Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Papillon

I discovered this evening that my dear cat, Papillon, had passed away. He was a very funny and very unique cat. He and his brother were very close. They both knew the sound of our car and would run up toward our house whenever we would park. They both would roll over if we said their names, or for that matter even looked in their direction. Papillon loved to "make muffins," as my friend calls it, where he pads whatever he is laying on with his paws. Mostly it is my or my mother's stomach. Whenever you would talk to him, he would shut his eyes and put his ears back in distain. He used to move really slowly, as if he thought that you wouldn't see him. My mom would be on the couch, and he'd try to get on her lap, and she'd tell him no, so he would put his ears back and squinch up his eyes, and then a few seconds later, he would start inching his way back onto her lap. His full name was Papillon.com because he was white with a black butterfly on his head, a black tail, a black dot on the back of his leg, and a black dot right above his tail. He was a beautiful cat, and a well loved cat. In the last few months, after I went to college, he refused to come into the house. The one weekend I was home for October break, he began running into the house every chance he got, and over Thanksgiving break, he was the first of my cats that I saw and snuggled with when I walked in the door. This last Saturday when I came home from Christmas in Spokane, he was laying on a heated pad on our front porch. I reached in, ruffled his fur, and watched as he got up, stretched, and walked down to take a seat at the bottom of the stairs. This evening we found him, laying outside in the rain. We buried him under the fern where he always used to sit. He was a beautiful, funny, charismatic, and wonderful cat. He will be dearly missed.


Rest in peace, Papillon.


Thursday, December 25, 2008

18 Was A Good Year

18 was a good year....

I became an "adult" (legally, anyway!)
I experienced greater freedom
I bought my first lotto ticket
I got hooked on the X-Files
I watched every episode of the X-Files that is in existence
I watched both of the X-Files movies
I got into college
I performed in 2 high school plays, one of which I won an award for
I survived APUSH
I voted for Obama in a WA caucus
I went to an Obama rally and saw him speak
I did well on my AP tests
I graduated from high school with first honors
I went to Disneyland for the first time
I went to my last 6-day as a youth
I went to the X-Files movie premier
I became a freshman in college
I voted for President-elect Obama
I made new friends
I developed a better appreciation for home
I studied Shakespeare
I read approximately 15 plays
I performed in an instant play festival
I was the assistant stage manager for a play
I joined a sorority
I liked a boy...or two... or three....
I saw more snow than I have ever seen before
I finished my first semester of college with a respectable GPA
and... I had an absolutely amazing Christmas!!

18 really was a good year. I'm not ready for it to be over, but tomorrow morning at 4:41, I'll say goodbye to 18 and hit the ground running for the coming year as a 19 year old. Let's hope it will be as exciting and fun as 18 was.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Standed in a Winter Wonderland

Things are getting pretty wintry over here, and a lot of my friends are finding themselves stranded in this tiny little town. Flight have been canceled, the pass has been closed, and the snow just keeps on coming down. Reports vary on how many inches of snow we got today, but we definitely have a foot and a half - two feet out there now. Here are some of the pictures I took:







Here Nicole decided to plop down in the knee deep snow.







Monday, December 15, 2008

Homework, and Papers , and Finals, Oh My!

That wonderful time of year has come again where frightened freshman wonder if their lives would really be over if they failed all of their classes and dropped out of college. Unfortunately, most of us don't see that as an option. Instead we slave over our books, cuddle up with our computers, and write papers pertaining to St. Augustine. And then there are the select few who spend all of their time on Facebook and writing blog posts instead of working on their take home finals. I hate to admit it, but I am definitely a procrastinator. The most difficult part of finals week (at least for me) is not the work load, but rather the fact that I am expected to work during a week where we have absolutely no classes. Without those classes, motivation is very hard to come by. There is no constant reminder that YOU WILL DIE if you don't do well in your classes. Instead, the snow falls steadily outside, blanketing the campus in white powder, warm and cozy beds get a hell of a lot more comfortable, hot chocolate becomes your best friend in the world, and all thoughts of school vanish.

