On WWII and TV Shows

For reasons that I cannot articulate, my favorite period in history to learn about is World War II.  I'm just so fascinated by it.  It's weird to think that it was only 70 years ago.  It's also weird to say "only 70 years ago" but in the Grand Scheme that's not that long.

Sometimes I wonder if I would be as interested in it if I'd lived through wartime.  I mean, ok, I guess technically we are occupying Iraq and Afghanistan, but this isn't a war like it was then.  There's no draft, Europe isn't really involved, and I don't think anybody's officially calling it a war.  My point is that I have three brothers.  If this were the '40s and we were finally entering the war (or even whenever it was between 1914 and 1918 that we got in on WWI), chances are they'd all be drafted for it.  I'd be left at home to go to work in a factory and just wonder every day what was going on and if they were safe.  Of course, if it were then I'd probably also be married and my husband would be fighting too, so I'd be a single parent.  I'm 24, I'd certainly have at least 2 kids by now.

I think my dad would be too old to go, or at least I hope that's the case.  Let's face it, the man is just not cut out for that kind of thing.  I guess my brothers aren't either.  But that's what boot camp is for, yes?  Just think about it, though.  All the guys my age that I'm friends with would be gone.  My cousins, former classmates, family friends...all fighting a war with little chance of making it back.  We are so lucky that things aren't like that now.  Yes, men and women are still getting killed overseas.  The difference here is in the numbers (far fewer of them are getting killed these days, not that it's much consolation to their families), and that these people volunteered to serve, they were not legally required to do so.

The reason I'm thinking about it again is because I'm watching Band of Brothers for probably the millionth time.  Now before anybody can get worked up, I understand that this is not a completely accurate portrayal of what really happened and it's dramatized and some things have been omitted and/or exaggerated blah blah blah.  But you know, even if it isn't completely accurate, it is still relatively accurate, and it is based on the stories of some of the survivors from the 101st Airborne.  Pretty solid.

The show itself, even if it weren't based on real stories, I think would be really captivating anyway.  It was well cast, well written, and well acted.  I was introduced to it by Mr. Healy, my high school history teacher (who, interestingly enough, bears a strange resemblance to Damien Lewis who played Dick Winters in the show).  He likes it because of its accuracy.  He showed us two episodes in a class I had with him centered around that time period.  I fell in love with it and now, 7 years later, here I am, watching it again and appreciating it like it's the first time.

So anyway it's got me thinking about what a different time that was.  We bitch endlessly about things that, in comparison, seem so petty and insignificant.  I guess a lot of things can seem petty and insignificant next to something like a fucking war, but you get my point.  It's also got me thinking that I would not fare well in a war situation.  Especially in a field hospital or something.  Too much blood, too much suffering.  I can't even stand to watch dramatizations of it, I would certainly pass out or worse if I saw it in real life.  No thank you.

I think if I'd had to have a hand in it, or had to live through seeing family and friends go off to fight and not come back, I wouldn't want to know more about it than I had to.  I certainly wouldn't want to revisit it.  I guess I'm glad I didn't have to go through it, because I really like learning about it.  I wish I needed another history class so I could find one based on it, but I make do with reading up on it on my own.

What I'm saying is, we are damn lucky to have it as good as we do.  Sure everything seems kinda shitty right now, but hey - it could be a hell of a lot worse.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some handsome soldiers to get back to.

Auld Lang Syne

Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at 2012.

I rang in the new year in typical college student fashion: drinking and Rock Band.  I got three kisses at midnight, and jammed to a  lot of Queen songs.  It was an evening of good friends, good cookies, and good fun.  Just right for starting a new year. 

Here's a problem.  I totally fucked this up by making a list about the last year on my birthday.  I forget sometimes that my birthday falls in the midst of the holiday season.  But I feel like a New Year post is appropriate.  What to do...

Ok, how about this: Let's talk about the things I want to accomplish in 2012.  That's a thing people do, right?  I've never particularly cared for resolutions, because I feel like you shouldn't decide to make positive changes to your life just because of the new year.  If I wanted to do better things, I'd have already started them.  But, in the spirit of the holiday, let's just see what I'm gonna forget about trying to do in 2 weeks.

1. Make the Dean's List.  I really want to do this.  I'm hoping to make it spring semester, but I'm taking two 4-credit math classes, so let's just say I'm not overly optimistic.  To be safe, my goal is to do it in 2012.

2.  Continue down my path toward becoming responsible with my finances.  Since I moved in July I've been doing ok.  But as with anything, there is room for improvement.

3.  Learn to parallel park.  This is something that we spent one afternoon on in driver's ed, and I never got the hang of it.  So far in the 8 years I've been on the road it hasn't impeded me much, but I feel like it's something I ought to be able to do.

4.  Adopt a cat.  I'm not looking to replace Honey.  I just feel bad when Naughty has to be home alone, and I hate the thought of cats in the shelters getting put down because nobody wants them.  Plus, kittens.

5.  Go somewhere I've never been.  I'm keeping that vague, in case I don't actually get the chance to go anywhere cool.  As long as it's different, I will allow it to qualify.  But really, I hope I end up someplace awesome.

I think five is enough for now.  Overall, I'd say 2011 was pretty good to me.  Yes, it certainly had its shitty moments (most notably losing Grandma Knetter and Honey), but without sorrow we cannot truly appreciate happiness, right? 

I'm excited for this year.  I feel like it's gonna be a good one.

