Happy Valentine's Day!

This week I'm all about Nicole, apparently...

You've got to watch this time lapse she did the other day for her blog (read more about it here).

There are 200+ shots that make up this video.

Can you imagine moving all of those little candies that many times to get one shot?!

I don't have that kind of patience. That's why she's so good at her job.

Nicole's friend from work, Josh Aker, wrote this song and will be releasing it in Nicole's store next week... I'm gonna buy it, are you?

He's AMAZING!

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

I (somehow) got work off so I am stoked.

...but still don't have a gift for Jeff yet (help!)

nicole on studio 5 at 11:00!

watch my sister nicole on studio 5 (channel 5) again tomorrow (thursday feb. 9) at 11:00am!

i'm a proud sister... can you tell?

and you might just see someone else you recognize..

sisterhood

So we have a paper due in my media class this week on books.  This is going to get really pathetic... are you ready? All I had to do was think of my favorite book now and my favorite book when I was an adolescent and write a 1-2 page paper on them.

Ok... hmmm what is my favorite book now....?
Couldn't think of one.

And what about as an adolescent.....
well the only one I really ever read was

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

So there we go --  I'll run with that.
But what about my favorite book now...?
I was stumped. It may or may not have taken me 30 minutes to figure something out.
If you can't do a silly assignment just because you haven't read a darn book....

NEWS FLASH.


you need to read.

It's sad that I use the "I only have time for books that are assigned to me" excuse too often.
But, if you're talking to me this week when I'm so overwhelmed I could scream-
yes. that's all i have time for. someday.... someday, i'll be a good reader. I hope that day is soon. I know I am missing out on a lot. I mean, I look at my Dad who is a genius -- then I look at his library and know why. Of course he knows everything about everything. The man reads at least 2 hours a day!

Onto what I am supposed to be blogging about....

Once I got writing about why I loved the Sisterhood books so much, I remembered how (truly) great they were. Or maybe it's been so long and I was young. But I think I want to read them again just to see. Oh and I remember loving the movie! Could Blake Lively have been more perfect for the part of Bridget?!

Here's what I wrote about why I loved the book:
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was my favorite because I had some really close friends at the time that I had been friends with since birth.  I loved feeling the sense of sisterhood as I read it.  It may be because I have four sisters and I feel we have a strong sisterhood as well.  Also, since it was the first book I read that had some “romance” in it, I was very intrigued as a junior high school student.  I loved reading about the first kisses and feeling twitter pated about new loves.  The book probably did not impact my life significantly, but I did love the determination I feel after having read it to keep my friendships lasting forever.


So true.
You know who you are.
We'll be friends forever.

I LOVE MY FRIENDS because I have the BEST friends a girl could ask for. 
They are so loyal.
love love love you all!

Oh, what a night!

I found media defined by dictionary.com as "the means of communication....that reach or influence people widely."

So I've been wondering, are plays/musicals media?

I think they are - they reach people widely in New York City, but probably not as "widely" every where else.  So based on this definition, I'm not so sure.

But when I think of my experience with plays and musicals - they have definitely influenced me.  One musical, in particular, influenced me more than I could have imagined.

My sister, Natalie, is an actress/dancer/singer.  She's lived in NYC for the last 11 years, graduated from NYU, done 3 Broadway shows, and tons of off-broadway stuff.  The last 6 months she's been in Las Vegas playing the role of Mary Delgado (Frankie Valli's wife) in Jersey Boys.  My family had all seen Jersey Boys on Broadway years ago, but I hadn't had the opportunity yet. So, when we took a trip down to see Natalie in Vegas, it was my first time seeing the show.

OH, WHAT A NIGHT!!!!

I was blown away.

(my favorite scene from the show-

 the 4 guys turn around and face the back of the stage- 

as if their concert is there and you're in the background watching)

I've never been to such an upbeat, fun show in my life. I tell everyone that if they could see one Broadway show, this should be it.

The whole show is like a concert. It's the story of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons so you get to hear their songs throughout the show. By the end of the show, everyone is up, out of their seats and dancing with the cast. I would think this would be the most rewarding curtain call for an actor night after night.

