Image taken by: Becky Forand
When given the task to look into my everyday life from an arial point of view, in order to observed the media I interact with, it was rather eye-opening. I don't think many people even realize how often during a day or even a week we interact with media, it's rather amazing, but at the same time rather sad.
Majority of people start from the beginning, well, that's not me. I start in the middle. Most of my morning activities are boring and, well, uninteresting so allow me to fast forward to about two or three in the afternoon, where I sit in Perry Barn. I sit in the black swivel chair, my eyes red from starring at the large computer screen, trying to complete some sort of assignment that is due the next day. As I do this I have next to me my own computer with my itunes open playing "My Homework Playlist." It is rare that I actually pay attention to what is playing, but whenever a certain song comes on I can't help tapping my foot or even bring out my air-banjo, the song I speak of is The Cave, by Mumford and Sons. The very stop-like rhythm is impossible to ignore, and in fact is energetic and helps me. "Music should never be harmless." (Media and Culture, 80)
Now, usually, depending on my mood I listen to my homework playlist, but if for some reason I'm just not feeling any of my music, I always check out Pandora radio. I've actually come to love Pandora, after talking about it a few times in my blog it has really become a big staple when I want to listen to something fresh and new. "Radio affects most people intimately, person-to-person, offering a would of unspoken communication between writer-speaker and listener. That is the immediate aspect of radio. A private experience." (Media and Culture, 126) Recently, I have been using Pandora as a gateway to Christmas music because I don't have any on my itunes. I even use Pandora when I'm not doing homework, more often than my itunes, just because there is more variety and surprise when it comes to Pandora, I think that's why I enjoy it.
Now, usually, depending on my mood I listen to my homework playlist, but if for some reason I'm just not feeling any of my music, I always check out Pandora radio. I've actually come to love Pandora, after talking about it a few times in my blog it has really become a big staple when I want to listen to something fresh and new. "Radio affects most people intimately, person-to-person, offering a would of unspoken communication between writer-speaker and listener. That is the immediate aspect of radio. A private experience." (Media and Culture, 126) Recently, I have been using Pandora as a gateway to Christmas music because I don't have any on my itunes. I even use Pandora when I'm not doing homework, more often than my itunes, just because there is more variety and surprise when it comes to Pandora, I think that's why I enjoy it.
Frank Sinatra is the man!
After a few good hours lock inside the barn it is always nice to come back to the dorm and just do absolutely nothing except watch some good ol' television, now don't get excited I don't actually turn my T.V or anything. I simply opening my laptop and type in the beautiful word, many know as: Netflix. I have to say that Netflix changed my life in many ways, good and bad, since I have been at school. The bad being I spend all my spare time in front of my computer. The good being I get to watch awesome television shows and movie at the click of a mouse. Who wouldn't want that? "When you have an event that transcends popular culture, the only place you can aggregate these audiences is network television." (Media and Culture, 171)
Now, normally, if I were to watch a movie I would go to Netflix, but recently I have not done so. I have looked elsewhere, which of course usually means the content is illegal, but we won't get into that. The main thing is, The Social Network was one hell of a movie. I say that in a positive manner of course. I just didn't see anything not to like about the movie, it was well written, well directer, and well acted. The story was great and suspenseful and had curves in unexpected ways. It made the creation of facebook interesting and enjoyable, it wasn't just a geek sitting in his room writing program trying to find a way to make friends without really meeting anyone. It was much, much more than that and I think it is something to admire. "The movie is not only a supreme expression of mechanism, but paradoxically it offers as product the most magical of consumer commodities, namely dreams." (Media and Culture, 213)
Usually, after I watch a T.V show or movie I always check out my facebook and play around with that for a while and eventually in some way or another I walk my way over onto youtube and, well, I sit and watch videos. My recently love as been all the videos of Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton. Aside from that I usually just pounce around random video after random video and then every once in great while something amazing happens. At this particular time I was with three good friend of mine two by the names of Taylor Silvestri and Megan Rottman, the other by the name of Jessie Adubato. We just so happen to stumble upon on one of the greatest things on this earth: The Many Adventures Of Winnie the Pooh. Yes, four very studious and smart college students sat down together Saturday night and watched Winnie the Pooh. And it was awesome, nostalgic, and an all around good time. That, my friends, is the power of the internet. "When search first started, if you searched for something and found it, it was a miracle. Now, if you don't get exactly what you want in the first three results, something is wrong." (Media and Culture, 51)
Being at school and doing work majority of the time it is hard to find a moment in your spare time where you actually want to read. I mean, we students do so much reading why on God's earth would we want to read more when we don't have to? This has been a dilemma of mine since I came to Champlain and I'm sure it has happened to everyone, but I constantly try and force myself to read for enjoyment. For the past sixth months I have been in the process of reading this one book called "The Magicians" written by Lev Grossman. From what I have read it is a well-written and interesting story, it is said to be "Harry Potter for grown ups," which intrigued me to read it in the first place, but I have this other problem. I keep buying books I want to read, its actually come to the point where I refuse to walk into a bookstore just for the soul fact that I'll buy another book that I won't have time to read until I graduate. I do have to say, that in the summer my movie and television obsessions get lowered due to the fact that summer the one time of the year I can read book after book. "A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever." (Media and Culture, 318)
The three newest books to my collection. Image courtesy: goodreads.com, bookpage.com, aidanmoher.com
Like the whole book situation, magazines and newspapers are rarely looked at in my life. I understand the importance of newspapers and I respect them, but I just can't seem to find the part inside me that enjoys reading bad news. It just doesn't sit well in my stomach. Magazines are, in fact, a different story, but I still rarely read. The last magazine I read was Rolling Stone's October 14th issue, where Matt Taibbi torn the Tea Party a new one. "Beauty can't amuse you, but brainwork- reading, writing, thinking- can." (Media & Culture, 283)
"There seems to be a fear that video games are somehow nudging out other art forms, and that we're encouraging a generation of screen-glazed androids with no social skills, poetical sensitivity or entrepreneurial ambition."(Media and Culture, 40) Now, like I said majority of the time I watch television or movies after a hard days work. I guess it all depends on my mood that night because sometimes I'll whip out The Sims 3 for my computer, and I'll go to town on that for a few good hours which ends up only feeling like ten minutes. It's that type of game. It sucks you right in and hours go bye and you have no idea until finally you peel your bloodshot eyes away from the screen and realize it's four in the morning and you have class at nine. And that is exactly the moment I close the gigantic portal of multimedia access and finally go to bed and do it all over again.
And here we are, at the close and I must say, it's been fun. The day has come to an end and yet time still moves forward. So, I guess there really isn't a definitive ending to anything is there? When one thing is ending another is starting, I guess that's beauty of it. Well, like Tigger says, "T.T.F.N! Ta-ta for now!"
