So, based off the title of this post, I would understand if you thought I had mis-typed the School of Family Life program at BYU, however, I actually wrote it as a reference to General Conference. I feel like 80% of the talks this weekend were about families, and I loved it!! Below are some of the my favorite things said this weekend:
"Seek to COMPLETE rather than COMPETE" --Sister Lind K. Burton
"Family is the center, it is the key to ETERNAL HAPPINESS." --Elder L. Tom Perry
"Love comes from you, but marriage from above, from God."--Elder D. Todd Christofferson
-a critical mass of families built on righteous marriages is vital for societies to survive and flourish, it has never been just about the love and happiness of adults --Elder D. Todd Christofferson
"Our claims for the roles of marriage and family rest not on the social sciences, but on the TRUTH that they are GOD'S CREATION"--Elder D. Todd Christofferson (I feel like this was an especially important reminder for me...)
"Dissonance in the HOME is like darkness in a room, it can only be displaced by LIGHT." --Elder Wilford W. Andersen
"The home is the basis for a righteous life." --Elder Russell M. Nelson
"No other work transcends that of righteous, intentional parenting." --Elder Russell M. Nelson
Maybe it was just me, but I expected a lot more talks about Christ, His Atonement, and His Resurrection. All the talk about families was peculiar (although wonderful!) to me considering that it was Easter weekend and I thought, "why wouldn't more general authorities discuss Christ?" Almost as soon as I asked myself this question, I remembered that the messages they shared ARE the messages that Christ and our Heavenly Father have inspired them to share. What they spoke about at conference are the things that we need to hear. I am grateful for inspired leaders who seek, listen to, and follow the counsel of God. I am also grateful that through Christ's Atonement families can be eternal, that because His love has no limits or bounds, ours doesn't have to either. And, I am grateful that at conference I can gain a little bit better of an understanding of what God wants me to know/learn. School for family life, yes please! #BecauseofHim
One of my favorite things of the weekend was to go online to social media and see that #LDSconf was trending. So cool!! I literally went through Facebook and liked anything that had to do with conference, got to bring it to the forefront, yeah know? My grandma commented on something I had posted that I think beautifully describes one of the reasons why conference is so influential:
"Isn't it wonderful that even though the miles separate us from those we love the words of our Prophets unite us."
I firmly believe that this life is about learning how to form and maintain loving relationships. Through the words of the prophets and apostles, we are instructed on how to better do that and why it is important. What my grandma said about the unifying power of the prophets' words is just one example. I am grateful for #LDSconf.
I love people. Being around friends is super invigorating for me and I feel rejuvenated after being with them. That said, I am not the most comfortable when I am with people I don't know well. Moving into new wards is therefore a bit difficult for me. Something unexpected that helped bond me with members of my ward were SNL skits. Watching and quoting these skits has provided ward inside jokes that are incorporated into everyday conversations, lesson plans, and even activities. Here is one of the more frequently quoted:
Isn't the bonding power of quotes in unexpected contexts interesting?!
You know how families have weird things that they do together? And by weird I mean things you would never do with anyone outside the context of your family relationship? Well, I love those things! I think they are bonding :) For example, in my family, we are all really good at speaking gibberish with one another. If you have having trouble thinking of what gibberish sounds like, think of Donny from the Wild Thornberrys and you'll about have it.
Yes, it is complete nonsense, and no the "words" we "speak" are not intelligible, but surprisingly enough, we do understand one another! Perhaps it is because we know one another so well, but we have a lot of hilarious conversations together. I always know I am good friends with someone when I am comfortable enough to speak gibberish around them. So, if you ever hear it, feel privileged :)
So in honor of the Academy Awards a few weeks back/just for fun, my ward is throwing together an Academy Awards night. Part of this event includes submissions by each FHE group of some video or another that the group created. The movies are due tomorrow night, so like any group of college students, my FHE group procrastinated filming until today.
I will be honest, our one-minute-and-seven-seconds "home-video" may or may not have a viable plot, theme, or purpose. It may or may not be entertaining to anyone outside of those of us who participated in making it. But, making that movie together was so much fun, however cheesy or senseless it may turn out to be.
The purpose of media is to convey some message or another from one source to another. In the case of this home-video we created, I think the message is most salient in it's creation. It's about the bonding and fun we all had, the memories we formed, and the endless laughter that kept us from filming half the time. Whether or not anyone gets anything out of this film, our group is closer for having had making it, which, in the end is the purpose of the ward activity.
