50/50 challenge the first month.

50/50 challenge

The 50/50 challenge is where you read 50 books and watch 50 movies within one year.  This is what I have done in 2012.

Movies

1.       Tron legacy

a.       Sam Flynn, the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn, looks into his father's disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 20 years. Along with Kevin's loyal confidant, father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous. Written by ZootCatchy 

b.      Good Quote: “I fight for the users.”

c.       Thoughts:  This movie was good but I thought the original was better.  I ended up falling asleep and missing the last 20 minutes.  I had to go back a watch the ending but it wasn’t surprising.  I wish Tron was used a little more and or made more of a redemption.

d.      Personal Rating: 6 out of 10.

2.       Astro Boy

a.       Storyline: Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him. Written by Anonymous  

b.      Good Quote: “I was made ready”

c.       Thoughts: I never read any of the Astro Boy comics and truthfully only watched this when I was taking care of a sick daughter.  It was a little sad but it seemed like it was a long TV show.  I found it on Netflix and truthfully it is a great Netflix type movie.  I wouldn’t pay to watch it unless I was a fan.

d.      Personal Rating : 4 out of 10

3.       Morning Glory

a.       Storyline: Becky (Rachel McAdams) is a hard-working morning TV show producer, or at least she was until she got fired. Desperate to get a job, she finally gets an interview with Jerry (Jeff Goldblum) - who is desperate to hire a producer for the struggling show "Daybreak". Becky accepts the job and it proves to be more difficult than even she might be able to handle. She has to fire the sexist co-host, then try to convince egotistical news reporter, Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), to take the job, and then try and get him to actually do the job, properly. And she has to do this while falling for handsome Adam (Patrick Wilson), and trying to save the show from plummeting ratings. Will Becky be able to hold on to her dream job and her sanity? Written by napierslogs  

b.      Good Quote: You know what I've noticed, people only say "lighten up" when they're gonna stick their fist up you’re a**.”

c.       Thoughts:  This movie pleasantly surprised me.  It was something my wife and I turned on when we found that we had a free night to relax after my daughter fell asleep.  It was cute and funny.  Harrison Ford was good at his part and Rachael McAdams was funny and, as usual, hot.

d.      Personal Rating: 7 out of 10

4.       Real Steel

a.       Storyline: A future-set story where robot boxing is a popular sport and centered on a struggling promoter (Jackman) who thinks he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he also discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father. Written by Anonymous  

b.      Good Quote: “Max Kenton: So what do we do? Charlie Kenton: We fight smart, be patient and pray. Seriously, pray!”

c.       Thoughts: I had wanted to watch this movie for sometime.  I remembered seeing the posters for it on one of our Disney Trips which lead me to believe that it was a Disney movie.  It isn’t.  It was produced by Dreamworks and distributed by Disney.  The movie was better than I expected and I’m glad I own it now.  (I somehow got the blu ray for $3.)  It will be something I rewatch in my free time.  I can also see why the movie was nominated for an Oscar.

d.      Personal Rating: 8 out of 10.

5.       Hangover 2

a.       Storyline: Stu is getting married. Along with Doug, Phil, and his soon-to-be brother-in-law Teddy, he regretfully invites Alan to Thailand for the wedding. After a quiet night on the beach with a beer and toasting marshmallows by the camp fire, Stu, Alan and Phil wake up in a seedy apartment in Bangkok. Doug is back at the resort, but Teddy is missing, there's a monkey with a severed finger, Alan's head is shaved, Stu has a tattoo on his face, and they can't remember any of it. The wolf-pack retrace their steps through strip clubs, tattoo parlors and cocaine-dealing monkeys on the streets of Bangkok as they try and find Teddy before the wedding. Written by napierslogs  

b.      Good Quote: “All I wanted was a bachelor brunch.”

c.       Thoughts: I didn’t expect much out of this movie and it wasn’t even close to as good as the first one.  It was good for a quick watch and there are a few funny quotes.  On a side note, I think they are making a third movie too.

d.      Personal Rating: 6 out of 10.

6.       Take me home tonight.

a.       Storyline: It's the late 1980s, when Wall Street is riding high, and it seems as if the entire country is cashing in on the bumper profits. Disgusted with the materialism that surrounds him, Matt Franklin, a brilliant young MIT graduate, has walked out on his well-paid position at a local lab and taken a low-level job as a video clerk, much to his father Bill's consternation. And the crises keep piling up in Matt's life. His best buddy Barry has just gotten fired from his job, his brainy sister Wendy is getting hitched to her vapid boyfriend Kyle, and the gorgeous Tori Frederking, long-time object of Matt's unattainable adoration, is suddenly back in the picture. Now, on one wild, woolly and irresponsible evening, everything is coming to a head, with explosive results. Written by Anonymous  

b.      Good Quote: “Shut the f*** up and drive. I'm Matt Franklin. I work at Suncoast video at the mall and I still live with my parents. I don't know what I'm doing up here. I'm scared. And you know what... I have been so afraid of my life, that I have missed my life. But I'm like all of you. We're all scared. We're all trying to be something that we’re not. But tonight all of that changes. Tonight, I'm not afraid. Tonight, I got one thing to say to all that bulls**t. F*** it.

c.       Thoughts:  It was fun to see all the 80s references but the movie started to fall short towards the end.  It was an OK movie with somewhat of a predictable ending.  However, to me, the main character never fully completes the cycle of realization that the movie is geared towards.

