Having the month long wait from the time it was released on DVD to the time it showed up at RedBox convinced me I wanted to see it.
I'm glad I watched it to see what the fuss was about -- if anything. It's not as "scary" as it's portrayed to be. It's not tame either, but it's not like a scary movie or something. It's more disturbing, at points, than anything else. I kind of think of it as a psycho-thriller (or drama-thriller), where the story's "scariness" comes from the instability of her mind (she imagines things happen when they have not) than the creepy-crawlies that are hiding somewhere. I feel like Signs and The Sixth Sense are more "scary" than Black Swan. There's one gross scene (and, in manners of "gross" it's pretty tame in comparison to what could happen -- she imagines she peeled the skin on her finger for like 3"), some sexual stuff here-and-there (including the "famous" lesbian scene), and some weird mind games where you don't always know till later whether it's true or not. Unlike The Sixth Sense, you know almost immediately (give or take some minutes) that she imagined it. I also must say I don't get the big deal about whether Portman did the more difficult ballet numbers or not. You don't really see them (or it didn't affect me) and I hope the Academy didn't pick her as Best Actress just because of the dancing because I thought her acting job was superb (definitely makes up for Star Wars...). The story is definitely the most interesting aspect of the film. It sticks it to you and you're kind of enthralled watching as Portman's character slowly loses her mind over the role of the Swan in Swan Lake. Grade: A
I have to say, I think it's an interesting choice for the Academy to pick for Best Actress. Most times, Best Actress goes to your normal drama film that's usually depressing or very emotional or something. This one is a drama, but it's definitely more on the thriller end. With that said, in comparison to Nicole Kidman's Best Actress nom and Natalie Portman's, I'd pick Portman too. It's a different role, but she had to be subtle and observable as she slowly loses her mind for the role of the swan in Swan Lake. She also had a pivotal point at the end of the movie where you had to know something in her had changed in comparison to all the practices. So...it's subtle, but important and I think that's what made her stand out (comparing the two Best Actress nom films I've watched so far...LoL).
On the flipside...There is a difference about this movie than King's Speech when it comes down to Best Picture (both were noms). Story-wise, Black Swan -- hands down -- has the more interesting story over King's Speech; however, the difference WHY King's Speech won Best Picture over Black Swan is the overall quality of the film in relation to its actors. I am convinced there are character driven movies and then there are story driven movies. Character driven movies are those like King's Speech where the story revolves around the character and, hence, the actor/actress who plays that role is HIGHLY important to the success of the film. On the other hand, you have story driven movies like the Black Swan where the story is the most important driver and the character helps bring the story to life and the actor/actress is important, but you can fill in the role with almost any good actor/actress. Not to say scripting/casting/directing is any easier in either one, but from a movie-watching perspective, they're slightly different. I feel like Colin Firth was THE best actor to play the role for King's Speech and the movie evolved the way it did because of his acting and who he is. On the other hand, I feel like the Black Swan could have taken just about any well-versed actress and plopped her into the role and it would have done well also. There are always some politicking in who you cast (Natalie Portman is a good choice -- I must admit -- and her worth ethic is well-known, which the movie required), but I can't say that she was THE best pick for the role.
So...with all that said, I like the story better in the Black Swan because of the psycho-thing going on and the intrigue. You're glued to the screen watching to see what happens and trying to discern what is true and what is fake. There's just something interesting and powerful (in a way) about movies that are like that. It's also exciting in the thriller way that keeps you also continually interested. King's Speech is more your classic drama that is character driven and you watch for the acting more than you do the story. Because...let's face it...story-wise, Black Swan is simply much more interesting than a story about a King with a stutter (in basic story plot). King's Speech is so phenomenal BECAUSE of Firth and it could have flopped if they picked a lesser actor. I don't think Black Swan could have flopped if they picked a different actress (say if Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman's roles were reversed). The supporting cast is also important for Best Picture and King's Speech supporting cast was a much higher quality than Black Swan's. And...that is the important difference on why I think King's Speech won Best Picture and Black Swan didn't -- character driven vs story driven. I also think it's the same with Best Director -- directing a character to be the story (I would think) is harder than directing a character to help the story along.
In other musings...I was thinking about all the Best Supporting Actress noms having seen The Fighter (Melissa Leo, the winner, and Amy Adams) and King's Speech (Helen Bonham Carter). I have to agree with the Academy on this too (having missed two of the other movies). Melissa Leo had the more dynamic role than than the other two. Amy Adams and Helen Bonham Carter -- in a lot of ways -- had similar roles as woman to support the main actor as their wife/girlfriend. Melissa Leo was a little more out there and had a much more interesting acting part, I think.
