General Conference

I am so excited for General Conference this weekend. It is one of my favorite times of year. As I've gotten older I've noticed the different ways I prepare for the sessions. When I was younger the focus used to be which pair of pajamas I was going to wear and which coloring books I was going to use. As I've gotten older I've found more profound ways to prepare myself.

Before each new session of Conference I like to re-read all the talks from the previous one. This helps me remember what has been discussed and allows me to open my mind to more questions that I might have that could be answered in the next session. Without media, this would be impossible. We have so many options available to us with access to review counsel from our leaders of the Church. I can purchase the Conference edition of the Ensign, or download it to my phone or I-pod. There are times (like this weekend) where I am extremely grateful for media and the positive use we can use it for. And let's face it, without media, we wouldn't be able to watch Conference in the comfort of our own homes.

The Piano Guys

So, I’m a nerd. I may or may not be obsessed with Marvel and DC Comics. I saw this video that the Piano Guys did of the Batman theme song and I literally got chills. The Piano Guys are so talented. And bringing together all the cars from Batman brought a smile to my face. I'm not a huge fan of classical music, but there are certain artists that are only instrumental that I really enjoy. The Piano Guys are one of them. Every time I listen to their songs I feel so peaceful inside. Super helpful for getting through a Monday.

http://thepianoguys.com/portfolio/batman-evolution/

A song to describe yourself

Today's class lecture really got me thinking about the type of music I listen to and reasoning of why I prefer a certain genre over another. I'm not the most pickiest person when it comes to types of music; there are certain types I will not listen to, but for the most part whatever comes on I'm pretty okay with listening to. I'm the worst with naming songs and the artists behind it. When I'm singing a song and someone asks me who its by, I just look at them blankly, because I honestly have no clue. (Don't worry, I'm working on it.)

So then in class when Dr. Coyne asked us to pick a song that described us, my mind went blank. I was able to come up with a few that I knew I listened to pretty frequently, because they made me happy. In thinking more about it, I don't necessarily have certain songs that I would say describe me or I listen to because they have a specific meaning. For the most part I try to listen to music that makes me feel happy and has a good message (even if I don't know all the words, I assume for the most part its good). Some of my favorite songs would be ones that remind you to make the most out of what you have in front of you and don't let anything stop you from trying your best (Defying Gravity is basically what I'm referring to).

Disney: Then & Now

I grew up watching Disney movies. Whenever we went on road trips, we'd bring enough along to make the drive go by quicker; and let's be honest, it was a ton of fun having the whole family sing along in the car. And I won't lie, even now I watch them quite often. Walt Disney definitely knew what he was doing; all those movies are just classic. I mean, who doesn't love to break out in song randomly to express what's going on? But, do you ever watch them now (being an adult) and see them in a completely different light than you did when you were a child?

I have a niece that just turned 3 and she is OBSESSED with Disney movies. Being the awesome aunt than I am, I watch them with her and sing along (I'm a kid at heart, no big deal). She's got the songs down. But I find myself paying more attention to the plot and messages being received from the movies, and I can't help but be a little put off by what I find sometimes. Don't get me wrong, the Little Mermaid is awesome. But if you think about it, doesn't it seem wrong that she tries to change herself to be able to marry a man she "loves," even after never speaking a word to him (that he could hear)? Or Aladdin pretending to be someone's he's not just to impress a girl? I'm not trying to harp on Disney, but it makes me a little sad to think that these movies I loved so much as a child, can have such a different meaning when you think critically and try to pick apart the plot. It gets to a point where you don't fully realize the messages the movies you watch can be sending.

Knowing me, Disney will still play a big role in my life. Whether it's got a twisted plot or not.

Music with homework

Everyone is different on whether or not they can have music/noise while trying to focus on homework. I've never been able to take a test in the classical musical section at the testing center. I have such a hard time focusing. But for some reason, while working on homework, I need to have some background music playing. I guess it technically depends on what type of homework I'm doing. If I'm reading a text book or working on a math problem, the quieter the better.

However, while writing a paper, it takes me a lot longer if I'm not listening to something. I just wrote a paper for a class and was having a hard time focusing on exactly what I wanted to write about. I decided to turn on some music and after a few minutes I was focused enough and wrote the paper in pretty good time. It depends on the person, but I think for me the music distracts part of my brain so that the other part can focus on writing. If it's silent while writing my brain is trying to think of too many things at once. It'll be interesting as I experiment throughout the semester where its more helpful for me to listen to music and where I shouldn't.

Messages Learned

When we think of media, the form that usually comes to mind would be television, movies, and/or music. News articles are not normally the first thing we could categorize as media; at least, I don't. When I think about the shows I've been watching and what type of messages are being portrayed, it will influence how much I will continue to watch that specific show and the take home message I receive from it. At times I am not fully aware that the information I read in newspapers or books have as much of an influence on my life and perspective of things as the television programs do.

My father sent out an article to our family that discusses someone's view of marriage. While reading it, I found myself "talking" to the author of the article and giving my own opinion in reply to what she was saying. I realized that I end up doing this quite often while reading anything. I have my own dialogue going on and by the end I realize the influence of what I'm reading and how I am going to disperse it out into the rest of my life. I decided that this is a good form to keep up because it is helping me become more aware of the media I am being exposed to and what I truly think of the message it's sending.

The Reason Behind the Show

Today in class we discussed a variety of theories and the ways they look at forms of media. Specifically the outcomes of what media can have on a person or society and what hidden reasoning lies beneath the surface. One of the theories is called Uses and Gratifications. Basically, you watch a television show or movie because you are trying to fill a need that you have for yourself. It can either be to hide behind a relationship with someone in the show, or to deal with some traumatic emotional situation.

This really got me thinking about why I find myself so hooked and obsessing over certain TV series or being in the mood to watch a specific chick-flick. There have been times in my life where the dating game has not gone too well, and instead of dealing with the "real life boys," I focus in on a relationship that is developing between characters somewhere else. There's always the classic Nicholas Sparks movies that we are all dying to watch when we want to see the sappy (and predictable) love between a couple. And when you just can't seem to find the perfect man, we resort to watching Pride & Prejudice, and fall back in love with Darcy. A problem that comes from this sort of "obsession" with finding fictitious love in media, is that we then get an unrealistic view of how it is in real life. And yet, we still fill our time with searching for romance inside the media. The media industry has gotten their hands wrapped around the emotions of women, and quite frankly its difficult to fight against them.