Movies, movies, and more movies

I've been watching a lot of movies lately and I haven't updated about it so this post will catch me up (assuming I even remember all the movies I've seen...).

Knight and Day - Cheesy. That is the word that comes to mind. It's like a combination of a Cameron Diaz chick flick with Tom Cruise's MI movies together. Cameron Diaz starts off sounding like an intelligent girl, but ends up sounding more like her non-Charlie's Angel personality in Charlie's Angel movies (re: the scene where she goes to the bar/club with her date in the 2nd movie (not sure) and she gets up on stage and starts dancing to "Baby Got Back" (aka "I like big butts" song). Tom Cruise's character is a rouge secret agent trying to save this boy and technology and stuff. So it's basically Diaz getting dragged around while he shoots and escapes people trying to capture him. And, of course, there is the romance aspect too. So, yeah. It just comes off cheesy, even the lines! There are some funny moments that Chris and I laughed at, but it's mostly just...cheese. Rating: C

Toy Story 3 - Excellent Pixar movie as usual. It was a little slow for me in the beginning, but it got better at the end. I definitely was crying by the end. I'm pretty indifferent to this movie overall, though, and I think it's because it wasn't over or under my expectations. It hit exactly where I thought it would. So I enjoyed it and would recommend it for people to watch. On the other hand, I still think How to Train Your Dragon is my animation film of the year. How can you resist a cute dragon?! Rating: A

Prince of Persia - I wished the female was a little more kick-butt and a little less "damsel in distress," but it was still a mostly enjoyable action film. It was obvious who the bad guy was from the very beginning, but it had a neat message about the strength of siblings sticking together. I kind of consider Prince of Persia the chick flick version of an action film. It's pretty fluffy and predictable, but has an okay storyline, special effects, etc. I like those types. LoL Rating: B/B-

Youth in Revolt (DVD) - NOT what I expected at all. I knew the general storyline of him creating this alter ego to try and get this girl, but my goodness. It's basically doing criminal actions so you can be with the girl you love and, most importantly, to lose your virginity too. I'd generally say to skip it unless you're a Michael Cera fan. It's a similar feel to Juno (pretty typical Cera movie), but a definitely different storyline. Rating: B (because it's a classic Cera movie/acting even if the actual story was, well, odd...) 

Green Zone (DVD) - Another one that wasn't what I expected. I wanted to see it because it's Matt Damon and the director who did the Bourne movies. I knew it was based in the war zone and all that, but the actual story was much more...political...than I thought it would be. It was pretty slow in the beginning too. It could almost be borderline action/drama. The story is very much more drama-ish than it is action-ish (e.g., Bourne films). It's based on the whole was-there-or-wasn't-there WMD in Iraq and how Damon's character finds out the truth and what he does when he figures it out. Rating: B

Leap Year (DVD) - Lame. I like Amy Adams as an actress and this film was just lame. Some chick flicks at least have a cute storyline and even though you know how it'll end, the movie at least takes you on a ride (e.g., The Proposal, 27 Dresses, etc). This one felt a lot like another chick flick movie I've seen (can't remember the name). The only cute thing is the idea of the whole Leap Year tradition-thingy you do in Ireland. The women propose to the men on Leap Year. The rest of the movie revolves around her need to do this and to get there in time and that's it. Of course, it's the generic end story when she's trying to get there and she ends up being transported to her destination by another guy. You know. You don't even get to really see Ireland either. They could have almost been anywhere for we'd really know. So, it was a disappointment. There just wasn't anything "cute" or anything for it to stand out from others. Rating: C

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (DVD) - Chris and I didn't even finish this movie. This is the last film that Heath Ledger was working on when he passed away. We started it when we were cleaning my apartment out and maybe that was a bad idea, but it was just BIZARRE. So...yeah...no rating since I never finished it.

It's Complicated (DVD) - I really like Nancy Meyers. She's directed and/or written films like The Holiday (one of my all time favs), Something's Gotta Give, and Father of the Bride (I & II). It's Complicated is something along the lines of Something's Gotta Give. It was cute and I enjoyed it. It was predictable, but it was kind of interesting from a what-happens-when-you-"get back together"-with-your-ex-husband? type of thing. It had some good acting, though. B

On Wednesday night (12:01am on Thursday), Chris and I are going to see The Last Airbender!! I'm hoping it lives up to the TV show because the show is really, really good. It's funny, has a lot of heart, good story, action, etc. The movie is based off the first season (or book as it's called). So if this does well...it's likely the other 2 books will be made into a movie. The first book is based on Water. The 2nd Earth. The 3rd Fire. That's in the order the Avatar learns the elements since he is from the Air nomad tribe and the last of his kind. An excellent TV show. Anyway, that'll be exciting! I'm hoping the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer is in front of it. :P The Secretariat trailer is really good. That looks like it'll be a really good film (along the lines of Seabiscuit, but with one of the greatest horses EVER!).

With that...must be off! Going to go buy Harry Potter Lego today!

TNC

So...for those praying, sending happy thoughts, etc...I just wanted to let you know I got the job!!!!