So...So far I think the Academy and I have been on the same page. Well...Almost...I think I'd have picked How to Train Your Dragon as Best Animation (Toy Story 3 pulls the heart strings, but...gosh darn it! I've rewatched Dragon many more times than Toy Story 3) and I'm still amazed at the Social Network's Best Original Score (need to check out the score), but...Oh well. I haven't seen all the films either. :P
Next week (maybe, might be the following week) is Green Hornet and No Strings Attached! Rumor has it that Thor is coming out strong (Portman's in it too) so I'm looking forward to seeing it now.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Country Strong
Since I had a short class week (I almost have a 6-day weekend since my Wed class got moved to Tues and it ended at 10am LoL) I have literally been nose pressed to this book a friend sent me the PDFs to (between the iPhone and iPad, I have been reading at almost every available minute) and watching movies. Amazed my brain hasn't rotted yet... :P I guess I'll spend this evening and weekend doing homework to make up for it, but I have managed to get ahead in my schoolwork so it's not bad.
Next week starts my fisheries economics intensive course (April 25-29 and May 2-3, 2 hours a day). We have a final paper and presentation in the class. I've picked my topic, but have yet to start the paper or any reading. I want to get a jump on that. I also need to continue my search for my poll summary results for my policy topic. It's due in 2.5 weeks, but I've already started researching polls for it and my legislature profile is due next Wed and it's already written (just needs editing and a good fact to pull out to tell the class). So...in all, can't really say I was wasting the week since I'm in a good position. :P I also sent out queries about job help last Sunday so...Yup.
Country Strong (Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester) - Another somberish film. One of the main title songs (either Country Strong or Coming Home -- can't remember) was nominated for best song at the Oscars. It was a good film. I liked it, but -- as Chris said -- it was hard to tell who the "villain" in the film was. Not to say that you have to have one, but everyone made decisions that were not helpful so it was sometimes hard to feel a connection to anyone because you just thought they were all being semi-stupid and self-serving. By the end, though, it got to a point where you were able to connect to Hedlund's character (who is the main character of the movie, but it's hard to tell for a while) and the movie came to a point at the end. It is somewhat sad, but doesn't leave you down there at the end of the film. However, you do have to get to the end of the film. Paltrow's character is a troubled, famous country singer who is getting out of rehab and her husband and manager, McGraw, is struggling. to manager her career and trying to get her back on track (not to mention their marriage). I read the story is losely based off of a country singer (Mindy...something), but Paltrow's character is based more off of Britney Spears. At any rate, I liked it. I thought the acting was good. It's not a musical, it's more around the lines of Walk the Line for where the music is placed. Might be even less than Walk the Line, but I haven't seen Walk the Line in a while so I can't really say. I'd recommend it if you want to watch a drama (especially if you liked Walk the Line, but, in the end, this is sadder than Walk the Line). I wouldn't say it's as somber as Rabbit Hole since the subject isn't as heavy, but I don't think it's quite as good as Rabbit Hole because Rabbit Hole has a quality to it that Country Strong lacks. Grade: A- (like a 90%)
In other movie ponderings, I forgot to mention something I was thinking the other day about Tron. We had rented it to rewatch it and the movie holds up well on a second watch. I enjoy the film, but you do seem some of the corniness in the second rewatch more than the first time. It's still good, though, and I'll probably buy it eventually (action films are always rewatchable -- especially the grid motor-battle-thing). Anyway, I came to the conclusion that, in basic story, Batman Begins and Tron: Legacy, are somewhat similar (Chris takes offense because Batman is, well, Batman and Christian Bale is, well, far superior to Sam Flynn).
Both...
1) Lost their parents at a young age
2) Were fairly close to said parent(s)
3) Were sole heirs to a big corporation
4) More-or-less went out to "find himself" and left the corporation stuff alone
5) Came back to the corporation to find someone saying they should take the corporation back
6) Found a loyal employee from parents time that helped him (in some capacity - Sam's to go to the arcade, Bruce's to help him create Batman)
7) Went on journey, returned, and took back company
8) Installed loyal employee as the Chair of the Board of Directors
Classic basic stories. :)
Next week starts my fisheries economics intensive course (April 25-29 and May 2-3, 2 hours a day). We have a final paper and presentation in the class. I've picked my topic, but have yet to start the paper or any reading. I want to get a jump on that. I also need to continue my search for my poll summary results for my policy topic. It's due in 2.5 weeks, but I've already started researching polls for it and my legislature profile is due next Wed and it's already written (just needs editing and a good fact to pull out to tell the class). So...in all, can't really say I was wasting the week since I'm in a good position. :P I also sent out queries about job help last Sunday so...Yup.