Goodbye, Old Friend

After all the things he's lived through that we thought he couldn't possibly, Honey finally met his match today in the form of a blood clot that blocked off blood flow to his hind legs and his tail.  Though there was the option of surgery to remove it, his prognosis was very poor, even if they succeeded, not to mention that treatment carried the risk of loosening more blood clots, and I couldn't stand to see him in pain anymore, so Dad helped me make the toughest decision of my life, and we had him put down.  I held him while they did it.  At the risk of sounding over dramatic, I have never been so utterly hearbroken in all my life.  I honestly do not have the words to express what he meant to me and how hard it was to do what I did today.  Instead, I choose to honor his memory with all the pictures of him that I can find, and I will post them here.  Look if you want, or don't, but I'm doing this for me and for him.  I love you, Honey Bear.

 

The Big 2-4

Ok guys.  So I haven't posted in a long time.  Like almost two months.  I'm gonna go ahead and give you the "school and work" excuse thing again, because it's true.  And also I forgot.

However, today is my 24th birthday.  It's left me feeling a little...weird.  I mean, 24 isn't really a special birthday, like nothing really changes.  I'm just a year older, and thinking that I shouldn't be this old.  I still feel like I'm 19, but I think that's more to do with this fresh attempt at college than anything else.  That and maybe how I'm thinking about using my tax refund to buy a $150 Harry Potter Lego set.  But mostly it's the college thing.

I think what I want to do is look over the last year and see what's happened, because a lot has. Since my 23rd birthday, I have:

-Moved back home from Schofield
-Applied for, gotten into, and started college
-Said goodbye to my grandma (and I still think about her all the time)
-Gotten better at managing my finanaces (sorta)
-Made some new friends
-Reconnected with some old friends
-Taken up crocheting again
-Moved to Oshkosh
-Started to really act like an adult and take responsibility for myself
-Fallen in love with some new bands (and re-fallen in love with some old favorites)
-Spent more money on video games than I care to admit
-Realized just how much I depend on my family
-Let my natural hair color grow out (for the first time since I was 16)
-Let my hair get really long (even though I recently cut it short again)
-Started this blog

Hmm.  I'm calling that a pretty solid list.  Some good, some bad, just what a year should be.  I don't even want to think about how close I'm getting to 25.  At least I have a whole year until then.

This year I am resolving to start manning up and stop being afraid of things.  I'm going to say no when I don't want to or can't do something.  I'm going to keep up with my blog.

Well, I think we all know that last probably isn't going to happen.  But  hey, a girl can dream, right?

People and Things

Ok, I'm ready for a real post today.  It is Friday, and god damn it is a good day.  Check out what I got in the mail-

That's right, friends, that is the new Jack's Mannequin CD.  I am beyond excited.  Because I pre-ordered, I got this too-

See that down at the bottom?  Andrew McMahon has touched this.  Amazing.  It also came with these artsy postcards, which I don't totally get, but there are two that I particularly liked:

I thought the Oklahoma one was hilarious, and of course I like the Wisconsin one.  So yes.  Very exciting.

As for the CD itself, I'm just on my first listen-through, and already I'm in love with it.  Andrew McMahon's voice kind of has that effect on me :)

I'm excited to actually have things to do this weekend since I'm off.  Tonight I'm having dinner/drinks with my friend Mel (FINALLY) and her sister Britt, and they are awesome.  Tomorrow I get to go see my Victoria in Appleton and we're gonna go watch 50/50, which I am excited about because Joseph Gordon-Levitt is gorgeous.   Sunday Dad is gonna come for a visit, and I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks so I'm really looking forward to that.

So since beginning this post, I've wandered off to Facebook and Google+ like 3 times.  I don't know when my attention span got so short.  Ridiculous.

I suppose that's everything of note for the moment.  Have a beautiful weekend my loves!

And Don't Keep Me Like You Have Me...

Ok, this isn't a real update because I have to get ready to go to work, but I am in love with this song and I need to spread it around.  Enjoy!

*Sigh*

I woke up this morning, rolled over, and was face to face with this:

If he wasn't so adorable, the way he was watching me sleep would be creepy.  But he is cute.  That is his saving grace.

I think I underestimated how busy I was going to be this semester.  I was all like "Full-time school and part-time job?  Psshhhh I did that for like 3 years of high school.  I've got this."  Now I'm scrambling to get shit done all the time, I'm not sleeping enough (interestingly enough I'm getting more sleep now than I ever used to get in high school.  Am I old?), and I book my free time so full of other stuff that I don't really get the chance to be at home and relax.  But this is what I did in high school!  Maybe I just don't have the energy I had then or something.  I am turning into kind of a grandma.  But that's ok, I guess.

It's Saturday, and for the first time since school started I am content to just sit on the couch and watch Parks and Recreation all day.  I might even play some video games.  I have to work tonight, but that's ok, it'll be busy and probably fun.  After that I'm going over to a friend's house where we are going to watch the movie "The Room" and play a drinking game.  If you've never seen that movie, go check it out.  It is literally the worst piece of garbage I have ever seen.  But it is hilarious (despite its best efforts).  This movie was written by, directed by, starred, and was entirely funded by one guy.  If that doesn't tell you something about it, then you don't know how the movie industry works.  So yeah, pretty excited.

Speaking of exciting things, on Tuesday George Watsky came and performed on campus.  For those of you who don't know who that is, watch this.  He's hilarious.  He was hanging out before his show where people were coming in and me and my friend Natalie  got our picture taken with him.

It was awesome.

I guess I haven't got a lot else to say today.  I'm trying to find the motivation to clean my apt.  It's not that it's so messy, but I just kind of leave shit laying around everywhere.  Before school started I always had time t clean, but now when I get home from school or work I'm just so tired of doing stuff that I just wanna sit.  What a nightmare.

So for now, I will just enjoy this calm morning.  I'll take a shower and get dressed and run my errands later.  At this moment, I'm happy just sitting here.

Have an awesome weekend, my dears.