Tis the season.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Today I swung by my old high school with my good friend Leela. We made the rounds and talked to all of our old teachers. It was great to see all of them again. We chatted about college and were asked the age old question, "Isn't college better than high school?!" The answer, of course, was yes. I will admit that being back was extremely comforting. It isn't awkward like you might expect, and it's very different from visiting your old elementary school where the teachers are a little surprised and happy to see you, but quickly return their attention to the students they are currently teaching. Going back to [insert name of high school here] was fantastic. All of the teachers drop what they are doing to talk to you. One of my teachers, after setting his class up with the movie they were supposed to watch for the day, came and chatted with us outside of the classroom. It was a lot of fun to see all of the familiar faces. When I walked into the drama classroom I was almost knocked over by all of the sophomore (now junior, and some senior) friends that I had left behind. There were a lot of hugs, and one little junior in particular who had been known to follow me and Ms. B around latched on to me immediately. She just about peed herself when I told her I walked around the lake with Ms. B and her dogs on Monday. It was a lot of fun to see everyone again, and I can't wait to stop by again over winter break. Unfortunately the young alum reception takes place the same week I have finals, so it doesn't look like I am going to have the chance to go to that. At least I know I can visit the school again in January. Until then I'll wear my class ring with pride (which I quickly pulled out of my purse and slipped back on my finger while I was there). It really is great to be back.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

I'm home again, and this time I'm back for a week. Unfortunately I've already lost all motivation to do any work whatsoever, and I don't anticipate becoming motivated again in the near future. I've turned into a complete TV junkie, which probably has something to do with coming home to cable. I spend all of my time either in front of the TV or in front of my computer, watching Doctor Who. Currently, rather than cleaning the house as I promised my mom I would do, I'm watching Sex and the City on late night TV and wondering what make Sarah Jessica Parker think that hairstyle was a good look for her.

As soon as this show is over, I'll move on to another episode of Doctor Who. Then, if all goes according to plan and I don't get too lazy, I'll wash dishes, clean the living room, sweep and mop the kitchen floor, change out the laundry, and head to bed around 3.

The fact that Seinfeld just came on after Sex and the City does not bode well for tonight's progress.

Anyway, my hope is that I'll get enough rest and relaxation to be able to go back to school reenergized and ready for all of my homework. Until I go back, however, I'm going to enjoy every minute of freedom. Doctor Who, here I come!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

President Obama

Tonight we made history. It was amazing. My first election, and I helped elect Barack Obama.

The only thing that I wish had been different about this night is where I celebrated it. I would have given anything to be at home, sitting in my living room with my mom, dad, Brooks, and Tamerlane, cheering on Obama and finally celebrating his victory.

Instead, I was sitting in a small blackbox theatre, taking line notes and awaiting election updates on cnn.com (I brought my laptop). After the election was called, I got to run outside and scream and hug my friend who was also screaming. There were shouts coming up from all over the campus. It was great. But then I had to go and sit in rehearsal for another two hours while the director changed the blocking of every scene we rehearsed (and I might add this is a little over a week before we open).

After rehearsal I talked to my parents a bit, got permission to have a little champagne in celebration (more for myself... they could care less), and went to a friends house and we discussed the play I am ASMing.

Anyway.. I miss my family. I wish I had been home to celebrate this historic occasion.

But the important thing is: Barack Obama is the next president of the United States of America! I could not be prouder of my country right now.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Overwhelmed? Why yes. Yes I am.