Country Strong (Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester) - Another somberish film. One of the main title songs (either Country Strong or Coming Home -- can't remember) was nominated for best song at the Oscars. It was a good film. I liked it, but -- as Chris said -- it was hard to tell who the "villain" in the film was. Not to say that you have to have one, but everyone made decisions that were not helpful so it was sometimes hard to feel a connection to anyone because you just thought they were all being semi-stupid and self-serving. By the end, though, it got to a point where you were able to connect to Hedlund's character (who is the main character of the movie, but it's hard to tell for a while) and the movie came to a point at the end. It is somewhat sad, but doesn't leave you down there at the end of the film. However, you do have to get to the end of the film. Paltrow's character is a troubled, famous country singer who is getting out of rehab and her husband and manager, McGraw, is struggling. to manager her career and trying to get her back on track (not to mention their marriage). I read the story is losely based off of a country singer (Mindy...something), but Paltrow's character is based more off of Britney Spears. At any rate, I liked it. I thought the acting was good. It's not a musical, it's more around the lines of Walk the Line for where the music is placed. Might be even less than Walk the Line, but I haven't seen Walk the Line in a while so I can't really say. I'd recommend it if you want to watch a drama (especially if you liked Walk the Line, but, in the end, this is sadder than Walk the Line). I wouldn't say it's as somber as Rabbit Hole since the subject isn't as heavy, but I don't think it's quite as good as Rabbit Hole because Rabbit Hole has a quality to it that Country Strong lacks. Grade: A- (like a 90%)
In other movie ponderings, I forgot to mention something I was thinking the other day about Tron. We had rented it to rewatch it and the movie holds up well on a second watch. I enjoy the film, but you do seem some of the corniness in the second rewatch more than the first time. It's still good, though, and I'll probably buy it eventually (action films are always rewatchable -- especially the grid motor-battle-thing). Anyway, I came to the conclusion that, in basic story, Batman Begins and Tron: Legacy, are somewhat similar (Chris takes offense because Batman is, well, Batman and Christian Bale is, well, far superior to Sam Flynn).
Both...
1) Lost their parents at a young age
2) Were fairly close to said parent(s)
3) Were sole heirs to a big corporation
4) More-or-less went out to "find himself" and left the corporation stuff alone
5) Came back to the corporation to find someone saying they should take the corporation back
6) Found a loyal employee from parents time that helped him (in some capacity - Sam's to go to the arcade, Bruce's to help him create Batman)
7) Went on journey, returned, and took back company
8) Installed loyal employee as the Chair of the Board of Directors
Classic basic stories. :)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
King's Speech and Rabbit Hole
Academy Award Nominees/Winners are now coming out on DVD...So...here we go! (I still refuse to watch 127 Hours, though. I'm scarred from selling the book, the Oprah publicity, etc. I will take everyone's word that it was a good film and well acted. Black Swan I'm probably going to watch once it hits Red Box).
King's Speech (Colin Firth, Helen Bonham Carter) - I enjoyed the film just as much as I thought I would. All the anticipation and desire to watch it before it came out in the U.S. has definitely not left me with a sour taste in my mouth after finally watching it (as sometimes happens). Colin Firth was amazing, as true to his Academy Award Best Actor Award, and the rest of the cast was just as good and was understood why Bonham Carter and Rush both received nominations for Best Supporting Actress/Actor. It's a good film that people interested in movies like that will enjoy. In comparison to Christian Bale's Best Supporting Actor win to Geoffrey Rush's same nomination, I agree with the Academy on the award (for these two at least). Rush was a stable entity for the film and really was important as a supporting role, but Bale's character had the more complex role between the two. It makes sense in a way. Firth you can consider the complex character, while Rush was the stable factor to help the character along. The Fighter, in ways, Bale's character was the more complex one with Wahlberg's main character being the stable one (to a point, but he was pretty submissive throughout the film). So, in complexities, Bale's character definitely beats out Rush's; however, they both did great jobs and it's no wonder Rush was nominated. He was fantastic. I did have troubles getting past all the Harry Potter characters, though. Having 3 in one film and then a pirate messes with your movie enjoyment when you go, "It's Dumbledore!" or "It's Pettigrew!" or "It's Narcissa!" Or "He's a pirate!" Chris kept saying every time he'd watch, "You can't trust him. He's a pirate!" when Rush was on screen. *rolls eyes* Anyway, excellent film and lived up to my expectations beautifully. It's almost a movie buyer, but I don't particularly enjoy rewatching dramas. Grade: A
Rabbit Hole (Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart) - Nicole Kidman was nominated for a Best Actress award for the film and it's superb acting through a somewhat sad story that somehow is still uplifting by the end. There is a very powerful argument scene between Kidman and Eckhart that simply tugs at your heart strings as they both try and cope with the unfortunate death of their son 8 months prior. It's also interesting to see how they are both trying to cope with the grieving. Kidman's character is definitely the more prominent one of the two and the one who has the most emotional struggle between the two, but that doesn't mean Eckhart is cold. He simply grieves in a different manner. I enjoyed the film and the end had a promising ending (not necessarily happy, but you could see they were finally working their way through their grief and wanted to work it out together). There are some chuckle worthy moments in the awkwardness of the film, but it works. The whole film has a believability to it that is nice to see in a film. I don't think this film would be for everyone, but if you like either actor a lot, I'd rent it for the acting (as I did). And, at least, the film doesn't leave you feeling completely down and sad about the situation or the couple. It leaves you with the feeling of hope that life can still go on. Grade: A-
Tomorrow might be Country Strong.
