Commercials

So, having just posted about liking Zune over iPod... I do have to say that this is amazing. I saw this commercial and I thought about our discussion in class about cell phones and if they are helping or hurting our families. This clearly shows that it helps communication. And the baby is really cute.



And since I'm posting commercials... I really hope you've all seen this. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time.

MP3

So, I don't have an iPod like everyone else in the world.  Nope. Amazing, I know. You may ask: How can I live without this essential tool of media? Well, the answer is simple:

I have a Zune.

What is a Zune? It's an MP3 player that is essentially Microsoft's answer to the iPod. I like it WAY better though. I had an iPod before my mission, but got a Zune when I got home because I wanted to try something different (plus my brother just RAVED about his). Well, my brother was right. There are some pretty sweet features. You can share music with nearby Zunes wirelessly. The format is just better, I think. And the touch pad is a billion times better than the clicky wheel thing.


Here's the thing that sold me though (simple as it may be): the earbuds. Apple's earbuds hurt and always fall out. The earbuds that come with the Zune are AMAZING! I can only compare them to scull candy earbuds, if you know what that is. And get this: They are magnetic so they stick together and don't get tangled!! Brilliant. And it comes with different size ear peices so you can get just the right fit. Yup, WAY better.

I know that there are a lot of loyal iPod people out there, and this is not about Microsoft vs. Apple... though... I am a PC. I'm just letting people know that there are options out there, and what I think of them.

The End.

Cinderella

Do you ever wish you had a fairy godmother?
Yesterday I was watching Cinderella with my... what do you call your cousin's kid? Anyway, she loves this movie and I remembered that I do to. As I watched it I found myself wishing that there was someone who could come and make all my problems go away. My problems are very different from Cinderella's, but I still feel like running out into the garden and crying on a bench under a weeping willow sometimes too.

But then it hit me: her fairy godmother only came to her after she had done absolutely everything in her power to solve the problem on her own. With the help of her friends she had not only done all the crazy housework that her step-family had given her, but she'd managed to have a pretty great dress. She did everything that was expected of her... and it still wasn't enough. And that is when the higher power intervened and the magic happened.

Well, we all have a higher power looking out for us. Who needs a fairy godmother when we have a Savior? Jesus Christ will come and make everything better when we put our trust in him. He expects us to do our part, but when that is not enough, he makes the magic happen. He may not turn a pumpkin into a carriage, but he can show us how to do it. And give us the love that we lack. He sends us friends who help us to do what we need and he sends us peace.

I am really grateful that I have a Savior who can help me when I'm crying and alone. He was once alone in a garden too.

50's sock hop

Last night I went to a Sock Hop that my ward put on. It was really really fun. But I had to stop and think about the difference between the music now and the music in the 50s. Dancing is very different in many ways, but also quite similar. I just thought it was interesting to compare the two. And it was a great dance.

The Seven Silly Eaters

This book is fantastic.

The Seven Silly Eaters is about a family where each kid will only eat one thing. As more and more kids are born the mom starts to go crazy because she can't keep up with all of their demands. It's a great story about family work and everybody doing their part. (I highly recomend it for anyone looking for good childrens' books.)

But the best thing about this book is the work done by the illustrator. The words are fairly simple, but the detail given to the story by the pictures is fantastic. Because of the pictures you know that the dad is very supportive, the kids get along pretty well, and that the mom wishes she could play her cello more. Plus it looks like a real house that they live in. (My sister loves this house so much that she's trying to convince her husband to let her build one just like it someday.)

Has anyone else read this book?

Faerie Tale Theatre

I remember watching these as a kid. I remember that my mom had taped them off TV and I used to watch them all the time. I haven't seen them for about... 17 years? Well, I just found them on DVD and I've been watching them. It's crazy how even though I can't remember anything about the plots (besides the basic fairy tales, of course) I can still remember a lot of the diologue. The nastalgia is overpowering.

The other funny thing is how much more I understand now. Watching as an adult I can catch some of the subtle meanings that I really didn't get as an 8 year old. It's also fun to see some of these actors now that I know who they are.

TiVo

I find that in general I have mixed feelings towards media. It is amazing some of the things that technology has made available to us. But, as wonderful as it is, it's a terrible temptation. I have recentlly begun to use a TiVo on a regular basis. It's great. I don't have to be a slave to the scheduling of the major networks. Now, however, I find that I actually watch a lot more TV than I used to. Before, I'd be making the choice between TV and other things. Now I can do both. Instead of missing episodes, I just watch them later when I'm trying to put off studying.

I guess that's the whole idea with studying media. It isn't good or bad in and of itself. It is what we do with it and our individual choices that make our media use good or bad.