Tia and Sara were just asking me who I woudl want to out out with this weekend and I realized that there isn't anyone on my list. That is so sad. Katie, who works up in BYUSA with me always has a top 5. I need to devote some time to thinking if I have a top 5 or not.

I just let myself start playing Hexic which is a bad idea because I can never just close out the game, I always have to wait until I lose the game (which takes forever to happen because I am so good at that game LOL)

Babysitting today was so good. The 2 year old was so cute and said the funniest things to me today. He told me he thinks I am nice. I loved that. I am not planning on having kids anytime soon (except for my love child maybe), but when I do I am sure I will think it is all worth it because of the little things like that.

The more I work with kids (which is what I am constantly doing) the more I wonder why I am not going into Elementary Education or Special Ed or something. I just think that Elementary Ed is such a copout major, something that girls go into when they don't have anything else. Like MFHD. Don't even get me started on that major.

I pre-paid my gym membership, which is nice in some ways and pretty much the worst idea ever in others. I don't have to worry about making a payment each month, but on the other hand because I am not reminded about my membership I am constantly throwing my money down the drain when I don't go. I assume that this is something that tons of people struggle with. After working at a gym for so long, I have realized that their is an incredible number of people who pay for memberships and never use them. Xcell had 600+ members and probably around 100 active. I have got to stop throwing my money down the drain.

I am over committed and I hate it. I don't have anything to drop though. Sometimes I am just tempted to move home and give it all up. I am tired of being grown up, but I love it at the same time.

I got back my 360 degree feedback from Student Leadership, and it is nice to see the different ways that I can improve, but in so many ways depressing to see all of the things that people said about me. I want to be a good leader and this only reminded me how far away I am from achieving that. They included that comments that people had verbatim (without names of course) it was an interesting project, something that I will always be able to value, but it's a slap in the face as well.

I am parked in a service only parking spot (I parked there 1/2 an hour before the 4:00 open time). Someone is going to lose an eyeball if I have a ticket.

Mason, from Provo Pulse called me today to see if I wanted to have lunch with him (I couldnt because I was babysitting). It was sweet and I think that we are going to meet next week. My first arranged fellow blogger meeting. I love how nerdy this all seems.

Home sweet home

Ahhh....... to be home. I sleep in until 11, have the house to my self, devour all of the shows that my family has on the PVR. You get the basic idea.

My Comms 235 professor raised an intersting question in class last week. Where do you get the majority of your information about current events? After he asked the question I realized that I get most of my news from other blogs. What do you all think of this? In so many ways it can be dangerous because I am missing out on things that bloggers don't deem worthy of touching on or even that aren't true at all.

Seriously Mason, I love ProvoPulse but the commenting is getting so crazy. I am not going to ever say that I agree with censoring the comments, but could there even be one discussion that doesnt turn into a mud-slinging fight? Nobody escapes the wrath of the anonymous commenters on your site anymore. On the other hand, congragulations on the popularity and success of the site. It is a staple in my daily blog diet.

Mr. Marbles and I are friends on The Facebook. Yay for us.

Junior Miss is this weekend, and I am in Filmmakers heaven. I forgot how much I love taping programs like this, and it will be even more fun once I get back to the bubble to edit. This is going to be the best Junior Miss Video of all time.

If you love your palm as much as I do, you will probably like this blog.

Failing all my classes

I am actually failing my classes I think. Do my parents read this because I don't really want them to know. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I'll pull through. In the meantime does anyone know of a good major at BYU that you don't have to apply for?

I discovered thefacebook.com and I am loving it. Get on there. And then be my friend.

Provopulse is getting out of control. I like all the commenting but I am tired of being attacked any time I write a comment on there.

If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner.

My roommates are all up at Brad's cabin with half of the ward which means I have the apartment to myself. I love it when that happens.

The Talent Showdown was tonight. It was awesome. Don't think I could have done better myself, ok well maybe..................

Elections are over, Adam and Chrissie won. Except for the fact that I think the name Chrissie belongs in the 1970's I am okay with it. I wish them the best of luck and I hope that this is the year that they can convince that Student Body that BYUSA is really worth something. I don't regret my time spent up there, but will I run? I am not sure. Check back with me a year from now.