Well, it is 12:45 on a Tuesday night, and I am sorry to say that I have about 3 hours worth of homework ahead of me, if not more. And even if I do work for the next three hours, I will still be completely behind schedule. So why am I procrastinating, you may ask? Well, one reason is that I am a freshman in college, and that is what we do. Another reason is that I haven't had any time to myself today. I was in bed by 2 am last night, woke up at 8, went to the library for 45 minutes and was far too tired to be productive, went to sleep for 45 minutes at 10, went to Spanish at 11, ate lunch at 12, went to Shakespeare at 1 (which I didn't have time to do the reading for... and still won't have time to do it by Thursday), left for work at 2:35 (15 minutes after getting out of Shakespeare), got back to school at 4:20 in time to grab some homework and run to a meeting about tutoring (thankfully that took an hour less than had been anticipated because the guest speaker could not make it), got dinner at 5, sat in my room on my computer trying to rest for a moment, went to Perfect Pie rehearsal at 6:40, left at 10:20, and have been attempting to read Arthur Brooke's The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet for the last few hours.

Unfortunately my Thursday is going to be identical to today, except not only do I have a Spanish essay due and a Shakespeare quiz that day, I have a 6-8 page Shakespeare paper due on Friday. I've been hoping to get my Shakespeare paper finished by tomorrow, so that I would not have to work with it too much during my non-existent free time on Thursday. Unfortunately, things are not going as planned. I do have a good reason to try to get it finished as soon as possible, and that is that a friend of mine who knows a lot about Shakespeare has said he will take a look at it. Hopefully all will do well. For now I must get back to reading. I still have 20 pages of Romeus and Juliet, 27 chapters of Exodus, a Spanish paper to write, and hopefully a Shakespeare paper to start.

Come Friday, I will be a very happy girl. Until then.... f***.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Theatre Things

I thought it was about time to give another update about life at college. Everything is going very well, and I am extremely busy! Lately I have been attempting to work my way into the theatre department, and I have finally succeeded.

I am currently in the rehearsal process for a "lunchbox" (at lunch on a given day, you can buy a ticket, get a sandwich, and sit down to watch a short performance). It is a lot of fun, and I am performing a long monologue called "Mrs. Sorkin." Rehearsals are going well, and now my man concern is memorizing my lines.

Today I am going to meet with the Stage Manager of Perfect Pie, a play that is being directed by a student for his senior project, to begin as her Assistant Stage Manager, or ASM. Tomorrow will be my first full rehearsal with the show. Needless to say, I am very excited for this wonderful opportunity!

This weekend I get to see my parents and my dog, Maddie, as they are coming to visit for Family Weekend. We are going to go see Our Town, which opened last night, and I was able to usher for. We will be cheering on my roommate who has been performing beautifully.

Altogether, things are going very well. I'm going to be very busy with classes, homework, work, lunchbox rehearsals, and 3 hour Perfect Pie rehearsals, but I'm looking forward to every minute of it (well... maybe not the homework)!

AGW

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Yom Kippur

Well, Yom Kippur is almost over, and I have to say, I'm VERY excited to eat. It's been a long day, but I'm glad I fasted this year. I didn't go to services today, but I went last night. Maybe next year.

Anyway, shana tova everybody! Have a happy new year and keep that slate clean!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

To Pledge, or Not to Pledge: That is the Question

Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I just accepted a bid from Kappa Alpha Theta, and will become an official pledge on Thursday. I can still drop out and still rush in the future as long as it happens before initiation, which is spring semester. But the question must be asked... What am I getting myself into?! I have always looked with disgust at Greek life. I went so far as to compare joining a sorority to selling your soul to the devil! So what am I doing joining a sorority? Well, just to clear a few things up, greek life at my college is NOT like Greek life elsewhere. It isn't filled with the stereotypical Abercrombie models who define themselves solely by the fact that they are a member of a fraternity or sorority, nor is it super exclusive, superficial, or shallow. Theta, of all of the sororities on campus, is by far the most laid back. However, I still have my doubts. I suppose only time will tell if I belong with the Thetas or not, but any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin

I thought this was absolutely hilarious! Thanks for sending it to me, Tamerlane!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Homesick