With all the sunshine we have been enjoying lately, I have been doing a lot more outdoor work-outs, namely running. I don't like running alone, however, and will literally go door-to-door to see if anyone in my ward wants to go run with me. I don't care if my running partner is male, female, fast, slow, or even a "runner," I just want company. One of the girls I ran with last week played music from a speaker on her iPod as we ran.
I grew up running in high school on the track and cross country teams and always with teammates. We would chat as we run (unless our work-out was particularly strenuous), stretched, and generally worked-out and I love the camaraderie we developed. Because of this social aspect of running, listening to music has never been a thing for me as I work-out.
However, I have to say, that my friend playing background music on her iPod as we ran was a great way to set a pace for us. We still talked as we ran, so I didn't miss out on the social camaraderie that I so enjoy and the music was an enjoyable new element to my run.
Is there anyone else out there who has an opinion on the perks of working out with or without music?
I saw the new Cinderella film yesterday. I. LOVE. IT. It is so sweet and gives a beautiful message of kindness, love, and bravery that I find really uplifting. Because it is a Disney princess movie, lots of kids are going to see it and (hopefully) pick up on the messages this movie sends.
Cinderella's mom tells her to always "have courage and be kind." Throughout the movie I found it interesting and empowering to note how kindness and bravery seemed to be intertwined. In some circumstances, being kind is the brave thing.
This reminds me of a few verses in 1 John 4:
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us," (v. 17-19).
Evidence of perfect love is the fact that we are willing to express it. This can be scary and requires vulnerability, hence the necessity for boldness (or courage), especially in situations where we may struggle to love someone (Cinderella with her step-family). Also, in the day of judgment, how is the Savior going to treat those He mediates for (aka all of us)? With SO much love, which is why He sacrificed His life to become our Savior and Mediator to begin with. Our goal is to become like Him, so how better than to love with equal boldness?
Then there's that part about perfect love casting out all fear. Cinderella was confronted throughout the film with many cruel and disparaging remarks and treatments from her stepmother and stepsisters. She felt alone and beat-down, however, despite her treatment, she still put forth constant effort to love. Her kindness was unfailing and because of that her spirit was unfailing, they couldn't keep her down aka her spirit wasn't tormented and her fear dissipated. I feel the same is true for all of us, if we truly strive to love and be kind without discrimination or reservation, we will be unfailingly happy. It will become inherent to our very being.
Another thing I love about this film, is that just towards the end, before Cinderella tries on the glass slipper, she asks the Prince an important question. She asks if he will still love and accept her for who she is as an independent-thinking, country/servant-girl. The prince, of course, says yes and he and Cinderella end up together, just as we all knew all along.
I love that for Cinderella what was most important was that she was loved for all of her, and not just her pretty face. In fact, throughout the film, others comment on how she is has lovely physical characteristics, but never does it ever drive what Cinderella or the Prince do. Her stepmother and stepsisters, however, are portrayed as vain women who seek after nothing but beauty and wealth and there is a distinct message sent that those things are frivolous, ridiculous, and unrewarding.
Attached to the message of kindness and love is also that of forgiveness. Sometimes those who are unkind to us are also unkind to themselves. I think it is important to let them know that we don't hold it against them and hopefully that will lead to them not holding it against themselves either.
A few mini messages within Cinderella include:
1. With time pain eventually becomes a memory; grief and pain are a part of our lives but don't always have to be sad remembrances.
2. "Just because it's what's done, doesn't mean it should be done."
3. Sacrificing for others is an act of love
4. Cinderella is not a damsel in distress, she isn't a push-over, she (kindly) sticks up for herself
And lastly, that final bit of 1 John I quoted above, "we love him, because he first love us," is a principle embedded into the Cinderella story. She loves everyone, no matter who they are: haggard old ladies, mice, geese, cruel family members, royalty, servants, her parents, etc. And, generally, they all love her in return. However, even when those who should love her most are mean and cruel, because she continues to be kind nonetheless, she is rewarded with a love she never expected (the prince).
There are probably a ton of other wonderful messages I missed, but needless to say, I am a fan of this film. Beautiful message, script, and filming.
Life is hard, but why not alleviate some of that with goodness? Let's all be a bit more courageous in our commitment to kindness and thereby spread some cheer and love to those who cross our paths.