Something I have been thinking about lately is the need that people seem to have to always be out and doing stuff. Why do we have this inner desire to avoid the things that need to be done? (An indication would be what I am doing right now, I am sure you all know that this isnt the most productive thing I could be doing) My roommates love to be going out every single night and hanging out. I see the social implications of staying home often, but what about the personal implications of neglecting one's responsibilities and needs all the time in the pursuit of "fun" with friends? I would rather stay home a Friday night or two, than spend the rest of the week regretting my time spent playing. When I go out for the night, I want it to be guilt free, knowing that I have crossed off all the things off of my to-do list. (which unforunately, has never happened before, but there is still hope)

Has everyone heard of the Foxytunes extension for iTunes? If you haven't you should get it.

I am thinking about starting up an 80's club. Anyone have any good suggestions for the perfect name for it?

Failed Elections

I know it seems like I can't get off of this topic but I spend enough of my life up there to justify my semi-obsession with BYUSA.

One of my pet peeves is hearing people talk in circles about things. Every year when the BYUSA elections come up people complain because they don't see the point in voting while BYUSA tries ever harder to prove that there is a purpose behind electing a president. Each year voting turnout gets worse and worse.

What is the solution here?

Is the viewpoint in the Daily Universe the answer? I am sure that BYUSA is infuriated with this editorial (they get worked up pretty easily), but I think that their are some very valid points. One day isnt enough time to get to know anyone and what they stand for. Without more information why shoudl anyone care?

People hate the fliers and advertisements for elections but without them how would anyone know the candidates or their names? How would anyone know it was time to vote in the first place?

If people don't like the promises that people are making, what kinds of things are they looking for?

If you are so unsatisfied with the options why don't you make a suggestion, or better yet make an effort to make some changes?

I agree with this article.

WHY AM I VOTING?

BYUSA Elections are on Tuesday? I don't care, and I'd wager (yes, a bet) that over 90 percent of BYU students feel the same way. Information about candidates is available on Monday and since elections are on Tuesday, I have less than 36 hours to conclude who to vote for. Not that it really matters who I vote for because if I vote for candidate A and candidate B wins I can expect the same results.

Next year I can still expect to see BYUSA activities such as Fall Fest, Homecoming, Preference, Battle of the Bands, Friday Night Live, clubs, etc.

In my opinion, BYUSA President is not a position that should be voted on by the student body. The position should be renamed to something more accurate such as BYUSA Director and let the full-time staff conduct interviews to decide who will do the best job. I'd wager (yes, another bet) that we'd have better dances and activities. The elections wouldn't waste our time and BYUSA can be seen for what it really is: a student activities and service committee. All this nonsense about promising to improve student life with radio stations, concerts, closer parking, etc. would be gone and we can move on with our lives. Best of all, we could also be assured not to have stupid signs and pins cluttering up campus anymore.

Nate Bird

Wenatchee, WA

Why did I vote? Because I have been up there. I have seen the problems, and dealt with them, and attempted to solve them. I know the people and how they act, their potential. BYUSA is always looking for more volunteers, so many opportunities to get involved. If you want a reason to vote next year, be proactive about it. Do something to help yourself realize why this could be important and what voting can do for you.

Question of the Day: I need new Athletic shoes, any reccomendations? (I have wide feet and need a little extra room, anyone know any specialized brands?)

Mony Mony

My dating life is frustrating. See my post at Provopulse.

I hate when there are so many things to post about and my brain can't settle down enough to write about anything.

I got a new job. A therapist for an Autistic boy. I love it, I love him, I love his mom, love the whole situation.

Got a ticket today. My fury knows no bounds.

Oh yes, the weekend

I am off to Boise this weekend for a nice break at my roommates house. Hopefully there is no drama (I would post more details but I don't know who reads this) because I am ready for a nice long weekend.

I got a second job yesterday. I working for a lady cleaning her house and taking care of her kids. She has a little boy named Wilson, and a little girl named Alison. They are probably around 2 and 5 respectively and absolutely adorable. I am going to babysit them on Tuesday, and then I will go back to clean her house on Thursday. I am killing myself with all of the responsibilities I am signing up for but Italy has to become a priority for me.

