Trade-Ins: Tips and Tricks

As pretty much everyone who knows me already knows, I have been a long-time user of trade-in services.  Originally, I just traded in video games; I don't do that anymore, but I still do trade in DVDs at MovieStop and books at my local used bookstores.  With all my years of experience, I thought that I would give out some tips and tricks for those who are interested in trading in items to save money.  These are in no order:

1. If you don't want it, and you can trade it in, do so, regardless of the potential trade-in value.  You may think that you won't get much for your DVD or book, and you might not, but every cent you make on any of the items you trade in is one less cent that you have to spend to get what you want or need.
2. Don't go too crazy with trading in items.  Unless you're completely strapped for cash and need the money to buy food or pay rent, don't recklessly trade items in for credit or cash.  Unfortunately, I've had to buy DVDs more than once sometimes, because I traded them in and later wished I hadn't.  You can learn from my mistake.
3. When trading in DVDs or CDs, make sure that the correct discs are in the correct cases.  This is especially true for those who keep their discs in some sort of binder.  I once mistakenly traded in an empty case; it was a bit embarrassing.  Not only that, but I recently bought what appeared to be a two-disc "best-of" set of The Jetsons, when it turned out to be the first half of the first season.  I didn't know it until I had purchased it from MovieStop and opened it; I'll be returning it soon.
4. Don't expect miracles from your trade-ins.  The used bookstores in my area give you twenty-five percent of the list price for whatever books you trade in; you can calculate that by finding the price online, if it isn't already on the cover.  MovieStop, FYE, and other places in my area go on a sliding scale, but you can get a general idea by looking up the prices online; if it's on clearance for only a buck or two, don't expect much!
5. Don't buy something just to trade in unless you are sure it will be worth it.  Usually, new release movies on DVD or Blu-Ray are worth at least ten dollars in a MovieStop trade-in; if, by some random chance, you come across one at a yard sale or thrift store on the cheap, it would likely be a good idea.  Other than that, I would suggest buying just what you like; as prices rise and fall, and trends go and come back, you might be surprised at what DVDs you bought for yourself are actually worth.
6. Know the rules of the places you are trading in items to before you get there.  I know that MovieStop accepts DVDs and Blu-Rays, but I know they don't accept VHS tapes, and I'm pretty sure they don't do HD-DVDs either.  Those would be better suited as a donation to a thrift store.  Also, the used bookstores in my area have rules about condition--no holes in the cover, no cracks in the spines, audiobooks must have all the discs and be in good shape, etc.--and format as well: no hardbacks unless the same book is not available in paperback form.  Sticking to the rules can help you and the employees at the store save time and effort, and will make you a more popular customer.

Any questions or comments?

