It seems like the Chinese New Year is much less of a big deal here in Toronto than it was in Vancouver. I didn’t even realize it was today, until 2 days ago. That could partly be due to my busy, busy life! But I did partake in some traditions, although I did not receive any red money envelopes this year…..

How about I catch you up on my FiftyFifty Challenge today and then some fun and pretty stuff later this week?

I’m pretty proud of myself. I’ve read 2 books this month. Well, read one, listened to the second one while cleaning and working. And the fact that I sit down to read the Weekend Globe every Sunday should count towards something… I mean I only know one other person who actually sits down to enjoy the newspaper (yes, it’s one of those nerdy traits we  have in common, we met while working at the same paper for goodness sake!)

I finally finished Christopher Moore’s A Dirty Job. Not as funny as Biff but definitely a good evening read! Oh yeah, and I already told you about that glow in the dark cover… AwEsOmeNeSs! I also took in Jim Collins’ Good to Great. Now if any of you are small business owners, or looking to start your own business I’d highly recommend it. Some of it can be dry, there are no witty tales, but it gives you something to think about when growing a business and not just how to be a successful business but how to be truly GREAT at what you are doing. I guess even if you aren’t running your own business, it’s motivation to just be great in your life. But thunderpeep will benefit from the read (or listen) most definitely!

Now… for the easy part. I’ve already watched 7 movies. Wait… 7.5 I fell asleep during the last one. I will watch that last bit most likely. It was Moneyball and late at night. I don’t see what all the hype is about. This guy did great things, but I can’t compare Brad Pitt to the real dude, he was just Brad Pitt in a movie. I didn’t even find Johah Hill that entertaining.

With the release of a new Underworld I decided to watch Evolution, as I think Kate Beckinsale is fantastic and really only saw the first movie. The sequel was equally good (shocking!) Plus I heard a story of a prank Miss Kate pulled on her mother… and well let’s just say it was so bad/funny that I have a new appreciation for this lady prankster!

Another movie I saw was North Country. Charlize Theron blew me away. The movie is based on actual events of the first women to work in the mines in the US and the first ever successful sexual harassment case in the US. As uncomfortable as the movie was to watch at times, I have nothing but respect for these women who wouldn’t be pushed around. I think Theron was nominated for this role. It breaks my heart that there are still parts of both Canada and US that buy into this mentality of women being second class citizens, but there’s definitely hope that one day there won’t EVER be a need for the courts to see any more sexual harassment cases. EVER. Oh yeah, and Frances McDormand is back with the Fargo accent

Back to the books… I spent a good 30 minutes in Book City yesterday awaiting my coffee date and picked up 2 books to work on next. A book on Lenin’s time in exile from mother Russia and a novel about baking cakes (mmm). The Lenin book reminded me that I should probably share some of my {written} journal notes from my trip to Finland. I actually got to visit the Lenin museum in Tampere while I was there. It was fascinating stuff. And I have yet to put that journal into the blogoverse so why not!