I was thinking about how I never post funny stories on here. Do I just have a boring life? My roommates and I are so dang funny, I can't figure out why I don't have more clever things to say.

My parents have come around, and it sounds like we are going to stop fighting about Italy and look for some ways to get me there. I have been looking up the possibility of a Europass, has anyone purchased one before? Is it worth the $?

Questions of the day-Best place you have ever vacationed before?

Site Changes

Please notice the site changes. Though they are subtle, they were made during a time that definitely could have been better used studying. Screw that idea. I miss the daily blogging, the hours wasted at Xcell searching all over the 'net for sites to post for my lovely readers. Is anyone else finding that blogger is taking forever to update this site? When I make template changes or write a new post it takes several hours for the changes to go through. Could this be something that I am doing wrong?

I AM GOING TO ITALY! Sorry for the yelling, I despise those who feel the need to write everything that they say in all capitals (as well as those who still have not caught onto the idea of using punctuation, which I think also applies to text messaging, but that is another story for another time). I was informed last Friday of my acceptance into the Fall Study Abroad Italy 2005 program and I have been walking on a cloud ever since. Here is the first paragraph of the email they sent me

Dear Jenna,
By now you should have received the letter of acceptance for the Fall 2005 Study Abroad in Italy. Congratulations! This year we had over 100 participants, all very qualified, and the review process has been long and laborious. We look forward to working with you and sharing with you the wonderful culture and civilization of Italy.

What an awesome feeling it was opening up that email! I have been rejected from a lot of things that I have interviewed/tried out for. Actually, now that I think about it, whenever I interview face to face for something, I make it in fine, its when I have to do group things or send in packages (such as the Film Program App.) that things don't work out so well.
I will spend from September to December going to school. There is the possibility that I will stay through the end of February and volunteer at the Olympics, but I still havent made up my mind about that yet. Any advice? My parents don't think that it will be that great of an experience. Did any of you work the Salt Lake Olympics? How did you feel about those? Is it worth putting myself in debt for? Missing out on an entire semester of school? Not seeing my family for 7 months?

I recently decided that I want to be a bridal consultant (otherwise known as a wedding planner). I hate how nerdy it sounds (I have been spending how much money a year to do what?), but the more I plan events up in BYUSA, the easier it gets to admit to myself that it would be something I would be very good at.

I have been dreaming of my Italian teacher lately. I don't know if I love him because of his accent or his eccentric personality. He is a little crazy, but I will admit that I love it. He is only 22 or 23, would it be so wrong for us to date?


Wow this is turning into a long post. I am a nerd who can't get enough of broadway. My launchcast player just played this song for me. I loved it.

Don't Marry Me

You are young and beautiful,
Sweet as the breath of May.
Earnestly I speak to you.
Weigh ev'ry word I say.
If you want to have a rosy future
And be happy as a honey bee,
With a husband who will always love you,
Baby, Don't marry me.
If you want a man you can depend on,
I can absolutely guarantee
I will never fail to disappoint you,
Baby, Don't marry me.
I eat litchie nuts and cookies in bed
And I fill the bed with nutshells and crumbs.
I have irritating habits you'll dread,
Like the way I have of cracking my thumbs.
My grandpa was a big game hunter,
He met grandma swinging on a tree.
If you want to have attactive children,
Baby, Don't marry me.
--I would like to see my sons and daughters
Sliding up and down their father's knee.--
They'll get splinters in their little fannies,
Cookie, Don't marry me.
I'm devoted to my dear old Mama,
And if you and Mama disagree,
I would always side with her against you,
Schnookie, Don't marry me.
--I would always like to know where you go.
I don't like a man to keep me in doubt.--
Honey that's a thing that's easy to know,
You will always know where I am, I'm out!
I am talking like a Chinese uncle.
I'm as serious as I can be.
I am saying this because I love you,
Darling, Don't marry me!

Mi vida loca

I debated whether I should title this post in such a manner because its not that things are crazy for me right now, they are always crazy. I hear my peers say things like "I just go and sit at home all the time" or "There is nothing to do in this town". I wish I had the time to figure out what that meant and how to make it happen in my own life. Not that I regret anything that I am involved in, I love being so busy I just wish I knew how to handle it a little better.