Today I felt my first bout of homesickness. It's been making me procrastinate a lot. I just haven't really had the motivation or the energy to do anything. Looks like I'm going to have to push back doing laundry one more day (don't worry, I still have clean clothes to wear!). I also ate a whole thing of macaroni and cheese, which wasn't very good. I even made the noodles in my hot pot... which didn't work as well as I had hoped. Next time I'll just use a pot. Unfortunately my mother is going to see that I ate a whole pot of macaroni and cheese... oh well... I'll eat a lot of fruit and vegetables tomorrow. She will be glad to hear that my favorite thing to eat from the cafeteria (other than soft-serve..... but I limit myself!) is the roasted vegetables, which could actually do with a little less oil. I also have hardly touched the jar of nutella sitting on my bookshelf. I think I'm going to go on a run tomorrow to try to keep the freshman 15 off, or as I heard someone say, the freshman 40. Things are going pretty well. I'm making friends and enjoying classes for the most part. Today's classes weren't all that great, which is interesting because they were my two favorites. We are reading this strange story in Spanish class where this woman is reminiscing about her past, while excaping her house which is on fire, and there is this grafic scene, and her husband is obsessed with sex, and then he hangs himself, and thats only pages 7-27... so.... Spanish should be interesting. I'm trying not to cling to certain friends too much, just because I'm feeling homesick and want to hang out with people, but I don't want them to get sick of me, so I just have to make sure I mix it up.

Today has basically been a mess of getting up early, waiting for class to end, getting two packages, taking a 2 hour nap, listening to the Senate, eating, and trying to occupy myself with various other things so I don't get to self conscious or weird, and basically trying to get through the day. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

The Senate

The Senate came and played for us last night at our Coffeehouse. They are a local band from Seattle, and they are fantastic! Anyway I thought I would put their name out there. If you haven't heard of them, you should check them out!

On a different note, I'm really enjoying college. I just finished my first week of classes, and did in fact end up dropping my history class and adding Beginning Acting, which I am very excited about. It looks like it is going to be a lot of fun, and one of my new friends is in my class. I would have to say that my two favorite classes thus far are definitely Spanish and Modernity & Antiquity. I have really great professors for both classes.

More on them later. I'm headed downtown with some friends. We're stopping by Goodwill to get some clothes for the 80's dance party tonight. I'll keep you posted!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

First Day of Classes

Well, I figured that since yesterday was my first day of classes, I should probably tell you all how that went.

My first class was Development of U.S. History, and (surprise!) I am thinking of dropping it. I'm a little bummed about it actually, because I absolutely LOVE U.S. History. I thought it would be a fun class to take even though I was in an AP U.S. History class last year. Although we are going to be able to read some very interesting texts in the class, it is at a fairly introductory level, and I'm worried that I will be bored (not to mention after my first night of homework, I'm not sure I'm going to have time for the extra reading). I'm going to talk to my prof. about it today, so hopefully I'll be able to figure something out. It is quite possible that I will be replacing U.S. History with Beginning Acting (which I'm really excited about).

My second class was Spanish 305 (which is a step up from the level I tested into, 205), and I am very excited for this class. My professor is very nice and told us about the history of her name, as well as wet through the course syllabus, all in Spanish of course! I surprised myself and was actually able to understand it all!

My third class was Shakespeare, which is a 300 level English class (I know... what was I thinking?!), but although I entered the classroom terrified, I walked out a little more confident, thinking that maybe, just maybe, I could do this. I forgot to mention, that not only is it a 300 level class, my professor has a reputation for being an EXTREMELY hard grader. But class went very well yesterday, and I learned a lot! I even contributed a little to the class discussion. I'm still incredibly intimidated, as I am the only first year in the class, but I know I'll have the help of my peers, and as long as I seek help when I need it, I should be fine.