Confessions of a Male Shopaholic

Have you ever played a game where everyone was asked to write down his/her response to a question, such as "What is a little-known fact about you?" or "What is one of your pet peeves?", and, as each answer was read, the people had to guess who among them gave that response? Sometime during 2002 or 2003, I did just that; the question was, "What is one of your bad habits?"  I have several, but I wrote down, "Eating too much," because it was the only negative trait of mine that no one else there would have guessed.  Looking back at it now, one thing surprises me: Another member of that group wrote down, "Buying things I don't need," and her best friend thought that was my bad habit instead.
It seems, though, that said young lady--who might very well be reading this--was right on the money.  For most of my childhood and teenage years, whenever I was at any place that sold goods, I would see something there that I wanted, and either intended to buy it myself or, in my younger years, would beg my mom to get it for me.  Though I now have the maturity to walk into a store and not buy anything, I still tend to buy or otherwise obtain things I don't need.  I've found legal free music downloads online that I put onto my iPod(s), only to be offended by what I was hearing as soon as I started listening to it.  Even at yard sales, thrift stores, and similar places, I have found books, DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, and other items--usually entertainment-related--for which I really didn't have much need.
That right there is part of the whole "garage sale" mentality.  As an article I once read in AARP Magazine--yes, I know!--said, "Stores are for things you know you want.  Yard sales are for things you didn't know you wanted."  Many times, I go to garage sales, thrift stores, library sales, used bookstores, or similar places and find items I wasn't expecting to, sometimes ones that I didn't even know existed.  If I looked, I'm sure I could find most of the same items on eBay or Amazon's Marketplace; however, the surprise is part of the fun of such places.
Buying items secondhand has actually been the start of many of my fascinations, some of which are still present today.  Most of you reading this probably know that I like Garfield, and have a large collection of his comics in book form, right? What you may not know is that, about two decades ago, my mom buying me the first Garfield Fat Cat Three Pack from a yard sale started my collection.  Star Wars is pretty much the same way; though I liked it after seeing The Phantom Menace in 1999, I really got into it in 2005, when I read the wonderful Expanded Universe novel I, Jedi after purchasing it at a garage sale.  There were other similar discoveries; one was finding the novelization of Alex and Stephen Kendrick's (Fireproof, Courageous) first movie, Flywheel, at a local used bookstore.  My mom and I both read it and liked it so much that we made a special request for the movie at our local library.  Suffice it to say: Yard sales, used bookstores, and similar places have kept me stocked with entertainment over the years.
There have been times where I have gotten killer bargains.  Just last year, I paid about forty bucks for a scanner/fax machine/copier/printer that still works quite well to this day.  Around the same time, I was able to find an audio NIV Bible, in like new condition, for a mere four bones, when the "list price" for it was close to a hundred dollars.  MovieStop once had the brand-new movie October Baby on the clearance rack for $3.99; you bet I got it! The two lots I recently purchased from eBay--one of Christian fiction books, the other of Christian rock/alternative CDs--were great deals; when I did the math, I knew that I was paying less that two dollars per book or CD.  It's times like those that make shopping fun.
Of course, there have also been opposite experiences.  One time, my mom bought a tape of Barney and Friends for the kids in her daycare, only to discover that there was no film in the cassette.  What made matters worse was that the tape was sans box, and the lady who was selling it rudely refused to negotiate on the price.  Another time, my mom bought me a computer game, only to get home and find there was no disk in the box.  More recently, I bought a wireless router without knowing that it didn't have an adapter, or purchased a DVD/CD that turned out to be just an empty case.  Usually, people are willing to refund your money when that happens; however, sometimes you have no idea where you bought it.
Let me be very serious on this final note: As a Christian, one of the things I try to avoid is idolatry.  If you asked me what that was, I would tell you that it is putting anything or anyone before God.  In years past, I thought nothing of doing that; my obsessions ruled my life--and were even more important than my friends and family--but that was just the way I liked it.  I've since matured past that, and realized that real-life relationships/friendships are more important than what only exists on television or a computer screen, but idolatry is a struggle for all of us.  It's especially the case when it comes to material things; Jesus' parable in Luke 12:16-21 tells of a man who stored up things only for himself.  Just like that fictional rich man, I have so much entertainment that I could simply "eat, drink, and be merry," but that would be selfish and sinful.  Though it's great to have a hobby, even one such as bargain hunting, I don't want to let it rule me or take over my life.
Any comments?

I Need You!

