Fear, Terror, and Unease...thanks Weird Al!

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:

"Mom! Dad! This song is a rip-off of Weird Al's 'Girls Just Wanna Eat Lunch'!"

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.

Eliminating Self-Limiting Beliefs.

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.”

Emotions from Film

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.

Valentines Day

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 not knoweth 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 he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another,God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Sonto be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess 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 that dwelleth 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 no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." -- 1 John 4:7-21

YES!!

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

Facebook Freebooting

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!

Memories

 

 

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.

So many good things...

*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 BYU databases 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.

A girl's got to eat...

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:

Spiced Chicken Breasts, Squash and Apples Ingredients

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!

False Alarm

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.