I had my first ever face to face meeting with a fellow blogger this week. Hannah and I both work up in the BYUSA office and it was inevitable that we meet. Her last post talked a little bit about valentines day and wearing pink and red and when I heard this girl up in the office talking about Valentines Month and wearing pink and red I knew it was her. It was weird actually (not meeting her) just knowing it was her by the way she was talking. Meeting her face to face was totally normal, she is a cutie. I am sure we will be seeing more of each other since we both work in "THE BLACK HOLE" (as my roommates have termed it)

Check out the new site that blogger has up on their homepage. Things I hate about my Flatmate.
The swearing might put you off, so ignore it if that will offend you (not that I am a fan) but anyone who has had roommates before, or even lived with another person will love this girls rantings and ravings about the stupid things that her roommate does.

The 2005 bloggies are being voted for. How many people with terrible blogs vote for themselves? I bet the numbers are pretty high. (Although I admit I wouldn't deny being flattered if anyone voted for my blog even though we all know it isnt deserving of anything.) I am only a Crawly Amphibian in the TTLB Ecosystem after all.

My roommates are at Disneyland today. Lucky little....... I would be there if it wasnt for my impending acceptance into the Italy Study Abroad program. I better be getting in to that for this sacrifice I made. I would give anything to be there right now.

Today is my productivity day. Clean my room. Play DDR (that is productive in that it gives me some exercise). Clean the kitchen. Go to Costco. Buy karaoke revolution ( I cant resist the temptation any longer). Spend the rest of the night at the library.

Question of the Day: Favorite program to pirate music?

What you waiting for?

I am dying for a nap right now, but I know that if I get into my bed (which I will have to clear off first, it is stacked a foot high with clothes and junk) I won't finish this when I get back up.

My computer has been in the kitchen lately and I like it, I don't have the privacy that I need to do my homework, but its nice to have my 3000 songs in the kitchen where everyone can listen to them.

It has been almost a month since I last posted, the longest I have ever gone between posts, but I promise that I have good reason for it. I have been named as an Executive Director in the BYUSA office which is pretty excitng and crazy. I am sure that many of my posts from now on will concern the issues that affect me because of my involvement.

They are making me switch around my schedule which is driving me crazy because I like the schedule that I have right now and I fought hard to get it that way. There is a possibility that this next week I am going to have to go to the classes that I am a part of right now, as well as the classes that I am interested in getting into. I dont even want to think about how horrible that will be.

On the plus side I know that I am going to love being in charge of the activities that they have given me. Freeze Fest is next Friday, the WyBall is March 18th, and the Brigham Awards are on Friday.

My dad was in the hospital earlier this week, quite a scare for me. Good to realize how much I really love and appreciate my parents though. He will probably have to have his gallbladder otu sometime soon.

I applied for study abroad and had the interview yesterday. Wish me luck. If I go I plan on studying through the year next year and volunteering with the Olympics. I think it will be absolutely amazing. Hopefully no boy decides to take interest in me and ruin my plans. No dating for me.

Question of the Day-If you had to be allergic to sugar or salt which would you choose?


I got this email and thought it might be fun to see if anyone wanted to take a guess at any of these answers. It might be funny to see how I am percieved.

Your name:

Where did we meet:

Take a stab at my middle name:

How long have you known me:

Do I smoke:

Do I believe in God:

What was your first impression of me upon meeting:

Color of my eyes:

Do I have any siblings:

What's one of my favorite things to do:

Do you remember one of the first things I said to you:

What's my favorite type of music:

What is the best feature about me:

Am I shy or outgoing:

Am I a rebel or do I follow the rules:

Any special talents:

Would you consider me a friend:

If there was one good nickname for me, what would it be:

What's your favorite memory of me:

If you and I were stranded on a desert island, what one thing would I bring?

The "aughts"

How many times have you been listening to the radio and heard the DJ say "the hits of 80's, 90's, and today". Has anyone else been bothered by the idea that we still don't have a name for the decade we are living in? I just found an article that tells me I am not alone in this concern. Timothy Noah of Slate has written a great article called "Name that Decade". It is one of the best articles that I have read in a long time.

