TGI 2009

I am not going to spend a whole lot of time going over why I’m saying this, but good riddance 2008. It is hard to believe, but the Winter Quarter break is over and its back to class next week!! I can hardly believe a month and two holidays have passed us all by.

I am excited to get back in the classroom though — had an opportunity to do some pre-reading for my class next quarter and I am really  excited about the material. It is going to be another challenging quarter — two classes and work, plus I am continuing to lay the groundwork for my thesis project. I am taking kickboxing and circuit training gym courses, ya know, to offset the stress. I am going to spend these next couple of days relaxing, getting a new look, and watching “Dark Knight” (again).

sigh of relief

Well, my quarter is officially over. I buckled down and got my research papers done – ahead of their

resting

deadlines thank you very much! (Hence the lack of posting — I’ve been under a flood of papers.)

 

So what next on the agenda? My typical quarter break is spent indulging in all the things I had to deprive myself of during the quarter. One thing I love to do is recreational reading – something you have to give up when your desk is piled high with journal articles, reference books, and the like. So, I’ve decided I am going to read a few books for fun. Last night I was able to tear myself away from the tv long enough to start “The Scarlet Pimpernel”, which so far is proving to a very exciting tale of mystery and intrigue. I even had to break out my map of Paris (from my trip last Spring) to remind myself of where various sites referenced in the book are in the city. Aaah, memories. Anyway, I am going to try to also read “Twenty-thousand Leagues Under the Sea” and “King Solomon’s Mines” (did I mention I have a strange affinity for classic literature?) but I don’t want to overcommit, though — “Dark Knight” comes out on Blu-ray next week, and I just found out last night that the latest “X-Files” movie is already out on DVD. How did I miss that memo?

 

Anyway, the next month is going to spent enjoying the holidays with family and friends, and doing what I do best: consuming media, chewing it up, and spitting it back out.

Big love

I write this because I find myself in the midst of a dilemma. As with all of us, things happen in our everyday requiring our immediate attention. School, while important, isn’t the only activity in our lives. So I get back from vacation, energized, renewed… and introduced to a new toy: a 40” flat screen HD television. In my opinion, this is the best invention in the world – my whole viewing experience has been completely transformed. I see this as a good thing, and a bad thing. Good, because I love it (I’ve nick-named it “beautiful”); bad because I literally spent hours glued to the damn thing. *sigh* What is a girl to do? I know I have to wean myself away, but the lure of the bright lights, the rich, deep sound, the crisp picture, all draw me in. I also feel a sense of rebellion – like I’m being a bad girl for watching TV when I really should be doing homework. Geez, I sound like a teenager!

 

On a slightly more serious note, all of this got me thinking about the power of the media, and the influence of television in general. Have we truly considered the impact of the hardware in our analysis of the media? I just read an article that stated we use media to enhance our moods, make statements about our identities, emulate a desired behavior or fantasize about a possible self (Maness, K. Jan 2004, English Journal). I’m not necessarily saying I disagree with this premise, however, isn’t the acquisition of the hardware accomplishing these same goals as the content itself? And, when I spend all weekend watching “Whale Wars”, “Celebrity Rehab” “Top Chef” and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” what is that saying about me? Frankly, I felt like I watched just about anything I could just to watch TV. (I watched way more than what is listed, but I won’t embarrass myself just too much here.) My point for all of this is, there is something gosh darn addicting about that television – this is not an invitation to psychoanalyze my viewing choices, though if it looks like a cry for help…

 

Well, that is my current plight, and I’m beginning to think there is money to be made in research on how HD televisions alter your brain chemistry. In the meantime, I’m back to goal setting – which I preach is the most important thing you can do when you are working full time and going to school.  I am a hard working, top student, who takes great pride in all of my scholastic achievements. But let’s face it, serious or frivolous, life happens, and I got issues just like everybody else.

 

Interesting article: “Seven (More) Gadgets Killed by Your Cell Phone” http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/11/seven-more-gadg.html