So about a week ago my brother and I got into a bit of a social media spat...I actually find this super immature of me and am embarrassed, especially considering that I am six years older than him....And I don't know that it can really qualify as a "spat" because, he is apparently the more mature one and DIDN'T respond to my posts....but to defend (?) myself, some back-story:
So my little brother is really sweet and great and has the best intentions of any eighteen year old man child I've ever met. However, he is always posting these ultra-opinionated, single-minded memes about religion and politics and they drive me crazy! Normally, I ignore them in the hopes that this is just a phase he is going through and he will find a different direction to apply his passion at some later time, but the other night I just couldn't let it go.
I had just returned home from taking my last mid-term in the testing center and felt like some form of zombie.
In this numbed state of mind I went on to Facebook and the first thing I saw was this meme my brother posted comparing Hillary Clinton to Adolf Hitler:
I was immediately infuriated.
Now, I am by no means a Hillary Clinton fan, but I am not a hater either. Honestly, I don't know enough about her political stance to have any sort of opinion about her. But, I also don't think she deserves to have her ideals compared to those of a man who committed heinous acts against humanity. It is also helpful to know that the midterm I had studied my brains out for was moral development, I had been sick most of the week, and I felt completely drained so my judgement was perhaps impaired? Here was my commentary:
This is an unfair comparison. According to Kohlberg's theory of moral development they are both operating at a Level 2, Stage 4 moral reasoning which is actually where most of the world operates. Including you. It is called "Conventional, Social System Morality." Very few people reason above this level and even less act higher. Facts of life. It's the application of reasoning that is different. Please don't compare someone who is trying to do what she honestly feels is best for her country (aka her society) to a man who acted out of hatred and pride. I am in a moral development class this semester and find finger pointing like this quite disparaging. Who are you to judge someone else's moral standing? At least she is trying to do something to change the world on a grand scale. That's more than most. Whether or not you agree with her political stance, it isn't fair to compare her character to that of Hitler's.
Now, I stand by the content of my post, I just think a better thing to do would have been to call my brother up and explained my feelings to him rather than making it a public thing. My brother never responded to my posts, however, my sweet mother did in an attempt to smooth my "attack" over:
Oh, politics! I made a Hitler comparison today to someone else. We are all imperfect in our views even when we are compassionate about our feelings and feel we have all the facts. I love that my kids are trying to educate themselves and form opinions. Luckily our views change and develop until the day we die. Then, we learn the real facts and know for sure how right and wrong we were in our judgements and views. Keep growing kids!
Isn't she great? :)
Has anyone else ever been in a similar situation where you used the ambiguity of a screen or website/a lapse in judgment as an excuse or justification to post something out of character on social media? Like I said above, I stand by what I posted, just not that I posted it over social media allowing a difference in familial opinion to become public...but then again, if he wasn't my little brother, I don't know that I would feel so bad about posting it. I am actually really glad if as a result of my post or my sweet mother's someone else's world view or perspective was slightly expanded.
This weekend I had stake conference and probably because I am in this media class this semester, but I was surprised by how much media was used! At the Saturday evening session they played a clip about how to work more efficiently as councils from the LDS church website. It was super effective because instead of listening to someone talk at us about the council system, we got to see it in action. In addition to this video clip, there were several musical numbers spread between the different sessions which I loved because, as one elder remarked on my mission,
"Music creates a Celestial atmosphere."
And, for those of us who had seats in the overflow/gym area, there were screens lowered with a projection of the stand playing so we could see what was going on in front. This would have been so helpful as a kid to stay engaged in stake conference, but what cool that it is used now! I love church media and how effectively it can be used in conferences.I am grateful for the progressive ways in which media is used to enhance church conferences, it is a reminder that all things can be used to direct us back to Christ.
Last weekend a friend introduced me to a YouTube channel that he follows called Miranda Sings. He played a few of her YouTube videos and I found her super annoying. However, this week I was watching a link to "Kids React to Scott Sterling" that a fellow media class blogger posted on her webpage and on the side bar was a link to "Kids React to Miranda Sings" which was followed by a link to "Miranda Reacts to Kids Reacting to Miranda Sings". This video was followed by links to more videos and as I clicked on one after another/before I realized what was happening, I was sucked in. Now, I don't like every video she posts and yes a lot of it is quite absurd, but I find her generally hilarious and I am all about laughing.