I'm going to try and keep this short to make it more accessible: I've been doing quite a bit of thinking lately; one big recent realization I've had is that the way I have been living just isn't cutting it.  You know I've talked about wanting change, and liking without obsessing, but there's one other topic that needs to be discussed: my attitude towards my friends.
Over the years, I've had lots of people try to reach out to me; the only problem was that, if they didn't do/say what I wanted, I lashed out against them.  It's been happening all my life; when I was a little kid, I missed out on buying a Charlie Brown book at a yard sale because I wouldn't read the title out loud like the lady who was selling it wanted me to do.  As time went by, it became more and more frequent; I missed out on everything from youth group outings to seeing movies at the theater to my high school prom just because I was unwilling to try it.  Oh, sure, I always had some excuse: "I already saw that movie." "Do you realize what goes on at school dances? I don't want to see that!" "I don't think I'd enjoy it."
It would seem that I have an irrational aversion to some things.  When I was a kid, I was interested in going to a theme park--shocking, I know!--and I asked my two best friends if they wanted to go.  The one guy would have liked to go, but couldn't because of medical reasons related to his severe asthma; the other simply refused because of some traumatic incident that happened on a previous visit.  When it comes to theme parks, you would think that I had a similar experience; why else would I continually refused to go? However, nothing like that happened; the last time I went, I had fun.  It just so happened that, when I got into high school and realized how long it had been since I'd set foot there, I didn't feel deprived, and decided to hate it because it took less effort; that way, I didn't have to worry about scheduling a time to go with friends.
That right there is why people were so insistent that I go on outings to theme parks: My aversion was baseless, and they wanted to include me.  It was the same way with school dances: My friends weren't badgering me about it to harass me; they were trying to help me out.  I've spent years defending myself, even claiming that a friend's allergic reaction was why God didn't want me at my high school prom.  (How can I even know that? I don't know the mind of God better than any other mere human!)
It gets even worse when it comes to changes in my lifestyle.  People have suggested all kinds of things--new ventures, possible career paths, joining social groups, activities that would enrich my life and relationships with others, etc.--and I largely refused because it required change on my part.  In short, I just wanted to keep on doing as I was doing; it wasn't worth the risk to change anything.  Sometimes, I even lashed out at them, which made them very unhappy with me.  There were even times where friends informed me about things I probably would have liked, but I just ignored them; in some cases, those friends became former friends.
All that has got to change.  If I'm going to get anywhere in life, I'm going to have to take risks, at least consider others' suggestions or offers, and address my friends when they're trying to show me that they care about me.  So, for any friends or former friends who have experienced such treatment at my hands, I must apologize.  Seriously, you did not deserve to be verbally attacked and/or ignored for doing what you did.  I'm not doing this just so I'll get re-added onto some folks' friends lists; frankly, I'd be just fine with not getting a single friend request out of this.  Even if you feel our friendship will never be restored--and, no, forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconstruction--I still need to own up for what I have done.
I will end by saying this: One of Jesus' most famous sayings is, "Healthy people don't need a doctor; the sick do."  When you look at the Gospels, you realize that everyone Jesus encountered was "sick"; though not all of them had infirmities or demons, all of them were in need of Jesus' love and forgiveness.  However, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and others were too proud to realize what they really needed, which is why Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, the prostitutes and tax collectors are entering heaven ahead of you."  For too long, I have been a Pharisee.  I was so sure that I was right about anything and everything that there was no room for disagreement from anyone; my friends could either agree with me or leave, and right many chose the latter.  Even some who stayed friends couldn't express their opinions, because I staunchly disagreed with them.  So what if I was obsessed with various actresses? Why did it matter if I was too friendly with the womenfolk? Who cares if I'm well into my twenties and still living like a child? It was not for them to judge...and that's the attitude that cost me.  I even defended it on here; I once made a post that was a purposefully vague defense of not expressing congratulations to those who were engaged, which was manipulative on my part.  I'm not the same person anymore; if you look at the sidebar on my blog, you'll see that many of the old posts--over a hundred of them!--were deleted because they were simply either too dogmatic or too whiny, if not both.  Starting a new Facebook account to wash away all the history was done for essentially the same reason.  I'm looking forward to what this new beginning brings; I'm glad to have friends who will take part in it with me.  (Don't forget to keep me accountable!)

What Am I NOT Doing? What Do I Have to Do?