I have also figured out why I don't like Smallville. Chris doesn't like their stupidity and stupid repetitive stories, but I don't like the lack of character complexity. So many of the characters are one-dimensional that it just gets boring after a while. I think it's also the way the stories go, but still! I do really like Lex Luthor (who ends up being enemies with Superman) and it's been paining me knowing he'll eventually not be friends with Clark. I think I like him so much because he's got the sympathy vote going for him (father doesn't really love him, he's got a hard outer shell, tries to do good but has a slightly skewed view of what is "good"), but it's also because he's practically the most complex character on the series! I don't really care about the others and that's just not a good way to draw people in...
King's Speech (Colin Firth, Helen Bonham Carter) - I enjoyed the film just as much as I thought I would. All the anticipation and desire to watch it before it came out in the U.S. has definitely not left me with a sour taste in my mouth after finally watching it (as sometimes happens). Colin Firth was amazing, as true to his Academy Award Best Actor Award, and the rest of the cast was just as good and was understood why Bonham Carter and Rush both received nominations for Best Supporting Actress/Actor. It's a good film that people interested in movies like that will enjoy. In comparison to Christian Bale's Best Supporting Actor win to Geoffrey Rush's same nomination, I agree with the Academy on the award (for these two at least). Rush was a stable entity for the film and really was important as a supporting role, but Bale's character had the more complex role between the two. It makes sense in a way. Firth you can consider the complex character, while Rush was the stable factor to help the character along. The Fighter, in ways, Bale's character was the more complex one with Wahlberg's main character being the stable one (to a point, but he was pretty submissive throughout the film). So, in complexities, Bale's character definitely beats out Rush's; however, they both did great jobs and it's no wonder Rush was nominated. He was fantastic. I did have troubles getting past all the Harry Potter characters, though. Having 3 in one film and then a pirate messes with your movie enjoyment when you go, "It's Dumbledore!" or "It's Pettigrew!" or "It's Narcissa!" Or "He's a pirate!" Chris kept saying every time he'd watch, "You can't trust him. He's a pirate!" when Rush was on screen. *rolls eyes* Anyway, excellent film and lived up to my expectations beautifully. It's almost a movie buyer, but I don't particularly enjoy rewatching dramas. Grade: A
Rabbit Hole (Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart) - Nicole Kidman was nominated for a Best Actress award for the film and it's superb acting through a somewhat sad story that somehow is still uplifting by the end. There is a very powerful argument scene between Kidman and Eckhart that simply tugs at your heart strings as they both try and cope with the unfortunate death of their son 8 months prior. It's also interesting to see how they are both trying to cope with the grieving. Kidman's character is definitely the more prominent one of the two and the one who has the most emotional struggle between the two, but that doesn't mean Eckhart is cold. He simply grieves in a different manner. I enjoyed the film and the end had a promising ending (not necessarily happy, but you could see they were finally working their way through their grief and wanted to work it out together). There are some chuckle worthy moments in the awkwardness of the film, but it works. The whole film has a believability to it that is nice to see in a film. I don't think this film would be for everyone, but if you like either actor a lot, I'd rent it for the acting (as I did). And, at least, the film doesn't leave you feeling completely down and sad about the situation or the couple. It leaves you with the feeling of hope that life can still go on. Grade: A-
Tomorrow might be Country Strong.
I have also figured out why I don't like Smallville. Chris doesn't like their stupidity and stupid repetitive stories, but I don't like the lack of character complexity. So many of the characters are one-dimensional that it just gets boring after a while. I think it's also the way the stories go, but still! I do really like Lex Luthor (who ends up being enemies with Superman) and it's been paining me knowing he'll eventually not be friends with Clark. I think I like him so much because he's got the sympathy vote going for him (father doesn't really love him, he's got a hard outer shell, tries to do good but has a slightly skewed view of what is "good"), but it's also because he's practically the most complex character on the series! I don't really care about the others and that's just not a good way to draw people in...
Monday, April 18, 2011
GP public presentation - Check!
The GP Public Presentation went very well! It was a super long day, though. I had to leave at 9:15am, hung around till around 11:30 (put our poster up, had our class photo, went to mic checks), went home to eat, fell asleep so I missed the first two sessions, got back to campus 3 hours later (2:15pm to be there early to set the computer up at 2:45pm), had our presentation and Q&A, took some group shots (client contact and advisor with us), went to the last two sessions, had the poster session, left at almost 7pm, went to the Elephant Bar for our dinner with our client, got home from the Elephant Bar at 10:30pm. Phew. Long day. The thing I did? Brought my Skechers nice looking shoes so I wasn't in my heels the whole day. Oh my gosh my feet were killing me at times! Bren also saved me. If there is one thing Bren does well, it's receptions and snacks. They know to feed you and feed you often. LoL They had snacks and beverages available throughout the sessions. So I had some snack mix stuff at the last session and a Dr. Pepper till the reception. At the reception they had alcohol for free, water, meat platter, two types of hummus, some type of rice dish (really good!), breads, big flat crackers, cold veggies plate, and maybe something else. At any rate, that helped to tied me over till dinner.