 Nat as Mary

My most favorite thing is that Jeff loved the show as much, if not more, than I did! He gets so into the music and lines - he quotes them all the time and we sing the songs constantly. Jeff and I loved the show so much, we went back two months later to see it again. And it was even better the second time.  I am in awe that a musical had this much of an effect on me. For the last month I've been listening to the Jersey Boys cd Nat gave Jeff for Christmas.  Every day the same songs, over and over. I listen to it before work to put me in a good mood and it works! I sing the songs in my head the whole time I am at work and it makes the night so much better. It's amazing how much media influences us and how we can choose to let it make our lives better or worse.

(Natalie is the second to bottom row-

 third one in from the left)

I'm sad Nat's run in Jersey Boys is over, but I will always remember her incredibly believable performance as Mary. She gave the role humor. The audience only laughed on her lines. She was authentic and real. As I listen to the voice of the woman who originated Mary on the cd, I laugh at how much better Nat was! I'll miss hearing her nail those lines, but I can't wait to see what she nails next. On to the next show! Who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with it too... 

Natalie

the entrance to the theatre

leaving the theatre

my eyes adored you, Jersey Boys!

watch a video to get the feel of Jersey Boys here

star wars and volkswagen

funny that we just talked about the #1 ad from last year in class and tonight i just saw this new one.

Guess they knew that other ad worked so they stuck with the theme.

Love this one!

view last years ad here: http://youtu.be/R55e-uHQna0

Jimmy Fallon makes a pretty woman!

The one thing I did for myself today was chill on the couch from 11-12 pm after a 7 hour shift at work (my feet were killing me!!).

All I wanted to do was sit and be entertained (while eating a huge bowl of honey nut cheerios).

So a little Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is not something I usually watch (although I think he's hysterical- i just don't watch much tv),

but tonight Jeff and I were very glad we tuned in because this video was hysterical (or maybe we're just really tired).

Either way, I think Jimmy Fallon is really pretty.

Click here to watch:

Real Housewives of Late Night in Indianapolis

But, seriously.... can you believe people actually watch this reality tv CRAP?!!! I'm guilty of it every now and then but honestly,

WE ARE STUPID IDIOTS FOR 
WATCHING THIS SCRIPTED JUNK.

What does reality tv have that sucks people in?
Why are people so into it?
Why do people care about others' lives?
Can't we be content with our own?
Enough of that.....
do you like Jimmy as a woman?

Btw, like the Allstate ads with President Palmer, I totally love the Capital One commercials just because it's Jimmy Fallon. Love him.

Allstate TV Ad

I've seen this commercial a few times and it makes me laugh every time!

I love that President David Palmer (24, anyone?) is the voice whenever they say Allstate.

I immediately loved Allstate ads because they used President Palmer.

As I reflect on what we've learned in class on effective advertising, I realize which of the "facets" they used in this commercial.

1. Perception facet - this commercial definitely gets noticed as it messes with our heads. We are hearing one voice and then, suddenly, a low voice fills in every now and then.

2. Emotional/Affective facet - the emotion fulfilled in this commercial is definitely HUMOR

3. Cognitive facet - the commercial definitely explains what it can do for the consumer (even the setting is a car accident and they're talking about their insurance).

4. Association facet - since they've been using President Palmer for every commercial, consumers associate him with Allstate Insurance. I feel that his VOICE is the association. He has such a low, distinct voice.

5. Persuasion facet - The ad persuades the consumer that if you use their insurance, everything will be ok and hey, guess what? Even the person you hit will be (somewhat) understanding because you'll have something in common!

6. Behavior facet - hoping the humor will drive you to buy their insurance.

HEY! THAT'S ALL OF THE FACETS! = good commercial and effective advertising!
at least it was for me...

utie but still bleeding blue!

I thought i would explain everything here since I get asked about this a lot.

Even my own mother called me last week and said, 

"now, why did you apply to the U?"

I want to be a Child Life Specialist. 

What is a CLS?

Wikipedia explains it best:

"Child life specialists are pediatric health care professionals who work with patients, their family and others involved in the child’s care in order to help them manage stress and understand medical and various procedures.^[1] "The objectives of such services will be to minimize the negative impact of situational disruptions while maintaining individual growth and development and family relationships."