And now, for the incredible homework load. Thankfully I finished reading books 1-4 of the Odyssey and submitted a response to an online question for the CORE class I have at 11 today. However, I still have to read Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, including the Norton Introduction, by tomorrow at 1. That, as well as meeting with my history prof., going to a study abroad meeting, attending a CORE coffee talk, and checking out our school's male a cappella group at our study break, will make up the majority of the rest of my day! Well, I better start getting ready for class. Wish me luck!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Dorm Room

So just to give everyone a little update, I am completely moved into my dorm, and absolutely loving it. I feel right at home here and the campus and people are amazing. My roommate seems great and everything couldn't be more wonderful! The best part is I feel like I'm already home. In fact, my room here seems more like home than my room in my house, which could be due to the fact that all my stuff is now here and my room at my house is fairly bare.

Another great thing about my college is that everyone that I've met is really nice and very happy. I think I'm going to enjoy it here.

More later!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Holy S***

Holy s***, is it really my last night at home? It's a very strange feeling to realize you won't be sleeping in your own bed again until October. I'm leaving tomorrow, and have barely anything packed. There's tons of laundry to be done, plenty that must be packed in boxes, and my room is an absolute mess!! What on earth am I going to do? It looks like I have a long night ahead of me. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

A Day and a Half to Remember

The last day and a half were absolutely fantastic. The first memorable half a day started with a trip to an outdoor saltwater pool by the Sound, and to make it even better, it was raining! Though there was a bit of complaining from the older ones on the walk to the pool, we all had a blast once in the warm salty water. Mom, Dad, Brooks, Tamerlane, and I all enjoyed splashing and swimming around, and even managed to get out of the water long enough to go off the diving board a few times. It was an absolute blast. After swimming we had a very wet walk back to the car, and headed straight to Brooks and Tamerlane's house for some dry clothes. Then it was back home for some sweatpants, slippers, and a warm bath robe. Then we cuddled up with some yummy picodilla, ginger snap cookies, chocolate cookies, and I hoarded some delicious lavender ice cream (my favorite!) and popped in the movie Say Anything. After taking Brooks and Tamerlane home, it was off to bed.

The next day began with a morning drive with my mom in our bathrobes to Golden Gardens to look out at the grey skies and water. I drank sweet peppermint tea and read my book as my mom relaxed. Then it was off to Taco del Mar for some burritos. On the way home we saw this little old man trying to cross the street, and the cross walk light turned red, and he promptly yelled "God Dammit!" Thankfully with the help of a man in the car behind us he made it safely across the street. After we got home we changed into our workout clothes and went shopping. We finally bought some sheets, and got most of our shopping done. Then it was time to decide to skip Jazzercise and I planned to make dinner. Brooks and Tamerlane accepted out invitation over, despite not feeling well, and I made some kick-ass vegetarian Matzah Ball Soup (with chicken broth as an option for the meat eaters) and ended up having to make another batch, due to popular demand. We popped in the X-Files and watched episodes "Kaddish" and "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas." After that it was time to take Brooks and Tamerlane home, where we said our warm goodbyes. Altogether it was a perfect day.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Three Days

It looks like there are only three days separating me from college. It's really a scary feeling, and things haven't been going very well at home. My mom and I have been at each other's throats, and we haven't been fighting about anything important either. We'll find that we are screaming at each other over something stupid like a bathing suit or a department store. We're also both exhausted. All I really want to do is sleep. I don't even have the energy to obsess over the X-Files or Doctor Who. Instead, I'll sit around and freak out about which laundry detergent I should buy, or whether the cream puff stand will still be open at the market, because I really shouldn't have another one. It's these little things that don't matter that seem exceptionally magnified at the moment, so I can only wonder what it will be like when I actually get to college. I almost just want to be there now to avoid any more issues, and I have to keep telling myself that things will be better when I get settled into college life.

Three short little days.

