*yawn*
Aw shit, is it only Thursday?
WWII thoughts
I have come to the conclusion that my History Holocaust tutorials (or recitations, whatever America wants to call it. I mean, seriously, you’re the only country in the entire world to use Fahrenheit Celsius, ‘color’ instead of ‘colour’… what gives?) are exceedingly useless.
We talk and talk and… well, do nothing, essentially. I don’t take notes down; I’ve already an opinion of the required reading formulated in my head - nothing other people haven’t already mentioned, and other arguments won’t sway my view. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to achieve from the tutorial.
I managed to borrow all the Joseph Goebbels diaries that were published, and I haven’t exactly gotten the time to sit down and read them. I’ve read bits and pieces from the 1925-26 book, and well, this guy is rather prone to dramatics, isn’t he? I went to compare his entries from 1945 and 1925, and the contrast is rather startling. In the 1925 diary, all he does is talk about himself. It is such a beautiful day outside! I keep working! I’ve read Mein Kampf, he is great! I cheated on my wife! I’m tired, woe! Sleep! Sleep!
In 1945, it’s just page after page of the events on the war front(s). It doesn’t make for good reading, especially when the whole thing is just about military strategy, which I absolutely have no interest in.
I’ve seen pictures of Goebbels… and he’s not exactly physically intimidating. He’s a short, thin man with an enormous head resting on a bony neck. It was kinda eerie to see a photograph of him sideways, and the vertebrae on his neck were clearly visible. It was like the uniform was two sizes too big for him.
I’ve read an excerpt of Mein Kampf particularly the bits about denouncing the Jews. Maybe it’s the translation, or maybe it’s a deranged Hitler, but that is possibly the most illogical thing I’ve ever read in my life. There are run-on sentences, one sentence paragraphs, and an attempted link from Jewish blood libel to using Palestine as their headquarters to take over the world…?
It doesn’t espouse hatred, and there is no inclination of mass destruction (at least in the excerpt), but it seems to be an argument on why the Jews are a burden to Germany. He does an exceedingly poor job at it. I tried to pretend that I subscribed to these beliefs - Treitschke reasoned much better on the same premises (Jewish conspiracy) - and I still failed to be convinced by Hitler’s diatribe. It is simply rambling. Maybe he’ll do a better job of convincing me his hair colour is blonde.
On the other side of the table, I’ve read three chapters of Marion Kaplan’s Between Dignity and Despair - Jewish Life in Nazi Germany. I’ll put a quick first impressions review tomorrow or something. I did not like the way she worded her sentences, and I felt it biased and speculative.
I still hold up War & Genocide as the best book about the Holocaust so far. It’s short, sweet, succinct. Read!
And here’s something to take away: Godwin’s Law. The definition:
As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.
So… y’know, whenever you want to reference Nazis (be it yourself or someone else), you FAIL. Just sayin’.
Protected: Fap fap fap. Throb throb throb. Wank wank wank.
Needs more manic.
Okay, before I go to bed, there were a couple of things that I want to say.
1. I can personally attest to the awesomeness that is Drano Max Gel Remover. Cleared my bathroom sink in half an hour.
2. I have a huge head. It sits on my neck like a pumpkin on a chicken.
3. I’ve suddenly broken out in pimples.
4. I’ve had my first real breakfast in months.
5. Brian is still a jerk.
Goodnight.
MANIC EPISODE
93.3333% on my Psych midterm today! Yay. I completely forgot what topics we were to study for on the quiz, so I handed in a blank sheet of paper. I got back a 1/10 with the comment ‘for showing up in class on a Friday. :)’
D’aww.
This guy named Brian in my Abnormal Psych class is one annoying asshole. He keeps criticizing these small details that don’t need to be criticized, his speech is disjointed and slurred and yet he continues to want to butt in halfway during lectures proclaiming he’s more knowledgeable than the lecturer herself. He is self-absorbed, annoying, disruptive, irritating and… some other mean words.
I pulled up the courage to meet with my History TA during her office hours and failed for the second time in two weeks. She wasn’t in her office, and when something doesn’t exactly go according to plan for me (I expect her to be in her office), I panic a little.
It’s strange to consciously know that you’re panicking. I’ve always had heart palpitations and breathing problems before talking to a professor/lecturer/some foreign object, and today, for the first time, I actually realized my heart was beating so fast I couldn’t stop it. And… well, I dunno how to explain this. You know when fear strikes you there’s this odd gushing feeling in your chest that causes your heart to beat faster? It feels like a release of chemicals or something… but anyway, I felt that. Kinda eerie. I sort of stood in the corridor like a moron for about 2 minutes before deciding to exit the building without meeting my TA.
Humph.
Spring 08
Registered for my courses for Spring:
Psych 530 - Psychology of Personality
Psych 313 - Behavioural Neuroscience (Does the brain count as part of the nervous system? *iz fascinated with brain*)
Pol Sci 534 - Government and Politics of Northern Europe
Philosophy 250 - Uh, something about logic? I know logical fallacies are being taught here. Squee.
I’m trying to fit in another course (duhh) but nobody seems to like Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, for some reason. My first choices had me attending classes from 8.30 to 5.30 on Mondays and Wednesdays, and my Thursdays and Fridays were BLANK. And then there was the usual screaming of why the classes I want to take have to overlap each other. There was Chem 101, History of Modern Japan and English 575/’Special Topics in literary forms and themes’. My Psych 530 and Philosphy 250 just simply sat there and ate up the slot everyone liked the most. 
On another note, Dad got in touch with his old OSU professor, Dr. Liddle. As usual, I’m going to pay the professor a visit, because I feel bad refusing Daddy. I took a quick peek at the courses Dr. Liddle was teaching, so I could like, sign up and that’s an excuse to visit him and talk about something, when I seriously freaked out at the courses that he taught. 700 and 800 level courses, and he’s the ‘Appointed Associate Chair for Teaching’, whatever that means, but it sounds awesome.
