Two Weeks Down, Three To Go...

I only have three weeks left of my summer class. That's crazy. We're going extremely fast (plus we meet four days a week, three hours each time (well, the professor normally lets us out early because he does not want to lecture for three hours straight, but still!)).

I took my first exam in the class last week. Did pretty well on it. Considering the exam was the antithesis of what the professor said it would be. Next Monday is test two and a pop quiz is coming up this week.

I am really enjoying reading the New York Times everyday. In first semester I only had to read Monday through Friday, but now I have to read the weekend too. Then in class we discuss what is going on in the world that day for 30 to 40 minutes. We find the actors in each situation and how it affects politics.

We just started a new book too! The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Interesting... even though the argument is very general and the facts that Huntington uses to back his argument are a bit sloppy. BUT it does attack Westernization and addresses challenges that the world faced and continues to face in the Post-Cold War.

The book we read last week, Why Nations Go To War by John Stoessinger was my favorite so far. I like Stoessinger's argument that international conflict is created by the individuals in power (egs. Stalin and Hitler = WWII, Ho Chi Minh and five different American Presidents = Vietnam War, etc.). If you can find it at the library (because the paperback costs a fortune, just borrow it from the library), you should read it. It goes into who the individuals were in power and their personalities. Quite interesting! There's a good chapter on the Arab-Israeli conflict and "Afterthoughts: Fifty Years Later" an additional conclusion to the conflict in Korea.

Well, Huntington awaits!

Peace,
Lizzy

Summer, Thus Far...

Well, it looks as though this will be my first blog entry for the summer of 2009.

First of all, school's been out since early May. I really enjoyed my first year at Oxford, but I was ready to get back home and see my family. Of course, after about a week or so of doing nothing, I was ready to get out of the house. Unfortunately,my plan for a summer job fell threw and I had to start reapplying and rapidly searching for any available positions. I wanted to put off this blog entry until something EXCITING actually happened to me. However, aside from watching a few good movies and catching up on a lot of I'll-get-to-that-when-I-have-more-time reading, nothing really notable has happened.

This all changed last week.

First of all, I managed to get a job working on a website for Willis Knighton, a local hospital. I'll also be helping to work on a building project and I'll be helping doctors sort through and examine stacks of legal documents thicker than a manuscript of 'War and Peace' in large print (that part is not so fun).

Then, last Friday, I headed down to Baton Rouge to see a series concert being put on at LSU. There were a lot of good acts, but the one we came to see was Tyler Read, a band from my hometown. In the mood for straight-forward,ridiculously catchy rock songs? Look this band up!

Finally, I am currently writing this entry from a cabin in Jackson, Wyoming. I'll be staying here with my family all this week. Today, we went hiking up through Jenny Lake. Tomorrow, we head out to visit and hike through Yellowstone (hoping to spot Yogi!). We'll also be white-water rafting at some point (one of my all-time favorite activities).

Well, that's all I have for now. For anyone reading this blog, please let me know what your summer plans are!

Lastly, here's a list of the notable movies and books I've finished this summer.

Movies:
Mouchette
Duck Soup
Taken
The Devil and Daniel Webster
Children of Paradise (anyone interested in film MUST see this movie. It's simply incredible)

Books:
The Film Club: A Memoir by David Gilmour
Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose
Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (an amazing book; makes me remember why I want to be a writer)
Old School by Tobias Wolff