Palais des Beaux-Arts

Today I decided to meet up with some new friends at the art museum, the Palais des Beaux-Arts. It's in the pretty part of Lille, with the old, ornate buildings and smaller touches like statues and a flowing water fountain. I showed up a little early and wandered around looking for a boulangerie, even though, as I realized walking down the Rue de Gambetta, most stores in France are closed on Sundays. I finally found a sandwich shop that also sold pastries, and bought a pain à la crème and a crossaint. I must say, anyone who talks about the glories of French baking is absolutely correct. Much like my pain au chocolat yesterday, the pastries were absolutely delicious.

The museum itself was wonderful, too. It's a beautiful building, intricately designed with mosaics in the floor. I didn't take many pictures, as I wasn't sure if I was allowed to, but it was a gorgeous place, and I can't wait to go back when it's free. Working in the art history department has served me well; I love being able to identify certain painting techniques or recognize an artist or style. I especially loved their Middle Ages and Renaissance collection, which surprised me, as art from the Middle Ages is usually not my favorite. I think there was something about being in the same country where so many of the works had been created, and realizing just how much work had gone into their crafting and restoration, that made everything that much more impressive. And sue me, I like religious art, okay?

Afterward, the group went out into the city center for a snack. There were creperies galore open; I'll have to try one once I get all my major expenses taken care of. We ended up at a place that served fancy drinks and sandwiches; I ended up getting just an egg sandwich without anything to drink. We talked American politics while we ate. It was so interesting discussing politics at a table with a Canadian, a Finn, a South Korean, and a Swede, and only one another American to bounce my views off of. If this is what the semester is going to be like, I can't wait for the rest of it!

Then I went back to my place and slept, which is the story of my life nowadays. I'll be so glad when my body finally gets accustomed to this time zone, you don't even know.

Introductory seminar begins tomorrow! Yay!

HBO's John Adams Miniseries

I think I'm in love. I'm considering a history minor, and HBO's John Adams miniseries encapsulates pretty much everything I love about history. Not to mention Abigail Adams is one of my favorite historical figures ever, and she's portrayed brilliantly by Laura Linney. The acting is fantastic, the writing is compelling, the music is gorgeous, and the costumes are wonderful. The one drawback? It makes me feel a little sad that the Tea Party has so eagerly seized upon the Revolutionary War as their rallying cry. It makes no historical sense, and I honestly feel that they've tainted something incredibly powerful. The Founders were far from perfect (which I'm not sure those in the Tea Party truly understand), but their intent was good and their accomplishments were immense.

I'm not one for jingoistic American pride, but the story of the nation's birth is one I find deeply moving. I'm a politics major with a specialization in political theory, and I've read Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Smith, along with many of the Founders. To me, the Revolutionary period and the first few decades after the War represent a great time in American history; the Founders were flawed, but they were pioneers and trailblazers. No one thought a republic on the scale of the United States could work, but it's over 200 years later, and while we certainly have problems, our government remains intact, and it's many times larger than what it was in 1789. The Founders took the wonderings of political philosophers and made them reality. They redefined what was possible. They were courageous. And while they valued their independence, they also realized that government brings people together in remarkable ways. When the Articles of Confederation, which featured a weak central government with little power and a strong focus on states' rights, didn't work (take note, conservatives), they weren't afraid to throw them out and start over again, because government is about making things better, to form a more perfect union. Yes, it's a rather idealistic notion, but then, so were the Founders. They wrangled and fought, sometimes bitterly, but they were often philosophers themselves. When Jefferson wrote about the inherent equality of all people, he was being incredibly idealistic, but I doubt anyone would think he was wrong to say it. These are the things I love about my country, and that's why seeing Revolution imagery plastered all over Tea Party conventions makes me so angry. It's also why John Adams speaks to me; it tells the story of a flawed man working with his fellows (including his most trusted confidante, Abigail) in the creation of the new.

Be still, my government-major heart.

Highs and Lows

As I think I've mentioned before, Highs and Lows are a staple of Wesley small groups (as for what they are, that's pretty self-explanatory). While I'm not in a small group this semester, I have been MIA for the past few days, so here are my Highs and Lows for the past week. I'll start with the lows, since I like to end on a high note.

Lows:

• I haven't gotten nearly enough sleep this week. I was up until 2:30 on Sunday night finishing my papers (yes, two of them). Then I got up at 6 to revise them and make some last-minute additions. It's two days later and I still don't feel fully-rested. Sigh.
• My cold is gone, but for some reason my voice sounds really weird. Today it wasn't bad, and I could actually sing along to my music without any difficulty. Yesterday, though, my throat was a scratchy and I sounded a little raspy. I'm not exactly sure why this is happening, especially as I haven't felt sick for about five days now.
• My hair absolutely refuses to stay curly. It would probably helped if I used hairspray (I'm going to CVS tomorrow, so I might as well pick some up), but it's a bit frustrating to spend a good half-hour curling my hair only to have it flatten out almost immediately. Also, I burned my hand on my curling iron yesterday. Not fun.
• Weight loss is really hard. I'm down about three or four pounds since I started working out regularly in August, which is great, but I'm always hungry and it's difficult to stay away from the sweets. On the plus side, the more I eat in Newcomb, the less junk food I consume, because they're either not putting out desserts or keeping them well-hidden. 
• There's still quite a bit of busywork left for my study abroad application, not least of which is the course approval form. It turns out I can't really do anything for my major while I'm abroad; I basically just need one more class to finish it, but it really ought to be 4000-level if I want to go about it efficiently. Looks like I'll be doing about 12 credits worth of electives in France.
• I'm feeling generally overworked and drained, which is not how things were last semester when I was also taking 18 credits.

Highs:

• I finished my personal statement for my study abroad application! So, even though there is busywork (I have to go all the way out to Carruthers to get a copy of my transcript and a fee exemption? Really?), I've gotten all the important stuff out of the way. It really looks like France is happening, especially if I can get some scholarships out of the deal. Gah, so many mixed emotions!
• Pav Lunch on Tuesday was really lovely, even if someone couldn't remember when my birthday was. (I've forgiven him, but I'm still going to give him a hard time about it.) Matt and Andi might be coming over for another Avatar: The Last Airbender marathon this weekend, as well! We're about to start Book Three, which makes me pretty excited.
• I'm now completely caught up on Mad Men (which has been really interesting considering I'm taking a history class about the latter half of the 20th century, and we're currently focusing on the 60s) and have spent the past few days watching all the available episodes of Switched at Birth. Yes, it's definitely an ABC Family show, but it's actually pretty decent for them. It's even better than Make It or Break It, which is my guilty pleasure show (just got renewed, by the way) (I feel I should add I only watch MIOBI for Payson Keeler, who is awesome, and I'm also intrigued by the stuff they were doing with Kelly Parker at the end of the season. Everyone other than Payson, the rest of the Keelers, Sasha, and Kelly is really boring, though). Anyway, the writing for Switched at Birth has been fairly good, the acting is above average (especially for an ABC Family show), and it's got an interesting premise (not only are the girls switched at birth, but one of them is deaf). Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with it in France.
• Okay, I'm really enjoying ending my sentences with the words "in France." See, I did it again!
• Tom Perriello came to UDems this evening! He's such a nice, principled guy. I'm heartbroken that he's not my congressman anymore. Here's to hoping he runs for office again soon!
• Caroline and I had dinner tonight and tried to speak in Spanish for most of it. Wow, my Spanish has really deteriorated since I've been away from home (I still understand it really well, I just freeze up when it comes to speaking). That, and I'm confusing it with French. I keep saying "mais" instead of "pero," when I know the difference perfectly well. But Caroline is great, and it's nice to have someone to talk to who's a) been to France on study abroad before, and b) a mega Harry Potter fan like me. 
• I got a B+ on my first econ test! I'd like to try and get an A in the class, but I'm pleasantly surprised that I did so well (about four points above my section average), especially since I didn't study as much as I wanted to.

Well, time to maybe watch a Veronica Mars (thanks, Clemons!) and go to bed. I'm in a good mood, and considering how stressed I've been, it's nice to feel genuinely happy for a change.

 

Under the Weather

Or, the past five days in GIFs:

Saturday:
Blue Hole trip


Avatar marathon with Matt and Andi


Sunday:
Wake up

By which I mean that I was miserably sick, so I felt like I was being punched in the face. Being punched in the face by Henry Green, the world's most adorable baby, is probably considerably more enjoyable than waking up with a terrible cold (and possible low-grade fever), but I do not have a more relevant GIF.

Skype conversation with Jackie


Monday:
OMG, I actually have to go to class because I can't afford to miss it


Tuesday:
AHH so much to do


Wednesday:
Actually, I might have this thing under control. Well, I still have two papers to write before Monday, but at least my cold is (mostly) gone.


I probably won't surface again until my papers are done, so I hope you enjoyed this little update!

Strange weather, huh?

So far, this semester has been characterized chiefly by bizarre weather and natural phenomena. First we had a 5.8 earthquake, then the outer bands of Hurricane Irene came through, and today we had a freak hailstorm. Luckily I was indoors, at my econ discussion, and it was actually quite funny to see my TA valiantly try to continue teaching section over the increasingly loud crashing of hail outside the window (yes, I will admit to a slight propensity for schadenfreude; everyone has their faults). It ended just as quickly as it came, though, so by the time I headed back to my dorm room, the sky had cleared up and the only sign that anything had happened was the scattered detritus of leaves all over the sidewalk. Who knows what will happen next?

Fairly good day today. I helped Ryan with a French project, made it through all my classes, went to the gym and didn't feel sick, and watched a Vlogbrothers video with Henry in it. This weekend was pretty great, too; on Saturday I went on the Wesley trip to Shalom Farms near Richmond, and that evening I hosted a screening of Up in my suite. Yesterday there was a perfectly lovely worship service at Wesley and I Skyped the familia. I am, however, slightly behind on my work, so I will leave this here and continue on with my Aristotle reading. Nothing's more fun than Greek philosophy!

Monday Night, As I Listen to the Rain

is a phrase I never used when I lived in El Centro. The phrase "Monday night, as I listen to the severe thunderstorm that may or may not continue until 11 PM, according to the National Weather Service" applies doubly. Yet here I sit in Charlottesville, recovering from a particularly strenuous gym visit by lying on my bed, listening to the steady downpour outside my window and battling my way through Plato's Republic. I think I worked myself too hard tonight; I ran for nine minutes straight, then alternated jogging and walking on the treadmill for the remaining eleven. When I finished, I felt sick to my stomach and had to sit on a bench outside the cardio room for a while before I could go back in and finish my workout. That's probably not a good sign. On the other hand, I've lost half a pound since Wednesday, so maybe I need to just tell my body to deal with it and soldier on.

Today was fairly nice, if not as productive as yesterday. I went to class, ran some errands on the Corner, watched some Mad Men, and had dinner with some PMP mentors and mentees. Only two classes tomorrow, so hopefully things will be more restful then. So far, September is off to a good start.

Making Lemonade

I am mathematically challenged. Humanities? Fine. Social sciences? I'm a government major; half of all my classes are within the realm of social science. I'm even halfway decent at biology. Math is my downfall. I can do well in it if I really have the time and energy to study, but I'm taking eighteen credits this semester. Still, on Monday, I thought I was following my calculus lecture pretty well. This morning, however, we had our first weekly quiz. There were only two problems, thank goodness, but I was lost on both of them. I think I was able to figure the second one out eventually; the first one distressed me almost to tears. I will have plenty of opportunity to earn higher quiz grades throughout the semester, but I felt really down as I left class. I wanted to do well in calculus despite being my difficulties with math, and now I'm not so sure I will.

Well, life had handed me some lemons this morning. I went up to my dorm and vented to Sara for a few minutes, then ended up having to power walk to my history class because I spent too much time reading political blogs. Oops. Suffice to say, this was not turning out to be a particularly good day.

Surprisingly, my afternoon went fairly well. I delivered some goodie bags to my PMP mentees, and ended up getting a nice look at the inside of Watson-Webb, one of the new dormitories out on Alderman Road. Let me tell you, as much as I am a Brownie through and through, I was slightly envious of the firsties and their gorgeous new building. I am particularly envious of their lounges, complete with stylish, brand-new furniture and flat-screen televisions. The rooms in Brown still have way more space, though. Oh, and obviously the people are cooler, haha.

Then I had a good history discussion. We had to write discussion questions based on this week's reading, and my T.A. sent me an email complimenting me on mine. It was also one of the most active discussion sections I've been in, and now Matt is in it, too. I hope it continues to be this good!

Dinner was actually decent tonight; I had an egg salad sandwich and an interesting salad comprised of lettuce, potatoes, onions, and Dijon mustard. I went to PMP training, hung out with Sara, and went to the gym, where the TVs were tuned to a Red Sox game on ESPN. I'm a casual baseball fan, but I love the Red Sox. They are, always have been, and always will be my team. Red Sox love is a family legacy; my great-grandfather passed it to my grandmother, who passed it to my dad, who passed it to me (and ostensibly Josh). I notice a male-female pattern here, which means of course that I am destined to have a son who will be a diehard Red Sox fan (though any self-respecting daughter of mine will also love the Sox, no ifs, ands, or buts). I digress; anyway, there was a game on TV, I watched it as I ran on the treadmill, and then when I was recovering from my run, I intently took in the top of the ninth - and savored a Red Sox victory. Against the Yankees. Yeah, even an absolutely terrible day would be pretty darn good after that.

Prayer partner breakfast and study abroad meeting tomorrow! Let's see if I can get a great week out of the deal.

The Truth

I'm entirely too sleep deprived to write much in the way of a meaningful post tonight, though I'm hoping to upload another Top Ten before the week is out. Monday is one of my busy days; once I leave my dorm in the morning, I almost certainly won't be back until dinnertime. Today I found myself stumbling from class to class, having slept very badly last night for no discernible reason. However, although I wanted very much to curl up in a ball and catch up on the sleep I missed, I had quite a nice day. I had spent Friday's calculus class in almost complete confusion, but at this morning's I was able to follow along relatively well. Apparently I haven't succeeded in completely erasing eleventh-grade precalculus from my memory! History was basically a review of everything I learned about the end of World War II from AP U.S., I finally figured out what a diaspora is in my Christianity class, and I spent most of French discussing Impressionist paintings. I also had my first econ discussion today (not that there's anything very remarkable about it). When you factor in my recently-discovered love of egg, swiss, mushroom, and spinach bagel sandwiches from Einstein Brothers, I can't really find much to complain about, apart from the pervasive layer of mental haze I struggled with all day.

It's funny how things you learn in high school come back to you. My religion professor discussed the Jewish and Graeco-Roman origins of Christianity this afternoon, and he mentioned that it was easy for Greek Christians to transfer their feelings about "the Good," Plato's term for the force that enlightens and enlivens the soul, to God. To illustrate this, he talked about Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," which I first studied three years ago as a senior in high school. He used a beautiful diagram to explain the allegory, which was in color in the lecture but I could only find in black and white online:

Plato obviously didn't approach his allegory from a Christian perspective, but I think he was searching for the same thing as Christians, and really the practitioners of any religious faith: the truth. When it comes down to it, that is one of the main reasons why atheism doesn't appeal to me. The idea that there is no underlying pattern to the universe, that the shadows on the wall are all we're ever going to get, is so unfulfilling to me. There has to be a greater Truth out there somewhere. I'm doubt-ridden about a lot of things, but even if there isn't a person in the sky-God, the universe just doesn't make sense to me if there isn't a higher Truth. So to see the person at the top-right of the illustration emerging into the sunlight for the first time honestly nearly brought me to tears. Christianity is my path to seeking the Truth, and someday, perhaps in a life beyond this, I want to perceive the Truth at last. And for me, at least at this point in my faith journey, the Truth is God.

Wow, that went way deeper than I meant for it to go. Well, it is certainly something to ponder, particularly as I have a sizable chunk of Plato's Republic to review before I go to class tomorrow. Until we meet again!

Top Tens: Favorite TV Shows

I've decided to do a series of top tens. Today's edition is favorite TV shows. Some of these are slightly embarrassing, but as I don't really watch that much TV and I genuinely love every show on this list, I've decided to ignore any teasing my preference for them might engender. Enjoy!

10. Full House

This was my absolute favorite TV show when I was thirteen. Nick at Nite and later ABC Family aired the entire run of the show in syndication, which was great, because it gave me something to do other than washing the dinner dishes, and they often played two episodes a night. Critics often complain that Full House is sentimental and cheesy. It totally is. I loved it anyway. The jokes were funny, DJ and later Stephanie were close to my age, Michelle and the Katsopolis twins were really cute, and it usually didn't take itself too seriously. The only horrendously bad episodes were when the Tanners went on vacation (Hawaii, Disney World, etc.); the rest were sometimes schmaltzy, but almost always entertaining. Even now if I'm channel-surfing and I come across an old episode, I laugh at the corny jokes and aww at the all the father-daughter talks in spite of myself. Full House is on this list mainly for nostalgia purposes, but that's not altogether a bad thing.

9. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report

I debated whether or not to include these shows on my list, not because I don't love them, but because they're commentary rather than shows with distinct plotlines and characters (although I suppose you could make a case that there is plenty of character-acting in the form of the correspondents and of course Stephen Colbert himself). The problem is that I ran out of TV shows that I genuinely love (Veronica Mars and Firefly are honorable mentions, but I haven't seen all of the former and I didn't outright adore the latter), and throughout most of high school, I watched The Daily Show and The Colbert Report almost religiously. The quality is consistently great, Stewart and Colbert are hilarious, and even old episodes are surprisingly relevant years later. I even went to the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear last fall, which was an experience I will never forget. I consider them two halves of the same show, which is why they take up one spot on my list. If I had to choose just one, it would probably be The Colbert Report, but only because I think Colbert's humor is more good-natured than Stewart's is. I love them both dearly, however, and will continue to watch them for as long as they remain on the air.

8. Akage no Anne

Which is technically spelt Akage no An, but it seems a betrayal of Anne Shirley's stance on her name to spell it any other way. Anyway, if you want to know why I love this show, just go back to the entries at the end of July, where I wax poetically about how amazing it is. All Anne fans should watch this show.

7. Phineas and Ferb

Ostensibly this is a children's show, but I often wonder if the creators are writing more for the kids or for their parents and older siblings. Phineas and Ferb is laugh-out-loud hilarious, with creative storylines about the inventions concocted by brilliant stepbrothers Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, their sister Candace's constant attempts to "bust" them, and a self-aware and irreverent subplot starring the boys' pet platypus, Perry, as a secret agent. The dialogue is top-notch, the geeky references abound, and overall it's just a great way to spend a half-hour or twenty. Certainly my favorite thing currently airing on the Disney Channel.

6. Kim Possible

I starting watching Kim Possible the day it premiered, when I was in fifth grade. It had everything an eleven-year-old girl could want: an awesome, can-do, girl power protagonist, her funny and caring sidekick, a really cute naked mole rat, and wonderfully original and entertaining stories. I loved it even more in high school, when the show-runners granted one of my long-standing wishes and got Kim and Ron together, and the writing style improved overall. Unfortunately it no longer airs on the Disney Channel (at least not at times normal human beings are conscious), but it can be found easily enough on YouTube. It is still amazing and will always be one of my favorite shows.

5. Parks and Recreation

Rather like with The Office (see below), this show got off to a shaky start and really found its voice in the second season. As a government major, I find this show especially entertaining. Leslie Knope is certainly a caricature and an exaggeration, but there is something so honest and wonderful about her that really strikes a chord with me. The rest of the characters are hilarious, the writing is top-notch, and the humor, while sometimes uncomfortable, is consistently great. I'm very excited for the next season, and I'm so glad my friends encouraged me to watch this.

4. The Office

While its best years are definitely behind it, The Office continues to be one of the funniest shows on television. In the early years, I loved its satire, its heart, and of course the Jim/Pam romance. Over its seven seasons, I grew to like Michael Scott (something I would have never thought possible in the first season), love Andy, and be greatly entertained by everyone else. It'll be interesting to see what they do with the show now that Michael has left. The Office has a great ensemble cast, and they were able to carry the last few episodes of the season quite nicely on their own. We'll see if they can do the same when season eight rolls around in September! 

3. Gilmore Girls

I love this show. It's dialogue-heavy, full of heart, and has such great characters. The portrayal of small-town New England life is consistently entertaining, complete with town meetings, the hilarious rivalry between Taylor and Luke, and the ever newly-employed Kirk. Mostly I loved watching the Lorelais progress through life. Lorelai is the coolest mom other than my own, although thankfully my mom doesn't have Lorelai's maturity problems or fear of commitment. Rory is every nerdy girl who dreamed of getting into a great college. Although she is not as vivacious as her mother, it was easy for me to relate to Rory. I watched this show on and off in high school and am now making the effort to watch every episode in my spare time in college. Seeing Rory go through the ins and outs of college applications and high school was slightly nostalgic, and now I get to see her navigate college as I do the same. I have heard that the best Gilmore Girls seasons are the earliest, so perhaps I have already seen the best of the show, but I think it is amazing nonetheless.

2. Avatar: The Last Airbender

For a long time I avoided watching this show. I am not a fan of anime or anime-esque art, although I did love Teen Titans very, very much back in junior high. It seemed silly. My brother convinced me to watch one episode with him, and I still didn't see the appeal (for the record, it was season two, which is so tightly-plotted it's hard to just come in and understand what's going on right off the bat). Then, as with most things I love, I ended up being drawn into it indirectly through Harry Potter. In my forays with HP fandom, I would often see references to Avatar. There was a lot of cross-appeal. I was familiar with the terms Kataang and Zutara long before I started seriously watching the show. Then, the HP podcast PotterCast devoted half an episode to discussing Avatar, which all the hosts had seen and thoroughly enjoyed. I was sufficiently intrigued by this. I bought the first season off iTunes and watched it casually as I went through the latter part of my first semester of college. I didn't really get hooked until episode twelve, "The Storm," which completely blew me out of the water. Then finals happened and I didn't get to watch much more Avatar until Christmas break, when I shared a room with my brothers at my grandparents' house for a week. We watched the end of book one together, and if there's something this show does especially well, it's season finales.

I watched book two before it was on Instant Watch, so I had to wait between DVDs - and, you know, have a college life. I ended up finishing the season when I got home in May, and was able to watch book three almost without interruption (it was finally on Instant Watch at this point). It was so good I couldn't even wait for Richie to get home from school the day I watched the finale, even though he had wanted to watch it with me. Over the past year, upon rewatching the series in its entirety and then following its progress on Mark Watches, it has become one of my all-time favorites. The storytelling is so sophisticated, the character progression is fantastic (ZukoZukoZukoZukoZuko), the animation is beautiful, the music is great, and it's incredibly funny, something which the movie of which we shall not speak failed spectacularly to pick up on. I have very, very small complaints (namely, a Deus Ex Machina used to great effect in the finale, and my personal displeasure with the way most of the romantic plotlines ended up), but mostly I'm just in awe of how good this show is. I also can't wait for its sequel series, The Legend of Korra, which is set to premiere sometime next year on Nickelodeon. Please do yourself a favor and watch Avatar immediately. You won't regret it.

1. The West Wing

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

I also got into this show through Harry Potter. Two big-name fans, Melissa Anelli of The Leaky Cauldron (and PotterCast), and Emerson Spartz of MuggleNet, were invited by J. K. Rowling herself to come and interview her following the release of Half-Blood Prince. Alongside the interview transcript, Melissa and Emerson wrote personal reports about the experience. Both of them mentioned that before the interview began, they somehow got to talking about The West Wing, which they both loved. So, it turns out, did Jo. As anyone who knows me is aware, I am mildly obsessed with Harry Potter and Jo Rowling is my personal hero. If she loved The West Wing, I had to give it a try.

My parents gave me the first two seasons for my fifteenth birthday. It took me a few episodes, but by "The Crackpots and These Women," I was absolutely hooked. This show is government major heaven. It's smart, has great dialogue, wonderful characters, and compelling storylines. Especially in the first four seasons, the writing is consistently fantastic, the acting is amazing, and almost everything about it is emotionally gripping. I cannot say enough good things about this show. It 100% deserves every ounce of critical acclaim it has received. During its run, the show won four straight Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series, two Peabody Awards, and many acting accolades. While it follows a Democratic administration, Democrats and Republicans alike love the show. It can be self-righteous, it can be preachy, it can be didactic, it can be patronizing, but it is also incredible television. My all-time favorite, bar none. 

Sports Night

Last Christmas, my parents gave me the complete series collection of Aaron Sorkin's Sports Night. Despite his sometimes pretentious and self-righteous writing, I'm a huge fan of Sorkin's work, especially The West Wing. I've known about Sports Night's existence for years, but until today had not really made an effort to watch it. After all, I was only about seven years old when it first aired on ABC, and a television show detailing the behind-the-scenes action of a sports show doesn't hold the same appeal to a government major as a television show detailing the behind-the-scenes action of the White House. Still, since I happen to own it, I decided I might as well start watching it before university life sucks up all my free time.

It's decent. I don't love it yet, but I certainly don't dislike it either. The person who thought a laugh track would be a good idea for a Sorkin show was seriously, seriously misguided, though. It messes up the rhythm of the dialogue and is just very distracting in general. Apparently it gets phased out over season one, which is quite a relief. My favorite character so far is Joshua Malina's Jeremy, who is adorkable in the extreme. What can I say? I have a thing for nerdy guys. Anyway, he had a nice rant about the cruelty of hunting and my heart melted. I'm looking forward to seeing where the show will take him. None of the other characters have really caught my interest yet, although Natalie the assistant producer has some potential. I'm only on disc one of season one, so I'll keep you updated as I watch!

Today was a typical Monday. I slept in, went to work, ran some errands, and walked back to the apartment. The weather was lovely and I had a nice conversation with my coworkers. Oh, and I'm on tenterhooks about Pottermore right now, because I'm sure my email with access to the beta site is just on the horizon. I keep telling myself not to get too excited, and then I jump about ten feet in the air whenever I get a new message in my inbox. Of course they've all been from Barnes and Noble or New York and Company. Argh.

Well, good night, lovelies! Have a fabulous week!

How I Ended Up Spending My Sunday Afternoon Talking About the Death Penalty

One of my absolute favorite West Wing episodes is the first season's "Take This Sabbath Day." It works well as a standalone (notice there aren't any previouslies before the title card), treats religious faith respectfully, and provides a thought-provoking commentary on a complicated topic, in this case the death penalty. My own views on the death penalty have evolved since I started watching this show at age fifteen, but I'd like to think West Wing played some small part in changing them. Life issues are not easy for me. For example, I support a woman's right to have an abortion because I think she should be able to decide what she does with her own body. No one should be forced to go through a pregnancy, and if the woman in question does decide to terminate one, she should be able to do it safely. However, I completely understand and respect the pro-life position, and I think we can all work together on preventing unplanned pregnancies (which is why easy access to birth control and family planning is so important, but that's another conversation for another day). Suffice to say that I don't believe any of these issues can be reduced to soundbyte status without drastic oversimplification.

I am opposed to the death penalty. I understand why its supporters feel it is necessary, I really do. The people being executed have committed heinous crimes (most of the time), and many of them should never be allowed to see the light of day again. But I don't think that the state has the right to kill anyone. At risk of moving into straw man territory, I see the death penalty as state-sanctioned murder. Nor do I believe that the "eye for an eye" mentality is particularly valid. I know the reasoning behind it, but I just think the state should be above it. According to my own Christian beliefs, vengeance is neither productive nor healthy, and while perhaps in our eyes those on death row don't deserve it, everyone is capable of final grace and redemption. Obviously these are loaded words to be throwing around, and they are definitely concepts I'd like to explore further, in religious (i.e. a Wesley forum) and nonreligious (i.e. one of my politics classes) contexts alike. Basically, I just think that killing someone for committing a crime brings the state down to the level of the criminal. That, and there's always a possibility, especially among those jailed before the advent of DNA testing, that someone on death row has been wrongfully convicted. Why not nullify the risk that you are putting to death an innocent person?

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because it is the episode Pooja and I watched today. One of The West Wing's greatest strengths is its ability to generate discussions like this (which is basically what Pooja and I talked about after the episode). It takes the time to delve into complicated issues, explore the arguments on both sides, and leave the audiences at home space to draw their own conclusions (even if, as is the case in this episode, the characters' consensus skews one way or another). I've said before that this show is like crack to a government major, and this post should tell you exactly why. Also, they used this little anecdote to talk about the way God works:

You know, you remind me of the man that lived by the river. He heard a radio report that the river was going to rush up and flood the town. And that all the residents should evacuate their homes. But the man said, 'I'm religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.'

The waters rose up. A guy in a row boat came along and he shouted, 'Hey, hey you! You in there. The town is flooding. Let me take you to safety.' But the man shouted back, 'I'm religious. I pray. God loves me. God will save me.'

A helicopter was hovering overhead. And a guy with a megaphone shouted, 'Hey you, you down there. The town is flooding. Let me drop this ladder and I'll take you to safety.' But the man shouted back that he was religious, that he prayed, that God loved him and that God will take him to safety.

Well... the man drowned. And standing at the gates of St. Peter, he demanded an audience with God. 'Lord,' he said, 'I'm a religious man, I pray. I thought you loved me. Why did this happen?'

God said, 'I sent you a radio report, a helicopter, and a guy in a rowboat. What the hell are you doing here?


Of course it's been used in other places (I can think of The Pursuit of Happyness off the top of my head), but I still love it. Oh West Wing. It's like you were made with me in mind or something.

Dedication, or West Wing, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Pooja came by after work today, and after a delicious meal of Indian cookery, we watched three episodes of The West Wing. I decided to go with the best episodes of the first season that don't malfunction on my DVDs (I really love "A Proportional Response," but it's all kinds of glitchy, so that will have to wait until later). The West Wing has been my favorite show since I was fifteen, and I've seen the first season more times than I care to admit. There's just something about watching it with someone who hasn't seen it before, though, that makes me really excited about it all over again.

A complete list of the things I love about the first season would be a) spoilery and b) overly long, so I will just say that West Wing is like crack to a government major and leave it at that. Such a great show!

My Expert Analysis of the Republican Presidential Field

Short version: This is the weakest field in recent political memory. The primaries will be hilarious, eventually some nutjob will be chosen, and President Obama will trounce them in the general. End of story.

