Mín Englisc Blog

Tonightis definitely a matter of study: in the morning, I've a significant international relations class, and we have plenty of reading to do and to review. Talk about 280 pages in one book alone! I'm just glad that there's plenty on otherwise than these long essays, since I'm much more aware and understanding of other parts of the course.
I ate lunch with the last of the applicants for the history professorship today, one of just three students. It's not like this is something impressive; we had hoped for more (I was sent to try to round up various people!), but only a few appeared. Dr Apena is a native Nigerian who has taught in the USA since the early 1990s; she spoke today on the effects of the Second World War on Africa.

Today has overall gone quite well. I only attended two classes, because my lunchtime class was cancelled due to illness — but I was disappointed, since that class (Masterpieces of World Literature) is my favourite. Tony and I were able to meet for dinner, which was as usual enjoyable, and made a little more enjoyable than normal because our schedules hadn't worked to eat together at all last week.
Last spring, as part of our Modern Middle East History class, we watched several movies, including a 1996 film called Nasser '56. This is a black-and-white (so that the many pieces of historic film in the movie don't seem out of place) movie made by the Egyptian government about President Gamal abd al Nasser's rôle in the Suez Crisis of 1956. It's somewhat propagandistic, but enjoyable and somewhat useful. Well, I'd decided that I'd like to see it again, but I've got a distinct problem: it's only in VHS format. I've not yet found a place and time to watch it; I tried tonight, but I couldn't hear the movie because of lots of noise in the room. I would have tried it tomorrow morning after breakfast, but there's not enough time between when the library opens for the morning and when it closes for chapel — it's a single movie, and I don't want to watch it in pieces if I can help it. If I can't watch it by Friday, I'm going to ask a librarian if I can keep it into break (it wouldn't be due until after break), in which case I can likely enjoy it where there's actually a VHS player.

Micah preached today from Mark 3, the passage in which appoints his apostles. We had a pretty decent attendance, 45, even though several people were missing due to illness.

Without a doubt, today's big event for me was this afternoon: after spending a bunch of time sledding on the hill between Patterson and Clarke, I attempted to go use the skis of my across-the-hall neighbour, under his guidance. I figured out how to move, and (to a small extent) how to go downhill safely, but I've not yet figured out how to turn while moving. I guess it's because I've gone ice skating: even though the two coldweather events are quite different, both require a good bit of balance. With skating, of course, to turn I place one foot over another, but it doesn't quite work with skis :-)

While reading online news for my international relations class, I was ckecking the English edition of a Serbian newspaper in order to get more of a local reaction to everything going on in Kosovo. The newspaper, Blic, has a listing of foreign currencies — and it's amazing the exchange rate. As of this morning, it's 91¢ for the Australian dollar — since when was it that strong? We're actually over the Canadian dollar (about 99¢US for $1Canadian), but €1 buys $1.47US today. Talk about a strong euro...

There was a lunar eclipse tonight.

Today has been a day of more work (but more enjoyment) than I've frequently had recently. Not much happened during the day; I read more of Dante (I'm finally almost caught up) and prepared for my Calvin class. The busy but enjoyable part was this evening: for two hours I met with my debate group ("should we enter World War II before Pearl Harbor?"), having a useful time (I'm to be writing our opening statement, essentially melding others' writings into a unified statement) and enjoying talking with my friends in the group. I'm thankful that Dr Cole assigned us together: we are all senior history majors (except for me, a junior), so we all knew each other well before being put together.
After that group was finished, I next met with my group for the transcription-of-letters project for the same class. This, too, was quite enjoyable, as we enjoyed (again) two hours to discuss our ideas as we prepared a small, one-page research proposal. Micah, Tony, and I are all RP junior history majors, along with Matt an RP senior major, and so we've known each other well a long time.
Tonight, I felt rather unusual: the extended period of time with my friends made me feel like a freshman again. I've not had a difficult time with my roommates, but freshman year was best. It's time to begin working to find a roommate for next year; I'd appreciate prayer that I'd have a great time with my roommate situation in my final year.

While looking around online, I found this interesting story about a church in Washington with a funny name: the Church of God Zillah.

Wow, not normally up this late...I decided I'd just sit down and write my paper for tomorrow's class (three double-spaced pages) rather than trying to do it tomorrow. Therefore, it's all ready to go (except having been printed), and no worries about finishing it tomorrow.
Sorry for no posts recently. I let a friend log on to Google some days ago, and as Blogger login is dependent on Google login, he was logged in on my computer. I didn't want to do anything until I spoke with him about it, so I couldn't post in the mean time. Once I found out what had happened (I didn't remember lending it to him!) I was able to do differently.
One thing of news: Kosovo has declared independence.

