5 surprising things about America

This year I went on a springtime trip to California; my first ever trip to the USA here are my top five surprising things.

(It is so bright here!)

1. No kettles, anywhere! 
I suppose given the events of 1773 it is not as much of a surprise but people don't own kettles, electric or hob based! If you want a cup of tea you've to risk an urn, or a pod-machine (!), or scalding yourself boiling water in a saucepan all in a bid for a cup of tea.

2. People still sign 'the check'
This blew my mind, people always say that America is the future but this felt like stepping in a time machine to the 90's! Chip and pin in the UK is frustrating (in comparison to contactless) but can you imagine signing every receipt? I can just about remember supermarket shopping with my Mum where she used to sign for our shopping but as an adult on my own account, nope. Also calculating tax, in the UK tax is almost always included in the price (unless you're buying wholesale or something). But trying to calculate what the final price would be for even small items was a real headache. A perk though is that sometimes people in the shops still expect to pack your shopping, another thing I can only just about remember from childhood.

(Shopping for spices and target preparing for St Patricks Day)

3. Bikes on the front of buses
I was quietly minding my own business (getting over the sweet/savoury thing, see below) in Berkeley when a Greyhound bus passed the window. Lo and behold! The bus had someone's bike on the front! Instead of trying to fit the push-bike in the hold or in the cabin space of the bus they just stick it on the front. This is actually quite an ingenious idea, but I'd never even thought of it before.

4. Icing sugar and bacon on the same plate; and no-one is bothered.
I knew before I went that there was a bit of a laissez-faire attitude towards sweet and savoury on a plate over the pond. Even a neanderthal like me has experienced pancakes with bacon and maple syrup and been won round to a little sweetness. I had, however, understimated the extent of the combination. One morning my friend had a fry up; to all intents and purposes it was a full English breakfast, except it came with toast coated in icing sugar - and no-one was suprised or bothered by that except me.

(Look at the icing sugar on that!)

5. Windscreen cleaners at petrol stations
I was reminded of this when Mayim Bialik did a video in May (3:53); in California. at least. one of the things people do in petrol stations is clean their windows using wiper blades which are offered free of charge. It just threw me a little.

There were of course many other things people had told me that I didn't think could be true - like even fruit and veg is giant sized there, and how no-one walks anywhere; and how in a shorter distance than London to Durham I could go from 25 degree heat to treading through snow overnight. These were just the 5 unexpected things.

the perks of being a wallflower

I wrote this post on my phone: 2 weeks ago. Then I went on holiday. More on that in subsequent posts.

Last night I did that weird thing I sometimes do, I went to the cinema on my own to see a feel-good coming of age film, 'the perks of being a wallflower'. I was in for a bit of a shock.

The film is about a boy, Charlie (Logan Lerman) going to middle school for the first time and coming of age. Charlie doesn't fit in right away, but he's the most gorgeous misfit I've ever seen (Lerman is 20; that's almost not pervy!). Over time Charlie meets all the common characters of the high school drama, the jock (who is secretly gay), the design tech class noone can take seriously, the kooky oddball friends who turn out to be cool, and the teacher who 'like made your life'. Charlie also does coming of age things - he goes to parties, accidentally takes drugs, kisses girls, kisses boys and obviously, performs in rocky horror (!). But this story has some cruel twists which begin about half way in when his flashbacks start coming thicker and faster; what is wrong with Charlie?

(you fancy a girl so you help her with her homework - very 10 things I hate about you!)

So in an attempt to not give too much of the plot away I have decided as ever to talk about form (this is inspired by my good friend Dan Curtis). TPOBAW has good form. Set in the early 90's the cinematography has that bold colour with hints of fuzz which I remember from shows like 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air'. There was lots of echoes of other American teen films in it; in fact the dialogue that ends with Sam, 'I love the smiths' seems almost verbatim from '500 days of summer'. What does a love for the Smiths, Simon & Garfunkel signify for American teenagers of the 90's? - they'd fit right in on a Shoreditch night out!

Charlie is supposed to be an avid reader and one of the books his teacher recommends is 'The Great Gatsby'. Nick Carroway in Gatsby is often accused of being a helpless wallflower, perhaps Charlie too is a naive child initiated into adulthood. The visual scenes of party going and drug abuse in the film were reminiscent of the chaotic excesses in Fitzgerald's 'Tender is the Night' ('perverted as a breakfast of oatmeal and hashish' always being a memorable line).

 (Mad nights out - can't find any photos without old Watson in!)

So what was good? I really enjoyed watching Charlie find his freedom and the way he overcame his past and I really invested in him as a character; when sad things happen to him I felt sad. You can tell a writer of actual books has also been involved in the screen writing as the lines are poetic in places.

What was naff? Watson tries to play an American; I failed to disassociate her with harry potter and her accent was fleeting at best. Also the thing I really can't believe is that its a 12a. This certification may be because the references to sexual abuse, drug abuse and nudity are at least veiled but I will admit the film left me panicky and wanting my mum! Perhaps I've just lived a sheltered life although there was a point where I hid behind my hoody so this never will be a complete review.

All in all faithful cinematography, slightly scary plotline, generally good acting, won't change the world but a good thinking, reminiscing kinda film. I will give it 3/5.