back in the day…
i wonder if what shakespeare's quote "what is past is prologue" really is true…
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/DMCemily/myownpics/drunkards.jpg">
if it is, i might be in some trouble before too long. haha.
maybe in my case, i'll just be shamed if i ignore history.
i found this when i was finishing up the unpacking from when i moved back to birmingham a few years ago. i just thought it was funny now in retrospect… 5 seniors in high school, all southern baptist. wow, back in the day, we were prudish. except for this excursion to gatlinburg as seen above.
man, that brings back some memories.
50 years later, nothing has changed
it's the anniversary of the <i>brown II</i> decision that sought out a way to make desegregation a possibility. they claimed to do it "with all deliberate speed"…
apparently, <a href="http://www.wbhm.org/News/2005/browntwo.html">birmingham still can't get it together</a>. we are probably the slowest among all.
part deux
bored, that's right… first time in a while. as much as i complain about never having time, i really don't hate it. i like having things to do to fill my time. without to-do's and events, i'm worth crap. and then i realized while i was worth nothing, i haven't updated in a few days. so i figure, better late than never.
may term is officially over, and dr. corley agreed to be a reference for grad school. now if i could just get the GRE taken care of… that's next on my list. i think i'm aiming for august. i have to turn in my apps by october. i want them in early, though, because i'm a nerd that way. so other than class and work, nothing has really happened.
yesterday i spent the afternoon transferring documentaries and movies from my beloved boyfriend, tivo, to dvd's. needless to say, because the remote is broken on the dvd recorder, and i don't like having the commercials, i didn't move much… i pulled the papasan up to the table where i had the recorder sitting. however, when i finally got up a few hours later, i got completely disoriented. apparently, laying horizontal like that does nothing for your balance. but, 4 dvd's, 6 hours of presidential bios and 4 ww2 documentaries later, i retired to bed.
memorial day weekend is a constant reminder of your non-planning if you happen to stay around. today at church, no one was there. i did get to go to lunch with mike holly though, and chat up conference stuff over mexican. afterwards, i went to visit david and tina in their new house. it's good to have them in birmingham… especially at church. that gives me 2 close friends there. and i'm ok with that. i had to go pick up some stuff i ordered from best buy this afternoon, so while i was on "work" time (because there's no way i'm going that far down 280 during the week), i went on in and took care of a few things.
hi, my name is emily, and i've been a workaholic for 3 years… admitting i have a problem is the first step to recovery.
<lj-cut text="for the love of d.c.">great news… june 30-july 5 has now been declared washington, part 2. woohoo… i'll be spending the fourth of july in the nation's capital. of course, july 5 is gonna be heinous… i fly into alabama at 9:30 a.m., and then head to work. but, i managed to only miss a day in it… i fly out thursday after work, miss a 1/2 day friday, 1/2 day tuesday… monday we're closed. wonderful. and, there's talk of getting to hang with dr. greg, in addition to my already incredible house hosts, katie and david. i really do love washington… it's such a beautiful place.
i was told it was such a great city tonight in fact. ha… i called thad to see what he was up to, and turns up he just up and went to d.c. for memorial day. i'm so jealous… but, i'll be patient… just around 500 days or so until i'll get to see it for more than a long weekend. it is cool to be asked what is great to see though… i just hope that they went ahead and saw the monuments tonight. they're so incredible at night.
</lj-cut>
lake day tomorrow… well, for about 4 hours. then, i've got some stuff to finish up for annual conference. whew. i'm already exhausted thinking about it. wow, this was boring. don't hate me for wasting all your time on this…
affirmation of who you are to become
<lj-cut text="as found on the Northern Kentucky University website…"><b>The History Major & Minor</b>
<hr>
<blockquote>"The past is never dead. It's not even past."
<i>William Faulkner</i>
"History is indeed the witness of the times, the light of truth."
<i>Cicero</i>
"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."
<i>George Santayana</i></blockquote>
<hr>
History is the collective memory of human actions and thoughts, historical study is the attempt to understand the interrelatedness of past events within this collective memory. To forget or ignore history is to develop a collective amnesia, for it is the recorded past which provides the ideals, the values, the experiences which give us something to live for. History, then, becomes a source of inspiration and of indignation, a tapestry of human accomplishments
and failures.
The history major is designed to sharpen analytical and writing skills, to develop proper methods of research, and to gain a broad understanding of the human condition. The study of the past infuses sense into an often bewildering present and prepares us to function more effectively in an increasingly complex world. No one can understand his or her own society without comprehending its evolution. Thus, history allows us to be better citizens. Although few students of history go on to become professional historians, the study of history provides a solid foundation for careers in government, law, education, and business. Besides, studying history is fun–where else can you meet such a dramatic cast of strange and unusual characters?*
*information found at the site of Northern Kentucky University's <a href="http://www.nku.edu/~hisgeo/hism.html">History webpage</a>.