I'll try and keep this short, because it's getting late, and I'm going to lose an hour of sleep tonight thanks to "springing forward": One of the most common questions techies ask themselves is: What am I not doing? Though that question presents itself in video/computer games, which usually require a certain number of tasks to be completed before moving on, it also is quite prevalent in the non-gaming tech world.  I remember a computer class I took in 2001 where one of our projects was to make a "bubble view" of a room.  I took the pictures, and an instructor was supposed to help us convert them into a 3-D view format, but, every time, it kept giving her an error message.  The only instructor knowledgeable to help us was on the phone, so the one who was trying to help us deleted a photo or two before realizing that she had the incorrect camera settings.  We ended up with a finished product, yet it wasn't the best quality because of the photos that were deleted.  Before she realized her mistake, she said, "There's something we're not doing."
Lately, that's how I've felt about life in general.  I look around at what my coeval friends--and, in some cases, former friends and friends of friends--are doing, and they seem to be succeeding.  You may think that I'm about to lament about my lack of a significant other, but even the single ones are off on their own, traveling places, in well-paying jobs, etc.  That's great for them...but what's my greatest achievement of the past year? Gaining a large library of entertainment? Adding two new celebrity crushes? Rediscovering the Disney Channel? It seems like I have simply stagnated.
Many of you reading this have likely heard of author/speaker Andy Andrews, whose Seven Decisions DVD I watched for the third time recently.  One of his points in the speech contained on that disc is, "You are where you are today because of the decisions you have made in your life." I hate to say it, but it seems that the reason I am apparently unsuccessful in life is because of my own poor choices.  That's not to say that every problem I've ever had in my life is my own fault; growing up fatherless, being mildly autistic, and having a severely disabled older sibling that needed constant care wasn't caused by any decision of my own.  Still, I am where I am currently--still living with my parents, working a minimum-wage job, doing dumb things out of boredom--because of the decisions I made in my past.  Instead of focusing on my future, I was too worried about my favorite celebrities and failed attempts at romance that would never amount to anything.
Just like a person who reaches an obstacle in a tech project or computer/video game, I have to ask: What am I not doing? What is keeping me from succeeding? It's obvious that my life is lacking in some department; what it is, or how to change that, I have no idea.  Though holding a job as long as I've held my current one, and sticking to a daily Bible reading for well over a year, are major strides on my part, that doesn't mean I don't need to make some more changes.
A similar question is: What do I have to do to get what I want out of life? I'm reminded of a woman I once knew who was deeply in love with a man...but he was too enamored with his canine companions to have room for a woman in his life.  She lamented, "If I grow an extra set of legs and a tail, maybe he'll love me." Sometimes, I feel that any ladies who are/were interested in a relationship with me feel/felt essentially the same way: "Apparently, I'm not going to win his heart unless I get my own Disney sitcom or suddenly transform into Victoria Justice." To be frank, the feelings are mutual; when an older friend told me that the difference between romance and stalking is simply whether or not the feelings are reciprocated, my mind was raging with one two-word question: That's IT?!!  Seriously, all the things I had done for my real-life crushes would have been completely okay if only they'd felt the same way?
It goes beyond relationships, though; I've talked online about how marriage may not be "in the cards" for me.  I know God has a plan for me, as he does for everyone; I'm just not sure what it is.  I don't agree with the whole "you can do anything you put your mind to" mentality; seriously, that platitude has caused numerous problems, such as all the terrible "singers" who audition for American Idol every season.  There are some abilities that God just has not given to some people, and it's His choice; it's not for us to argue.  Still, I do feel that I'm not reaching my true potential.  Of course, I currently can't live on my own for financial reasons; there's no getting around that until I get a job that pays more.  With the economy and job market the way it's been the past few years, I'm actually quite glad to have a job at all, especially in the library field, which seems to be my "calling".  Still, right now, having my own place or taking college classes in library science are simply out of the question, though I hope to be able to do both of those at some point.  There nonetheless has to be something that I can do right now, though; I just don't know what it is.
At this point, my plea is much like the shocked reply in Judges 19:30: "Think about it! What are we going to do? Who’s going to speak up?" (NLT) Seriously, I can't do this alone, especially considering that I don't even know what to do.  At this point, I'm so frustrated with my own life that I'm willing to try almost anything, as long as it doesn't violate Biblical commandments or any federal, state, or local laws.  In previous posts on such matters, I ended by talking myself into just keeping on doing what I was already doing; not this time.  It's time that I stopped sitting around feeling sorry for myself and saying, "I can't!", or "I don't want to!"
So, friends...think about it! What do you think I should do? Who's going to speak up? (Feel free to use this blog, my Facebook inbox, or my e-mail to reply.  Thank you.)

An Apology to My Friends

I'm going to try and keep this short because not only do I have to wake up early tomorrow, but I know most of you would rather not read a long, rambling post: If you know me and are reading this, I likely owe you an apology.  What I need to apologize for isn't lashing out at anyone; instead, it's my own stubbornness.
Let me explain: For far too long, I have ignored suggestions that well-meaning people have given me.  Of course, some of them simply wouldn't have worked; that's especially true when it came to pretty much anything involving my oldest sister.  Most people had no clue what having an immediate family member such as her was like, so their asking, "Why don't you...?" was out of a lack of understanding.  Still, there have been plenty of other situations or problems I've faced where people have told me what I should do, and I just refused to even attempt it.  I used excuses ranging from past events to "knowing" that I would fail to even, "I didn't do it previously; why do I need to now?"
That has got to change.  I'm reminded of a longtime friend who once had a serious relationship with a guy that she almost married.  Why didn't they say, "I do"? Simply because he chose to sit around and play video games instead of "getting real" about his life.  It's true that I've made some positive steps in recent years; getting a job, sticking to a daily Bible reading, learning to take the bus, and contributing to the household in multiple ways are all good things that I wasn't even interested in doing a few years ago.  Still, I realize that I am a bit too focused on unimportant matters.  When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me, "All you care about is: How can [Siobhan] have fun?" Though I believe all people have a right to some fun in their lives, there is also a time for me to be serious and do what needs to be done, whether I enjoy it or not.
I realize that these positive changes aren't going to happen overnight; frankly, I'm not 100% sure exactly what changes I should make.  What I do know is that I can't keep refusing to take others' advice just because it might backfire, or I could fail, or it won't be easy.  You all want me to have the best life possible, but I simply tuned you out because you weren't telling me what I wanted to hear, and proceeded to keep doing what I was already doing.  It's time for that to stop; frankly, I think refusing to change my ways has been among the reasons why so many people have "unfriended" me.
So, now...do you have any suggestions for positive changes I should make? What should I start doing? What should I stop doing? What should I learn how to do? What new habits should I try to form? What bad habits should I break? If you don't tell me, then I won't know.

