When Tragedy Strikes...

I think I've ranted on here before on the same topic. However, no one reads this blog so I think it's fine.

One thing that has bothered me for years now is false sympathy. Or perhaps put-on sympathy is a better term. We all know it when we see it: the "I changed my facebook picture because I support insert-cause-here" phenomenon that happens within a few hours of a tragedy occurring. This will prevail for perhaps a week before everyone forgets what happened.
It's a topic that was touched on in one of my classes this semester (about the Holocaust), and it's one that I disagree with most people on. I find memorials to be distasteful in almost every instance. They cause people to behave how they feel they should behave instead of making it okay to not cry over people we never knew. The brotherhood of mankind is an important thing, but I think it's offensive to people legitimately experiencing tragedy or hardship to feign interest for a few days before letting the issue die.
Anecdote: I went to see The Dark Knight Rises when I was living in Germany this summer, so opening night was about a week later than US opening. So we were all well aware of the shootings that took place in Colorado and a tiny bit worried because we went to the English-language cinema in Munich (unfounded; Germany is crazy safe). Before the movie, someone whipped out a bottle of schnapps and suggested that our group all take a shot in memory of the shooting victims. Everyone else did that, and I stood there and mumbled something like "no, I don't do sentimental crap." (Which everyone understood. My general lack of sentiment created a summer-long debate: am I missing my heart or my soul? I prefer heart because then the song "Tin Man" applies to me. And I do love the Avett Brothers. Tangent to the tangent: schnapps are basically rubbing alcohol anyhow. Nein, danke.)
To clarify, I don't have a problem with people having an emotional reaction to a horrible situation. What I have a problem with is that everyone must post these feelings on social media. You're not friends with those people...it's nice that you're praying for them, but keep it to yourself. Prayer is supposed to be with you and God, and perhaps the person you're praying for. I'm not a sentimental person, so people publicly sharing their need to mourn for those they don't know strikes me as fake. Perhaps they truly need to create a facebook status about an event to feel better. I would say that facebook doesn't help anything, but the Arab Spring started online...so what starts there can change the world.

This happened today as well.

But because the important thing is to realize that we are alive, here is a German band called Slut singing a song from Die Dreigroschenoper that's been stuck in my head a lot recently.

Francais n'est pas facile.

This is how I feel right now.

Demain je fais un examen de francais. Je n'aime pas les examens.

My biggest accomplishment today: 

Although this just means I've been cleared to start submitting my personal statement, letters of recommendation, GRE scores, resume, and transcript, I still feel excited about being a bit further on the road to graduate school!

Trombone Christmas!

Today was the RMB trombone section's Christmas party! Since it's finals week, not everyone was able to come, but it was still really fun. Stephanie made hot chocolate and tea that tasted like apple pie and fancy coffee (I had a mug of each), and Jackson made really good sugar cookies. I made stanz using stuff Stephanie bought. :) Of course there were games, but I was able to get out of playing most of them. ("Chelsea doesn't like games. We don't know why." <--- bound to happen when my namesake feels this way about games.) The bad thing was that I ate cereal for breakfast and lunch, so I knew this sugar-fest would end badly for me. Luckily, Stephanie gave me some of her leftovers from buffalo wild wings. I felt pretty guilty about eating it...but I knew I'd end up sick if I just ate junk all day. Tomorrow I get to eat at Petra with some friends; I'm excited because it's a cool local place, and I want to eat at as many of those as possible before I graduate and move away!

I have one more final left. It's for elementary French, so I'm not concerned (but I'm still studying). I'm pretty happy with how this semester has turned out...I feel like I learned a bit, and I'm excited for the semester to come, especially since I decided to take two German classes in the spring. It's weird to think that I only have one semester left at the U of A, but at the same time it seems like graduation will never get here! I'm also excited to have a month off from school - I'm looking forward to watching tv, reading, spending time with my family, and working on graduate school applications. And getting my biannual haircut! I'm super excited for that...like most collegiate girls that I've talked to, I only get my hair cut during school breaks, so it happens about twice a year, generally around the same time I get my teeth cleaned (which is happening on Monday!).

Stress/stressee/gestresst

The only good thing about being a bit stressed is that I can say that in 3 different languages, and I feel so pretentious even typing that phrase. "Helllllo, darling. I'm Chelsea, and I speak not one, but THREE languages, although the third is a little rough." *holds long fancy cigarette holder* *looks around, realizes there is no cigarette* "I'm applying for GRADUATE study in International Relations." Doesn't college bring out the annoying in all of us. But as least I'm not the worst person. According to 30 Rock, graduate students are the worst.