Side-note, watching some of her videos introduced me to a whole world/industry I have heard of but never really paid much attention to, the world/industry of YouTube stars. How bizarre is it that people will post vlogs (video blogs) about their life on the internet and others not only watch them, but follow them! And then, suddenly, posting vlogs about your life becomes your career! It's insane! But, hey, good for them I guess.
Have any of you heard of Miranda Sings? What do you think of her? Also, am I the only who finds herself easily sucked in my funny media...? Ellen does this to me too...
One of my friends has never seen the last Harry Potter film. She doesn't want a finale to what she considers her childhood. However, this last weekend she decided she needed closure; therefore, yesterday a group of us gathered together to watch "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." When it finished, we asked her how she felt. She was feeling good, it had been a positive experience.
What I find fascinating though is how influential the Harry Potter saga has been in the lives of many of my generation. Granted, we all have grown up with him, but still how is it that one story has been linked to an entire generation's childhood association? I think it's fantastic, but curious none the less.
I think this just speaks to the "magic" of words...forgive the pun. But really, words are powerful!! They have the capacity to uplift, tear down, create, etc. Just look what J.K. Rowling has done with words, she has created childhoods, new worlds, magic, love, the list goes on!
One of my favorite scriptures comes from Alma 31:5:
"And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just--yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them--therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God."
And there you have it, Alma verifying that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. Seriously though, words have a great potential and we can all become masters of them.
When I was young, my parents went through a Weird Al phase I suppose to have a few laughs over the parodies of popular songs they were familiar with. As I kid I thought it was so fun how Mom and Dad loved these silly songs; usually our silly kid music drove them crazy! I remember the exact moment I realized that Weird Al was a parodist. I was on a birthday date with my parents and we were in the car driving home. The song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" came on the radio and I flipped out:
They had a good laugh and kept talking to one another, not seeming to understand my distress.
"Mom! Dad! Don't you get it?! They stole his song, changed the words, and are now trying to get famous for his work?! It isn't right!!"
Apparently they didn't understand how serious I was until my second outburst. It was then that they told me that it was Weird Al, in fact, who "stole" other artists songs to make fun of them.
And just like that my world was turned upside down.
I have had a hard time trusting the media ever since.
Kidding, my mistrust of the media came later in life, however, this truly was a saddening/big moment in my life. Especially since one of my deepest rooted fears can be attributed to one of Weird Al Yankovic's songs, "Slime Creatures from Outer Space." You can laugh, but this song terrified me as a kid. That fear was compounded when I was fourteen and saw "Signs":
It took me a while to get over seeing that movie, and I really did think I was over it until last weekend when I saw "Interstellar." You can read more about my reaction to that here. Since reading "Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media" (Harrison, K., & Cantor, J. (1999). Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media. Media Psychology, 1(2), 97.) I feel like something inexplicable in my life has come full circle...
Anyways, does anyone else have a fear that is oddly connected to fond childhood memories like listening to Weird Al...? Understandable if you don't.
I mentioned in my post yesterday that I saw the film "Interstellar" this weekend with a group of friends. On the drive home after the film, I baffled/mused over the mind/genius of Christopher Nolan in thinking to create this thought provoking film and thought to myself, "I would never think of something like that." As I thought this, I felt slightly inadequate. Upon later reflection, however, I have come to realize that this isn't really fair of me to think about myself. I never really gave myself the opportunity to think in that way and now, I don't need to, Christopher Nolan already has and I can devote my thoughts, creativity, and innovation to other ideas.
Last night I had a conversation with one of my roommates about how we as human beings often measure ourselves against the accomplishments of others and according to parameters established by our society. Although these measures and parameters can be useful guidelines, they can also become deterrents to other methods/modes of thinking or accomplishment. And when we begin to measure our self-worth accordingly, well, nonsensical feelings of inadequacy are consequent and possibly expected. What?! We expect to feel inadequate? Is that true?
Perhaps it is because we can feel the divine nature and potential inherent within us that we decide the best way to measure ourselves is against others. Not because that actually is the best way, but because maybe it is the only measurement we understand or easily access. However, I think when we can attribute the feelings of greatness within us to the correct Source, it becomes easier to evade the worldly parameters we feel socialized to accept.
The trick is remembering to always attribute back to our Heavenly Father which is a tricky thing.