Question of the Day-What is the best song of the 90's?

Answer-You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette

Its official. I have finally decided on a major and there is no changing my mind now. I will never understand when people say "oh don't worry about it, you are young and can change your mind a hundred times" I hate hearing that and I think its the worst advice I have ever heard. I want to get settled into something and go after it, I want to pursue something and never look back. It's funny that I decided on PR because communications was what I originally thought that I would enjoy in high school, unfortunately I got distracted by all of the other fun options at the Y.

My problem isnt that I can't find something that I like, its that I think I would love so many things and I can't make myself settle on one thing. I think I would really enjoy Dietetics, I would love film, and I think I would even enjoy psychology. Photography would be amazing and Fitness and Wellness would be great. It's time for me to face reality though and decide where I am going to start taking my life. The nice thing about PR is that I know I will really enjoy it and BYUSA will give me such great credentials. So I am signed up for Comms 235, and I will hopefully get into Comms 101 and 211 sometime soon. The beginning of a new semester always gets me excited and I am ready to take on the challenge of a new school year. Most students look at the syllabus at the beginning of the year and feel a sense of dread at all the work that is ahead of them, but honestly I just get excited about all of the opportunities that I am going to have.

Its not writing for a newspaper that interests me, its running and managing programs. Campus activities is perfect for me, and I hope to be an ED next year; which means I will have to do a killer job on the talent show.

The one thing that bothers me about communications is that it seems to be a copout major. Students will say "I can't think of what I want to do with my life so I will just go into communications." I think that is why I resisted the major for so long, but my parents feel really strongly that it would be good for me and that in the end it would be something that I could really enjoy. I guess I am more of a Type A person than I ever imagined.

The holiday's were good for me. The same old routine, but I like it that way. My parents spoiled me with a brand new video camera, which I hope to put to good use this semester.

I think I found the perfect job. When I get it I will let you all know.

Question of the Day-What was the best Christmas present you got this year?

Answer-Probably the Hollywood watch the my Grandma got for me (that my mom found!)

a lesson in blogging

There has to be alot of disappointed males out there who search for the word "breasts" and ended up at my site. I decided to check out the recent searches that had brought people to my site and I thought I would share some of them with you.

naked wild women photos
Joe Francis AND girls gone wild AND superbowl
girls gone wild photo's

and my personal favorite
mormon breasts

I am finally starting to get old. Christmas has hit the point where it isn’t about presents anymore but actually about family. Something I never though would happen. I went to my cousins house on Sunday and they were counting all of their presents and trying to decide what each one was; it made me sad to realize that I don’t do that anymore. Not that doing something like that is just for children, my mom sits down and shakes her presents pretty much every day. I have the best present to give to my sister but I wont detail it on here yet because I don’t want her to read this and spoil the surprise.

I have been driving the huge Silverado this past week and I hate it. I will be excited to get back to Bella, my cute little car. My dad isn’t happy because someone knocked a dent in the drivers side, probably sometime when it was parked at the gym.

I have finally decided on a major. Public Relations; and I will reapply for the film minor and get another minor in Women’s Studies. I want to get so many majors but my dad told me I have to stop because minors don’t do anything for you really. They are so fun though!
Question of the day: If you could minor in 5 things what would they be?

Christmas or XMAS

Does it make any difference? Can you really claim that by using the word Christmas you are bringing out the true essence of the word? I will admit that I routinely feel offended when I see the word XMAS written in huge letters anywhere but if I am honest with myself I don't think writing the word out or abbreviating it makes any difference in the Christmas spirit that I feel.

Finals Schminals

Its finals week again, the time when I become a walking zombie. I have succesfully gone 3 days without doing my hair or makeup. At all. Its actually quite liberating in a way, but not something I would do all the time. Sad that so much of my self-confidence comes in a bottle.

Does anyone else have a hard time keeping track of the rap and hip-hop artists and their posse's? Does anyone else hate Top 40 like I do?

