Facebook Quizzes

Facebook quizzes are so silly, but they can be pretty fun. I like to take them just to see what I get. I never share the quiz to Facebook because I don't want to spam people's news feed with it. Besides, they probably have 10 other people who post the same quiz. I also don't actively seek out the quizzes. If I come across one of those quizzes on my news feed and it looks fun then I'll take it. I think that these quizzes can also help people come closer together when they share their results and talk about how silly the results were.

I <3 IKEA

So, I love IKEA (I seriously would live there if I could...it has all the things necessary to live). I also really like their mobile app. My husband and I just moved into a new apartment, so we've been looking for things to help with extra storage/maximizing of available space. When we found some things that we wanted we just added it to the shopping list in the app. The shopping list is such a neat feature because you can have more than one list, can see if the item is in stock or not and how many of that product in that particular color are available. Once you picked up the item in the shopping list you can either manually mark it as picked up or you can scan the bar code/number with your phone. It's so cool. I love how easy shopping has gotten.

If you love IKEA you should give the app a look. For those that have never been to IKEA, go, you will not regret it. Beware, though, it is next to impossible to leave without buying something.

Indexing

Indexing is a lot of fun! I had an assignment to index 50 records for my family history class. Most of the records I did were obituaries. Obituaries are a really neat way to get to learn more about a person. For example, one obituary was from a 102 year old and another one was Col. Sanders' nephew (co-founder of KFC). How neat!

If you haven't tried indexing, you should. :)

Kids and Cell Phones

Wednesday we talked about Family and the Media. A little bit was about cell phones. I got my first cell phone when I was 15 because I was in a million extra-curricular activities and my parents were not always home for me to call them to pick me up when I was done, so the cell phone allowed me to call long-distance which the school phone couldn't. My first phone was a "dumb" phone (don't think smartphones existed quite yet...if they did it was just the iPhone which was brand new). I thought it was the coolest phone ever. I loved it (it was the Motorola Razr--that was THE phone to have). I didn't get my first smartphone until last year (and I LOVE it!).

Anyway, my husband and I don't have kids, but we sometimes talk about what type of standards/rules we would like to set for when we do have them someday. One thing we've talked about is the appropriate time to let them have a phone. We think 15 is a good age, if they are in extra-curricular activities, maybe a little bit later if not in extra-curricular activities. If "dumb" phones still exist as we know them today, that is the type of phone we would like to give them. Seeing as that'll probably be 16+ years until we have a 15 year old, our smartphones of today will probably be the "dumb" phones of that time (it's pretty hard to find "dumb" phones today even).

I think it's weird seeing people under 12 with cell phones, especially a 6-year-old. I don't know what they would use it for, since most 6 year olds are not in a lot of activities and if they are, usually a parent or someone else is there with them. Maybe they have some good reason for a phone at that age, but I don't know. This is just my thoughts.

Music to My Ears

I love listening to Pandora while I clean/pack my apartment. It makes the time go by so much faster. Music also makes it more enjoyable and less stressful. Sometimes it is hard to just start, but for some reason music kind of helps me get a start. I definitely don't listen to music as much as I used to, but I still love listening to it when I can (which is basically when I'm cleaning).

Sex in the Media: Why it Bothers Me

Dr. Coyne asked the question today during lecture: "Does sex in the media bother you?" I didn't have to think about that question for very long because I knew the answer right away. Sex in the media does in fact bother me a lot. I really do not like it. There were shows that my husband and I stopped watching because there were just too many references to sex. *cough cough* Friends *cough cough* Sure there are funny moments in it, but there are just WAY too many references to sex in each episode. I almost stopped watching The Bachelor because I thought some of the scenes from the preview at the beginning of the season were eluding to the bachelor having sexual relations with multiple women throughout the season. When I got to those episodes I realized that the bachelor was not having sexual relations but that it was the editors (producers?) who made it seem like it was.

I feel like women are really objectified in the media (ads, video games, board games, TV/movies, magazines, etc). I think men also are objectified on occasion and that is not okay either. They are all children of Heavenly Father and they deserve to be treated as such.

Another reason why sex in the media bothers me is because our home is supposed to be like a temple. It's supposed to be a refuge from the world, a source of peace, a safe place for all to come and feel the Spirit. I try my best to keep my home like that. I want my home to be a like a piece of heaven on earth. I talk that I really love that's about making the home a place of peace is Elder Richard G. Scott's talk "For Peace at Home." It's so amazing. I think everyone should read it.

I am really thankful for all the things the Church is doing for those ensnared in addiction, those supporting someone ensnared in addiction, and materials we can use to teach children about pornography and why it is harmful and not of God. It really is great.

Ridiculously Funny News

I'm pretty sure everyone has seen photos of "The Dress" by now. Is it black and blue or white and gold? I see white and gold, but in actuality the dress is black in blue. The photo was taken in really poor lighting, with a super bright flash, was overexposed, or maybe a combination.

The Dress sure stirred up quite a bit of controversy about what color it really is. It's actually kinda funny. Who knew one dress could get the whole world talking about the same thing, practically at the same time.

Even though it is quite ridiculous, I am glad something funny was in the news for a change. The viral publicity was great news for the makers of the dress because within no more than a few hours they sold out of that dress. They are now thinking of making it in white and gold because of the major success.

While we are on the topic of ridiculous but funny, the llama chase in Arizona was pretty great. I think it is hilarious that the news station(s) did a live feed of it. My sister watched it. I probably would have too if I wasn't swamped with homework and actually had TV channels. :)

Anyway, here is the llama chase for those of you who haven't seen it: