Delicatessen!

Like any normal college kid, I devoted my entire weekend to studying with breaks to: 1) run errands 2) watch Young Frankenstein which is, admittedly, still homework since I'm watching it for class 3) watch SNL (I'm not a cave person. I know how this works. If you don't watch it in the first 12 hours, someone's gonna spoil it for ya.) 4) Church. (who plays "Tis Finished, the Messiah Dies" in January?)

But tonight was special. I FINISHED my weekend reading. And I celebrated by watching a French film called...Delicatessen. (What a nerd, right? I used English subtitles, but still. I learned some stuff from it. My yearning to learn will not be ignored!)

Warning: it's a film review, so spoilers are a given.


Mmm. A deli. Sounds tasty, right?

It's only tasty if you thought "Man, that sounds good!" when you watched Sweeney Todd.

For some reason, in alternate France, there is no food, so people resort to killing one another for meat. I didn't quite figure out why there wasn't any food...maybe that was explained in the few seconds where I ran to the window to see why there was a lot of honking going on outside. (No reason. I'm blaming Texas road rage for that racket.) In most places, people get together and draw straws to see who gets the ax. But the tenants above the delicatessen have a better solution. The butcher advertises for a person to do odd jobs. After this person arrives, they kill him and eat him.

But of course, this time the butcher's daughter falls for the odd jobs man. (You may recognize him as the creepy failed writer from Amelie.)

I really liked this movie. Usually when I watch something, I get bored and pause it so I can get on pinterest for a bit. But this was excellent.

Why did I like this movie?
1) There was a moment that I choose to interpret as a Doctor Who reference even though I know it isn't one.
2) It was weird that I liked it, but I loved the scene where everyone ended up doing everything (subconsciously) in the rhythm of the springs creaking.
3) This movie has one of the darkest side stories, and it's hilarious. This lady in the building is trying to commit suicide for the entire film. At the end, she attempts to asphyxiate herself, hang herself, shoot herself, poison herself, and blow herself up all at the same time, and she's still unsuccessful. It's one of those things that shouldn't be funny since it's such a serious issue...but somehow it is.
4) Louison plays the saw.
5) The scene where Julie and Louison flood the bathroom. It's so weird...it makes me want to watch more French movies to see if they're all like this, or if it's just because this movie has the same writer/director as Amelie (one of the greatest films ever made).
6) The entire movie is so absurd. I really like that.
7) The final scene. I want to play the saw on the roof.

In summation: This movie is like a better version of Sweeney Todd. The director also seems to have a Burton-esque relationship with some of his actors. Or maybe there are only 10 actors in France.

Franz and Sophie

I need to go grocery shopping. I have a lot of things I need to read for class. But I've been doing have-tos all day, so I want to take a few minutes to eat a brownie, drink a cup of coffee (this was just becoming necessary), and write about an issue that has resonated emotionally with me lately.

Franz Ferdinand.

Girl, look at that mustache.

I know, right? He's been dead 98 years. And all you know about him is that he started World War I. (Bonus points if you realize that he didn't start anything since he was, you know, dead.)

But his life was more that that. He was a generally disliked man in the Austro-Hungarian scheme. Mostly because 1) He wasn't supposed to be next in line for the throne and 2) He married for love. It has also been said that he had an icy personality, but I didn't meet the man, I just read about him.

Isn't that the saddest thing you've ever heard? Centuries of inbreeding and affairs, and when Franzy goes off and marries a girl he loves, everyone hates him. She was actually from a noble family...they just weren't noble enough. She was pretty as well! This isn't some sort of thing where everyone didn't like her and kinda whispered behind her back. No, this was the sort of thing where she was denied her title (like Camilla Parker-Bowles) and wasn't allowed to be in public with her husband at a lot of events.

It is also very important to realize that the Archduke was one of the few people in power in Austria-Hungary who wasn't itching for a war in 1914. The other leaders were foaming at the mouth for conflict. So his death setting off the First World War has another level of irony and sadness to it.

The whole reason that the two of them were in Sarajevo (besides needing to do some official stuff) is that the weird administration of the country meant that Sophie and Franz could be together in public. Isn't that sweet? And it was their anniversary as well! (Although it was also the anniversary of a great Sebian defeat...should've checked "This Day in History" before hopping on the train.)

Then the two of them got shot and died while on their way to visit a man who was injured in an earlier assassination attempt on Franz Ferdinand. Europe's Last Summer says that Franz's last words were something along the lines of "Sophie dear! Don't die! Someone must care for the children!"

But after they died, the angry Austrians weren't finished humiliating them! There was a plan to bury only Sophie in the special tomb that she and her husband had had build because they knew they couldn't be buried together in the royal tomb and stick Franz in the royal tomb anyhow! Luckily, someone intercepted the bodies and they at least got their wishes in that regard. But those sweet children weren't allowed to go to the memorial service, and they were barely allowed to send flowers. Foreign leaders (who normally would've been all over this funeral) weren't invited; the Kaiser only got to come because the two were personal friends.

Anyway, I didn't know the details of this melancholy affair until 3 days ago. I always had a vague idea of what happened (thanks, John Green) due to this excerpt from An Abundance of Katherines:                                    
"[Ferdinand] married this girl named Sophie in 1900, and everyone thought she was just totally low-rent. But, you know, in the guy's defense, he really loved her."

So I've been telling everyone I know about it. I'm sure this account is oversimplified and not actually true, but if there's anything that history can teach us, it's that what you believe is what matters. That's what shapes your worldview. That's why you have to be discerning and think critically. But isn't it wonderful that we live in a world where, 98 years after a man and his wife were assassinated, people still care? Because I honestly care about this story. I wonder what happened to his kids and need to read up on them. So many histories are remembered through the ages because they were bloody and many people died, but far less are remembered because they represent the best in us, but without those stories, we might forget how good the good can be.

Every Day Should Be Downton Day

Oh my. I love Downton Abbey so much. I livetweeted it like it was Death Canoe 4. But seriously, HOW OLD IS ANNA? I thought she was about 25, but then she married Bates who is...45? I can't tell how old these people are. And Daisy looks like she's 12, but I think she's about 20. And isn't Edith an old maid by now, or was that not a thing after WWI because there weren't that many men around? Mary is still my favorite character. Her icy devotion to her family and position is nice. I hated it last week when she was acting emotional because she was getting married. That's not an excuse for feelings! I wanted to see her get married and say something like "Oh well, if I must" at the altar and have her and Matthew get into an argument over it, but then still get married.

I'm watching the news right now - it's repetitive and depressing. "Armstrong doped." "Newtown parents want more gun control" "No one else wants gun control" "Fiscal Cliff: Part XXXXVI" That's followed by a typical CBS Evening News feel-good story of some kind that I don't particularly care for.

I had a really good last first day at the University of Arkansas. I got to see some friends I hadn't seen in about a month, and 2 of my 3 classes were ausgezeichnet. The other one was fuzzy - didn't get into any material, so it's too soon to judge. I ate an apple between classes. I'm so happy that I have the opportunity to be nerdy and take 15 hours when I need about 3 of them. Only one class tomorrow, so it looks like a good day ahead.

I'm also finalizing my applications for one program that I really want to do next year and my application to GWU. I hope both are successful! I'm just waiting on recommendations for both applications, and I reminded my professor (along with sitting in a class she was teaching for 3 hours today), so hopefully all goes as planned. I'm so nervous/excited about next year. I can't wait to either teach English or start my graduate studies - but I'm nervous to see which opportunities pan out.

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.