The best Superman ever

I have decided that Dean Cain is the BEST superman ever. Better than Tom Welling, Christopher Reeves, and whoever was in the new Superman Returns movie. He is smart, knows when and how to use his powers, and isn't self-righteous (and he can act). So if you ever wondered who was the best Superman of all time the answer is emphatically...Dean Cain.
After writing that post I now need to revise it. I watched an episode last night and have decided that the acting in Lois and Clark really isn't all that great. BUT I still hold to it that he is the best superman because his character is still smart

Karaoke Night

I love to sing. When I was little that was all I wanted to be. Now I just resort to singing in the shower and the car. Saturday some girls in my ward together for a Karaoke night. It was a blast jamming out to Celine, The Supremes, and tons of others. But what I found to be amazing was how easy it is to remember lyrics to songs. Music is so powerful. It can be uplifting, it can be degrading, and anything else in between. But what is unique about music is that lyrics can stick with us for years. You hear the beginning of the song and the words you haven't thought about for years can come right back. Just goes to show you need to be really really careful about what songs you put into your head because they'll be there for a long long time.

The Office

This week I watched a few episodes of the office with my hubby. One episode was relatively clean for the show. There were quite a few comments and inuendos but that is just how the show goes. The second episode on the other hand was just dirty. I mean even for the office it was bad. In it Micheal was having an affair with a married woman so he had all of his comments about that. Then everyone in the office has to talk about it and try and get him to realize it's not good (which in and of itself was good because affairs are bad). Then there was Dwight and Angela who had entered into a contract to conceive a child for "work reasons" ( to help increase sales origionally) so they are fighting about that, talking about it, coming to an agreement, and doing bad stuff. It was gross. Usually if there is bad stuff it comes and goes pretty quick but there were quite a few parts where Karl and I just looked at each other instead of the screen and had to push mute. Not a good episode. Maybe I was just coding happy but I came up with about 50 things. There is no need for such high sexual content to be in one 30 minute program.

Marriage

Marriage...Marriage is what brings us together today. That may have been the case in The Princess Bride but today marriage in the media is all but extinct. That is one reason I really enjoyed The Toothfairy. Karl and I went for FHE and found it to be a cute family show really similar to The Gameplan. Not saying it's one I need to own but I found one thing about the movie really impressive. The main guy is dating a lady with two kids. Are there any sex scenes? Nope, not even really any kissing. They also did not live together and in the end he makes the commitment and proposes. Maybe if there was more of that in movies instead of "Hey, how about we just live together or just sleep together. Who needs to get married" then the population would follow that example and see how important marriage and fidelity really is.

Iron Man

I really like Iron Man. I think partly because it has a nostalgic element to it. I saw it at my first drive in when I flew up to Utah to visit Karl the summer we were dating and apart. AND Tony Stark is just a genius. I want to be that smart! I love how he has the 3D schematics and all the computers and the robot helpers. I love that Iron Man helps people. And Tony Stark is just funny. So if you haven't seen it I recommend it. I'm really excited for Iron Man 2 to get to the dollar theater. Hurry please!

Video Games

We just had our lecture on Video Games on Thursday and I did my own observations of them on Friday. I personally do not like most video games. I have my few favorites: Super Mario, Mario Cart Racing, Rock Band, and a few other games on the Wii but we don't have any of those up here in Utah so I just don't like playing. My husband Karl and his friend Nick on the other hand... Karl doesn't really play by himself very much and when he does it's the football and basketball games for like twenty minutes. However, when he and Nick play together bring on the guns. So last night we were all hanging out and I really wanted to watch Iron Man, so the boys pulled out the old Playstation so they could do that while I watched. While I watched the movie I kept glancing over and listening to them play. Some of the games were the sports ones, others were James Bond and killing games, but I tried to see if it was bringing out aggressive behavior or if it was a bonding thing. My conclusion. With those two it was bonding. They always tried to be on a team killing the other bad guys. With football they were opposite teams but they were still congratulating on good plays and joking around, quite loudly actually. It was hard to hear my movie. SO I have decided that video games aren't the root of all evil. I know that Nick plays the really aggressive games (like Assassin, etc) a lot, and he is one of the mildest guys I know (besides my hubby). I've never seen him get mad let alone aggressivie. I still don't want my kids to play video games and if they do I'm setting a time limit, but I finally agree. Aggressive video games are not as all destructive to the gamer as I thought.