The presentation itself went very well. Our room was only about half full, but it's what we expected since we were competing with the Aquapods group and knew everyone was going there (half of us even wanted to go!). We all answered a question at the Q&A. I got a dreaded policy question, which EVERYONE in the group immediately honed in on me as our mediator was asking the question (I didn't even bother looking at them because I knew it was for me). We are all super glad it's finished!
We will be presenting twice more and I feel like those are more intimidating since we'll be presenting at the BLM Sacramento Office and the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council Meeting. It's like presenting to our peers...We'll be presenting both on the same day too, so it'll be another long day. Sacramento in the morning, Davis in the afternoon, dinner with some people in the evening. Phew. BLM is going to try and find money to fund our trip (2-nights too!). That will be May 16-17 and we'll come back the 18th. I will probably miss all my classes that week. :P If there's one thing Bren is tolerant about, it's students attending conferences and doing things for GP. It's one thing I like about Bren.
Here are some random GP photos for the day: GP Photos
In other news...Watched Hereafter (Matt Damon). It's an odd little film that is semi-depressing. It has a semi-happy ending, but it's so low key that it kind of levels the movie to a somber ending rather than a true happy ending. Basically chronicles three different people and their issues with death. Damon's character is a "psychic," but he truly can communicate with the dead. Unfortunately, he can't touch someone's bare hand with his bare hand without flashing to someone in their life so he can't have any real meaningful relationship because of it and also his dates tend to be freaked out over his ability. This French lady has a near death experience (dies, sees shadows of people, etc, and comes back to life) and it ends up messing with her relationship and her career (until she gets published). A child loses his twin brother to an accident and tries to find a way to communicate with him (he was very dependent upon his older brother and his mother ends up going into rehab after his death). They end up all, in the end, meeting each other in London and helping each other in various ways. So...it's interesting. I don't know if I'd readily recommend it to most people unless you like the more somber type movie, but it was interesting and Clint Eastwood directed it and it's (I think) based off of a novella. Grade: B
The presentation itself went very well. Our room was only about half full, but it's what we expected since we were competing with the Aquapods group and knew everyone was going there (half of us even wanted to go!). We all answered a question at the Q&A. I got a dreaded policy question, which EVERYONE in the group immediately honed in on me as our mediator was asking the question (I didn't even bother looking at them because I knew it was for me). We are all super glad it's finished!
We will be presenting twice more and I feel like those are more intimidating since we'll be presenting at the BLM Sacramento Office and the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council Meeting. It's like presenting to our peers...We'll be presenting both on the same day too, so it'll be another long day. Sacramento in the morning, Davis in the afternoon, dinner with some people in the evening. Phew. BLM is going to try and find money to fund our trip (2-nights too!). That will be May 16-17 and we'll come back the 18th. I will probably miss all my classes that week. :P If there's one thing Bren is tolerant about, it's students attending conferences and doing things for GP. It's one thing I like about Bren.
Here are some random GP photos for the day: GP Photos
In other news...Watched Hereafter (Matt Damon). It's an odd little film that is semi-depressing. It has a semi-happy ending, but it's so low key that it kind of levels the movie to a somber ending rather than a true happy ending. Basically chronicles three different people and their issues with death. Damon's character is a "psychic," but he truly can communicate with the dead. Unfortunately, he can't touch someone's bare hand with his bare hand without flashing to someone in their life so he can't have any real meaningful relationship because of it and also his dates tend to be freaked out over his ability. This French lady has a near death experience (dies, sees shadows of people, etc, and comes back to life) and it ends up messing with her relationship and her career (until she gets published). A child loses his twin brother to an accident and tries to find a way to communicate with him (he was very dependent upon his older brother and his mother ends up going into rehab after his death). They end up all, in the end, meeting each other in London and helping each other in various ways. So...it's interesting. I don't know if I'd readily recommend it to most people unless you like the more somber type movie, but it was interesting and Clint Eastwood directed it and it's (I think) based off of a novella. Grade: B
Friday, April 8, 2011
GP public presentation and other stuff
Our GP Public Presentation is next Friday the 15th! You can find the schedule at this link. We are from 3:00-3:40. 3:00-3:25 for the presentation and 3:25-3:40 for Q&A. The entire event starts at 1pm and the final presentation ends at 5:30pm with a reception following. It's a pretty big day. Each group will have its own table/display for their brief and poster. We will have an extra copy of our report there for people to flip through if they choose. I won't be presenting this time, but I'll be there the entire presentation and, of course, afterwards. Bren sends out an invitation to just about everyone affiliated with the program and beyond to the day since it essentially highlights what Bren is/does. It's like capstone festival day for CSUMB, but I feel this is even bigger since Bren tends to go all out.
I turned our poster, brief, and report in today to get printed. I'm glad I asked for a test copy for the report because the report had some page numbering issues. The brief looked fine. So we need to fix the page numbering issue and then I can return it to get it printed! The messed up one we got bound (we paid for the test print since it's 202 pages) so we'll use it as our "public sample". If it walks off, gets food on it, smudged, etc none of us will cry. :P Last year, a group's report walked off and it was the one for the client -- oops. To say the least, I don't want that happening to us!
We also might be going to the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council meeting in May to present our paper. We still have to pat down the details, but it looks like it's happening. We might have to pay out of our pockets to go, though. Our extra funding from BLM got lost somewhere and we used almost all our money up for the printing. It shouldn't be that bad considering there are 6 of us and it's only one night. We'd go up Monday afternoon and come back Tuesday night. The sad thing? UCSB Arts and Lectures recently added David McCullough to their series and he'll be speaking on May 16th! The meeting is the 17th so we'll be on our way north. :( He'll be signing books and he's got a new one coming out about Americans in Paris at the end of May (I think). A popular historian coming to Santa Barbara, that would be interesting to hear. He's speaking about something to do with the importance of history. Oh well.
I also picked my policy topic for my policy class! I'm going to write on the shark fin ban in California (AB 376). It has an interesting culture vs environment thing going on. Shark fin soup is considered a status food in the Asian culture (specifically, I think the Chinese culture) and some people are seeing the ban as an attack on their culture. At least one cosponsor (haven't read about the other one) was raised as a traditional Chinese so it's interesting he proposed it (recently passed the committee with a unanimous vote). The Asian community is not strictly against the ban either. It seems rather split. Some Asian orgs are for the ban. So, to say the least, it'll be an interesting thing to research and I'm excited to research it. It's always good to be interested in your topic and for the first time in a quarter, I am excited to write a school paper. Last quarter was just not fun with the forced assignments I had no clue what to write on...So, it's a breath of fresh air this quarter.
I will say, I am for the ban. I think shark fining is a horrible and cruel practice; our shark populations are decimated; and shark fin soup has no nutritional or taste value. Shark fin tastes like whatever broth it's cooked in and there's no nutritional value. It's a status food because it's so expensive (around $40 a bowl in some restaurants). However, because more Chinese are moving up to middle class, the demand for shark fin soup has increased. There's a point that banning shark fins in California won't do "any good" because shark fins will still be sold/bought outside of California, but it's a good step in the right direction. Hawaii recently (last year?) actually passed a shark fin ban and Oregon and Washington are both considering it too.
In other news, I strained my back last Sunday. It's been hurting all week and it was bad enough that I did an urgent care appointment. The physician's assistant checked me out and determined I just strained it (no muscle spasm or herniated disc). Told me to baby it, heat/ice it, and not to lift anything heavy. I'm a student...with a laptop...Is that possible?! To say the least, it hurts enough that I have decided I can't make the trip to Santa Anita tomorrow. :( I'm pretty bummed, but I can't imagine the 4-hour round trip and then all the standing/sitting on hard seats at Santa Anita all day tomorrow. I have troubles even lying down and sitting at my chair for my computer. Also, I've got a minor cold so I'm sneezing and coughing a lot and the pain from doing either tends to send me into the fetal position if I sneeze/cough too many times. In this case, health before pleasure. I really want my back to be a-okay so I can start exercising again and so I can go to school and not be in pain as I sit in class! Still bummed, but oh well. I've gone twice this year at least!
Movie update. UCSB was showing free-to-student Michelle Williams videos this past Wednesday. Went with Melissa to see Wendy & Lucy. They were also showing Blue Valentine (she was nominated for an Oscar this year for it), but it was later and neither of us quite felt like being out that late. Wendy & Lucy was a little bizarre. Not quite happy for sure, but the entire movie is basically about her, Wendy, looking for her dog, Lucy, in a small Oregon town. She's traveling from the midwest to Alaska to find work. She's living in her car and has her dog. Lucy is okay (I was worried the entire movie!) and everything, but Wendy ends up losing her car (it'll cost her $2k to fix the car with money she does not have) and decides to leave without Lucy (who's being fostered with this nice older man after she was turned into the pound). So Wendy ends up train hopping. Kind of slow, not horrible, but it was definitely a small independent type film. I don't really dislike it, but it's not one that really grabs you either. Grade: C/C+
Well, with that. Time to go attempt some school reading or watching more Top Gear. Netflix has all the Top Gear seasons on instant now, except season 1. There has been a LOT of Top Gear watching of late. :P We also started watching Smallville, but neither of us are completely enamored of it. Chris just sits there and says how stupid the town is. LoL And how someone always morphs into the bad guy from being exposed to kryptonite. He also complains about how the stories aren't following the comics. Yes, the stories aren't that original, but, it's okay. Going to finish season 1 and then might move on to Chuck or Northern Exposure. We'll see.