Thank goodness for the Sabbath and the opportunity we have each Sunday to partake of the sacrament and do just that; remember the Lord and attribute our existence to Him. The return promise we receive for doing this, to have the Spirit of the Lord with us, is cyclical; by having the Holy Spirit prominently present in our lives we are easily reminiscent of Heavenly Father and His Son and the potential and worth they see in us.
I am grateful for scriptural media that provides me with this perspective. Two particular sources I have found strengthening this week are the articles The sacrament--A renewal for the soul, Build on Strengthens to Overcome Weaknesses, and We are the Architects of Our Own Happiness. These articles are seriously great. I invite you to click on the links and read them :) And just to give you a taste of what they are about, here is a quote from Bishop Gerald Causse of the Presiding Bishopric (he is featured in two of the links):
“Each of you has been endowed with a remarkable set of gifts, talents, and abilities. As you build upon these strengths, humbly recognize your personal limitations, remain faithful to your covenants, and put your confidence in the Lord, you will see your weaknesses transformed into strengths through the power and grace of His Atonement. You will be able to meet the challenges you will face in your life.”
I love the dollar theater. It fits right into my budget. This afternoon a group of friends and I saw "Interstellar." I went in not knowing what it was about and felt a lot of confusion for a while because I didn't know what to expect. Mostly though, I felt a lot of anxiety because several things I don't like were key elements/themes of the film: outer space (it seriously scares me, just thinking/talking about it significantly freaks me out), being alone, never seeing my family again, and the "unknown" in general. Perhaps these fears are common to lots of people and Christopher Nolan's point in creating the film was to have his viewers experience anxiety, fear, and worry, I don't know. However, I do find it interesting that viewing something that is not real can have such an effect on my psyche. It's a good reminder that media does impact our lives, even in the most unanticipated ways. I have been on-edge all day since seeing this film and although a heightened sense of alert isn't always a bad thing, (it proved beneficial in a later game of lazer tag), I don't particularly enjoy feeling tense and nervous in my day-to-day doings...That said, I did enjoy the story-line and film in general, go figure.
Happy Valentines Day!! I love love. A lot. Consequently, Valentines Day is my favorite holiday. True story. And, it drives me crazy when people mope around about Valentines Day, host or attend "single awareness" parties, or complain about their lonely hearts. What a selfish perspective. Valentines Day isn't about receiving some sort of significant proclamation of love, it's about sharing love FOR those around you. No worries if you belong to the mopey group though, you still have a few hours! Or, take time Sunday or Monday to get over yourself and love someone else :) Too strong? Perhaps, but I really do feel strongly about this. Life is more worthwhile when we turn outward in love rather than focusing inward. I've had too many wonderful experiences with this to believe otherwise. The video below isn't "Valentines" oriented, but it is love oriented and kind of gets at what I am trying to say:
And so to wrap up some of my feelings, here are some lovely quotes to live by:
"Where there is no love there is no understanding." -- Oscar Wilde
"It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know. We all know people who are so much afraid of pain that hey shut themselves up like clams in a a shell and, giving out nothing, receive nothing and therefore shrink until life is a mere living death." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
"There is no remedy for love but to love more." -- Henry David Thoreau
"The ones that love us never really leave us." -- Sirius Black
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.He that loveth notknoweth not God; for God is love.In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that helovedus, andsenthis Sonto bethepropitiation for our sins.Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.Noman hathseenGod at any time. If we love one another,Goddwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.Hereby know we that wedwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.And we have seen and dotestifythat the Fathersentthe Sonto betheSaviourof the world.Whosoever shallconfess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he thatdwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is nofearinlove; but perfectlovecasteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.Welove him, because he first loved us.If a man say, I love God, andhatethhisbrother, he is aliar: for he that loveth not hisbrotherwhom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who lovethGod love his brother also." -- 1 John 4:7-21
I love the Netherlands and Belgium. They are such beautiful countries with beautiful people, cultures, languages, and scenery. I miss it. One of my favorite things about the Dutch and Flemish people is their openness, tolerance, and love for everyone. I was introduced to a wonderful video clip on YouTube today called "Jan Says Yes to Elder Argueta." It is from a Flemish show about a man who, for sixty days, says yes to every question...and who should he run into but the Mormon missionaries! :) They ask him if he would like to meet with them another time and he says "yes"! So, they meet up about a week later and Jan spends the day with the elders as an "elder in training." Jan is by no means converted by the end of his day, however, he has been admittedly blessed from his association with the missionaries. It is a truly sweet and uplifting filmpje (video clip) so I invite you to watch it! Just click on the link above, or click here. Enjoy!!