Books on Tape

Growing up I thought books on tape were lame. Why in the world would you listen to a book? It seemed slightly stupid to me. Books were meant to be read. Period. But now I am hooked. About a year ago I got a bus pass, which is very convenient due to the fact that my husband and I have completely different schedules and one car. I really don't mind that it takes longer and it's nice not having to drive sometimes. But what I have really loved about the bus is that it gives me "reading time". I get sick of listening to the same songs over and over and I REALLY get sick if I try reading a book so I have resorted to books on tape. I fell in love with them when I worked custodial on campus and have realized the error of my ways. Books on tape are fabulous. I am currently on the fourth Harry Potter. I wanted to read all seven again before the next movie came out but I haven't had much time to just sit down and read. So this way I can be doing other things and still "read". It's wonderful. Yay for books on tape.

Books can shape who we are. For Better or Worse

My favorite book series when I was little was the Animorphs. I know, sort of embarrassing to admit but I was addicted to them. Every time we went to the store I would check to see if there was a new book and I would beg my mom to get it for me. They may not be the best books, but they taught me one valuable lesson. Never underestimate the power of a book. TV may be very influential on behaviors and attitudes, but almost nothing has had a more powerful changing effect on me than this simple youth series.

My favorite character was Rachel. Rachel is beautiful, athletic, tall and confident. Everything I wanted to be growing up. She was also the best fighter and had a big attitude. When I would read the books I would imagine that I was Rachel, that her story was mine. My best friend also loved the books and when we played together she was Cassie, I was Rachel, and we were trying to save the world. The more I read the books, the more I connected with Rachel. I didn't realize it at the time but I was acting more and more like her every day.

I was still reading these books at the beginning of middle school. I had developed a pretty big attitude, wasn't very nice, and would often get into "fights" if it meant protecting my friends. It was mostly verbal squabbles ( which I usually won), but still they were fights. After I had stopped reading those books for awhile my demeanor began to change. I didn't want to be mean anymore. I wanted people to like me, not fear me, and change I did. I was a lot happier, a lot nicer and had no idea that the books had anything to do with how I had been acting. Until I started reading them again.

I think I was in high school when I decided to read one again, to see why I had liked those books so much in the first place. Within a day I noticed the difference. My big attitude and sarcastic comments made a huge come back. I had started acting like Rachel again. My family and friends both noticed the difference as well. When I read those books I was a completely different person. I had developed a connection with the characters in the book and allowed their "personalities" to shape my own. I wouldn't have thought that a youth book could have such a potent effect on my life.

The message to be learned here: Never Underestimate the Power of the Media

Leap Year

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS POTENTIAL SPOILER INFO IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN LEAP YEAR AND ARE PLANNING TO....



I have been really excited to watch Leap Year and last night I finally got the chance. I think it was because I was so excited that I was a little disappointed. Well that and the fact that I couldn't hear very well. I thought it was a cute movie, had a lot of funny lines, and in the end they got together. Who could really ask for more of a chick flick? But it just reminded me of lecture when we ran down the hall and then talked about attraction and heart rate.

In the movie all these things are going wrong, and for Anna (Amy Adams), who needs everything to be under her control, that was a very hard and stressful thing. But she and Declan made it through all these obstacles together and finally got to Dublin. I'm glad she didn't end up with the cardiologist because he was a jerk but I'm not so sure I like that they got married so fast.

The movie is pretty slow, lots of walking, lots of opportunities to really get to know each other, and they don't use it. They don't really get to know each other at all. They spend most of it in silence because they don't really like each other. Then after the stressful situation is over and Declan isn't there anymore she realizes she can't live without him, goes back to Ireland, and immediately they get married. Is it going to last? Maybe. But where is their foundation? For some people it only takes a few weeks to realize if someone is the love of your life. But for others, like me, it takes awhile. So while I thought it was a cute movie, and am glad they ended up together, I wish it had actually showed them developing a relationship and getting to know each other better. Then I would have been completely sold and loved the movie.

People Need to Stay Gone

I was watching Smallville and have decided that while I love the show it REALLY bothers me sometimes. The topic of today's annoyance is Lana Lang. She never really ever goes away. It's the same annoying problem. She has to figure out who she is, so she leaves. Then she has to get away form Clark. Then she fakes her own death. Then she has to get away so Clark can fulfill his destiny. But the problem is she never stays away! It's the same when people don't stay dead. I hate it when you think you got rid of the bad guy and he comes back from the dead...for the third time. I don't know if this happens because the producers can't come up with anything better or if they just like to drive us fans crazy. Anyways, in real life people can't come back from the dead multiple times and they usually stay away when they leave so I think it is time for Smallville to some to grips with this reality and try to implement it into their show.