this month I loved // January 2017

So January is over. This month has included a lot of change for me. I left my job, moved out, and started college. Here are a few of the things I loved. 

- Moana and its soundtrack. This movie is GORGEOUS, you guys. AND THE MUSIC. I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO IT ALMOST EVERY DAY SINCE I SAW IT. I LOVE IT.

- School! I moved and started school at Utah State this month. In case you've never talked to me before (because that's like the only way to not be aware of this), I love school. A lot. I'm thrilled to be writing papers and reading textbooks and studying for tests again. Even when textbooks are the worst.

- My bookshelf! I had a really hard time deciding which books to bring with me to college, but I think I'm mostly satisfied with my choices. I STILL HAVEN'T DECIDED HOW TO ORDER THE BOOKS THOUGH. This order is definitely gonna change because it separates books that are in the same series and that's incredibly obnoxious.
Anyway, here are a couple of pictures.
(Also, if anyone has an extra copy of the fourth book in A Series of Unfortunate Events, it's currently the only book in the series I don't own. I don't mind if the copy is really beat up, so if you find one lying on the sidewalk, lemme know.)

the currently reading stack

- My Intro to Mass Communication class! I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS CLASS, YOU GUYS. We've studied the history of mass media this month and the different theories of the press we've moved through as a society. The most exciting of these are liberalism and social responsibility theory. Liberalism is a press theory that assumes people are inherently rational, that if all the information is out there, eventually the people will come to the correct conclusion and rid themselves of any false ideas. This is the theory the United States was founded on.
The dominant theory today is social responsibility theory, which acknowledges that people can be intellectually lazy and sometimes we'll believe something just because it fits our worldview. Social responsibility theory holds that the media are obligated to provide society with accurate information in context. Their primary purpose is to raise conflict to the plane of discussion, which is SO INTERESTING.
I also audited my mass media use for one week for this class, and that was very eye-opening. Seriously seriously seriously, you should try it. I guarantee you'll learn something. I like to think of myself as a very open-minded, anti-echo chamber person, but I primarily expose myself to people who think similarly to me. I also realized I'm getting most of my information about current events from social media, which is problematic, especially in the days of fake news and alternative facts. It was a really valuable exercise, and I intend to do it again in the future.

- Night by Elie Wiesel. I read this on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. I don't know that I can say I loved this book, because it's horrifying, but it's very important and well-written. Elie was a teenager during the Holocaust and the book details his experiences in concentration camps with his father. He eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize.
I wanted to include several quotes from the book, but I think it's better if you just read it. It's worth your time.

- This sunset was gorgeous.

- I'm reading John right now in the New Testament, and you guys. It's so clear how much Jesus cares about each of us. His entire ministry affirms our individual importance. He tells us we are worth his time. I know people joke about the scripture, "Jesus wept," all the time, but in context I find it very powerful. As he approaches the city where he will raise Lazarus from the dead, he calls Mary, Lazarus' sister, out to meet him. She comes to Jesus weeping. Her brother is dead. And Jesus doesn't dismiss her pain, he doesn't tell her to be happy -- he just cries with her. A few verses later he will raise her brother from the dead, but in the moment he simply shares in her pain. I think he does this with each of us.

- Trees. I took this picture when I went on a walk around campus at night after I'd been staring at my computer for too long. I highly recommend getting out of your room and breathing the cold night air on a regular basis. (And yes, I listened to the Moana soundtrack.)

This one is from walking home after class. I got some weird looks for stopping to take it, but man, those trees.

- The snow. There's a TON of it up here, and sometimes it looks gross, but overall I'm a fan because it insulates us and as long as we keep getting fresh layers, it looks really gorgeous.

- A couple of weeks ago I went to the L.I.F.E. (Love is For Everyone) meeting, which is basically the campus lgbtqiap group. I was really nervous to go. Like, really nervous. But it was wonderful, and I'm excited to go back sometime.

- GEORGIA PEACHES AND OTHER FORBIDDEN FRUIT. OH MY GOODNESS YOU GUYS I LOVE THIS BOOK. It's about queer girls and integrity and faith and it's happy. At its core, this book is happy. I love it. Especially the ending!
(For the record, the treatment of a character with a disability was problematic and I have since heard the POC representation was unsatisfactory.)

- Writing! I've started slowly working on my untitled queer girl friends turned lovers turned semi-reluctant rivals fantasy novel again, and I love it so much. I love the richness of the story and the characters. The plot is still entirely up in the air and there's no clear end in sight, but I love this book. I'm planning to write twice a week this semester and hopefully finish the book somewhere in April or May.

- The last few lines of Of Fire and Stars (low quality image, but oh well). Most of this book was sadly mediocre, but I do love that last line.

- I also started learning to paint with watercolors this month! I have a really great book that emphasizes just having fun with it. I'm really, really enjoying that so far.

- I learned to play Risk this month and yes. I'm a fan. I've played it twice, so I'm an expert and I dare you to defeat me.

- Friends! I just want to give a shoutout to my friends Aimee, Sky, Rachel, and Emily. They've really been there for me this month, and I love them a lot. Thanks, guys.

So there we go. January has been a weird, hard month. I'm still trying to adjust to moving, and my emotions have been pretty tumultuous lately. But there was a lot of good in this month too, and I'm looking forward to more.