#sharegoodness #theLordworksinmysteriousways #toevalbestaatniet #nocoincidences
It has recently come to my attention (as of last night) that uploading videos to Facebook is often content stealing! I had no idea! If any of you are as confused as I was, watch this explanatory video:
It is called FACEBOOK FREEBOOTING and basically, often when someone uploads a video from YouTube or any other primary website to some other secondary website (like Facebook) and then that video is viewed a bunch through the secondary medium rather than the primary, the content owner loses money. Prior to watching a video created by YouTube for Facebook called "Facebook video is crushing YouTube" (look it up on Facebook!) I was completely unaware of this situation and honestly would never have even thought about it. I think that we often overlook ethics in the fast-paced technological world we live in because all we see/want is a product and we forget about it's creators. This disconnect blurs the lines so much that we often forget that there were ever any lines of ethics to begin with. This happens all the time with illegal streaming of videos, downloading of music, and apparently freebooting. And, although it may seem like no one has anything to lose and we only have something to gain from these various practices, in the end, industries, individuals, artists, etc. lose out on their source of income :( But, by spreading awareness of these issues, we can help those who suffer losses. For instance, if you see a video you like and want to share, make sure it is through a platform preapproved by the primary source. The YouTube video I shared above is an example of this; I was only able to upload it to this blog through a system arranged between Blogger and YouTube that ensures that anytime someone watches the video clip above through this blog, it's creator still benefits from the views. If you see a video someone else has uploaded through a secondary source, rather than watching it where they posted it, find it's original source, than watch it. Yeah, it might be a bit of an inconvenience, but most good things are. So, here's to maintaining ethical standards!
I don't know all the psychology of memories (or any of it for that matter), but I think it is fun/crazy how seeing or smelling or hearing one thing can set off a slew of past remembrances. Take the picture above for example. Over the summer I worked with a great group of people at EFY and by the end we had a lot of fun experiences and inside jokes. Fast-forward six months to the other day when one of those friends posted this picture on Facebook and tagged a group of us in it, flooding all of our minds with memories of this summer and one particular inside joke. It's so simple, yet so effective. Media is a useful and compelling middle point for memories to be shared.
*Sigh* I love the internet. It is such a wonderful tool that provides access to so many incredible things. For a lot of classes I am enrolled in/have been enrolled in I need to read a lot of research articles and I can't imagine what I would do if the internet didn't so easily and readily provide them! I am especially grateful for the BYUdatabases accessible on the library website. Research articles/journals are expensive and luckily as a student I can literally access thousands for free! It's incredible! ....In case it isn't obvious, I may or may not have spent several hours today perusing through various databases looking for supportive articles for a paper I have been working on...and I found what I needed! And, even though I can access the databases I need at my apartment from my laptop (modern miracles are my fav!), I chose to go to the library so I could better concentrate. While there I came across a beautiful painting that literally stole my breath while invigorating my soul at the same time. It was inspiring and beautiful and fueled my productivity. No joke. I tried finding a picture of it online, but nothing I found does it justice. The detail, texture, and color enrich the experience of viewing it, so with that said, I invite everyone to go check it out! It is called "Monolith to Ko'o Lua" by Fidalis Buehler, and it is on the 4th, possibly 5th, floor of the library between the stairs and the bathroom. It is seriously beautiful. To top off an afternoon/evening of library wonderful, I also found Harry Potter in Dutch. Best. Day. Ever.
I have an addiction...online recipe hunting. I spend exorbitant amounts of time searching for new recipes to satisfy some craving or another or to figure out some way to use the ingredients in my fridge or cupboard. In and of itself, this isn't a bad thing, however, sometimes I get so lost in the delicious world of possibilities that it's a few hours before I emerge no more physically satiated than when I began. Actually, it's usually quite the opposite and I am ravenous. But, since so much time is wasted online admiring and vicariously gormandizing, I end up reserving some new-found recipe for another day, reaching into my cupboard to grab some packet of pasta or Raman noodles, pitifully sitting down to the homework I could have and should have been doing instead of online binging, all while trying not to compare my meal to the delectable dishes mixing through my mind. Is this a familiar situation for anyone else? To be fair to myself, I generally do cook at least two nicer meals a week and try to make sure I try one new recipe a week, so my circumstances are perhaps not so dramatic as I make them seem...but they sure do feel that way in the moment! As a matter of fact, here is a really yummy recipe I made about a week ago from delish.com:
4 (with skin and bone, about 2 1⁄2 lb) chicken breasts
4 cup(s) (1 1⁄2- to 2-in. chunks) butternut squash
1 large red onion, cut into 12 wedges
1 large Gala apple, cored, cut into 8 wedges
4 teaspoon(s) olive oil
1 tablespoon(s) curry powder
1 teaspoon(s) each cinnamon and kosher salt
Garnish: snipped chives or chopped cilantro
1. Position oven racks to divide oven into thirds. Heat oven to 450ºF. Line two rimmed baking pans with foil.
2. Place half the chicken, vegetables and apple wedges on each pan. Drizzle 2 tsp oil over each; toss to coat.
3. In a small cup, mix curry powder, cinnamon and salt; sprinkle evenly over both pans. Toss to coat.
4. Roast 15 minutes; toss vegetables and apple and turn chicken. Roast 15 to 20 minutes more until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with chives or cilantro if desired.
This was soooooo good and really rather simple, I highly recommend it! The point of all this, however, is what an amazing and resourceful tool media can be. I would never have thought to make this or half the things I make if it wasn't for the easily accessible recipes I find online. So, although I wouldn't recommend online recipe hunting for hours on end, as a beneficiary of such recipe pursuits, I am an advocate for trying to create something new and delicious. Have fun, good luck, and don't get sucked in!
My sister has two kids, a two-year-old and a seven-month-old. Like many an infant, by nephew (the seven-month-old) is teething and therefore quite fussy. He is normally quite the content little guy, but turns out teething isn't his favorite. My sister is doing her best to relieve his pain, but sometimes he is quite vocal in his discomfort. *Enter busybody neighbor.* Kidding, that would have been preferred. Instead of coming over to see what was going on or make sure everything was ok, my sister's neighbor called the police to report abuse! Needless to say my sister was quite upset, my nephew cried more with the strange commotion and people at the home, and my niece (the two-year-old) was woken up from her nap and contributed to her brother's noise for the rest of the day. In the end, the neighbor just increased the noise and discomfort of everyone. Can you believe the audacity of her neighbor though?! What ever happened to trying to reach out and help one another? Why assume the worst in others? In the end, we're all striving toward the same things, so why not just help each other see the best? I found this video on a friend's Facebook page and find that, as cheesy as it is, it describes the nonsense of ill will and the benefits of common ground:
Instead of seeking self-justification or satisfaction or whatever it is we think it is we gain when we find fault, let's offer to help others and then we'll all be happier and more at peace.
It's interesting the potential behind new forms of media. Back in the 4th/5th century AD, St. Augustine of Hippo wrote his "Confessions," an autobiography (the first one ever actually) with the intent of bringing other's closer to Christ by sharing his journey to faith.
I don't think Augustine could have ever predicted the influence his book would have. Not only did he increase faith in Jesus Christ, he created a whole new literary genre and his personal applications of faith changed life-styles for many Christians of his day.
I feel like the reverse is often true of media today, where people create, post, tweet, like, etc. about their lives with the hope of being spotted or seen and attaining fame and remembrance rather than doing something of depth and substance with the intent of improving another's life. I know this isn't always the case, however, I do think it's a phenomenon particular to our day and age (correct me if I'm wrong). The newest medias do seem to promote this kind of usage, but the media that promotes the good in the world with the intent of increasing goodness is the most influential in my life and hopefully the media that sticks the best for us all.
Like this video about God's existence:
I was introduced to this video about a year ago, and every time I watch it I get goosebumps, so good!!
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an uplifting campaign, #sharegoodness, that promotes sharing the good in the world. Who knows the influence this single campaign may have over the course of history, whether it is world history, literary history, media history, or a single personal history. Either way, I am grateful for the opportunity it presents me to share my personal application of faith in Jesus Christ. #sharegoodness
When I was eleven or so my next-door neighbor friend, Kaylee Reeves, taught me how to do what we called a monster voice. The voice was so fun to ventriloquize I ran to my dad to showcase my new talent. Turns out, he could do it too! It caught on in our family and we began regularly speaking like monsters to one another. Imagine my surprise/displeasure years later when Christian Bale as Batman imitated the same voice.
