22nd Birthday and Talent Show

So... I do other things besides think about food. This post is about one of those occasions. Have you ever heard of those college wards doing talent shows? I performed in mine last night, and I had a blast! I got to wear my sparkly little black dress-- and sing into a microphone on the stage of a lecture hall in the Tanner Building on BYU's campus. My favorite part about this is that I got the song ready in 5 days. The song that I performed brings back some great memories of my high school choir. Last night, I sang "A Wink and A Smile." Many of you may know this song from the movie, "Sleepless in Seattle," but my first exposure to it was back in high school. Anyways, I love to perform, and I had a blast. I learn a little bit more about myself and about performing every time I take the stage. Music will always be a part of my life, so keep that in mind if you're having trouble getting me something for my birthday or as a Christmas gift (you can also include anything with the kitchen or food for that matter as well..... ) :)

Here's a pic from the talent show (and no, I didn't have my hand behind my back for the entire song, just for the first few seconds)



Here comes a tangent.......
So, for my birthday this year, (which was last monday, the 13th).... I turned 22!!!! And, my family made me feel so special on this day. I feel so blessed to have the family that I do- each person is really incredible in his or her own way. I asked for a few things, and I received them! One of those items was an apple corer, which improves my healthy eating habits by decreasing the effort on my part to eat an apple. Thanks, Sharalyn! Also, I got a kitchen scale to measure ingredients with. I KNOW I'll be using that later when I have the time and money to make some incredible dishes from my On Cooking textbook...where most ingredients are listed in metrics. Thanks, Julia. Last, but not least, my parents got some music items for me that I have been dying to have. First, the Mikey. It is a recording microphone that you can hook into your iPod and it records things like a charm. I was playing with that for over 3 hours yesterday... yeah... so I wasn't doing homework all day yesterday. My bad, but I got a much needed, enjoyable break by spending time with my music. And, I also got an electronic guitar tuner, which will be very helpful when I'm not near a piano or a computer.

Besides all of the gifts I have received, the most important thing to mention is that I had the happiest birthday so far because of the people in my life. My roommates and friends prepared for me a wonderful birthday party... and a lot of my friends, new and old, came to celebrate it with me. I couldn't have asked for anything more than that. The little things count big in my book. So, thank you. All of you.

And, you know what? On the eve of my birthday, it SNOWED! That made me happy as well. Most of it melted before the night of my party, but it was there for a moment, and the sun was shining brightly that day as well. This life is a good one. Enjoy the happy moments, don't let them pass you by.

With much love, Jeannine

PS: If ANYONE knows how to put up a sound recording on the internet, let me know. As far as I can tell... the file is too large for it to go in email form, and I don't know how to upload it with blogger. My next idea was Facebook, but I don't really want to share the sound recording with the entire world.... but then again, I was okay with the idea of putting it on youtube (the only thing is, I don't have a youtube account). Should I get one? What do you think?

Media is getting to us... not only with fashion... but with food

The media has cornered us. Just by living a "normal" life in the states, we have multiple ways in which we can receive the media with all of our technological devices... which are now even more portable than ever. Computers are getting smaller, and phones are getting smarter. With the great growth of technology we have experienced in the last decade, we now have iPods that fit in our pockets, iPads that are smaller than a notebook of lined paper, and phones that can handle as much news as our tvs can.

How are we to get a break from advertising?

Body Image. Sexuality. Self-esteem. Advertising and the destruction of femininity. And... romantic relationships with food? That's very strange, but it's out there, and it is working very hard to get into our minds to influence our decisions and views of ourselves. The majority of advertising messages are sent through unconscious thinking-- so you may think it does not have an effect on you, but it really does.

The "ideal" body proposed by current media is a disillusioned ideal. Many men will agree with me and say that a woman with curves is more attractive than a woman who looks like she is starving herself. As I watched a video in a social psych class-- I was shocked at how influential the media has become. The video is called, "Killing Us Softly 4" (and it is the most recent edition). I've seen an earlier speech, and I was surprised at how much worse the advertising has become since then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY

(Watch with caution-- some images may be disturbing, and some sexual images are displayed to show the themes of current ads. You may choose to just listen to it and still get the big message.)

REAL people are beautiful- and many images we see are not real people. Those images are more like objects than anything. Real people have feelings, and curves, and smiles, and wrinkles, scars, and imperfections.

People. Please. Just try to eat more healthily. Live better. Exercise sometimes. Love more. Take care of your mind, body, and your soul. Do yoga. Forgive more. Meditate and relax. Give real compliments. Enjoy some ice cream once in a while. Hug someone. Eat fruit for dessert. Go dancing. Listen to one of the MormonMessages. Hike a mountain (and take a break from technology). Read a good book.

Body types come in all sizes and they are genetically made that way. Do your best to eat healthy and live an active life- and all will be well. Make a healthy relationship with food. I can share from experience that when I eat well, and am active, I feel well. I feel strong when I eat well. There is a lot of science that goes into MyPlate. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself. Try harder to follow the tips on choosemyplate.gov and then see how you feel. If you feel you need extra help, talk to a dietitian or another health professional for ideas on how to be a healthier you. I'm sure they will be completely willing to help!  If you wish, please share you experiences in a comment below.

---thought of the day---