It’s spring break.

We know some families who have planned lavish vacations for spring break. We wish them well.

But many of you will be staying much closer to home during spring break, and we turn to you for some guidance to help us get through next week with some measure of sanity intact — not to mention our pocketbooks.

So here’s the challenge: Share with us your best tips for free or low-cost spring break activities.

E-mail your suggestions to news@gazettetimes.com. Or you can e-mail me directly by clicking here.

Or call the Gazette-Times’ city editor, Theresa Novak, at 541-758-9527.

We’ll compile the suggestions and run a list of the best ones in Saturday’s Gazette-Times — just about the same time that you’ll be hearing that time-honored complaint from your children: “We’re bored.”

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– Tuesday night, the Taste of Home Cooking School drew a sellout crowd of some 850 people to the LaSells Stewart Center on the Oregon State University campus. (As I write this, in fact, I’m just back from checking in on the event, which is still going on.)

I noticed immediately — and so did some of our partners who helped sponsor the event — that this year’s crowd skewed a bit younger than previous Taste of Home events. Is it that moms and dads brought their older children so that the whole family could get a taste of cooking? Is it that tough economic times have renewed an interest in home cooking across a number of younger demographics? I don’t know. Your guess probably is better than mine. But it was gratifying to see such a good turnout for the event.

– Earlier Tuesday, a bloodmobile from the American Red Cross set up shop in the G-T’s parking lot. I hear that all the available appointments were taken, although we had a couple of no-shows. These blood drives are something I feel strongly about — I was among today’s donors — so I can say that it’s very likely we’ll host similar events in our parking lot. Watch the paper for details.

– The G-T was one of the sponsors of a Monday night concert featuring the Commanders jazz ensemble, part of the Air Force’s Band of the Golden West. That concert, also at the LaSells Stewart Center, drew about 350 people, according to Tina Green-Price, the center’s assistant director. It would have been 351, but someone came to the Taste of Home event Tuesday, thinking that was the night for the concert.

– Finally, I spent a lot of time over the weekend as a volunteer at the annual da Vinci Film Festival, also held this year at the LaSells Stewart Center and at the Darkside Cinema. Festival organizers were happy at the crowds the festival drew. (The G-T, of course, is one of the festival’s sponsors.) Because I was serving as a host at a number of the screenings — introducing the films and running some Q-and-A sessions with filmmakers — I didn’t get a chance to watch as many of the films as I would have liked. But I did see at least bits and pieces of about two dozen of the 64 films.

I also got to play on a pair of pinball machines that had been brought down for the event by a fellow who repairs the machines in the Portland area. That brought me back to the days of my ill-spent youth, and I fear that a photo of me getting thrashed by one of the machines may be making the rounds. (A wonderful pinball documentary, “Special When Lit,” was among the movies shown.)

For my money, an animated short, “The Mouse That Soared,” by Portland filmmaker Kyle Bell, was among the best films at the festival — and the setting for that short includes a sawmill inspired by the Hull-Oakes sawmill in southern Benton County.

I’ll have a lot more to say about the film festival over the next couple of days.

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The Red Cross bloodmobile will take up position in the G-T’s parking lot, 600 S.W. Jefferson Ave., in what amounts to the sequel to a successful blood drive we held last year.

Interested donors can schedule an appointment online by clicking here.  Sign in (first-time users will need to create a profile) and then enter the sponsor code CorvallisGT to search for the drive.

Donors can also telephone 1-800-GIVE-LIFE to schedule an appointment.

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It’s a speech he gave as he returned to the floor after his initial treatment for lung cancer. (It was a recurrence of that cancer that killed him Sunday.)

As we note in Tuesday’s editorial, the speech is shockingly timely: It could easily have been delivered on the floor of the Legislature last month.

The speech is well worth watching, and you can do that by clicking here. (You’ll be redirected to Westlund’s Web site.)

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For me, this was an average year at the Oscars — I picked 17 of the 24 categories correctly, but stumbled on Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay (the win for  “Precious” was the night’s biggest upset), Foreign Language Picture, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Live-Action Short and Animated Short.

My hat’s off to “The Hurt Locker,” which became the little movie that could Sunday night: Not only did it knock off the biggest movie of all time for the top prize, but it claimed a bit of Oscar history: As I noted a week or so ago in the blog, it now becomes the Best Picture winner with the smallest box office take in the modern Oscar era.

I finally did see “Avatar” over the weekend. (I know you’re asking, “How can you make these Oscar predictions without seeing all the movies first?” But as I’ve explained to G-T photographer Scobel Wiggins, actually seeing all the movies does not help at all in making Oscar predictions; in fact, it only hinders — and, as proof, I note that Scobel, who makes a praiseworthy attempt to see as many Oscar nominees as she can, was 9-for-24 this year.)