I turned our poster, brief, and report in today to get printed. I'm glad I asked for a test copy for the report because the report had some page numbering issues. The brief looked fine. So we need to fix the page numbering issue and then I can return it to get it printed! The messed up one we got bound (we paid for the test print since it's 202 pages) so we'll use it as our "public sample". If it walks off, gets food on it, smudged, etc none of us will cry. :P Last year, a group's report walked off and it was the one for the client -- oops. To say the least, I don't want that happening to us!
We also might be going to the Delta Tributaries Mercury Council meeting in May to present our paper. We still have to pat down the details, but it looks like it's happening. We might have to pay out of our pockets to go, though. Our extra funding from BLM got lost somewhere and we used almost all our money up for the printing. It shouldn't be that bad considering there are 6 of us and it's only one night. We'd go up Monday afternoon and come back Tuesday night. The sad thing? UCSB Arts and Lectures recently added David McCullough to their series and he'll be speaking on May 16th! The meeting is the 17th so we'll be on our way north. :( He'll be signing books and he's got a new one coming out about Americans in Paris at the end of May (I think). A popular historian coming to Santa Barbara, that would be interesting to hear. He's speaking about something to do with the importance of history. Oh well.
I also picked my policy topic for my policy class! I'm going to write on the shark fin ban in California (AB 376). It has an interesting culture vs environment thing going on. Shark fin soup is considered a status food in the Asian culture (specifically, I think the Chinese culture) and some people are seeing the ban as an attack on their culture. At least one cosponsor (haven't read about the other one) was raised as a traditional Chinese so it's interesting he proposed it (recently passed the committee with a unanimous vote). The Asian community is not strictly against the ban either. It seems rather split. Some Asian orgs are for the ban. So, to say the least, it'll be an interesting thing to research and I'm excited to research it. It's always good to be interested in your topic and for the first time in a quarter, I am excited to write a school paper. Last quarter was just not fun with the forced assignments I had no clue what to write on...So, it's a breath of fresh air this quarter.
I will say, I am for the ban. I think shark fining is a horrible and cruel practice; our shark populations are decimated; and shark fin soup has no nutritional or taste value. Shark fin tastes like whatever broth it's cooked in and there's no nutritional value. It's a status food because it's so expensive (around $40 a bowl in some restaurants). However, because more Chinese are moving up to middle class, the demand for shark fin soup has increased. There's a point that banning shark fins in California won't do "any good" because shark fins will still be sold/bought outside of California, but it's a good step in the right direction. Hawaii recently (last year?) actually passed a shark fin ban and Oregon and Washington are both considering it too.
In other news, I strained my back last Sunday. It's been hurting all week and it was bad enough that I did an urgent care appointment. The physician's assistant checked me out and determined I just strained it (no muscle spasm or herniated disc). Told me to baby it, heat/ice it, and not to lift anything heavy. I'm a student...with a laptop...Is that possible?! To say the least, it hurts enough that I have decided I can't make the trip to Santa Anita tomorrow. :( I'm pretty bummed, but I can't imagine the 4-hour round trip and then all the standing/sitting on hard seats at Santa Anita all day tomorrow. I have troubles even lying down and sitting at my chair for my computer. Also, I've got a minor cold so I'm sneezing and coughing a lot and the pain from doing either tends to send me into the fetal position if I sneeze/cough too many times. In this case, health before pleasure. I really want my back to be a-okay so I can start exercising again and so I can go to school and not be in pain as I sit in class! Still bummed, but oh well. I've gone twice this year at least!