Monday, August 11, 2008

17 Days and Counting

Well it looks like I'm headed off to college in two and a half weeks which means I'm going to have to start looking for a new job. It seems an exceptionally daunting task, especially seeing how lucky I was getting my first job. Getting my current job, working as an assistant for an immigration attorney, was extremely easy because my mother works in the same office. Thankfully it has provided me with a lot of experience and something that will look fabulous on a resume. However now I've found that I actually have to put together, not to mention send out this resume, and I'm terribly afraid that I won't get hired anywhere.

On a brighter note, I've registered for all of my classes. This semester I will be taking:
Development of the U.S. 1607-1877 (my idea of HEAVEN)
Intermediate Spanish
Shakespeare (His earlier plays, I believe)
Antiquity and Modernity

I'm super excited, and have 2 classes three days a week, and 3 classes 2 days a week, so that should be a nice change from 6 classes, 5 days a week. Not to mention, I hand picked 3 out of 4 of my classes, and the one that I didn't pick, I'm super excited for anyway. College life is going to be good :).

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

That Cheating Bastard

After nearly 18 years of marriage, he got up and walked away, all for a woman named "Didi."

Now all that is left is a bleeding family, some broken hearts, and a world of hurt.

When everything seemed so perfect it is impossible to understand how things went so terribly wrong.

I will never again hear him call up the stairs to his loving wife, or feel like his second daughter in their home.

So for now, the neighbor girl stands and watches what she knew so well fall apart while being forever pulled away to see what her future holds.

Two years ago I left them, but as I leave for college, the memory of that second home will never leave me.

Friday, July 25, 2008

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Well I must say that I believe. The 9 hour wait at the mall to simply be allowed to wait for 3 more hours to see the movie was well worth it. It was EPIC. There isn't much else I can say other than that the movie was absolutely fantastic and a must see. You can bet I'll be seeing it again soon.

"nailed it!"

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Early Morning Torture

When Tuesdays and Thursdays roll around, I dread having to leave my nice comfortable bed. Those are the days that I work out with my personal trainer for the summer. Not to mention sleep has been a bit difficult recently because of the heat. So it's in bed by 12, asleep by 1, up by 7, and working out by 9:30 or 10.

The poor guy puts up with a lot, because I'm a complainer. At least I occasionally provide some entertainment, as I confessed the other day that in order to complete difficult sets, I whisper the names of past U.S. presidents who really peeve me. Probably my most used president is Martin Van Buren. He was an ass.

Tuesday and Thursday mornings remind me of my mother's stories of the 600 yard dash. In high school she would feel sick for a week, anticipating the day she would have to run the 600 yard dash, only to stay in bed and have to make it up by herself when she returned. I'm already feeling nervous, with only about 10 minutes to go until I have to leave for the gym. I guzzle a last little bit of water in a desperate attempt to reverse the dehydration that has built up over the past two days.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Time for Some Campaignin

Here's the new JibJab video... it's pretty funny!



Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Obama

Barack Obama on National Security and the war in Iraq

"This must be the moment when we answer the call of history. For eight years, we have paid the price for a foreign policy that lectures without listening; that divides us from one another - and from the world - instead of calling us to a common purpose; that focuses on our tactics in fighting a war without end in Iraq instead of forging a new strategy to face down the true threats that we face. We cannot afford four more years of a strategy that is out of balance and out of step with this defining moment.

None of this will be easy, but we have faced great odds before. When General Marshall first spoke about the plan that would bear his name, the rubble of Berlin had not yet been built into a wall. But Marshall knew that even the fiercest of adversaries could forge bonds of friendship founded in freedom. He had the confidence to know that the purpose and pragmatism of the American people could outlast any foe. Today, the dangers and divisions that came with the dawn of the Cold War have receded. Now, the defeat of the threats of the past has been replaced by the transnational threats of today. We know what is needed. We know what can best be done. We know what must done. Now it falls to us to act with the same sense of purpose and pragmatism as an earlier generation, to join with friends and partners to lead the world anew."

