Hi all,

Yesterday I got the good news from my work that my remote work assignment is now permanent and I am free to live and work anywhere in the US. I get to keep my salary so really any place is on the table for me and I wanted to get some feedback and advice from those who live or have lived across the US.

While I would personally be content moving to the middle of nowhere, my partner has been aching to get out of the suburbs of the Bay area and be around more people and things to do that wouldn't require her to drive places. Personally, I'm looking to take my rent price down to a maximum of ~$2100 per month for a 2 bedroom that will give us enough space to each do our remote work. Some places that I have been looking at are:

• San Diego, CA - not so affordable but has great dog beaches and vibrant downtown
• Chattanooga, TN - affordable but small for my partner and lacks the restaurant variety we have grown accustomed to in CA. Knoxville, TN may be a runner up.
• Kansas City, MO - I have nephews that I have neglected being a part of their life and this would put me within 30 minutes of being close to them. Apartments are dirt cheap in downtown.
• Richmond, VA - closer to my parents but haven't looked too into this. I grew up on the complete other side of VA but am willing to come back to the state .
• Chicago, IL - this place is massive and I have no idea what are the best places in the city to live vs. what to avoid. I have always heard Chicago is underrated and I'm not opposed to the cold. I like that they have tons to do but it isn't really close to family as I would like to be.

Anyways, I'm open to hearing about some underrated places and putting some time into researching them. Walkability and things to do are critical in selling the city to my partner who really doesn't want to drive to do anything.

I know that there aren’t a lot of film buffs here, and that a lot of you don’t care about awards. I love awards. The oscars are actually a really important thing that got me watching more interesting movies. And I make it a point to watch all the Best Picture nominees every year.

I spend a lot of time on trying to predict what will get nominated and will win at the Oscars. I’m pretty okay at it. I average about a 76% correctly predicting what gets nominated and an 80% what wins. Things change as more award shows happen. And the closer we get to the Oscars.

But, I wanted to share with y’all what I thought would get nominated at the Oscars this coming year.

In no specific order:

Best Picture:

Don’t Look Up

King Richard

The Last Duel

Licorice Pizza

The Power of the Dog

Belfast

West Side Story

Dune

Being the Ricardos

House of Gucci

Best Director:

Adam McKay - Don’t Look Up

Paul Thomas Anderson - Licorice Pizza

Kenneth Branagh - Belfast

Ridley Scott - The Last Duel

Denis Villeneuve - Dune

Best Lead Actress:

Jodie Comer - The Last Duel

Jennifer Lawrence - Don’t Look Up

Penelope Cruz - Parallel Mothers

Nicole Kidman - Being the Ricardos

Lady Gaga - House of Gucci

Best Lead Actor:

Will Smith - King Richard

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Power of the Dog

Leonardo DiCaprio - Don’t Look Up

Javier Bardem - Being the Ricardos

Adam Driver - The Last Duel

Best Supporting Actress:

Kirsten Dunst - The Power of the Dog

Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

Meryl Streep - Don’t Look Up

Aunjaune Ellis - King Richard

Caitriona Balfe - Belfast

Best Supporting Actor:

Jamie Dornan - Belfast

Bradley Cooper - Licorice Pizza

Mark Rylance - Don’t Look Up

Jared Leto - House of Gucci

Jon Bernthal - King Richard

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Power of the Dog

The Last Duel

House of Gucci

Dune

West Side Story

Best Original Screenplay:

Belfast

Don’t Look Up

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Being the Ricardos

Best Cinematography:

Dune

West Side Story

Licorice Pizza

The Last Duel

The Power of the Dog

Best Costume Design:

House of Gucci

The Last Duel

West Side Story

Dune

Being the Ricardos

Hair and Makeup:

House of Gucci

Being the Ricardos

King Richard

Dune

West Side Story

Best Production Design:

Licorice Pizza

The Last Duel

Dune

West Side Story

Belfast

Best Sound:

Don’t Look Up

West Side Story

Dune

No Time To Die

The Last Duel

Best Original Score:

Dune

The Power of the Dog

The Last Duel

Don’t Look Up

King Richard

Best Original Song:

No Time To Die from No Time To Die

Be Alive from King Richard

Down to Joy from Belfast

Dos Oruguitas from Encanto

Just Look Up from Don’t Look Up

Best Film Editing:

Don’t Look Up

King Richard

The Last Duel

Dune

Belfast

Best Visual Effects:

Black Widow

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Dune

No Time To Die

Don’t Look Up

That’s what I have for now.

If this list is worth anything, it’s to let you guys know what films have a lot of buzz. The only films I think are certain of getting a Best Picture nomination are Belfast, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, and Don’t Look Up.

If you haven’t watch Belfast or King Richard as of yet, I highly recommend checking them out.

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