A Literary Approach...to Movies? Yes.

On Christmas Day 2001, my sister and brother-in-law invited me to see The Fellowship of the Ring with them at our local cinema.  We arrived quite early; so much so that we had to sit on a bench outside the theater and wait for the cleaning crew to come out before taking our seats.  When we did get in, there was nothing but white on the movie screen; my brother-in-law joked, "This is the short film before the movie; it's called Polar Bear in a Snow Storm!" As other folks trickled in, the normal pre-film advertising started, and even the trailers included an ad for the Nintendo GameCube, which, as a Nintendo fan, I liked.  When the lights went down, it wasn't long until I became really antsy.  I kept looking at my watch, wondering how long I was going to have to sit there, and the dramatic pauses after each line continually drove me insane.  For years after that, I repeatedly said that I despised the world of Middle-Earth, simply because of that experience.
However, just last year, I bought the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD at a yard sale in my neighborhood.  What changed? I realized that the problem I had wasn't with the movie; it was my attention span.  At the time, I was not much of a movie watcher; I had a favorite show--Diff'rent Strokes--but, when that wasn't on, I was usually spending my spare time playing video games or on the Internet.  With most of my entertainment--that is, pretty much everything except sitcoms--I preferred to do it a little at a time.  That probably stemmed from my Mac CD-ROM, Super NES, and Game Boy Color games, almost all of which had some sort of "save" feature.  Instead of attempting to finish them in one sitting, which would have been quite grueling in most cases, I simply played them for a little while, then "bookmarked" my progress on the game's cartridge or my hard drive to come back to it later.  The same concept probably goes even farther back to the days when I read like crazy; I couldn't have finished those thick books in just one sitting.
Since then, watching movies a little at a time has become standard procedure.  In fact, I didn't care for the second and third Harry Potter flicks the first time I saw them, partly because I was trying to watch them in one sitting.  (The other reason? I hadn't finished watching the first one, so I had trouble understanding the next two!)  Though some movies are easily watched all at once--for example, The Avengers had me hook, line, and sinker almost from the start--most of them, even some of my favorites, are ones I just can't view in one sitting.  Thankfully, technology, both new and old, makes it easy to do that.  VHS tapes stay in the same place unless you rewind or fast forward them; DVD and Blu-Ray players usually remember your place on a disc unless you take it out, and Mac and Windows computers will "save" your stopping point; and, the Videos app on iPods, iPads, and similar devices will keep your place if you switch apps or turn the device off.
To many people, that sounds ridiculous; how could anyone not be able to sit through just one whole movie? Frankly, I sometimes wonder how most people can sit still long enough for multiple movies, which seems to be a common thing.  Who knows? Maybe, if I hadn't been raised on books and computer/video games with save files, me not watching movies all at once wouldn't be the case; still, that's the life I live.  Such traits is why this blog is called Siobhan Thinks Differently.
Any comments?