Awesome, right? This is what I did this summer as I volunteered at the Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia. I had a Child Life Specialist giving me assignments and helping me to get to know the kids and what to do with them. It was a blast! I played Mario Kart for 2 hours one day with a 16 yr old, got to basically be Santa as I gave free books to 6 year olds who acted as though they had none, and played Uno and Fifa with a 10 year old African boy who only spoke French - my kind of job!

So these are my requirements:

• graduate with a bachelors in Child Life, Child Development, or another related field
• complete a 480 hour Child Life internship under the direction of a Child Life Specialist at a hospital
• pass the Child Life exam
• then BOOM i'm a child life specialist!

Well I'm going to graduate in April from BYU in Family Life: Human Development emphasis (basically Child Development- the closest thing I could get to Child Life). But, because BYU doesn't have any Child Life classes I have to take 1-4 at the University of Utah (still trying to figure out how many) in order to get the internship at Primary Children's.  All hospitals have different requirements, but the only hospitals in Utah that have a CL internship are Primary's and Shriners (in the process of contacting Shriners for their requirements). 

So whether or not I even get the (very hard to get) internship at Primary's next year, this continuing of CL education will help to get an internship wherever we move for med school! I think there will be plenty of hospitals wherever we go! ;)


LET'S GET THIS STRAIGHT - I'M STILL A COUG AND I STILL BLEED BLUE!!

sorry kids, you can't watch spiderman?

ok after today's lecture my mind is blown.
all i have been thinking about is
spiderman is bad?!!!
i have to tell my 4-year-old he can't watch spiderman?!

let me elaborate.
today we learned about educational television- particularly for preschool-aged children.
4-5 year olds are my favorite after my experience in the preschool (if you couldn't already tell).
i love this age. they are so capable and bright.
but they're still so moldable and innocent - it is for this reason that I am so concerned.

first i'll focus on some of the awesome and really positive things that we learned:

• there's never been a better time than now for educational tv for preschoolers.  Think about it... there are so many programs directed toward 4 year olds- teaching them with interactive games and asking questions so they'll respond. blues clues, super why, and dora- to name a few. There used to only be mr. rogers and sesame street. We've never had it so easy- which also (to me) means this caution: it's so easy that i'll probably want to let my kid sit there for hours because... hey! it's educational!
• educational tv (and especially disney movies) show sooo many acts of prosocial behavior- acts that 4 year olds have been found to imitate and learn from. (one of the most fascinating things we learned was that Pocahontas has 2.79 prosocial acts per MINUTE!! The highest of all Disney movies- according to a study done by my very own professors (Coyne and Walker) 
• kids who watch these shows have better vocabularies, problem solving skills, intelligence, and show higher information acquisition (Anderson, et al., 2001). They are getting smarter and learning by watching!

Now, let's get to the really interesting stuff.

There was a study done in 2005 (Mares & Woodward) that tested prosocial and antisocial acts to see what their effects would be on the viewers (preschoolers).  They found that when children watched prosocial behavior, they were definitely influenced by it and imitated it. HOWEVER, they also found that antisocial acts are JUST as influential.  AND when prosocial acts were mixed with aggression (ex: Superman kills the bad guy, but it's a good thing because, you know, he's the good guy getting rid of the bad guys) it led to these children behaving much more AGGRESSIVEly.

You have to understand that children can't distinguish between fantasy and reality until age 7. 

Now after knowing that, can you see why children would think it's totally normal to
"kick the mean guys in the shins" (quote from my favorite movie One Fine Day). 

Can you see why your 4 year old would act aggressively because they do imitate the behaviors they see?  They don't understand the difference yet. 

So... on to what i've been thinking allll day.

What am I going to allow my kids to watch and at what age?!

What age is it appropriate for them to watch Spiderman and shows like Spiderman? 

7?

I never would have thought it would be detrimental to my kids.  I don't want to be the most hated mom, but I also want to be cautious about how i raise my kids- i want the best outcomes.

I could also start telling you about what i know about fast-paced television shows (Spiderman) and what those do to young ones... 

Let's not.  I'll get off my soap box.

But really,

what (and when) are you going to let your kids watch?

have i rocked your world or are you not convinced?