<font size="-2">wow… wasn't that just glorious? i'm in heaven now. 
</font>
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<div style="text-align: center;">"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."
<i>George Santayana</i></div>
i think about our president every morning and i can't help but wonder:
<i>what the hell is he thinking?</i> and <i>wtf?</i> (which only reminds me of <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/DMCemily/politics/wtfcampaign.jpg">this</a>)
seriously.
this morning, i heard him talking about syria, and he is challenging them and their governmental policies. why? i swear the man never has opened an american history book. the last time a president did this, we ended up heading north of the 38th parallel and introducing a heart-breaking and senseless stalemate of a civil war we were never meant to fight, all because we misunderstood the political relationships of the world. but wait, then we did it again in vietnam. oh, then there's the first iraq war. now, we're trying to fix someone's father's mistake from 15 years ago, and we have nothing to show for it but souring relations with almost every european and every middle eastern country of the world.
my biggest fear at this point is that in the midst of this, somehow, mccarthyism will rear its ugly head, and bush will claim that the communists are funding the whole saga, and n.korea will unleash nukes to dissolve the planet.
have we become the ww2 germany of the modern day era? no, we're not nazi or socialist, but we feel everyone should have our feelings, and those who piss us off should be punished. why do we have to take the bully position? can't we ever understand and back down to the fact that they DON'T want US intervention in their policies. we have enough <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/DMCemily/politics/moralissues.jpg">problems</a> here at home without adding further tension.
damn all those past presidents who made the executive office so powerful.
::steps off soap box::
thankfully, an agreement has been reached among the senate. wow. that whole scenario was scaring the crap out of me. glad to know they can actually come to an agreement on something. not that i agree with those who will get up/down votes (lord knows pryor really doesn't need to be an appellate judge), but at least the filibuster will remain in tact. maybe a republican or two realized that if they lose the majority that they'll need it at some point. here's hoping that in the mid-term election. haha.
i wish that <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v178/DMCemily/politics/payingattention.jpg">more people actually cared</a> about the direction of our government. it sure would make it easier on my mind. and my voice.
the greek
this <a href="http://www.abcgallery.com/E/elgreco/elgreco98.jpg">painting</a> gives me inspiration… it's an el greco… the burial of count orgaz. it's partly morbid, and half-glorious. but it tells so much about the human condition. i think that is what i like about it. it's breath-taking. i got to see some other el greco pieces when i was at the national gallery. he coveys so much in every canvas.
anyways, i just experienced good news last night. i paid $1.89/gallon for gas last night. i was ecstatic. i haven't seen it that low in a year i guess. but yesterday we were chatting about gas, and i can remember when i was excited that gas was $0.89/gallon. oh, the good ole days. i just hope the low gas stays around… news has it that light crude rose 51 cents today. that can't be good… i just want it to stay below $50/barrel. that means we can keep cheap gas. i like cheap gas. it just makes me laugh that 2 weeks ago, gas was $2.49/gallon. now it's 60 cents cheaper. funny. thanks crazy economists… and the stock market. just make sure we don't have a case of stagflation. then i'll be even happier.
pet peeve: people who don't make deadlines, that make me miss a deadline. i'm waiting on information for the magazine so that it won't be august before it goes. it was supposed to go to press 2 weeks ago. but, i'm still waiting… i want that section to be well-represented, but if i don't have something by friday, i will do something to fix the space issue, and make it look like we don't care about prayer at the church.
sara groves is my chi. haha. her music is almost like an el greco.
in my history class, we're gearing into my zone of interest… truman just left office and eisenhower was elected. before you know it, mlk will be all up in the white house with the love of my life, jfk. oh, if only there were more guys like kennedy… minus the sexcapades, of course. i don't want to have to share with marilyn.
life as we know it.
one week of may term left… let the countdown to a boring memorial day weekend begin.
i don't think that i shared good news yet. i will be volunteering at the civil rights institute, working in the archives division… it will be the perfect preface to the life i'll have one day… far away at the moment. at least a year and a half, anyways.
i'm dreaming big this time… and i'm motivated on more levels than ever. strangely enough, the nerd section of my life is exciting and gives me energy. i know… i shouldn't have even said that. and as much as i realize i could back space, i'm too lazy. i plan on asking dr. corley to do a grad school rec for me. i think i need three. i worked on the GRE the other night. i picked a bad time to do it though… i took a pre-test at 11 p.m., and was yawning like nobody's business. my predicted score was 500, which is what is expected for grad school. but i don't want a bare minimum. i plan on working on it again this weekend, and retaking another one, so that i can see how i'd do awake and ready to take it on, instead of curiosity killing me until i went to sleep.
today we took our departing associate out to lunch for his birthday. it was great… except for fox news playing in the background. it's amazing how different news coverage is. and because i don't want to run off a friend, jill… i'll stop. haha.
i'm about to leave and head to class. i need to read, since i didn't last night. instead, i stayed up until midnight rearranging my space and unpacking stuff i haven't finished unpacking in the year i've lived there. but now, i can park in the garage that was filled with my crap. i threw half of it out, and unloaded the rest. i'm so proud. and i feel so much more organized. that's good for the ocd tendencies.
