The Vow

Let me begin by saying that I am exhausted; I have been a little over-worked lately (and it's only going to get worse over the next month) and just been crazy busy, so if none of this makes any logical sense, I apologize in advance. That being said, for a little date night this weekend Dan and I went to see The Vow. It was soooo good! Honestly just my kind of movie, so cute, and such a perfect little break at this point in my crazy life. I thought it was so amazing, I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good chick flick. Only down side? I didn't exactly want to see Channing Tatum's bum, but I can live with that. *Sorry if I just ruined the movie, or tainted your vision of Mr. Tatum.* Anyway, I won't go into the details, but seriously - good movie. And here's my application to media's influence in our lives: I think movies like this definitely set girls up for disappointment in real life. They watch these and build up these expectations about guys, how they're supposed to be so sweet, and always know what to say, and never give up on the girl... basically be perfect. But we all know that can't happen in real life (I admit it - even my own husband isn't perfect!) Those guys have been scripted out, down to the last word and gesture, with planning and editing that you don't really get to do here. So be careful not to get your expectations too high! And for the guys - don't start to feel like a failure if you're not doing all these wonderful, amazing, perfect things for your woman (but you should still be your best!) :)

Pretty or Ugly?

My husband likes to check out the news headlines every night, and the other day he noticed something a little disturbing. It turns out little tweener girls have been posting videos to YouTube asking viewers to comment on whether they think they are pretty or not. Not gonna lie, I was more than a little disturbed by this; I was devastated actually. I cannot believe the impact media and modern society seems to be having on such young, impressionable girls! Everywhere they look, they see images of beautiful, skinny women, and are told that is not only the norm but what is necessary to be happy in life. They are so concerned about how they look they are turning to complete strangers on the internet to validate themselves! But the sad thing is, so many people on YouTube are unnecessarily harsh, crude, and just downright mean. So it seems to me like whoever puts up these videos comes to one of two conclusions: 1) they get some comments saying how gorgeous/sexy/beautiful they are, and get an overinflated sense of self-esteem based on characteristics that really do not matter and are not long-lasting; or 2) they get one really nasty comment from some jerk and that is all they can focus on, and it completely destroys them. Either way, it's a sad end to that story.

I was so upset to see how many girls are resorting to this sort of confidence boost, because they feel like whatever other talents or good qualities they have aren't good enough, or that they're not the important things to focus on. I checked out a few of the videos, and these are just such young girls that really shouldn't even be concerned about their looks like this - they should be out playing with their friends, and being involved in activities like soccer or art or piano! I hope one day every girl can see how beautiful she really is, no matter what her face or body looks like. That stuff DOES NOT matter in the end. I hope these girls can learn to love themselves for who they are, not their complexion or jean size.

Oscars: Big Deal or No Big Deal?

I have never understood all the hype about all these awards shows; my family never got together to sit down and watch, I never lost sleep over who was going to win, and I don't ogle over the gorgeous dresses (though I will admit there were some fabulous ones). All in all, I just don't get why some people get so excited about it and plan their whole schedules around watching the entire show. That being said, I went to a little Oscar "party" at a couple-friends house where we had snacks, played the bingo, and put in our votes for the winners. It was pretty fun, I will admit. I even won the prize of Martinelli's cider for guessing the most winners correctly! (And really, how can you not have fun when you win?!) I don't even know how I did it, because I didn't see or know about 90% of the films/actors there. I must be gaining powers from all the Psych I've watched. Anyway, even though we had fun, overall I think these shows are kinda slow. It's really interesting, and I like seeing who wins, but I think I'd like it a lot better if they made them a little more fast-paced. Shorten the intros, the speeches, the clips, you know. It just takes HOURS! And I dont have that kind of time or patience. So, there's my spiel. I'll get off my soapbox. What it all comes down to is.... (me thinking...) I guess they're really not that big of a deal for us small folk down here, so be careful not to let media run your life or determine your priorities!

P.S. I totally called it on The Artist winning Best Picture! :)

Seven Thirty

The media (TV shows, movies, random 1am texts..) always tell you it's cool to stay up late. After midnight is when things really start happening. Losers with no life go to bed early. And since I'm a night-owl, most of the time I agree. But here's the thing: once you get married, staying up late is waaaay less cool. (Even though the media never shows that... they lie.) For some reason we can't seem to stay up past 12. But hey, we're still cool. You don't have to listen to what those other people say. I mean get this: Last night I'm totally exhausted. I've been working my butt off all day all week (it never seems to get any smaller though...) and I just need a break! My husband has recently left for his city-league basketball game. I decide to keep working on my study guide, but a wall hits. At 7:30 I realize I am no longer functionable and text my husband - "Wake me up when you get home." Well a lot of good that did. Bless his heart, he tried - three times. Finally he made me take my contacts out and let me sleep the whole night! It was pretty awesome and you know what? I feel way cooler right now than if I stayed up till 3.

At a loss...

