday boy lives in Arizona for the love.

Movies I will see: three, or I will know the reason why.

Blog posts to be written: As God is my witness there shall be SEVEN. 

Prognosticator.

The Academy Award nominations are tomorrow! Here's a list of films that might get nominated in the big fat categories (I put a * by what I think should get nominated, and a # by what I think will get nominated):

 (image: NYTimes via Getty images)

Academy Awards NOMINATIONS

best pic

Melancholia * (foreign? English-speaking...)

Midnight in Paris #

The Tree of Life *#

X-Men: First Class *

Bridesmaids *

The Help #

Rise of the Planet of the Apes *

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows *

Hugo *#

The Artist #

War Horse # (haven't seen it) 

Take Shelter * [not a chance this will get nominated, but I thought it was beautiful, maybe my favorite film of the year, so I'm putting it on the list anyway.]

best actor

Christopher Plummer, Beginners *# (or is this a supporting performance? probably)

Brad Pitt, Moneyball *#

George Clooney, The Descendants *#

Michael Shannon, Take Shelter ** (the only thing as good as this was J. Dujardin, and maybe also Brad Pitt in Moneyball)

Ryan Gosling, Drive *#

Paul Rudd, Our Idiot Brother *

Brendan Gleason, The Guard *

Jean Dujardin, The Artist ** (I was not in love with this movie, but I thought this performance was sublime)

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar ? (haven't seen)

Michael Fassbender, Shame #

best actress

Vera Farmiga, Higher Ground *

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene *

Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia *#

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn #

Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo *#

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady # (haven't seen)

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs # (haven't seen)

Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids *

supporting actor

Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love (or The Ides of March) * (in C, S, L, I thought Gosling was pretty much brilliant)

Michael Fassbender, X-Men/Jane Eyre * 

Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes *#

Matt Damon, Contagion * (of a pile of great performances, this was one of the greatest)

Jeremy Irons, Margin Call *#

John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene *#

Armie Hammer, J. Edgar # (haven't seen)

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn * (this performance gave me such joy--so funny)

Albert Brooks, Drive * (pretty great performance)

Ralph Fiennes and/or Alan Rickman, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

supporting actress

Viola Davis, The Help *# (deserves every possible acting accolade--she is brilliant--and is this a lead performance?)

Octavia Spencer, The Help *#

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids *#

Jessica Chastain, everything she was in *# (literally: brilliant in everything.)

Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melancholia *

Carrie Milligan, Drive and/or Shame #

director

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris #

Martin Scorsese, Hugo *#

Terence Malick, Tree of Life *#

David Fincher, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo #

Michael Haznavicius, The Artist #

Lars von Trier, Melancholia *#

David Cronenberg, A Dangerous Method ? (not here yet, haven't seen)

Steven Spielberg, War Horse #

Alexander Payne, The Descendants *#

Bennett Miller, Moneyball *

special note for Jude Law, who was fantastic in Sherlock Holmes blah blah blah  and also in Contagion.

p.s. I loved this list.

p.p.s. happy birthday Amelia!

My prognostication skillz are purty good.

I made this list on January 19.

* indicates I thought the film would probably get nominated

X = the film did get nominated. 8/10. Plus a few outliers.

Thought-free zone.

It is too hot to think.

Instead of thinking, I did this:

• took Bruiser for a spritely walk.
• bought Sprite for singing son, because he had a sick stomach.
• drove to Park City to work on a syllabus with colleague.
• kvetched about work with colleague. (I have to get in practice for the regular academic year--the marathon event of kvetching about work.)
• went to lunch with colleague and talked about television and movies. And kvetched about work.
• went to the Gap outlet store where I picked up a skirt and walked around with it, spritzed myself with Grass eau de cologne which I have a nostalgic fondness for even though these days it smells like the chemical formula for "grass." Put the skirt back. Bought nothing.
• drove down the mountain to a meeting.
• went to meeting.
• kvetched about work with another colleague, after the meeting.
• drove home.
• arrived at the same time as the historian. Whined about the heat. Turned on the swamp cooler. Poured myself a tall glass of ice water.

Which brings us to now. We are preparing for an evening of crosswords and television and some dinner at some point, with possible ancillary heat-related whining (on my part--the historian does not whine. Seriously: never.). Also, many iced beverages.

Dear Weather Robot,

My husband reports to me that there's supposed to be a cold front, which he heard about on the radio while driving home. What does the term "cold front" mean, with respect to how hot it is now? And the fact that it's August? I just want some assurance that the Doppler Radar, or whatever, is correct about this, and that I will recognize it when it happens. Tell me, Weather Robot, what will the weather be like?

Sincerely, htms

Dear Hightouchmegastore,

Today the weather is like this:

Please do note that, while the temperature is 96 degrees, it feels like a mere 91 degrees! I'm sure that, if you happen to be currently taking a cool shower, while sipping a Slurpee and thinking of Antarctica, you will concur.

On Friday, however, the weather will be like this:

77 degrees, with scattered T-storms, is cool enough that it doesn't have to feel like anything more or less than its own damn self.

Robotically yours, with hints of rain,

The Weather Robot.