Movie update. UCSB was showing free-to-student Michelle Williams videos this past Wednesday. Went with Melissa to see Wendy & Lucy. They were also showing Blue Valentine (she was nominated for an Oscar this year for it), but it was later and neither of us quite felt like being out that late. Wendy & Lucy was a little bizarre. Not quite happy for sure, but the entire movie is basically about her, Wendy, looking for her dog, Lucy, in a small Oregon town. She's traveling from the midwest to Alaska to find work. She's living in her car and has her dog. Lucy is okay (I was worried the entire movie!) and everything, but Wendy ends up losing her car (it'll cost her $2k to fix the car with money she does not have) and decides to leave without Lucy (who's being fostered with this nice older man after she was turned into the pound). So Wendy ends up train hopping. Kind of slow, not horrible, but it was definitely a small independent type film. I don't really dislike it, but it's not one that really grabs you either. Grade: C/C+
Well, with that. Time to go attempt some school reading or watching more Top Gear. Netflix has all the Top Gear seasons on instant now, except season 1. There has been a LOT of Top Gear watching of late. :P We also started watching Smallville, but neither of us are completely enamored of it. Chris just sits there and says how stupid the town is. LoL And how someone always morphs into the bad guy from being exposed to kryptonite. He also complains about how the stories aren't following the comics. Yes, the stories aren't that original, but, it's okay. Going to finish season 1 and then might move on to Chuck or Northern Exposure. We'll see.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
School and misc
I have decided (80% decided) to drop my climate change impacts class. It's not exactly what I thought it would be like. I like the lectures because it tells you things about climate change, how to observe data to determine if and when trends are occurring and stuff like that, but our assignments are about how to convince people climate change is occurring at certain ecological levels. These are not climate skeptics, but those who just have not been that involved with the news or science. I just find the assignments a little tedious when I already have my policy class that has similar assignments and a ton of reading for each class. I think it's a good class to have in the science field, I just don't think I really want to put the effort in this quarter for it. So I'm on the verge of dropping and just attending the lectures and not doing the assignments. We will also have to analyze data and show the climate change impacts. I don't know...I'm just not that jazzed about the class after I've sat in two lectures already. One part of me says, "This would be a good class to take so you can communicate climate science" and the other side of me goes, "I really don't need these tedious assignments to learn how to communicate climate science when this is not a communications class, but a climate change impacts class. So all I'm really saying is, "The snow will not last as long!" or something like that and that's just not as interesting." So...Yeah. I just may listen to the lectures to learn the impacts (my original reason I wanted to take the class) and skip the assignments.
In other news, I found out how to give Otis and Lotus their own FB link! You have to have a minimum of 25 people and their pages does! You can directly connect to their page without logging in at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Otis.Lotus. You have to be signed up with FB to be able to comment, but you can read everything and view everything. :) Of course, to see updates in your feed, you need to like them.
I also got my Oberon iPad cover today! It's amazing and so much fun to touch, smell, and look at. It definitely catches your eye when it's just sitting somewhere too. I should have told them no pockets, but it's okay. I know I won't use them because they're so small and they cover up the wool at the bottom, but it's okay having them too. Perhaps a business card will be placed into the pockets and they won't scratch the iPad either. Here are a few pictures: Creekbed Maple in fern - front; Creekbed Maple in fern - full. The cover is a "wrap around" cover so the front picture continues onto the back. When you look at it fully, it makes a full picture. They send you a little charm with your purchases, so I added it to the bungee closure of the cover. The charm is a maple leaf (think Canada's maple leaf on the flag). It looks better in person than it does in the photos too. The cover is a little stiff right now, but with use the leather will relax a little more (e.g., doesn't fold very well right now). I got my eye on a Moleskine in saddle now. :)
Anyway, with that, it's time to head out. I haven't done any policy reading and have decided to skip Monday's option for the written assignment (only have to do three and there are over 15 opportunities). I'm also thinking of maybe doing my paper on the bill going through the Senate (soon or now?) on harmful algal blooms OR something about shark fining. I'm still browsing websites. But...I will certainly enjoy my policy reading more with my new cover and having my iPad! (Thanks mom and dad!)
In other news, I found out how to give Otis and Lotus their own FB link! You have to have a minimum of 25 people and their pages does! You can directly connect to their page without logging in at this link: https://www.facebook.com/Otis.Lotus. You have to be signed up with FB to be able to comment, but you can read everything and view everything. :) Of course, to see updates in your feed, you need to like them.
I also got my Oberon iPad cover today! It's amazing and so much fun to touch, smell, and look at. It definitely catches your eye when it's just sitting somewhere too. I should have told them no pockets, but it's okay. I know I won't use them because they're so small and they cover up the wool at the bottom, but it's okay having them too. Perhaps a business card will be placed into the pockets and they won't scratch the iPad either. Here are a few pictures: Creekbed Maple in fern - front; Creekbed Maple in fern - full. The cover is a "wrap around" cover so the front picture continues onto the back. When you look at it fully, it makes a full picture. They send you a little charm with your purchases, so I added it to the bungee closure of the cover. The charm is a maple leaf (think Canada's maple leaf on the flag). It looks better in person than it does in the photos too. The cover is a little stiff right now, but with use the leather will relax a little more (e.g., doesn't fold very well right now). I got my eye on a Moleskine in saddle now. :)
Anyway, with that, it's time to head out. I haven't done any policy reading and have decided to skip Monday's option for the written assignment (only have to do three and there are over 15 opportunities). I'm also thinking of maybe doing my paper on the bill going through the Senate (soon or now?) on harmful algal blooms OR something about shark fining. I'm still browsing websites. But...I will certainly enjoy my policy reading more with my new cover and having my iPad! (Thanks mom and dad!)
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