Since then, my monster voice has often been compared to that of Batman which wouldn't be such a big deal if 1) the voice hadn't originally been one of my childhood and 2) I liked the Batman movies. However, since I am not a huge fan of the violent, ultra-dark hero the comparison is less than favorable. Why does any of this matter? Well, today my childhood came full-circle when I ran into Kaylee's younger sister on campus! I grew up in the military, so running into faces from my childhood isn't an expected occurrence, we military kids get spread around (although, being Mormon does make our world a little bit smaller). I, of course, stopped to chat and she, of course, didn't remember me. However, I couldn't help but think as we walked away from each other, "the Reeves family will never know the impact they have had in my life by introducing me to that voice." Melo-dramatic? Perhaps, but it fits my big-screen comparison. But really, my siblings and I have bonded as we've spoken to one another in our monster voices, many a floundering date has tanked once I've introduced the demon within, perhaps surprising perhaps not, and, I have made many a friend (or a few anyway) and solidified other friendships while employing the voice my current next-door neighbor friend (see how I brought this post full-circle there? ;)) endearingly refers to as Legion. So what does this sentimental reminiscing have to do with a media class? Well, as disapproving as I am of the Batman comparison, I admit it is partly in thanks to the wide distribution of Christian Bale's growling voice that my personal rumble has received it's current popular (?) acclaim. Thus, as much as it pains me...thanks Batman.
Amalgamate [uh-mal-guh-meyt] v. 1. to mix or merge so as to make a combination; blend; unite; combine...3. to combine, unite, merge, or coalesce...
I learned that word yesterday on dictionary.com. I love the intermingling of medias. This week I got onto Facebook and had a notification for a page I follow related to my mission. That in and of itself I find really great, I can keep up with what is going on in my mission simply by keeping tabs on a social media page. But, it gets better. Posted to that page I found not just one, but TWO video clips featuring missionaries in Belgium, and they weren't church produced video clips either! One of the clips features two elders (one of which I served with!) on an ex-pat website for those living in the northern part of Belgium known as Flanders. The video clip is super cool and there are English subtitles for those who don't speak Flemish, but oh, it is so good to hear the familiar and soft dialect of Vlams! The second video clip of sisters has a cool back-story you can read on ldsliving.com. Apparently, the sisters were walking through the city center in Belgium and decided to stop for a cup of hot chocolate. Little did they know that they were about to be filmed for a national news program called "Iedereen Beroemd" (Everybody's Famous)! Just think, of everyone who went for a cup of hot chocolate or coffee that day and were asked to be interviewed, the interview kept and broadcasted across the nation was of LDS sister missionaries! In Dutch an oft-spoken phrase is "toeval bestaat niet" or "coincidences don't exist,"and I think this is an example of just that. The church is true! But, really, how cool is that?! And how cool is it that across the world we can view these clips complete with English translations just a few days/weeks after they are published?! Whether it is a national website, lifestyle news outlet, social media page, or blog post, I am a huge fan of the media's capacity to connect me to the people, lands, cultures, and religion I love most. But even more than that, what cool that the gospel message is proliferated across the realms of global media! Fred, George, and their Gryfinndorian friends capture the sort of big HOORAH I am feeling right now
I have recently been introduced to the "This Girl Can" campaign, and by recently I mean today. It's an exercise campaign originating is England to encourage women of all ages, shapes, and sizes to work-out. Apparently fear of judgement is what discourages most women from exercising, so this campaign's purpose is "to inspire women to wiggle, jiggle, move and prove that judgement is a barrier that can be overcome." I completely identify with the whole "fear of judgement" bit in regards to exercise. In high school I ran cross country and track and although I wasn't an all-star, I was pretty good. My running abilities have gradually lessened over the years and now going out for a run is difficult not just because I am out-of-shape and slow, but because I remember what it feels and looks like to be a good runner. What I am capable of now is a far cry from that. So, instead of going for a run to recover my former form and speed, I find myself caught in a perpetuation of inactivity that only serves to deepen my self-assessed judgement. I find this campaign well-timed, or at least my introduction to it, considering it is mid-January and I already have noticed some of my New Year's resolutions fading from good intentions to poor executions, one of which is to overcome my self-inflicted judgement and become more consistent in my work-out/running routine. The YouTube video that introduced me to this whole campaign is pretty motivating, so I invite you to watch it and then get moving! In the meantime, I am actually going for a run...#thisgirlcan!o wiggle, jiggle, move and prove that judgement is a barrier that can be overcome.
