During the first week of school, I tried to go one whole day without using media. To be honest, it was really hard for me and I did not do a very good job of avoiding media.  However, the more I have thought about it, the more I want to try and reduce the amount of media in my life overall. I don't want to be as extreme as the first week of school and completely cut it out, but I want to try and cut out one thing at a time that I feel is not a good use of my time or takes too much of my attention.  I have decided that for this week I am going to try to cut out Facebook. I realized that most of the things that were posted on Facebook I didn't even care about and I found myself mindlessly scrolling through when bored or trying to pass time. Instead of just going to look at Facebook when I am bored, I am going to try to get other things done that are more important. I hope I can stick to it!

Recently in class we talked about advertising and its effects on us and society.  I thought it was really interesting because I have never thought a lot about advertising and its effects.  Because today was the super bowl, I made sure to pay close attention to the commercials and the different tactics that we learned about in class that advertisements use to try and get you to pay attention to their product. It was eye opening to while watching some of the commercials and the messages they portrayed. There were some that I thought were inappropriate and too sexual but there were also some that I thought were hilarious! My favorite commercials were the Doritos commercial and the Toyota Hybrid commercial.  They were both really funny and were not inappropriate which I really liked.  It showed me that even though we have to be careful when it comes to advertising, it can also be for our enjoyment and to simply make us laugh.

A few days ago my husband left for his internship in Scotland for a month.  I have been dreading him leaving for months now and was so sad when the day finally came for him to leave. I was so happy when he finally arrived in Scotland and he was able to factime and send snapchats.  It made all the difference getting to see him and talk to him for a little bit.  Having him gone has made me realize how grateful I am for media like snapchat and facetime! How lucky are we to be able to see and talk to loved ones that are half way across the world.  It reminded me of how media can be such a blessing when used the right way. It has made having him gone a little easier and made me so glad that we can use different forms of media to still talk with each other.

One of my favorite things to do on Sunday is watch Downton Abbey. I started watching the show when it first started and have been watching it ever since.  I think I love it so much because it is different from most shows out there right now.  I love the characters and their different personalities.  I also love all the costumes and the set.  But the reason I like watching it so much is because my mom loves it too.  We try and watch it together every week and it is something I really look forward too. We love talking about all the controversial moments and speculating what will happen next week.  I think that is one of the biggest benefits of media.  It can give us something to bond over with other people, and if used correctly can help bring us closer.

On the first day of class, my professor had everyone go around and say what their favorite TV show was.  I was suprised at the number of people who said that their favorite show is Gilmore Girls.  I had heard of it and always considered starting it but had just never gotten to it. After that class, I decided to start watching it and now I am hooked! I can see why everyone loves it so much.  It was so refreshing for me to watch a show that doesn't make some inappropriate joke every minute and is not overly sexual.  It is nice to watch finally find a good show that is appropriate and still funny and so addicting.  I love the characters and already feel attached to them. I am on season two now and I can't wait to see how the story develops.