not up by midnight I'm sure, but I started writing at 11:30ish...

Today was jam packed full of fun and exciting changes....

First, I went to school where I had yet another class where God used the material to speak to my spirit. We watched a documentary on WWII in my Russian History Class. It was about the seige of Lenngrad and about how people were falling down dead as they walked through the streets. There wasn't fuel for fires or enough food. Women and Children were given 4 1/2 oz. of bread (that was made of non bread yuckiness) a day. Then after the winter was over they started to break apart the packed snow and ice so they could dispose of the bodies. It was a very difficult film to watch. I always feel like an idiot when it happens, but I am just so disturbed that people can act so callously towards other humans just because they are told that they are the "enemy" and so I end up crying. I actually wrote a mini blog during class.

AlthoughI know my feelings on the topic of war are strong, I will admit to having little or no knowledge about current world events, so please don't take anything I am about to type as my opinion on the Iraq situation. I just don't have enough information to formulate an opinion on the matter.

Here is what is says:

So... My feelings about War (the phenomenon) are even stronger now that I have watched this film. I find it increasingly difficult to accept the "it is for the greater/future good" reasoning behind war. War is destructive, wasteful, and evil. However, by watching this video, I have concluded that to be able to grieve for the loss of others, even in the midst of your own sufferings, is part of what makes us humsn. As long as we can look past our own pain to help those around us grieve, then humanity has some hope.

After my Russian class, I ate my yummy lunch and studied for my midterm in my holocaust class. In case you are reading this and you haven't been told. I hate that class. But after today that is no longer my problem because I dropped it. I went to take the midterm and sat down and realized that although I had just read the answer to the question an hour previously, I had no clue how to formulate or even remember the answer. So I wrote the teacher a quick note in my blue book telling him I'd be back with a drop slip. I was really kind of upset at first because I didn't want to drop a class, but I realized that if I had stayed in that class the chance of me making dean's list again was greatly diminished. I thnk it is for the best.

In between eating lunch and the midterm of doom, I watched Modern Times with Charlie Chaplin. It was, at the same time, both disturbing and hilarious.

Then I went to work. I picked up some more hours next week, and was able to convince Marcia that I should be able to leave early because I wanted to go back to school for the French Film Festival. The film for tonight was Monsieur Ibrahim, which I had the good fortune to see a portion of last semester. I returned this evening to finish the film, and enjoyed it even though it did make me cry. I think it is my fav foriegn film in French that I have seen.

I am really sleepy so I will end this post with a quick list.

Foriegn Films I have Seen:

Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) German
Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labrynth) Spanish
Cinema Paradiso Italian
Hiroshima Mon Amor (Hiroshima My Love) French
Monsiur Ibrahim (Mister Abraham) French
Nochnoi Dozor (Night Watch) Russian


Of these, I particularly love: Cinema Paradiso, Lola Rennt, Laberinto del Fauno, and Monsiur Ibrahim

Hiroshima Mon AMor was a little wierd for my taste but oh well. I liked Nochnoi Dozor, but need to pay more attention the next time I watch it as it is a Russian film about vampires.