518 days until a change of educational venue.
today for you…
nope, how about today for me, and tomorrow for me? yeah, i like that better… i deserve it i think.
half-days are the greatest. i hate to see what happens when i leave canterbury one day… i won't know how to work full fridays. i've conditioned myself to finish all my work by thursday when i leave, and only pesky things to work with on friday. it's glorious. really.
lunch today will feature shope and beer based salsa at rojo. mexican food to me is the things that the great life is made of. it can't be beat. i love it. following lunch, i'm headed down to the civil rights institute to visit, since i haven't gone yet. then i may go visit vulcan if i have time. but, i doubt i will. after the CRI, i may just head over to uab and read in the park. latest read: "the best year of their lives: kennedy, nixon and johnson in 1948 – learning the secrets of power." so far, fantastic, but i don't like the way that lance murrow has separated everything. you think you're done with a chapter, but you're not. each chapter is subdivided 3 times to discuss each president separately. sometimes it's annoying, but i'm enjoying the information that i am taking into the mind. it's empowering.
<lj-cut text="all that history stuff">so i've decided that i need to probably start working on getting ready to take the GRE, since i want to start grad school in january. but, then, i've got to really figure out what i really want to do my thesis on, so that i can have good information to send off for a doctoral program. if i write a thesis, i'll only have 27 hours to work on at uab. while i'm in extreme speed for undergrad, i figure that i might as well go ahead and proceed the same way post-bach. i've heard that as you move on, the information begins to intake a little easier. but, truthfully, i'm not too worried about it… the adderall seriously helps me remember more anyway. haha.
i've decided too, in looking at doctoral programs for history, that i need some kind of archival/research involvement. today, as part of my CRI visit, i'm gonna see what volunteer options they have open. i know that i don't really have THAT much time to give, but i could help on the weekends, and it would look good on my apps. i know i wouldn't be bored… civil rights history "makes my eyes light up" as my boss said this morning. i love her to death… she can read me like a book, and always knows what i'm thinking.</lj-cut>
ok, i'm off to close up shop so i can lunch.
and, just to throw out something political, the nuclear option is the most insane thing i've ever heard of… i'm so <i>glad</i> that every GOP senator is ready to throw away options that they'll want to use at some point. prepare for a future kicking of themselves… i'll be gloating.
the tagging…
dang you jill and mallory. both of you tagged me, i hope that you're happy…
01. TOTAL NUMBER OF FILMS I OWN ON DVD/VHS..
DVD – 276
VHS – 54
02. THE LAST FILM I BOUGHT..
it's not a film, but it's the last DVD-ish thing i bought that i can remember: all 6 seasons of "Sex & the City"
03. THE LAST FILM I WATCHED..
geez… that'd be sometime at the beginning of the spring semester… no clue.
04. FIVE FILMS THAT I WATCH A LOT..
Napoleon Dynamite, Dogma, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Under the Tuscan Sun, Love Actually
05. TAG FIVE PEOPLE AND HAVE THEM PUT THIS IN THEIR JOURNAL.
_tterb_, jennyluann, marcusisabadass, munky_boy, _mcm_
if only…
i have a request.
can't <em>something</em> go right sometime soon?
seriously, i'm having a hard enough time as it is, without drowning… so, if you can handle it, G, cut me some slack. i'd like to make it out alive.
i was beginning to think the world was on the bright side, with getting the chance to actually socialize tonight, after classes and midterms, to live a life of 'normalcy' (thanks warren g. harding). but, i couldn't enjoy it for all it was worth. no, that's not possible. in my excitement and still studious nature to get home and read half of the chapter for class since i skipped it post-class, i got pulled over. in light of my physical, mental, now emotional and fiscal exhaustion, i just started crying. i felt bad for the cop, because who wants to go home to his wife and say he made a girl cry? anyways, he was nice and "gave you the farthest court date possible to get stuff together to pay it." little did he know of my life, but yet proved insight that some of my closest friends can't give.
so while embittered because i just don't see any light at the end of the tunnel, at least i had a nice policeman.
if only, he would've called me nelms instead of helms.
seriously franklin, when you're ready to migrate, i'm ready…
