Creator

This morning I woke up and I knew that it was going to be a good day. I climbed out of bed and peeked my head out the window, the smell of spring swept through my nostrils. Oh yes, this was a good day.

Creator.

Do you have stop and think about the fact that you were created? I am a creation, created by a God who is completely good, and perfect, and kind, and loving. The thought blows me away. Not only am I a creation, but I am uniquely different from anyone else on the planet, and I was made with a specific purpose.

Romanowski does a beautiful job of explaining these concepts. To be human is to be God's image bearer. Whoa. As Christians we should be creating the most magnificent pieces of art because we have this knowledge. Yet, many times it seems like we lack the ability to do so. Madeleine L'Engle says this, "We are human and humble and of the earth, and we cannot create until we acknowledge our createdness." We MUST acknowledge our createdness, our creator.

There is a lot of good out there in the wide wide world. Good maybe not because it is coined "christian", but good because everything that God created is good. We have to make an effort to see it.

blogging

Simply. This is what Eric always says nowadays since he has been back from India. Everything is just "simply". I know, it doesn't really make sense BUT I am simply an awful student when it comes to academic blogging. Enough said.

I'm not sure what everyone thinks of our current read in mass media class, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. The author makes me reminisce about the days when I was reading Madeline L'Engle's "Walking on Water". They both ask the serious question of where Christians should stand when it comes to the art world. Too often that question is disregarded or taken completely out of line.

So where should Christians stand? I believe that we have a responsibility that requires us to know what is going on in the media world. We need to cultivate a balanced, faith-informed criticism that allows us to properly determine what is right and wrong.

Not everything in the media world is evil. Many times Christians will only listen to or watch "christian" media. Personally, I have found that these supposedly "christian" media texts are cliche and lack depth. Maybe I am too critical, but I have had beautiful spiritual experiences with "nonchristian" media texts. Granted, we do need to be critical of what we are taking in, but we also need to realize that we are all the Lord's; we all have a purpose that is good.

Trekkies

Watching the movie about the "Trekkies" in class the other day was very interesting to me. Instead of seeing these people as weird, I saw them as drawing on each others creative sides. Yes, to most people dressing up in Star Trek outfits, redesigning rooms to look like the set of Star Trek, and turning a dentist office into a "Trekkie heaven" is awfully strange. But, what if they didn't have those outlets?

We all have interest and we seek out others who have the same interests as ourselves. When you begin a relationship with someone, you usually have some things in common. A community like the "Trekkie" community allows people to be themselves, with no one judging them for their interests. They have a certain language that they use with signs and symbols that many don't understand. Most of the world would look at them and think they are bizarre, but not among themselves. They are who they are, and a community allows them to draw on that.

fandom

My gracious, it seems like I have not posted anything for ages. Hello.

Before I officially begin my post I just wanted to say that Eric is home from India! I have no motivation to do homework now (which is wrong, I know), but life is so good.

Fandom. What does it mean to be a "normal" fan and an "obsessive" fan? When I think about this question I think about the different types of families. Every family is different and with that comes different standards, beliefs, and family dynamics. Fandom is along those same lines. Depending on what culture you are in, normal fandom may mean different things. A child who really likes Miley Cyrus or other characters like that, and wants all of things associated with those characters, usually isn't looked down upon by others. Most of the time parents give in to those desires, maybe even fueling unhealthy desires in their children.

When I think of obsessive fandom, automatically I think of "Twilight" fans. Many of the fans seem to develop parasocial relationships with the characters, getting emotionally attached to characters who aren't even real. With a release of a book or movie, many line up in the character's outfits giddy and excited.

But really, can we say when a person is obsessed? Perhaps when they confuse the real world with the other worlds of movies and books and etc. Maybe I am obsessed with something and I don't even realize it. I enjoy watching LOST and I make sure that my Wednesday night is open from 9-10pm. There are many conversations that take place between myself and others concerning LOST. Attempting to figure out the plot is exciting to my friends and I. Would I consider myself obsessed? No, I don't think so. I'm not consumed with thoughts of LOST, I just enjoy it.

natalie

There are days when I get in the mood for a certain movie; days where you get a hot-n-ready and curl up on the couch with no care in the world. Last Friday was a "Garden State" day. So, my roommate and I quickly drove to little Caesar's and got a piping hot pizza, hoping to get back fast enough for our cheese to still be melty (I know, that is not a word, but it seems necessary). We did get back fast enough, thankfully. And oh my, was it heavenly (the pizza, that is).

"Garden State". I love this movie a little bit more each time I watch it. talking about parasocial relationships this week in class made me realize that I may have a similar relationship with Sam, Natalie Portman's character. Immediately I get sucked into the movie when her quirky character sits in a doctor's office with the biggest headphones I have ever seen on her head. How can you not love that sight?

As time goes on, Sam continues to be a quirky, lovable, innocent character; yet, she has seen heartache and experienced the world in her own ways. And that, that is what I identify with. I don't spend my days dreaming about Natalie Portman in "Garden State", but I do connect with the character when she is on the screen.

When the movie was over that Friday night, my roommate and I just sat on the couch with full stomachs and stared into space, hypnotized.

merchants of cool

"The Merchants of Cool", what a wild documentary. This documentary shows the process of marketers as they conduct surveys and focus groups, and scourge the streets to find the next "big" thing. These creators and sellers of popular culture have made teenagers the hottest consumer demographic in America. I will admit, I have been caught in the scheme of things. Most of the time I would consider myself to be outside of the sphere of marketing, but I know that to be false. I have been sold an ipod, a macbook, music, makeup...and I suppose the list could go on.

The place in life where I find myself seems to be a strange one. I ache to get away from media's attempts at selling me things and I long for the "good old days". I long for the days where people sit on the porch and drink iced tea with their neighbors and find out the latest news from each other instead of a gossip columnist on the internet. I long for things that I suppose won't happen in most people's lives, but I will try to make them happen in my life.

Looking at my fourteen year old sister, I can see the effects of media on her life, the Jonas brothers and Miley Cyrus being the center of many conversations. Texting seems to be turning into the main form of communication between young people. What if they started talking the way they text? Oh wait, some of them do. As you can see, I am bitter towards a few things that are taking place among our young people. Perhaps I am old fashioned? Yes, maybe. But I do recognize that media has a MAJOR effect on our young people and I don't see the benefits to it.

Anne-girl

Like every year, the coming of spring brings on thoughts of Anne of Green Gables. As a child I read all of the books several times over. My sister and I cut locks of each others hair just like Anne and Diana because we wanted something to remember each other by (as if we didn't have enough already). Tea parties and mud pies were our forte and dresses and fields sounded more than appealing to us. Anne of Green Gables was my hero.

The topic in class has been this idea of convergence. Mass media has become this crazy in-depth thing that I never would have expected. Well, since Anne of Green Gables has been on my mind as of late, I have been thinking about convergence within this text. This redhead girl Anne has been turned into many different forms. Not only are there books, there was a silent film made in 1919 adapting to the story, and another film made in 1934; from there on there have been seven television movies made, along with an anime series and another animated series, and a musical.
Over done? Maybe, but I haven't seen everything made in adaptation to the books. All I know is that the stories are lovely.

This loveable little redheaded girl Anne has made quite an impact on the world, influencing young girls and so many others.