Had I seen “Avatar” earlier, I might have been swayed to pick “The Hurt Locker” for Best Picture — “Avatar” is worth seeing, certainly, and it’s visually wondrous, but in terms of the movie’s plot, there is nothing unexpected or surprising over the course of the movie’s last two hours. “The Hurt Locker” is the superior movie — not that that always makes a difference at the Oscars.

I also had a gut feeling that the Wallace & Gromit short, “A Matter of Loaf and Death,” wasn’t going to win — but because of my longtime love for W&G, I had to stick with them. (And, truthfully, had I not picked that short, I would have picked “French Roast,” which also lost to “Logorama.”)  I had a similar hunch with Foreign Language Picture — but, again, I might have picked “A Prophet” over the eventual winner, “El Secreto de Sus Ojos.”

Actually, this would have been the year for Scobel to clean my clock:  She was right on four of the categories I missed: Adapted Screenplay, Foreign Language Picture, Cinematography and Live-Action Short. That kind of swing — and all of them in categories that make or break Oscar pools — easily could have translated into Oscar defeat for me.  But, alas, unduly influenced by movies that she actually had seen, she was only 3-for-9 in the biggest categories.

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And, to add some additional spice this year, I’m tossing down a challenge: I’m inviting you to e-mail me your Oscar predictions. If the reader who has the most correct predictions also beats my mark, I’ll buy that reader a $10 gift certificate to the Darkside Cinema. (If more than one reader qualifies, I’ll randomly draw for the winner — this is my personal money on the line here, and I’m not planning to give away a bunch of dough. It’s going to be bad enough when my wife finds out about this.)

This could be the year to take my money. I am racked with uncertainty on a number of these categories, and I’m still very unsure about some of the key races — Best Picture, for example.

But enough of my whining. Let’s go to the picks:

– Picture: With 10 movies in the running and the goofy new way that the academy is determining the winner, this race could be harder to predict than ever. And it’s possible that a dark horse like “Inglourious Basterds” will sneak in. But I suspect the procedure the academy uses may reward a movie with widespread support — and I still think the top prize will go to “Avatar.” But I would not at all be surprised to see “The Hurt Locker” win, so mark your ballot accordingly.

– Actor: Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart.”

– Actress: Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side.”

– Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds.”

– Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious.”

– Director: Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker.” Normally, of course, this Oscar goes to the director of the Best Picture, but this could be one of those years when that rule of thumb is trashed. (Also, see the editing category, below.)

– Original Screenplay: “The Hurt Locker,” Mark Boal.

– Adapted Screenplay: “Up in the Air,” Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner.

– Animated Feature: “Up.” (For what it’s worth, I personally preferred “Coraline,” and not just because it was made in Oregon.)

– Foreign Language Picture: A three-way race, and one of those categories that will make or break your Oscar pool this year. I still give the edge to “The White Ribbon.” But the Oscar could go to “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” or “A Prophet.”

– Documentary Feature: I’m going with “The Cove,” but it could be that I’m overly swayed by the connection to Oregon State.

– Editing: If “Avatar” wins here, it could be the signal that the night is going to break big for that flick. But my guess instead is that “The Hurt Locker,” which was brilliantly edited, will win the prize — bucking the conventional wisdom that the winner in this category goes on to win Best Picture.

– Art Direction: “Avatar.”

– Cinematography: “The Hurt Locker.” But a win for “Avatar” here is not out of the question.

– Original Score: Michael Giacchino, for “Up.” A win here for “Avatar” and James Horner also could signal an early stampede for James Cameron’s flick.

– Original Song: “The Weary Kind,” from “Crazy Heart.”

– Costume Design: As Entertainment Weekly noted, it’s the movie about the royals that usually wins this category. This year, that movie is “The Young Victoria.”

– Makeup: “Star Trek.” Remember when people thought that “Star Trek” might get a Best Picture nomination? Neither do I.

– Visual Effects: “Avatar.”

– Sound Editing: “Avatar.”

– Sound Mixing: “The Hurt Locker.” (This award, by the way, is meant to honor a movie’s overall sound. I wouldn’t blame you if you picked “Avatar” here.)

– Live Action Short: “Kavi,” about a boy born into slavery.

– Animated Short: I have to go with the Wallace & Gromit feature, “A Matter of Loaf and Death.” But I understand that both “French Roast” and “Logorama” have their fans.

– Documentary Short: The edge seems to be with “Music by Prudence,” about a disabled singer in Zimbabwe. But, really, it’s been years since I picked this category correctly.

There you go. Beat me, and you get in the running for that $10. E-mail me by clicking here.

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– For Tuesday:  In the wake of the massive earthquake that devastated Chile over the weekend, oceanographers issued warnings that Hawaii and other Pacific islands might be the targets of a destructive tsunami wave. The killer wave didn’t materialize. Scientists offered no apology for the warnings – and they shouldn’t. Consider it a dress rehearsal for the next time. And the next time surely will come.

