I always find it interesting to hear some of the things that people say about the Oscars. In preparation for this week's ceremony, I'm reminded of how many times I've heard people say that the Oscars are irrelevant, they don't award the right films, they have an agenda, etc. Perhaps that's true. Really, though, I think many people judge the Oscars based on their own expectations, rather than the standard that the Academy sets forth.

The main complaint by many seems to be that the Oscars don't award the most popular films with the awards. I remember a number of complaints that Transformers (yes, Transformers) wasn't nominated for Best Picture, since it was clearly the biggest blockbuster of 2007. In many peoples' view, popularity parallels quality. There's certainly nothing wrong or even worth questioning in regard to that view -- we are all different, and we value things differently.

The Academy, though, is not concerned with popularity. It's the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It's not the Academy of Motion Picture Entertainment. The Oscars are awarded for theatrical (producing, acting, and directing) and technical (cinematography, effects, animation) prowess. The focus is on the art and science of film. In otherwords, the art of film and the science of film. Entertainment value is not generally included in the equation.

Now, I understand that "storytelling" is indeed an art, and that all films can't be judged based on technical and theatrical prowess alone. Entertainment is not necessarily tied, though, to the art of good storytelling.

In summary, it's important to know that popularity doesn't, and shouldn't, fit into the Academy Awards. They are awarded for excellence in artistic performance and technical prowess in film, not for how many people went to see the films. The heavy box office totals are reward enough for the people who make blockbusters.

Rather, why did I let the water I used for my herbal tea get so hot? What was I thinking? Why didn't I put an ice cube in the water first? Why didn't I put a spritz of tap water into the mix? Why did I use that new hot water machine thing that they just installed last week in the second floor snack area? That thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen!

And why did I get this thermal Red Hat mug? Now I have to sit here and wait for 30 minutes before it becomes even remotely drinkable. I can barely even touch the mug!

What was I thinking?

I've long stated that my deepest fears are: 1) Breaking my front teeth, and 2) Dying alone. Allow me to elaborate on the first of the two.

For as long as I can remember, I've been afraid of breaking my front teeth. I don't know what it is. In panic situations, my mind goes first to the thought of breaking my front teeth. There are a number of awful scenarios I'm imagining for myself here:

* I'm walking down stairs, it's wet outside, my shoes don't grip, I fall down the stairs and smack my teeth, knocking the front two out (or severely breaking them).

* I'm in a car accident and my airbag doesn't deploy, so my face slams into the steering wheel and breaks my two front teeth. Even worse: the airbag does deploy, but still breaks my teeth.

* Terrorists are torturing me. They put my front teeth in vise-grips and break them off. That would be horrendous. Or maybe they tell me that if I don't give them the information they want, they'll rip out my front teeth. To be honest, I give them the friggin' information at that point. (Side note: It's probably good that I didn't get an interview with the NSA when I applied my senior year. I'd be lousy at protecting government secrets under duress. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't "built" for the government sector.)

* I'm riding a bike. My pantleg gets caught in the chain and the bike comes to a stop. I go flying and hit a mailbox... you guessed it, right on the front teeth, damaging them badly.

So now can you start to see why breaking my front teeth is of deeper concern to me than dying alone? It makes sense to me!

Do you say "visa" as "VEE-suh" or "VEE-zuh?" I say it like "VEE-suh." But I'm sure there are tons of English speakers that say it like "VEE-zuh." I had a co-worker once that said "salsa" as "SAL-zuh." Drove me nuts. And my dad used to say our family friend Leslie's name as "LEZ-lee." Also drove me nuts.

I'm working on obtaining my Japanese visa. This will allow me to live in Japan as a foreigner over the two years I'm there. While those of you who know me are already aware of my tendency to favor immigration and oppose immigration reform initiatives, even being just two steps into this process makes me more sympathetic toward the people who try to obtain permission to live within the United States. The process in Japan appears to be relatively simple. I can't imagine what it would be like if I were from a country that wasn't a world superpower. Probably what it's like for most people trying to come live and work within the U.S.

Luckily, though, Red Hat has hired a firm to handle my visa, and our HR department in Japan is working with them. I only really have to provide some passport photos, a copy of my passport photo page, my resume, and a Certificate of Employment. Although, this stuff is just to get a "Certificate of Eligibility" from the Japanese government. With that in hand, we'll then get the visa. I'm sure that will have its own set of files/papers/documents/photos/scans/copies/etc.

One interesting piece of information that I have to provide in order to be officially recognized by the Japanese government is my name written in Japanese characters. Satomi-san, one of my associates at Red Hat KK, suggested a few potential ways of spelling my name using Katakana, a Japanese syllabary that's most commonly used to transcribe foreign (western, really) words. Here are the options:

ティモシー・ボイスヴァート
TE-i-mo-shii . BO-i-su-VAA-to

ティモシー・ボイスヴェルト
TE-i-mo-shii . BO-i-su-VE-ru-to

I've decided to go with the first one, the "BO-i-su-VAA-to" one. What do you think?

I just realized that I haven't blogged yet about moving to Japan. I'm moving to Japan in April. Red Hat is transferring me to our Tokyo office for two years to do IT Business Analysis for all of our Asia Pacific region. It's a huge opportunity for me and for the company. So here are some details that will hopefully answer many of the questions I've been asked:

- Our office is in the Ebisu neighborhood, which is on the west side of the city, just below Shibuya. I'm hoping to live somewhere just outside the JR Yamanote line, west of Ebisu or Shibuya. I'm trying to find an apartment agent right now.

- I'm planning on getting a 2-bedroom apartment or small house, with a guest room. Start thinking now about visiting.

- There are multiple LDS stakes in Tokyo, one of which is English-language, the Tokyo South Stake. If I live in the west side of the city, I'll be in the 2nd or 4th ward.

- I'm planning on using weekends and holidays to travel. There's so much I want to see.

- I'm selling most of my stuff. Let the fire sale begin!

- I'll be able to come back to the U.S. at least once per year. Not sure where/when yet.

- I don't know the exact date of my move yet. It all depends on when I can get my visa. Our HR group in Japan is working on getting me the certificate of elegibility from the Japanese government, which could take a couple of months. At some point I'll have to go to the Embassy in Washington, DC to get my visa.