I'm not really sure what I should post about tonight... I've been really super busy and now it's Sunday night so I have to write something! But what? I just adjusted my glasses.... idea! (Inset small light bulb here). I've seen a TON of commercials for eyeglasses on TV lately and all the deals they've got going on. And they've made me really want to get new glasses. Because I've had the same ones since... sometime in high school. I think it might be time for a little update, plus they suck. I haven't had the prescription changed since I got them, but my eyes have definitely changed! As such, I can never actually see anything when I wear them, and it gives me a headache. Even though some random optometrist checked them last summer and said they were still good to drive with. I think he's crazy, cause I can't see nothin! Ah well, point is, all this advertising really made me want to seriously consider getting new glasses. And if I ever have time in the next 2 months... I just might do that.

Cooking Shows aren't Easy

So uhh, I'm doing a cooking class right now, and I just had to do a cooking demostration tonight, similar to what you would see on any TLC cooking show (think Rachel Ray)... Well I certainly learned one thing: and that is that it is not as easy as they all make it look! I stuttered over my words, I forgot the interesting tidbits I was gonna say, I didn't have all the ingredients set out! Heck, I even forgot one (very important) step and had to go back to it... possibly destroying the entire product. But no biggie, just laugh it off! In the end, it turned out not too bad and I'm sure I'll still pass the class!

Now I've seen my fair share of chefs on TV, and I'm pretty sure none of them need to look at their script, stumble over ingredients they forgot to place out, or even forget the steps in a simple biscuit recipe! But I bet they actually practice their demonstrations first.. and I guess they are professionals right? They actually know how to cook, unlike someone here. Sooo the moral of the story is, the media (specifically TV) can alter your perceptions. It makes hard things look easy, bad things look good, and dumb things look smart. So watch out! :) Be a smart consumer

Books make you Smart!!

I really believe that. If you're reading the right books, that is... nothing like Tweak or "Angus, Thongs & Full-Frontal Snogging" . . . I think I actually felt my brain become mush-ified reading that thing. But there are a ton of good books out there that can increase your awareness and even develop various skills.

I looooove books, they are so great. I just wish I had time to read them these days! It's so sad to me that they're becoming a bit of an ancient media, because there is just so much good to be had there! Intellectual development, stimulation of the imagination, and who knows what else?! Hopefully I can instill a love of books and reading in my children before these little things become obsolete. Class was fascinating for me today, and I never thought about it before but I think having some sort of rating or warning system would be so great for books! We use it for literally every other type of media, why not our reading material? It is so easy for anyone to go to the bookstore and just pick out any book - without knowledge about the content in it. I know having some sort of system would have saved me from experiencing from traumatizing material! Hopefully we can make the experience of reading even better for our own children!

As part of the week's assignment, I put down Harry Potter and The Hunger Games as my favorite books. I wonder if that says anything about my life or personality? But they are both great series, read them!

Who Says?

Selena Gomez may very well be one of my favorite persons ever. Celebrity persons that is. She was always very down to earth and relaxed, seemed very nice and fun. And I think she's gorgeous. Of course, she seems to be going the way of the "Disney stars" (i.e.:Lindsey Lohan, Miley Cyrus...) but I can't say I entirely blame her. But I still don't love that she is possibly turning a little bit into someone like them! I will still always love her.

After our music class, I finally remembered this song, which I became addicted to over the summer in preparation for my wedding. (I have no idea how that makes them related..) It's got a great upbeat feel, perfect for cruising or just walking along the street. Just a real feel-good song and I love it. And they lyrics are great too - all about how no one can tell you that you're not good enough, and whatever or whoever you are is just perfect! Absolutely love it, and it can always make me feel better. I love how music can do that - make you do a complete 180 and just change everything around. It's so nice to find good songs like this in today's music world.

Whether you like little singers like Selena Gomez or not, whether you're into country or techno, this is a great song. And to any of you reading this - you are beautiful and perfect. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Let the media work for you, let it make you feel great about yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzE1mX4Px0I&ob=av3e

The Saga Continues...

...and they got me hooked. Last night I went to see... *gasp* Twilight! Well, Breaking Dawn. Yeppers, me and my husband went to Twilight for date night. That's right ladies, my husband will do anything for me - even go to stupid chick flicks. And if any of you were there at the dollar theater last night - he was the one makin' cracks the whole time. I apologize.

Before you get all "Eww Twilight!" on me, give me a chance to explain!! The books started coming out what - 2005? So I'm just starting my sophmore year in high school? I'm a lovesick teenager! Plus they were just a nice, easy read you know, something to take my mind off things. Believe me, I was never a diehard "tweenie-bopper" who could rattle off every bit of trivia. But I did enjoy them, for all that's worth. Of course when the movies came out I had to watch, just to see what they did. And they were enjoyable.

Watching this last one, I realized just how cheesy a lot of the stuff is. Especially in this last installment! But it was still pretty good, we had some good laughs. When this stuff comes, you just gotta see it through to the end! I'm not really sure where I had intended to go with this now... media is a big part of our lives!