I wish I had the energy, or the time to blog about the awesome trip to California that I had last week, but its not happening. A brief snyopsis will have to do. 4 girls, 4 guys. California. LA, Anaheim, Disneyland, The Price is Right, The Ocean, Santa Monica Pier, No hookups the entire trip. The best video ever made.

I am feeling stressed about a gift I have to buy for a family gift exchange. Its got to be a unisex, inexpensive (between $20-$40) gift that someone might actually want. If I dont find anything absolutely perfect I will just choose what I want for myself and try to get it back.

I know I don't write about romantic topics often, but that is because they are practically non-existent in my life. There are two boys that I am interested in. One who reminds me of my dad (roomies if you are reading this I am sure you know who I am talking about) and one who I want to like but don't. The dad-boy is someone that I like off and on, and I cant figure out why I have no attraction for boy #2 although I really want too. My roommate has resorted to singing the Dashboard song "Jamie" to me and replacing his name with the word Jamie. I still havent come around though. Its because I cant ever imagine kissing him, or holdling his hand, or anything of the sort. I am just holding out for something, although I have no idea what that is. Dad-boy is the ward boy, way to popular to settle for just one girl so he was ruled out awhile ago. I don't have enough energy to chase that hard.

I am not sure if I mentioned that I am in charge of BYU's talent show this February but I am looking for some ideas for it. We still have not come up with our finalized theme, and I am looking to throw some possibilities out to you guys and see what you think. A few people keep suggesting ideas that play off of the word cougar and I hate all of them. I think its cheesy and overdone. Of course I wont say that to their face, so I just have to come up with something so great that the cougar idea goes right out the window.
Talent Expo
Time to Shine
Talent Fair
King of the Talent
Shine
BYU Show Off
The Quest

I am also looking for Judge ideas. We are looking into getting "celebrities" around BYU. I got in contact with Ken Jennings, got a no, but I did make some progress their. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas on how we can get people to come judge the program?

3 more finals to take. 2 of them that I really have to take today. Am I studying for them right now? Obviously not. I told myself I cant take a nap until I finish my nutrition notes so I can sell back my book. I have already got back 70 dollars from the books I have sold back. What a great feeling. Wish me luck through the next 24 hours, I am going to need it.

Question of the Day-What is your favorite movie made before 1970?
My Answer-Gigi

Take Your Mama Out

Whenever I am not posting, which happens frequently, I wish I was. But as soon as I sit down in front of the screen I start to have problems. Its not that my mind goes blank, its that my mind is running so fast I cant get it to slow down enough to type anything. I think about all of the things I should be doing (homework), things I wish I was doing, and things that are coming up within the week. Maybe that is why I am having such a hard time in school, I have a hard time concentrating on one thing. Or maybe its because I spend so much time focusing on one thing that its a problem.

Life this past semester has been hectic, and I miss the lazy days of summer that I spent posting on my blog and working at the gym. Just thought I would give everyone an update on the craziness of my life.

School
Well there isnt much to say here other than the fact that it is hard and this is the worst part of the semester. I have no idea when most of my finals are, I dont have any study guides, and it gets to stressful that I just want to give up. I wont though, because I will not go back to Royal City again.
Anatomy is killer, I have my lab midterm next Thursday. Learning the Male and Female reproduction organs has been an interesting experience. Yesterday I taught 3 boys the male parts, something that always brings some akwardness with it. I tease my guy friends that I know more about them than they do.
Nutrition isnt that bad, I could have done better if I would have remembered moer throughout the semester. Everything that I didnt do well on was a result of forgetfulness on my part. I don't even know if I will get enough grade in the class for dietetics to be an option. Retaking the class does not appeal to me at all.
Womens studies is still good, I always skip and feel bad about it. I didnt turn in my last paper, and still havent written it. I am not feeling too bad about it because I just found out that I aced the last one I turned in (the one on breasts).
Intro to Allied Health and Latin are easy. Enough said.

Romance
There is none. Whatsoever. Zip. It looks like I am going to be winning $50 from Bob Murphy after all. If I make it about 6 more months, I win the bet between on us on whether I could go 2 years without getting engaged. I do have the hots for 2 boys in my ward, we will see if anything develops. I would like to be more specific, but I have heard too many horror stories about people who write about other people in their blogs and regret it later.