The best thing about today is that is marks the end of my International Relations Seminar! IR Seminar, where I learned that I should not be a theorist. (I think IR theorists get too bogged down in wording and then look up and are surprised that stuff is HAPPENING in the world. There's simply not time to slowly analyze every situation! This isn't history!) Basically, I'm against the academic/practical divide in the discipline, but I have no ideas on how to fix it. I'm not in a position to fix it either.

Anyhow, with that class being over, I've just got 3 exams between me and a month off from school! 1 tomorrow, 1 Tuesday, and 1 Friday. A nice amount of time between each to study. My concert band audition is also tomorrow - I am a bit nervous about that, but if I don't make a concert band, at least there's always taking another German class!

I've been thinking about the Holocaust a lot lately - a side effect of taking a course on the subject, I suppose.  What if the only reason it matters (to the world at large; everything matters to someone) is because we want it to matter? We want to believe in the fairytale triumph of good over ultimate evil, and believe that even though horrid things can happen, humanity can survive. We want to believe that humans can learn from their mistakes (although we clearly haven't). I really don't know...that's just the nature of the problem.

Palestine and Paywalls

The Sudler Trophy case has been pushed back about 5 feet from the band hall doors for about 4 days now. It got pushed back because there was a table set up in the lobby for uniform check-in. The weird thing is, people are really bothered by this trophy being pushed back. I've heard 3 or 4 different people comment on it. I don't mind it that much - it makes the back part of the band hall seem more closed in, which to me means cozier, but other people seem to find it claustrophobic. It's weird that so many people have noticed this detail and that people care enough to comment on this change - in the grand scheme of things, it's completely insignificant.

Also, I googled the Sudler Trophy. According to Wikipedia, it's 22.5 inches tall. Just like an 8 to 5 step. Nerds everywhere, rejoice! This trophy makes sense!!

Also, OH MY GOODNESS THE UN RECOGNIZED PALESTINE! I know that it's just the General Assembly, and that the US still doesn't recognize it. I'm unsure how I feel about it, but right now it doesn't really matter how I feel about it. All I know is that IR just got even more exciting than usual!

News.

In related news, the NY Times had what I assume is an amazing story on the topic, but I've looked at my 10 articles for the month and had to wait the extra time for TIME to write up something on the topic. I know I got to learn about it in the end, but it was rather frustrating. (Especially since I never hit the paywall with TIME since my parents subscribe.)

I'm also so excited for the semester to be over. I've felt tired all week - no real reason; I've been sleeping a lot and drinking coffee as well. I'm pretty sure it's typical end-of-semester weariness. I'm sure I'll miss this once it's gone, but for now I'm just looking forward to Christmas break!

Half-birthday!

This afternoon I realized that today is my half birthday! I'm 21.5 years old today! To celebrate, I made soup for dinner and watched some Doctor Who before revising my IR paper. Party hard, right? I think I'm about to go crazy and have some ice cream now.

I'm so ready for this semester to be over. All I want to do is read and watch movies, but I need to revise papers and write a paper and study. Luckily, I can see the end! This will all be over oh so very soon, and I get precisely one month off before going back for my final semester as a undergraduate! And in the break, I get to apply to graduate schools! Fun fun, thinking bout fun.(Rebecca Black is right. I do know what it is.)

I also got to cite an article FROM THE FUTURE today while working on a paper. The article came from the International Herald Tribune, and the date was Nov. 29, 2012. So I guess you could say that my predictions about how the Greek crisis will go tomorrow are completely accurate. Also, why is there still a paywall on the NY Times's website when I'm logged into the UofA library system? I feel like the YOU of A should spring for the group subscription for all of the students. Ten articles a month is definitely not enough.

In unrelated news, I've been watching way too much Parks and Rec lately, as per usual. I'm becoming concerned that Ben Wyatt's character is giving me unrealistic expectations for my life...but then again, fiction has been giving me unrealistic expectations for life since 1991. Why won't this website let me put the pictures found here directly on this blog?

Goal Setting!

Right now, I'm procrastinating studying. (Unlike other college students, I am still a novice at procrastination. Then I start feeling guilty and usually do work.) But, I have a plan for today (as always. I also have a calendar that I made by gluing 4 pieces of printer paper together and it outlines everything I have to do daily until finals are over.) So I know what my overall goal is. And I have to break the goals down into reasonable chunks. Basically, I need to have my day organized like I'm a first grader in order to get everything done. So, right now I'm going to revise 3 pages of my senior paper, go over French for my oral exam on Monday, then eat lunch and make my grocery shopping list. Then it's time for my favorite grown-up activity, grocery shopping!

This is unglaublich boring. Sorry if you happened to read this for some reason.

Grocery shopping!!