I hope that he will indeed bring change. I have to admit I have not been very happy with him for the past few days because of his decision to support H.R. 6304, but this makes me optimistic that American foreign policy will one day promote progress on an international scale.

Quorn

For those of you who don't know, I am a vegetarian. But that's not what I want to write about for the moment... that's a long, strange and complicated story.

What I do want to mention is that thanks to some amazing relatives/really good friends of mine, I have discovered Quorn, the most amazing meat substitute that I have ever tasted. Now even though I am a vegetarian, my favorite food would have to be chicken, which is very unfortunate seeing that as a vegetarian, I can no longer eat it.

Quorn, however, has the exact same texture, not to mention the exact same flavor as chicken. It is absolutely amazing. I just enjoyed a breaded Quorn "chicken" sandwich for dinner. It was like a taste of heaven. And so now I am pleased to say that I can enjoy the taste of chicken without sacrificing the life of one.

U.S. History

I've been thinking a lot about U.S. History lately (there's a big surprise), and the more I do, the more I seem to be discouraged by the current state of the union. It seems like nothing ever changes. I think what has affected my most is a book I recently read by Howard Zinn (who is now one of my heroes). It was a graphic adaptation of A People's History of the United States, entitled A People's History of American Empire. It opened my eyes to the horrible reality of American conquest, like a black mark on our country's past, and the dark clouds over America's future. It's enough to make me want to turn Canadian. I am astonished by how many times the will of the people has been ignored, and lives have been thrown away to further the economic interests of this country. It seems as though we only intervene on an international level for our own economic gain, however the people of America aren't the ones getting rich off of the destruction of the lives of others (not that we should anyhow), but it is the large business owners that continuously fill their pockets. Why else would we refuse to help stop the genocide in Darfur? We do business with the Sudanese government! Our government aided Hitler at one point, and would probably do it again, knowing what it knows now, if it would gain something from it. Who do you think it was who trained Osama bin Laden and many other extremists? The U.S. government. It was the strategy of National Security Adviser to President Carter, Zbigniew Brzezinski, called the Arc of Islam which used green berets and navy seals to train Muslim extremists in an effort to fight against the Soviet Union. These extremists later formed Al Qaeda and the Taliban. We also staged a coup that kicked Mohammad Mossadegh out of power in Iran in 1953... and I'd rather not get into the mess that caused. Anyway, I highly recommend that you read A People's History of American Empire. All of the information that I just mentioned came from that book. However, I must accept that it is only one part of the story, and I'm sure there are many other factors. There are always multiple sides of the story in history, but the fact remains that so much of what the United States government has done is unforgivable, regardless of situation. There is no excuse for the massacre that occurred at Wounded Knee, the Trail of Tears, the Moro Massacre, NO EXCUSE. And what about all the ways in which American liberties have been trampled on? We have all heard of the horrors of slavery from our history books, but it wasn't until the 60's and 70's that African Americans were truly considered equal under the law. And discrimination continues! There was also The Espionage Act during WWI violated the First Amendment, allowing for the arrests of individuals who spoke too freely of their distaste for the war and the draft. The internment of Japanese Americans during WWII is considered to be by some the greatest violation of civil rights in American history. And now the Patriot Act... what will protect our liberties? H.R. 6304 has now granted immunity to those who continue to wiretap as a means of promoting national security. I ask you, when will it end?

Please understand that I still speak with a limited knowledge of these events, but my frustration with history is real.

Peace,
AGW

Folie à Deux

Welcome to my new blog, Folie à Deux. Before I begin I'd like to explain the meaning of the title. It was taken from an episode of the X-Files and is French for "a madness shared by two." Through this blog I hope to discover that there are people out there who "share my madness," whether that be a love of history, a fascination with politics, or simply an obsession with the X-Files. So as I rant on, please enjoy.