Long version: I'm not going to lie. I can't wait to see the Republican Party shoot itself in the foot. There are only a few candidates who I can semi-seriously, and even they have done a great job of destroying any credibility they might have had. Prime example: Jon Huntsman from Utah, who I actually respected as a moderate and as someone willing to cross party lines, is now trying to distance himself from the president, downplay his Mormonism, and present himself as a tried-and-true conservative. Whatever, dude. I know you think you can't win a Republican primary if you, you know, appear sane, but if you tried staying true to yourself and your principles, you might be surprised. Or not. I wouldn't be shocked if you won in 2016, but it certainly won't be with my vote (although you're a Republican, so I wouldn't vote for you in any case).

I know a lot of people view Mitt Romney as a serious threat. I think he's a lightweight. He's the most opportunistic, shallow politician I've ever encountered. He's changed his position on abortion more times than I can count. When he ran for governor of Massachusetts, he was pro-choice. When he was running for president in 2008, he was pro-life. Who knows what he really is? Oh, Mittens. I look forward to hearing you tell us exactly how you're going to run this country into the ground. If you do win the primary (which could happen, although I still think the Republican electorate is going to choose someone utterly ridiculous - please let it be Palin. I've been so good this year, Santa), Obama will beat you. He may not be the perfect liberal, but at least he has some political convictions. Alec Baldwin recently described dear Mittens as a Ken doll, which is perfect. That's exactly what he is.

As for the rest of the candidates:
Tim Pawlenty - Your standard Republican governor (white, male, milquetoast, thinks he's interesting when he's clearly not). He wishes we was a serious candidate. Frankly, I'm surprised anyone can listen to him without falling asleep.
Rick Santorum - Has the crazy, but not the name recognition.
Newt Gingrich - I heard Peggy Noonan on "Meet the Press" the other day. She seemed to be under the impression that because my generation was not old enough to remember the Newt of the 90s, he would be a fresh, exciting face to us. Wow. Has she even spoken to someone under the age of 30 recently? How about no?
Gary Johnson - He was funny, if a little full of himself, on "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" a few weeks ago. He supports gay marriage and legalized marijuana, though, so he's not going anywhere.
Michele Bachmann - Has no chance whatsoever in the general. She might be interesting in the primary. And by interesting, I mean hysterical.
Ron Paul - HAHAHAHAHA
Herman Cain - BWAHAHAHA
Sarah Palin - Please, oh please! I would have to hear her annoying voice more often, which would stink, but if she ran, it would mean more Tina Fey (UVa grad!) parodies. Always a plus. Not to mention she's a gaffe machine and an airhead. Did you guys know that Paul Revere rode around on his horse ringing bells to warn the British to stay away from our gun rights? Yeah, me neither.

So yeah, this is going to be a great election cycle. At least I know there will still be a Democratic administration in power when I'm looking for a job after public policy school.

Parks and Recreation and El Centro, California

Exams are over, the semester is finished, and I am home for a few weeks before going back to Virginia to work during the summer. Holy run-on sentence, Batman! Anyway, it's nice not to have to worry about school for a few months. I have been spending my days either lounging around playing The Sims 2 or running errands and hanging out with Jackie. Not a bad start to the break, if I do say so myself. My reading is getting off to a good start, too; I read the entirety of Will Grayson, Will Grayson on the plane from Dulles to Phoenix, and I'm hoping to finish another novel (maybe Atonement) before June.

I would also like to watch the television shows I keep hearing about. I've seen the first six episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the pilot of Firefly, but as they're both on Netflix Instant Watch and many of my friends swear by Joss Whedon, I feel obligated to watch a bit more of each (especially since Firefly only lasted one season). Sara loves Mad Men and has shown me the first two episodes, so it is my roommately duty to devour the rest when Netflix starts streaming them later in the summer. My parents bought me the complete Sports Night collection for Christmas and I haven't even watched one episode, but it's an Aaron Sorkin creation, so I really don't have any excuse not to like it (Netflix assures me I will). The animation and superhero geeks in me can't wait to start Batman: The Animated Series, and of course there are the last four seasons of Gilmore Girls and practically all of Friends to finish. TV-wise, this summer is going to be exciting!

In the meantime, the shows I currently follow are all coming to the end of their seasons. Michael Scott has left The Office and the Worlds team is getting into gear on my guilty pleasure show, Make It or Break It. And then there's Parks and Recreation.

I think I've figured out why I like Parks and Recreation so much. I was drawn to it in the first place because, for all her bluster, Leslie Knope cares deeply about government and its ability to help people. Parks and Rec is caricatured and hyperbolic, sure, but it's a love letter to public service in the same way The West Wing (my favorite television show of all time, period) is. It warms my government-major heart to the point where I identify with Leslie in a lot of ways. So when (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS) she and Ben Wyatt finally kissed in last week's episode, I had a sort-of epiphany about relationships. Ben is a bit Hollywood Homely, but he's exactly my type; he has a good heart, he's smart, he's passionate about the things (and people) he loves, and he's a huge nerd. When I saw Leslie falling for him, or really him falling for Leslie, I suddenly had this need for them to get together, and I think a large part of that is because I see Leslie in myself. Granted, Leslie has been in plenty of relationships before, whereas I've been in absolutely zero, but to see Ben kiss her gave me hope (END SPOILERS). Sometimes I feel like I'll never find a guy who will love me for me. I'm still waiting for my first kiss at age 20, and it's more than a little frustrating. But when someone who reminds me of me as much as Leslie Knope can find nerdy, political love with a guy who's crazy about her, I think that maybe there is someone out there for me. Perhaps it's silly, but I'm seriously invested in the Ben/Leslie relationship and I can't wait to see where tomorrow night's episode takes them. And really, what is television if not escapist?