California
We leave on Friday for a 5 day trip to California. We includes my roommates, and apt 11. We will be in Disneyland on Saturday, having a bonfire on Sunday night, and attempting to get on the Price is Right on Monday. It should be the greatest time ever. I made shirts, and my parents sold me my car for $1 (to get rid of some of their liability). I don't think we realized what we were doing when we planned the trip, we will get back 5 days before finals and I hav ea final the day after we get back but we dont care. The thought of 5 days with nothing to worry about, with the coolest people I know is very liberating in and of itself.

I have no idea what I want to do with my life, and I dont know what to do about it. I guess I will just take GE's again next semester and apply for the Film minor. We will see how all of that goes.

Question of the Day:
What is your pet peeve?

My answer:
People who will not say what they think. I hate dragging it out of them.

Another paper-nutrition this time

Posting my papers is pretty easy, and most of them are about things that really interest me. This paper is concerning an article that I had to read for my nutrition class. It is about how to feed yoru children, soemthing that I think many parents struggle with, and its something that I will be reading when I have children of my own. I would have liked to make the paper longer, but there were restrictions concerning length and content. Let me know if you would like to know more about it, I thought the entire thing was very interesting.

There are many parents across the country that have the same questions you do. They want to know how to feed their children, when it should be done, and what is best for them to eat. This can be done through the “Division of Responsibility”, which clearly outlines the tasks that parents and children should each follow to make eating a positive experience for all.
Division of Responsibility
As a parent your responsibilities are going to be much easier than you might imagine. You are responsible for choosing what your children eat, where they eat it, and when they eat it. You should not “short order cook” for your children, but don’t make their task of eating impossible by serving a meal of lima beans and meatloaf and a bitter fruit. Children need at least one food that is negotiable and easy for them to recognize and like. Bread is your best bet for this, as it is soft and chewy, as well as having a taste that most everyone can love. Sit down as a family and eat your meals, don’t rush through them or eat in front of the television. Talk to your child, but don’t make him the subject of the entire meal. It is important to teach him how to eat but don’t pressure him about what he eats. Respectable table manners are a must for individuals of all ages, and it is important that children learn what is expected of them at a young age.
Before you can accept your own responsibilities you need to realize that your children will eat. We are all born with instinctive drives concerning food and eating. Your child has the ability within himself to eat the right amount of food today to account for what he ate on previous days. Offer him a variety of food; though it may take him some time to adjust his palate to the sensation of these new foods, over time he will accept and even come to appreciate this new source of nutrition. Many parents push or restrict their child concerning what is being consumed, but it is up to you as a parent to accept that your child’s body has a specific genetic code determining how fat, short, thin, or tall he is. Pushing a seemingly heavy child to eat will only cause them to reject the food when you serve it, and secretly make up for it at a later time. Young children should not be taught to take on the adult views of what is or what isn’t a healthy body, they do not have the maturity nor the capacity to understand the terms healthy or unhealthy and it is important to let their bodies tell them what is or isn’t right concerning eating. Let a child decide for himself how much he should eat at each meal, he is obeying those natural hunger signals that are built within each of us.
Basis for Recommendations
The Division of Responsibility was devised by Ellyn Satter, MS RD LCSW BCD. She is an internationally recognized authority with 40 years of experience behind her. Her methods emphasize an individuals own aptitude for proper food behavior to develop.
Personal Experience
I see the contrast of this method in two of my Aunts, both my mother’s sisters. One short-order cooked, fed her child whenever he desired, and bought high-fat or high-sugar foods. She is dealing with an overweight, always snacking, unhappy child. My other Aunt fed her kids regularly scheduled meals, always healthy yet familiar, and kept nutritious snacks on hand for her kids to find for themselves if they were hungry throughout the day. She also kept all of the “unhealthy” foods locked up in a cupboard reserved for special occasions. Her children today are very healthy and active, with a positive relationships towards food and its benefits.
Over time, though the changes may be slow, you will see your child start to take on a naturally healthy view towards nutrition and you will find it is easier to provide them with the food and let them decide what they want to eat when they want to eat it.