P. S.: This is an attempt to express my thoughts without coming off as staunchly defensive or preachy.  Did I do it?

Why Disney? Why Nickelodeon?: Part Two

As usual, when I typed last night's blog post, there were some thoughts that didn't make it, even though I had them in my head while I was thinking out what I wanted to say.  If you haven't seen the original "Why Disney? Why Nickelodeon?" post, I would suggest that you go read it now.  It may be a bit long, but I think it'll answer some questions that many of you have probably been asking.  You read it? Okay, then, let's get going.
I'll start with what I said in the last paragraph about celebrity/show idolatry.  The Bible is pretty clear: Putting anything or anyone before God is a sin.  I mentioned that I was too busy researching my favorite media to even think about reading God's Word; what I didn't say was that, even from a secular standpoint, an obsession is bad.  Some of you may remember this story, but, for those who don't, here it is: When I was taking a computer class during the summer of 2001, my assigned seat was right next to a girl who liked Dragon Ball Z.  I couldn't have cared less about that anime cartoon, but the guy who sat on the other side was fanatical about it.  His adoration of that show was so great, it made her not like it anymore.  Even with myself, people of all ages have simply gotten annoyed because I only wanted to talk about a few topics, if not just one.  It turned away people who could have been my friends otherwise.  It got to the point where my mom told me, "You have a one-track mind!"
As I said, I don't know whether those days are past, but I think the fact that I've stuck to reading the Bible every day for well over a year is a step in the right direction.  Not only that, but many of the people I talk to frequently don't know and/or don't care about my favorite shows.  Now that I'm well-versed in various sorts of entertainment, I can talk wit them about topics that have nothing to do with Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel.  That may not sound like much to you, but, compared to what I was, that's a really good start.
Here's another point: When I was a freshman in high school, the teacher of my Sunday school class decided to do something different by showing a clip from the Michael W. Smith: Worship DVD.  It started with Mr. Smith reading a verse from Psalms; then, he began performing a vocal/piano number that only had one verse and a chorus that simply repeated the phrase, "Everywhere I go, I see You." Mr. Smith would sing that line, and the live audience would repeat it; it happened several times throughout the song.  What should have been a special moment was ruined by two guys who couldn't refrain from mocking the song, and, therefore, the teacher.  No one else had any problem with it, but those two spouting off insults such as, "You could not even know this song, and know all the words to this song!", "People actually paid money to see this?", and "You actually paid money for this DVD?" I felt bad for the teacher; even he said that he was trying to do something different, and, "If this is the response I get..." He wouldn't have said that if those two guys had simply kept their mouths shut.
My point? It seems like that a few people's problems with what I do, including watching Disney Channel and Nickelodeon productions, overpowers the majority of my friends and acquaintances who take no issue with it...yet, those scant few just won't let it go.  To adapt an old saying, they're the squeaky wheels who want the grease...but they're not going to get it.  Seriously, when people come up with inane standards they want me to follow, especially when it comes to taking away what I enjoy, it only makes me want to engage in the activities they disapprove of even more.  Usually, their reasoning doesn't even work; them saying ridiculous statements such as, "You're too old for that; you need to find something more appropriate for your age!" proves that they don't get me, because I am that rebel who does pretty much everything differently.  If I'm the only twenty-five-year-old who is watching Austin & Ally, so what? It's not for those people to decide.
Another point that sort of ties in with that one: I don't remember the exact situation, but a friend, who happened to have his black belt in Tae Kwon Do, once told me that I had to do as he said because he was a black belt.  (What did he want me to do? I honestly couldn't tell you.) Years later, I shared that story with another friend--who, as far as I know, had never seen that guy in her life--and she said, "Don't let people push you around like that, [Siobhan]." That's actually really good advice; unfortunately, there are people who want to "push me around like that," including by taking away what I enjoy, including my favorite entertainment.  Those "pushers" don't have the power to take it away, and I'm not going to give it to them.  The more adamant they become that I shouldn't do, like, read, watch, or listen to whatever, the more I'm going to do just what they don't want me to do.
My final statement is more on entertainment in general: Anybody who has been watching entertainment trends knows that, when it comes to offensive content, there's more of it to go around than ever before.  One need look no further than the recent Movie 43 for a perfect example of how far-gone media morality is these days.  However, there are some recent trends that discerning viewers can actually rejoice over.  The Dove Foundation reported in December 2012 that not only were there less "R" rated films, but movies they approved performed three times better at the box office than ones they didn't.  Plus, they were able to approve 18% more flicks from January to late November that year than they did during the same timeframe in 2011.  I personally noticed something that was a good sign: The DVD of We Bought a Zoo features a "family-friendly language track" that, one would assume, eliminates the profanities that caused the movie to get a "PG" rating.  One can only hope that more flicks will follow suit.  I think entertainment companies are realizing that parents and even some childless adults want more family-appropriate films, TV shows, music, games and such, and, since the one rule of business is to "go where the money is," they're at least attempting to head in that direction.  I'll just have to see how that pans out; in the meantime, I'm going to be watching sitcoms on the Disney Channel, since they're the only current ones that aren't bogged down with sex jokes, profanities, drug references, and other obscene content.  Whether you accept it or use it as grounds to attack me is your call; just remember what Matthew 12:36-37 says about the power your words have.