d.      Personal Rating: 5 out of 10

7.       The Little Mermaid

a.       Storyline: Loosely based upon the story by Hans Christian Andersen. Ariel, youngest daughter of King Triton, is dissatisfied with life in the sea. She longs to be with the humans above the surface, and is often caught in arguments with her father over those "barbaric fish-eaters". She goes to meet Ursula, the Sea Witch, to strike a deal, but Ursula has bigger plans for this mermaid and her father. Written by Tim Pickett

b.       Good Quote: “It's a dinglehopper. Humans use these little babies... to straighten their hair out. See? Just a little twirl here and a yank there and voila. You've got an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over.”

c.       Thoughts:  It’s a Disney classic. Nuff said.

d.      Personal Rating: 10 out of 10

8.       Prom 

a.       Storyline: Prom and high school graduation are approaching for a group of seniors, but when the prom decorations are destroyed in an act of school vandalism, the class president is left scrambling. With everybody else pre-occupied with finding dates and dresses, Nova is left to rely on the principal forcing the school rebel to help her out. But when he's there for her when she needs it, she starts looking at him in a different light. Written by napierslogs

b.      Favorite Quote: “The prom is like the Olympics of high school. You wait four years, three people have a good time and everybody else gets to live on with shattered dreams.”

c.       Thoughts: Found this on Netflix and since I’m trying to watch a Disney movie every weekend, I thought I’d give it a try.  It was very cliché and predictable.  It got boring at times.  I do believe two characters in the movie (Corey and Lucas) have their own show which they play the same characters that were in the movie (I like it stuff like that.)

d.      Personal Rating: 4 out of 10

Books

1.       Hunger Games

a.       Storyline: In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss' young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives. Written by Suzanne Collins  

b.      Favorite Quote: “I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them that they don't own me. If I'm gonna die, I wanna still be me.”

c.       Thoughts:  Great Book!  I’m looking forward to the movie.  There was action, a great story, and some very sad parts.

d.      Personal Rating: 10 out of 10

2.       Catching Fire

a.       Storyline: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark both survived the Hunger Games. Both returned home wanting and expecting a somewhat peaceful future. But the Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.  When rumors of a rebellion that she started reach Katniss's ears, everything changes. Now, as Peeta and Katniss are forced to visit the districts on the mandatory Victory Tour, everything can and might go wrong—if Katniss and Peeta cannot pull off their act as two madly-in-love teenagers. If they fail, everything they've worked for will be gone.

b.      Good Quote: “I just wanted to hold them accountable, if only for a moment. For killing that little girl.”

c.       Thoughts:  Although it was a good book, it wasn’t as good as the first.

d.      Personal Rating: 9 out of 10

3.       Mockingjay

a.       Storyline: "Katniss Everdeen, the 'girl on fire', has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss' family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are leaders. A revolution is unfolding. "It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans — except Katniss. "The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay — no matter what the personal cost."

b.      Good Quote: “It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart.”

c.       Thoughts:  It continued right after the second book and was just as good as the second book.  I did get a little tired of reading about a huge event and then going through the recovery section but what happened at the ending is what I wanted to happen.  I just wish someone else had died instead of the one who did at the end.

d.      Personal Rating: 9 out of 10

The day I got hate mail at work...

Today, like most days this month, I spent the morning going through applications.  However, something new happened that I've never experienced before....I got Hate Mail.

It wasn't directed at me but at my company for an open job position that was posted on craigslist.  The position is a dual position where the employee will be working two different classification depending on the need for the day.  The position is an entry level position and pays $8.25 an hour as one classification and $11.00 an hour as the other classification.

The person was mad at the low wages a classification one gets paid.

Here is a synopsis of what they said:

"At first I was interested, I find the activities of a 1st class company exciting and the your industry very rewarding....and then I saw the hourly pay rate; $8.25 is insulting and frankly a slave's wage.  You expect your employees to jump when customers say jump and bow when management sneezes and you offer $8.25/hr??? And how much is your product sold for? What is the average annual salary of someone in management or the average guest? Does your company want under-paid, money-hungry, lower-class citizens serving their patrons???
Do you realize how much rent is in California?
Do you expect teenagers still living with parents to take these positions?
Honestly, who do you expect to live with these wages?
-Totally unacceptable-"


I was shocked because this is a union position that gets medical benefits and a lot more benefits that have been negotiated through the union.  It is a tipped position where the employee can make a lot more than minimum wage.  It is also an entry level job that does not even require a high school education.

Entry level jobs are typically lower paid jobs and I would think that, since it does not even require a high school education, the pay would be minimum wage.  This position can also make $11.00 an hour if there is need for the second classification for the day.  We also received around 1100 applications around for 5 jobs that I posted.

In some ways I could see where this person is coming from but without the full story of the position and all the benefits known about the position, they shouldn't be quick to judge.

The day I sifted through a thousand resumes

Today, I brought my personal laptop to work which gave me the ability to go through applications from recent job postings from my work.  I was surprised to see that I had around a thousand applications (its a sad reflection of our economy).

Here is what I saw:

• The local professional sports mascot applied.  I thought it was funny.
• I'm not the grammar police but please proofread your work.
• I saw the statement "Served guests, poor drinks".  I'm sure they meant pour instead of poor.  It had me laughing all day.
• Don't include your picture especially if it is a sexy personal ad picture.  I don't need to see it and it easily gets you rejected.
• Please add a cover letter or something to your email instead of just a resume.  I'll admit I probably wont read it but it shows me you at least spent some time on the application email.
• A lot of jobs start to blend together when viewing tons of applications. Things that stood out to me were people who have worked in airlines, casinos, amusement parks, and jobs I've never heard of.  It made me do a double take on the applicants resume.
• There are a lot of state workers, construction workers, and mortgage workers applying for jobs.
• I probably will not call you unless you are called for an interview.
• Do not print out your resume, white out part of it, write something new in, scan it and email it as a submission.  It looks really really bad.

I've still got 250 applications to go through. I might add more later.