media: lies or truth?

So last week we had a terrible TERRIBLE snow storm which ended with it taking me 3 hrs to get from downtown salt lake to american fork. A trip which usually takes me about 30 minutes. it was frustrating, it was awful, it made me antsy to sit in my car. but was I really ultimately okay? yes. did the news make it seem like the end of the world was at the point of the mountain? yes. i think the only story that really stuck out to me was the fact that the kids were stuck at school. except we never heard the kid's side of the story. a few of them probably thought it was awesome, or maybe some were relieved that they didn't have to go to their house (ie, abusive parents, telling them about a bad meeting that just happened with their teacher, report card, etc.) all we heard was "DISASTER IN SARATOGA SPRINGS! KIDS STUCK ON BUS! HAVE TO STAY AT SCHOOL!" but really--let's be honest. they were just fine.

we study this a lot in my media class. it's called media literacy. part of this literacy idea is possessing the skills to analyze the media that is thrown in our face via email, blogs, text messaging, newspaper, television, movies, etc.

i relate this idea now to my new year's resolution of becoming more "green." what does that even mean? does the act of one person really affect (is the right "affect" or is it "effect"...i should know this...) the earth and those around us? if i believe in the butterfly effect, then my answer would have to be yes. the idea of "going green" means a lot more to me though. it means eating healthier, spending less, conserving more, being more relaxed, enjoying life as it comes my way, being more appreciative rather than negative. "going green" is more of a lifestyle change. i would relate it to being fat. if you're fat and you decide you are going to diet, ultimately the weight you lose from the diet will probably find it's way back because it was a temporary fix. to lose weight and to keep it off, you have to initiate lifestyle changes.

now switching gears and thinking about the media and the idea of being green. right now it seems as though more than ever there is a push for our society to be more green. the media would tell you that we are changing our earth's climate too rapidly from all the crap we emit into the air, all the forests we cut down, all the resources we burn, etc. now yes, i would agree that we are consuming at a much higher rate than we ever have before in history. for me it's like the kid who sees the whole bag of candy and wants to eat it all in one sitting. i get half way through and realize i have to slow down. i think that is what will happen with our society. new technological breakthroughs will happen in the next ten years guaranteed that will benefit our society and help us all be better consumers. but when it comes to the media telling us that the earth is the way it is today because of us. well DUH! thanks for pointing out the obvious. but let's give credit where credit is due. our planet is smart, it evolves with time. like the school bus story, i think that the media never gives us the WHOLE part of the story, just the part that makes the best news. brandon--you should help me out here. i really don't care if i'm proven wrong with this theory or if i'm proven right. i guess anyone can help. (it's also for my 457 blog...that's why i'm asking for the help. haha.) i'm going to start hunting for stories which give more of the whole perspective of global warming: how bad we really are, how much we can say is our fault, and how much is just the earth evolving into a new period of it's life.

to be continued.

i fixed it

my blog that is.

everything else is still pretty much broken.

playing some catch up

i've been on a blog hiaetus for the past few weeks. i broke the silence to make a shout out to my brother-in-law brandon. and now i will attempt to write a summary of my life for the past couple of weeks.

- School has been keeping me busy, but school itself isn't overwhelming. My 457 class usually has something for me to be reading, or a project to be thinking about/working on, etc. That goes for my 387 class as well. There is always something that I could/should be working on whether it be chapters from the text, or a script to write coverage on. I enjoy both of the classes, so the assignments are more rewarding than other classes I've taken. I am finding out more and more that as I take higher and higher level classes, the work becomes more worth my time and I'm learning a lot more. go figure! I guess that's how it's supposed to work...

- My GE classes are a different story. Besides my New Testament reading, I really have no outside of classwork to worry about, and I usually read my NT assigned reading on the TRAX on my way to school. My first biology midterm was last week. Didn't study, got a high B. Would it have been an A if I would have spent a little time studying? ... probably. but hey B's get degrees. haha. and atleast it's not crappy Anthropology. I actually do enjoy my biology teacher and his lectures, and a lot of what we're learning now I learned in 9th grade biology, so it's just been more of a refresher course for me.

- Urinetown is been great so far. Actor's are fun people to hang out with (usually. there are a few that are sour grapes.) just because within the first rehearsal everyone is everyone's friend. There have been a couple of moments where I wonder the background of some of the actors. Great people! just with a different theater background than my own. I'm not saying I"m a great actor. Actually i'm not saying that at all because I'm not. But I feel like for the most part I have had some great basic acting training when it comes to basic acting etiquette. I still have my sheet from high school that neal gave us. I love the director Meg. She just has a great energy that is fun to be around. I'm glad to be doing the show!

- I'm going to Denver this weekend for one of my fun jaunts. My friend Matt invited me out to visit him and see a show, so hey why not! Michelle may be a bit jealous because he lives in Boulder. haha. I'll take some pictures of your future city. Denver is also the cheapest place to fly out of Salt Lake City. And now that I have a friend who lives in the Denver Area, I look forward to many Red Rocks concerts because we'll have a place to stay for free! (get ready stacey...) Matt is my friend who I did an audio documentary about for class--I'll try to figure out how to post it on my blog...because I think it's really good.

- This week we are prepping for our two (well three, but I won't be a part of Wednesday because of class in SLC) shoot days for the promo film for BYU. I have been assigned to find "pretty people." On friday I walked around campus and basically recruited people for the shoot. I've emailed everyone, and hopefully some of them come ready to be "featured extras." Haha. Shoot days are very tiring, but very rewarding. A crew from the Motion Picture Studio is hired and it's a great experience to be able to work with a professional film crew. Who is glad they left their cushy speeches job to come work for University Communications? I am, I am! I don't know how it is, but I always end up getting the coolest work opportunities. I hope this is a trend that continues through out my entire life.

-That's all for now. Things for a maybe future post will include how amazingly bad I am at guitar hero, and how I'm not getting any better; An actual interest to utilize the real guitar at my house and begin taking real lessons; and some summer fun.

to my brother in law....

Happy Birthday.

MIKA WAS AMAZING!

and so was his little black drummer chick.  waiting two hours in the cold was really worth it.

2 weeks of no blogging

long time gone here on the old blog. i think the fact that there has been so much snow has affected my ability to focus my thoughts into text because there is SO MUCH SNOW! I've lived in cold weather, but never a place where this much snow has fallen. Folks who have lived here their whole lives say though that this winter has been more like the winters they remember growing up. If that is the case, props to them. It's pretty, and yes it's warmer when it is able to snow, but it just gets annoying to drive in.

aside from that. life continues to stay busy. this semester is both busy and not busy at the same time. i have busy moments, but i can always make time for other things that may spring up (like driving to vernal to sing at a funeral...). or concerts! tonight i'm going to mika at in the venue. i will probably leave smelling like smoke (since i think in the venue now has that smell creeping out from its walls) but i'm actually excited.

i got my little sister hooked on vitamin water. makes me a little excited. if only she will stick to that and not start drinking coke or whatever, her teeth will thank her later!

that's all for now! oh and for those of you who LOVE what i write. (haha) i have to keep a blog for my media class. Click HERE and it will take you there.