I had my interview on Wednesday with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and she called me today to let me know she wanted to offer me the job! I go in tomorrow (Friday) morning to sign the paperwork and get myself set-up. My start date should be July 6th. :) So I'm excited! I won't be internship/jobless this summer and I'm getting paid so I'll have money for the school year. I won't be so broke! The sad thing is I'll make almost more money in the 2.5 months I'm at TNC than 9 months full-time at Borders. So sad...It's pretty funny because she name dropped a professor at CSUMB and he was one of my letter of recs for grad school (I told her that). Then she mentioned at the interview that she knows Bren's reputation because she's worked with Steve Gaines (current Dean of Bren) and Chris Costello. Costello has been my prof for the last two quarters. LoL I ALMOST used him for one of my references for the job, but thought since he's so economic-y that it wasn't appropriate for the position. I used another prof instead. Shame, but oh well. It didn't hurt my chances. :P She also knew Judy (mentor/professor/boss), which was also nice.

In other news, I got my last grade for my enviro law class and it's a B+. : Sad it's not an A or even A- since that'd mean no more B's, but...Oh well. I suppose I should be happy since it was being taught by a law professor from Duke and it's not like the final was super easy, but still!

I'm also all moved back in. Now it's just a matter of remembering where I stored something...My fish all made the move back also. They're doing well in the tank and didn't look to have suffered any lasting trauma from being transported back in a big bucket with colder-than-normal water. My fish and suckerfish turned really, really pale. Apparently since the shrimp can't get any paler (they are clear!), they turned white. My male shrimp molted in the bucket, which obviously says the bucket wasn't too bad. The tank looks the same, but I took out the big plant on the right since it was basically dying. I took all the shoots it sent off and made a grassy area in that corner instead. The shrimp hide in it pretty well, but they still prefer the plant on the left since it's pretty big now. My sucker fish still don't do anything, but oh well. It's kind of normal now. My female shrimp (the big one) molted today and, last I saw, wasn't pregnant again, but the male has been chasing her around for about 2 days now. She lost her eggs 3 days ago so this is the longest she's gone without having new eggs. I expect by the morning she'll have more.

Anyway, time for bed. :)

Oh yeah!!

I got an A in natural resource economics! It does make me wonder if he even read our paper, though. LoL Considering it's been barely 28 hours since I turned the paper in. :) I was thinking an A- was more likely, but I got an A! Office hours probably helped a lot. LoL

Formally got my A- grade for stats (already knew that since we get the same grade for Winter/Spring quarters). I should be getting an A in marine processes (95% on assignments at least). Should get an A in GP, but...who knows. Grade is based off of a few different factors that are more opinion and quality then a real "grade." 207 is my real question mark. Hopefully I did well on the final, though.

I am freeeeee!!!!

For those who listen to PotterCast, the phrase "Dobby is freeeeeee" just came to mind when I wrote that title...

Anywho...I turned in my natural resource economics paper today!! Which means I am 100% finished with my first year of grad school. I'm finished with GP turn ins too! I have GP research over the summer, but that's okay since GP will consume my life till the end of next Winter Quarter anyway.

I've been cleaning the apartment and packing since yesterday, though. I scrubbed down the shower (talk about soap scum...), microwave, top of the stove (ugh...burnt on grease), windows in the kitchen/living room, marks on the walls, and table tops. I'm cleaning the 'fridge today and going to spot treat our table chairs. My fingers hurt from all the scrubbing and my nails are going to need to be redone. I'm a little sore from the scrubbing yesterday too. I seriously had to scrub the shower and the stove burner metal thingies (you know, where all the grease and dropped food fall). I ended up having to use a baking soda/water mixture to get all the grease off and make it look clean. Had to really scrub, though. I also don't think the smell of bleach will ever leave my nose. There's a burnt part in our stove on the bottom and I tried scrubbing it off, but our stove is seriously awkward to clean so I might just leave it and make sure it's not greasy looking inside. Hopefully we don't get in trouble for that.

I packed up my bookcases, desk, and most of my drawers. Why do papers and books have to be so heavy?! I just have to pack the clothes, kitchen, and bathroom. I have some other minor things too, but I think I've packed as much as I can right now. I'll start packing clothes I won't wear probably tomorrow. Jane's leftover stuff is still in the apartment (someone's picking it up today) so I don't have a lot of room right now to put packed boxes and stuff.

Anyway, with that...time to relax a little before I get back to cleaning.

Am I finished?!

I'm tired. I blame it on being outside at the beach having a BBQ for a couple of hours. It got foggy and cold out and then I came into the apartment and now I'm all toasty and still feeling a little salty, but all lethargic now.