– Later this week: Oregon State has done well over the last couple of years in dealing with binge drinking. OSU officials might also consider taking lessons from universities that are increasingly involving parents to curb problem drinking.

– Later this week: Is there really nothing the city can do to curb the most heinous practices of certain landlords? Granted, this is work that might be difficult — but it seems as if allowing garbage to pile up for a couple of weeks, for example, makes a mockery of that “Enhancing Community Livability” motto. And as OSU plans major growth in its student body, we’ll need more rental housing.

– And, of course, the Oscars are coming up this next weekend, and we’ll get to see how having 10 films up for Best Picture shakes up the mix. Here’s our take: It’s a mess, but it still looks like it’s coming down to “Avatar” vs. “The Hurt Locker.”

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The post makes reference to the “Business is Good Here” Web site that Barlow helped create. (The idea of the Web site is to encourage businesspeople who already have some interest in or knowledge about Corvallis to move their businesseses here. As economic-development strategies go, it’s not as silly as some — and you can see how it could help pave the way for some big scores for Corvallis.)

But, as you will see if you click on the link from Pagosa Springs, the post really is about school quality: How do we measure it? What really are the hallmarks of a great school system? What is the role in funding in school quality? (The latter is not as obvious a question as it first appears: While there is a certain funding floor which must be maintained to make sure schools can do the job we need them to do, it’s not necessarily clear where that floor is — or where to most effectively spend money above that floor.)

Near the top of the Pagosa Springs article, the author makes a comment that quality schools and economic development are completely different topics — but, of course, there is an intimate connection between the two.

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– I heard rave reviews about pianist Roberto Plano’s solo concert over the weekend (I couldn’t attend), and he was impressive on Wednesday, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488. (It was in my research for this concert, by the way, that I finally learned about the “K” system for tracking Mozart’s works. I know; I’m a philistine.)

For an encore, Plano came out to revisit some of the themes in the concerto, but played with blistering speed and with occasional flashes of boogie-woogie, say, or jazz. Was he showing off? Sure. But he did it with such good nature and humor — and, of course, with consummate skill. It was great fun.

– The finale featured the orchestra and the American Horn Quartet performing Schumann’s Concertpiece, Op. 86 for Four Horns and Orchestra. At the time I was writing last week’s Entertainer story on Plano, I didn’t know that one member of the quartet, Kristina Mascher-Turner, grew up in Albany and previously had been a member of the Corvallis-OSU Symphony Orchestra. When the quartet swings through the mid-valley next time, I’ll see if I can interview her for the preview story.

– As music director Marlan Carlson promised, this was a packed concert with a full two hours of music. And, as he mentioned to me, the featured music was — well, let’s call it good-natured; it was the perfect tonic at the end of a long day.

– I estimated attendance at 600 or 700, but I tend to underestimate the size of crowds. I heard some people lament the relative lack of younger people in the audience, and I wonder if scheduling more concerts on the weekend might help draw younger crowds and families. On the other hand, the orchestra this week did play for 1,000-plus schoolchildren at its annual youth concert. (It’s also worth noting that the symphony brass often have their hands tied on scheduling issues, considering how many of the performers have obligations to other orchestras and groups.)

– The orchestra wraps up its season with a concert on Tuesday, May 25.

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Here’s part of the reason why: If “The Hurt Locker” were to win Best Picture, it likely would become the lowest-grossing movie of modern times to take the top Oscar. According to the Web site boxofficemojo.com, “The Hurt Locker” has earned $12.6 million at the domestic box office.

The lowest-grossing Best Picture winner listed by boxofficemojo is the 1987 winner, “The Last Emperor,” which clocked in at $43.9 million. (The listings on the site stop with 1978’s “The Deer Hunter,” but truthfully, if you go much further back than that, it’s hard to make valid comparisons what with inflation and other factors.)

Now, Summit Entertainment certainly will rush “The Hurt Locker” back into theaters if the movie does well at the Oscars, but it’s hard to imagine that it would more than triple its take during another run. (Actually, you know,  “The Hurt Locker” is showing at the Darkside in Corvallis, and I recommend you see it there; it’s a very good movie with a great performance from Jeremy Renner and some spectacularly staged sequences, including an astonishing first 10 minutes.)

By contrast — and the comparison is a little unfair, but it is what it is — “Avatar” has made $692.9 million at the domestic box office. That’s a gap that might be too much to jump, even for The Little Movie That Could.

Especially now that some veterans are starting to question the authenticity of “The Hurt Locker” (seems to me the timing of these complaints is a little suspicious, but what the heck), it looks like “Avatar” has seized the inside track for Best Picture — but I still wouldn’t be surprised to see Kathryn Bigelow win for Best Director.

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