With that, and the fact that my body clock still thinks it's two in the morning, I shall leave this here.

Calm Before the Storm

I have six finals in the next eight days, so I may not be posting much. Shame, because I wanted to try to update my blog every day this month. Of course, that didn't happen yesterday, either, so I guess I'll try for perfect posting in June. Anyway, last night was the Brown College Spring Semiformal (the theme was Time Warp, so I wore my second Regency dress and curled my bangs), where I spent nearly two hours dancing awkwardly and imbibing various non-alcoholic fruit juices. Today I went to Barracks Road with Sarah, where we had a fabulous lunch at Ruby Tuesday's, way too much ice cream at Ben and Jerry's, and a nice browsing session at Barnes and Noble. It was a good way to spend my last day of freedom before exams; I plan to spend much of tomorrow studying, and then it's final central. At least I'll be home in ten days!

Yeah, So I've Gotten Maybe 10 Hours of Sleep Total the Past Three Nights

And I'm a little out of it right now. I have a paper for my Palestine class to start writing, but I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight and get cracking tomorrow, when I don't have to be anywhere until noon. Positive highlights from the last few days:

• I went to Splendora's twice in as many days, which gave me the opportunity to try fruity flavors one day and go back to my old standby of mint chocolate chip the next. Score!
• Second A in a row on an African-American Political Thought paper.
• Only one more paper to go before classes end! Then six finals, but I'm not thinking about those right now.
• I learned how to play the Avatar: The Last Airbender theme on the piano, even though I can't really read music (I can tell whole/half/quarter/eighth notes apart, when they're going up and down, and identify a C, but I've never played an instrument before). Nerd moment of the day!
• There was a thunderstorm tonight! It was pretty awesome, especially because it did not wake me up at three in the morning.

Okay, time to actually get eight hours of sleep. And fill out job applications. Bleh.

Good Intentions

Watched The Joy Luck Club again today. Just like the first time I saw it, I cried snotty tears at the end. Ack. Okay, time to write a paper about this. Other things I have to do this weekend: research and put together a five minute presentation on the French and American healthcare systems, read the novella Palestine's Children, start writing another paper for my Middle Eastern history class, and submit at least three job applications. Life is so busy at the end of April when you're in college!

Can't Wait

For:

• Avatar: The Legend of Korra (I refuse to call it The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra because A- that's a stupid title, and doesn't pertain to Korra, who is not the last airbender, and B- Avatar was a very pretty, but very predictable and unoriginal movie, and James Cameron shouldn't have dibs on the name. Plus, The Last Airbender was a travesty and I really don't want anything Mike and Bryan do to be associated with it.)
• The semester to be over.
• Me to get a job.
• Pixar's Brave, which is a fairy tale that takes place in medieval Scotland, and has a female protagonist (a Pixar first) with bushy red hair. Ahh, so excited!
• My last two papers to be written.
• Easter.
• Another book series to come along that I absolutely fall in love with. 
• The weather to be consistently in the 80s, because it was glorious today and I want that pattern to continue.
• The small group gelato trek of 2011.
• That moment when I get off the plane in San Diego and I get to hug my family hello.
• A day with no homework.

I'm Just Going to Leave This Here

I'm a little tired, mostly because I had to get up around 7:40 to register for classes and I went to bed at 2 last night, so this will be short. Basically, we had a really fascinating discussion for Modern Political Thought yesterday, predicated on the following question: What challenges do low-income families have to face in the United States? We were split into small groups representing families, and then had to follow certain scenarios; my "family" was made up of an older woman, her twentysomething daughter, and the daughter's three-year-old son. The daughter worked as a nurse's assistant for $20k a year while the grandmother provided childcare. Our challenge? What would happen to the family if the grandmother had a stroke, leaving her in need of medical care and her grandson without a babysitter? Things got pretty dire pretty fast, because our TA had us draw further scenarios, so our family had to deal with identity theft, a lawsuit, and unplanned pregnancy. We were in over our heads very quickly, and we discovered that even with government assistance we would be struggling.

This is why I get so angry when I hear people say that the poor are lazy or unwilling to "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps." Poverty is a cycle in this country, and there are many institutional barriers to face if you try to escape it.

Obligatory Post is Obligatory

Just got back from working out with Andi. I know it's good for me, and I know I should be losing weight, but goshdarnit I hate running. My face gets really red and sweaty, I lose energy very quickly, and my shorts tend to ride up my legs, which means I'm constantly fixing them as I jog. At least the music they play at Mem is upbeat enough that it sets a good tempo for running, and there was no Fox News on the TV tonight, thank God.

I sign up for classes around 7:40 tomorrow, but all the ones I wanted are taken and I'm really annoyed. What do I have to do to get a good sign-up time? All my friends have already enrolled. I don't get it. I'm a declared major with plenty of credits (enough to graduate a year early if I wasn't applying to Batten), and I chose my major way back in first semester of first year. You'd think that'd net me a decent time, but no, sadly.

Astronomy exam tomorrow. I feel like I know the material pretty well, but science is not my strong suit. Oh well. Time to hit the books some more before bed!