Main Page - Provopedia

Main Page - Provopedia: "Provopedia is like a pot-luck dinner: it's the sum-total of our contributions, except instead of food we're dealing with information (which apartment complexes are good, what auto shops to avoid, how to throw a sweet house-party, etc)."

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BTW, I updated my Firefox and found out about this nifty little extension that lets me blog anything really quickly. I just highlighted that text and right cliked and a window opened up for me. Pretty sweet.

Another Women's Studies paper

My last post seemed to be so popular (5 comments is alot for me) I thought that I would post my last paper as well.

See Image Here ( I cannot get the link to work. It says the tag is wrong so I will have to work on that later)

This image brings to mind a song that was very popular during my high school years titled “Barbie Girl”, by a band called Aqua. Its lyrics included lines that said

I'm a barbie girl, in the barbie world
Life in plastic, it's fantastic!
you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere
Imagination, life is your creation

Almost every little girl grows up playing with Barbie’s. I read somewhere once that the percentage of girls ranging in age from 2-12 who played with Barbie’s was somewhere around 90%. Any young mind can spend hours imagining the different worlds of adventure that they can visit with their perfect, yet hardly realistic, plastic friend. By presenting this young model as a Barbie, the makers of Moschino Jeans have objectified a human being to the point that she actually becomes that unattainable shell of a toy that we all grow up playing with.

Objectification is to present or regard something as an object. This woman has lost everything that makes her a living breathing human being. Because of this we can almost allow ourselves to treat her as a “thing”, impersonally, without feeling. By turning her into an entity, the advertisers have made her into an unattainable shell that other woman idolize yet never become. Women will cut out this picture, hang it on their refrigerators, force themselves to compare their bodies to this woman’s as they forbid themselves that last bite of dinner for the night. This woman, like many other fashion models, does not represent 98% of the American female population. She represents what is the unhealthy, unrealistic goal of far too many women.

The woman in this picture is bound in an awkward position to the wall behind her. Her stance in wide with her feet and knees pointing inwards, making her look unbalanced and unsteady. If she is unable even to stand up straight and support her weight, how can she face the world around her? Her arms are bent at unnatural angles, not only making her look odd, but unwilling as well. As in many advertisements, there is an imbalance in the careful lighting of this photograph. Closer inspection reveals that the lightest part of her body is her pubic area and legs; her face is darkened and covered by shadows. Highlighting the sexual areas of her body, while hiding her face, gives us an excuse not to recognize her for the human being that she is. The advertisers hope that the viewers of this add will desire to buy their products in the same manner one might desire after the body of this young woman.

The position of this woman and the lighting of her body make her look powerless; anyone who wanted too could take control of not only her body, but her mind. Barbie’s can be molded to become anything that the imagination desires. Do the makers of this advertisement and this brand of clothing want to mold the women who buy their items into whatever they desire? If this ad had been truly been designed with a woman in mind, clothes would actually be sold, not sex. Avenues to accomplish this can involve stunning photography and amazing set design; there would never be any need to stoop to the degradation of the pornographic image above. It is the mind of a man that believes showing half-naked and submissive photos of women will sell clothing or products. Ads such as this one can considered the illustration of how men view and value women’s bodies. They would rather turn her into a defenseless doll, this woman is easy to manipulate and control, just as they would like to do with the women around them.

By using images of sexually stimulating young women in their ads, advertisers for major clothing brands across the world hope that they can convince women that buying their clothing will turn them into the young woman they see before them. Women are smart enough to realize that this woman has a physique that is very desirable, and may fall into the trap of thinking that if they do not look like this presently, buying this brand of clothing may help them become like this woman in the future. The marketers behind this ad for Moschino may also hope the women who do represent the ideal will identify with an ad featuring a girl who is bound and confined. Many beautiful women are just as unhappy as the other 99% of the female population who are not considered alluring by the world’s standards.

At first glance this ad may be considered slightly appealing. The color scheme is well thought out, and Barbie’s are thought of as the ideal toy as well as image. Just like a young girl molds her Barbie into what she wants it to be, so will the designers of this ad manipulate you into becoming what they want you to become. Just as they took advantage of this young woman, so will they take advantage of their consumers in an effort to make a little extra money.