Media Monday

movie to watch:
The Butler. It's been in theaters for a little while now, but it's soooo good. It's based on the true story of black man who is a butler in the white house and serves seven presidents in the time that he works there. It takes place through all the civil rights events and is just an awesome story. It has some big names like Oprah Winfrey playing the butler's wife, and people like Robin William and James Marsden playing some of the presidents, and I have to say that they all did a great job.This was definitely one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.

movie to look forward to this week:
Enders Game, coming out this Friday, November 1st! I just reread the book this week and am way excited for this movie. I hope they do it justice, because the book is awesome. We shall see....

current favorite thing to watch on youtube:

Studio C! (especially this video)

book I just finished:

My Story, by Elizabeth Smart. It's basically about her whole kidnapping and captivity. Crazy story, really sad when you see how she was treated and think of how hard it must have been, and also very inspiring. She is really strong and she always kept surviving. I thought it was coolest how she always saw God's hand in her life and never blamed Him for what was happening to her. Instead she tried to find things to be grateful for. She's now on my list of inspiring people I admire and want to meet someday.

book I'm about to start reading:

Allegiant, by Veronica Roth (the third and final book in the Divergent trilogy)
I just bought the ebook today and man, oh man am I excited for this! I just reread Divergent and Insurgent two weeks ago, which was a good refresher since I had forgotten a lot, and they made really excited for this book and also for the movie coming out in March. These books are good, people. Read them, if you haven't already.

song I am loving right now:
"New York City," by Among Savages, partially because I really want to go to New York lately.

TV show I'm currently loving the most:

"How I Met Your Mother" (although lately it's been a little bit slow). If you are looking for a new show to see, this is it. It is hilarious and filled with funny twists. I love it and the sense of humor on this show. The 9th and final season is airing now, and all the other seasons are on Netflix. Here's a taste of how funny and great it is:

Recapturing Beauty Day 7: Tune Out the Media

Day 7:

Tune out media – no TV, movies, magazines and internet surfing. Instead tune in to nature. Notice a sunset, gaze at the stars, sit by a stream and listen to the water. What did you tune into when you tuned out the media?

WHY: The media constantly barrages us with unrealistic and unhealthy ideals of beauty. Because we are incessantly bombarded, it is impossible to remain unaffected. Get in touch with who you are independent of these messages and find your center in things that are real and lasting--your personality, nature, and your relationships.

Tuning out the media was something I needed to do and something that was perfect for today. Instead of bringing my laptop on campus with me, I left it at home. I didn't get on facebook or internet surf and it was really good. Instead I wrote in my journal which was much needed since I hadn't written since last Tuesday. I ended up writing 14 pages of my thoughts for an hour and a half! And now, I have actually had more time to work on my homework because I didn't spend forever wasting time on the internet. I was productive! It makes me wonder what the world would be like without the internet and all the stuff on there to distract us. It can be good, but yes, it can also be bad. I can guess that people like the pioneers did a lot more productive stuff because they didn't have TV to watch or computers to go play on. They probably spent more time outside, hung out with their friends (instead of chatting online or stalking them :P), read books, or wrote in their journals. Doing this made me decide I really need to spend less time with the media and more time with myself and God. :)

I AM BEAUTIFUL.