Anyway, we had our 207 final today. It was my one-and-only final for the quarter. I'm glad I didn't stress about it. It was good I reviewed my notes a few times, but it really was one of those check your notes and hope you write the correct thing. The unfortunate thing is this final is our entire grade for the class. The short answers weren't bad, but I had issues remembering all the pros/cons to risk-based approaches vs technology based approaches for management. The second part was a fact finding problem. It's this long scenario about a company and we had to find all the environmental laws they violated and any defenses or ways to get out violations. That wasn't too bad, though I didn't write a lot. The last part was weird...I knew it was going to be a memo like our homeworks, but this one was about audit immunities and we never talked about that in class! So I think it was more of a "logic" problem than it was an actual "fact" problem. We were given this background information and were told to write a memo about the pros/cons of audit immunity for companies. I think I did okay on it, but who knows. My hope is at least an A-! We'll see, though.

After our final our my GP group had a BBQ at Goleta Beach and our advisor came. It was a nice bonding time. We talked about everything but school! We talked about summer plans and random other stuff. It was a nice time even if it did start to get cold and foggy at the end.

Now...I just have to work on my 242 final paper (due Wed) and prep for our second committee review meeting on Monday. I have been delegated to do the intro and lead the meeting. I guess that's what I get for speaking so much after our first meeting. :P We also have to redo our approaches before we leave, but that shouldn't be bad since it's informal and really for us for the summer.

With that...I think I'm going to continue to relax tonight so I can hit the paper tomorrow well rested! My first year of grad school is almost complete. :)

39 Clues

I just finished reading the most recent 39 Clues book (#9 and there will be 12) and I have to say the series is very enjoyable and I'd highly recommend it for early readers (8-12 years old). It could work for younger children who are avid readers, but some of the history might be lost on them. I've always described it as a book version of the movie National Treasure.

A brother and sister get pulled into this hunt for the 39 clues, which are all over the world. They are up against other branches of their family (kind of like a secret society, but they're all "family"). There are 4 branches and each family branch specializes in something different: art/music, science/inventions, sports/exploring, and leaders/spies. I'm an Ekaterina who are the scientists and inventors. LoL Anyway, finding all the ingredients will make you the most powerful person and all of that. There is a nice amount of adventure and suspense in the books and it's nice to see the strong bond between the brother/sister too. Though, they are brother and sister and have their issues as siblings tend to have. What makes them really fun, though, is the world geography and history you learn.

National Treasure mixes in historical facts with non-historical storylines and 39 clues does similar things. Of course, all the greats in history are apart of the Cahill family and one of the branches, but you get to travel all over the place! The books start in Pennsylvania with Benjamin Franklin, then you travel to France, Austria, Italy, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Russia, Australia, South Africa, China, and Jamaica. Each country you go to, you learn some real fact about a person in that area and the book basically "follows" that person until the clue is figured out. So in Austria, it centered around Mozart and his sister (I never knew Mozart had a sister who was just as good at the piano as he). China, it was around the Forbidden City, but was really about Puyi (last emperor of China). The China one also went to Mt. Everest, the Great Wall, and the terracotta soldiers. The latest book was about Jamaica and the pirate Anne Bonny and The Right Excellent Nanny of the Maroons. Anyway, you learn history and you learn geography since you bounce all over the World.

In addition to the books being written by different children authors and syncing pretty darn well to each other, the books also promote card collecting to gain new clues, new puzzles, etc (I don't do the cards other than to find the super rare card for the clue to add to my profile LoL) and the computer! You have your own profile on the webpage, which allows you to keep track of the clues you've found from the cards and it has little missions you complete, games, and you can win prizes! Well, you win prizes if you're young enough. LoL Cash and international trips for your family. I enjoy doing the missions because it adds another clue to your profile and you learn more history. The missions are played out so it's you trying to find the next clue. One of them had you learn about the Taj Mahal. I like the games too. You'd think since it's a thing for younger kids it'd be super easy for me, but they're not. Some are easy because they're shooting games, but the logic ones take some work! Anyway, the on-line stuff is just as much fun as reading the books. :)

So, yeah, this long post was to promote the 39 Clues since I no longer work at a bookstore and can't tell random strangers on a daily basis about how great the series is for young children. :) I think it's a clever ploy to get kids to read since they can also use the computer to play games, earn some money, and win prizes, but they also learn some history at the same time. I'm not sure what I'll do when the series ends, though. It'll be almost 3 years from the publication of the first book to the 12th and last book. I could count on having a book to read every 3 months. LoL

With that...time to study for my 207 final before I hit the sack. My last class is tomorrow! :D The first proposal committee review meeting is tomorrow at 3:30 and my one and only final is on Friday at 1-4pm. Next Wed my 242 paper is due and then I'm FINISHED!!!! It might be a B+ free quarter too. :D (Depends on my 207 final since it's our only grade for the class and 242 paper but I have an A- going into the paper at least.) My grades are slowly getting better every quarter -- 2 B+'s 1st quarter, 1 B+ 2nd quarter, hopefully 0 B+'s 3rd quarter. A-'s are killing me, though. They're better than a B+, but I had 1 B+, 3 A-'s and 1 A last quarter. They're hurtin' my GPA! My prediction for this quarter: 3 A-'s and 2 A's. A- in natural resource econ, enviro law/policy, and stats (already know I got an A- in stats); A in marine processes and GP. If I'm lucky, I could possibly pull an A in natural resource econ and enviro law/policy. We'll see!