Weekend Update
I just finished The Virtu and I'm sad because it was so deliciously involving. More about that when I do my August book review, though. I am sad that I shall have to wait to read the next book in the series as it has just come out in hardback.
Yesterday I saw Zodiac, which was diverting but not particularly wonderful, as well as Becoming Jane. The latter was also good, and had good moments and bad, but didn't compare to Austen's works. I thought it was interesting that they included George (her mentally disabled brother who in reality did not live with the family, as per usual back then), and I was quite relieved to see that her sister Cassandra played a larger part in the movie than she seemed to from the previews. It would have been ridiculous to have her in any less than she already was (and she probably should have been in more). I was kind of lukewarm about the central love story, but I think it's because the movie itself was fun but not passionate or driven--it didn't make me really believe in them as a couple, and it didn't make me care for the characters as much as I cared for the actual Jane who never found love like her characters. Anyways, I enjoyed watching James McAvoy's* pretty blue eyes.
One of the things I'm kind of surprised about California about is the lack of recycling. Growing up in the midwest, California, Berkeley especially, seemed like a place where the environment is of utmost importance, so people eat organic foods, recycle a lot, and generally take more care about their surroundings than the rest of the country. Except . . . from the limited amount that I've seen, it's really not true. I haven't seen one public recycling bin since I've been here. In Toronto, however, they were all over the place, both on campus and around the city, and the city took tons of recycling of all types (including kitchen waste!) so your actual garbage output was way lower than in other places. Here, not even fast-food restaurants have recycle bins. I guess that shows the power of enduring stereotypes, or of American laziness : )
*According to internet gossip, meaning this could be completely untrue, he's been cast as Scotty for the next Star Trek film. I'm becoming more and more interested, as Zachary Quinto (Sylar) is definitely Spock . . .
Yesterday I saw Zodiac, which was diverting but not particularly wonderful, as well as Becoming Jane. The latter was also good, and had good moments and bad, but didn't compare to Austen's works. I thought it was interesting that they included George (her mentally disabled brother who in reality did not live with the family, as per usual back then), and I was quite relieved to see that her sister Cassandra played a larger part in the movie than she seemed to from the previews. It would have been ridiculous to have her in any less than she already was (and she probably should have been in more). I was kind of lukewarm about the central love story, but I think it's because the movie itself was fun but not passionate or driven--it didn't make me really believe in them as a couple, and it didn't make me care for the characters as much as I cared for the actual Jane who never found love like her characters. Anyways, I enjoyed watching James McAvoy's* pretty blue eyes.
One of the things I'm kind of surprised about California about is the lack of recycling. Growing up in the midwest, California, Berkeley especially, seemed like a place where the environment is of utmost importance, so people eat organic foods, recycle a lot, and generally take more care about their surroundings than the rest of the country. Except . . . from the limited amount that I've seen, it's really not true. I haven't seen one public recycling bin since I've been here. In Toronto, however, they were all over the place, both on campus and around the city, and the city took tons of recycling of all types (including kitchen waste!) so your actual garbage output was way lower than in other places. Here, not even fast-food restaurants have recycle bins. I guess that shows the power of enduring stereotypes, or of American laziness : )
*According to internet gossip, meaning this could be completely untrue, he's been cast as Scotty for the next Star Trek film. I'm becoming more and more interested, as Zachary Quinto (Sylar) is definitely Spock . . .