Much of today has been spent working on a paper for my World War II class, HIS 401, for our debate group that's speaking in a couple of weeks. I was rather nervous that I'd not have time to get anywhere near to complete before it was due tomorrow (unusual, a paper due on a Thursday for a class that meets Monday-Wednesday-Friday!), but tonight I received an email from Dr Cole that it had been postponed due to the bad weather that we've all had here. I'm quite thankful!
Thinking of HIS401, we had an interesting lecture this afternoon in that class: instead of Dr Cole, who is the professor for this course, we had one Dr Sean Doyle, who is applying for the history professorship vacated by Prof. Werthmuller, my previous advisor. Dr Doyle is an Indian (i.e. India, not Native American) specialist, and the lecture was on the military campaigns in Burma during the war. It was unusual, having all three of the history professors attending the lecture, along with the department chair (a political science professor) and a professor from the education department. Although the situation was rather odd, it makes me happy that I know all these people (except for the EDU professor, it's not like I have to take any of those classes), and I was glad to be able to talk with another history professor immediately after class. One reason I'm glad I'm at a small school, where a professor speaks with me about my purposes in life even though I've not had one of her classes all schoolyear — I can't imagine a professor at Miami knowing students well enough to do that!
With the postponement of the WWII paper, I've been relaxing tonight: instead of writing (that can wait until tomorrow, since it's due on Friday), I've been reading several cantos from the Hell section of Dante's Divine Comedy, for my Masterpieces class tomorrow afternoon. I'm glad that I get to read an enjoyable book that I've read multiple times in the past. One thought: it's interesting the ideas that Dante proposes for the punishment of various sinners; I wonder how God arranges hell (if there is such an arrangement), but I'm far more thankful that I'll never be there to find out!

What shall I render now to the LORD For all His benefits upon me bestowed?

Today was a most interesting day...I had a seizure at lunch, and ended up spending three hours in the hospital. The seizure was much smaller than before, and I was released with far less difficulty than before, but it's still concerning. Mr and Mrs Hanson were here (Mr Hanson had a meeting), and he ended up driving me to the hospital. Moreover, because I had the seizure, my parents and Isaac ended up coming out here; it was nice to talk with Mr and Mrs Hanson as much as I did, and nice to see my family, but I wish it hadn't been for this reason. At this time, my biggest prayer is about my future...please pray that we'd understand God's will for my situation quite clearly quite soon.

Read this humourous account of a bear-attacking-humans incident in Japan in 1915. There's nothing spectacular about the incident itself, but the Engrish is written so horridly that it's hilarious to try to read. For example: "Every men hate this idea, and especially the each family head of Ōta, Saitō, and Miyoke family suppressed a wide range of thoughts, but for future or village and to achieve a revenge, decided distress." "If thinking of the future, the team which must exterminate a bear even if mobilize every possible means, considered many way, and resulted in some conclusion."

LORD, from the depths to Thee I cried. My Lord, give ear to me. O hear my voice and hearken to My supplicating plea.
LORD, who shall stand if Thou, my Lord, Shouldst mark iniquity? But yet with Thee forgiveness is, That men may rev'rence Thee.
I wait, my soul awaits the LORD; My hope is in His word. More than the watchmen wait for morn My soul waits for my Lord.
O Israel, hope in the LORD; The LORD saves graciously. And He shall Israel redeem From all iniquity.

Psalm 130

Sing, Goddess, the anger of Pēleús' son Akhilleus...And so the Trojans buried Hektor, breaker of horses.

That's the Iliad in compressed form.

It's nice this morning to have no 9:30 class: I arrived there, only to find a note on the blackboard that this morning's class is cancelled :-)

Finishing the Iliad, I'm struicken by a passage at about line 100 of Book XXIII: Pátroklos' wraith appears to Akhilleus, who seeks to embrace him, but cannot and is thus desolated by his disappointment. I guess this is what would have been the experience of anyone using the Resurrection Stone.

While reading my textbook for my World War II class, I'm just amazed to see how totally ineffective the Italians were, so often throughout the war. They attack Egypt from Libya, and are beaten back badly. They surprise Greece (after a ridiculous ultimatum), conquer a little territory, and are quickly beaten back into Albania and lose ¼ of that country. They attack France in the Alps, kill 8 French soldiers, and lose 5,000 of their own. No wonder that Hitler didn't appreciate Mussolini a lot of the time...

Rebels have forced their way into N'Djamena amid heavy fighting, seriously endangering the Chadian government and killing the Chadian military chief of staff. Even the French have gotten into the fighting!

Classes today went wel, even though I didn't have time to finish my history reading. I'm glad that I understood what was being presented in each class :-) Tonight, I went with the Kails and a couple of Abby's friends to a restaurant, where I gave a little entertainment by having a check of $0.00. After putting down $35 a anothe Applebee's not long ago, I'm now much more inclined to lean toward frugality :-)

It will be interesting what tomorrow's weather will be like: a winter storm is coming through, and we're getting what looks to be the worst weather yet for the schoolyear.
Schoolwork today went rather well; although I didn't get all my Calvin homework done in time for class, it's not due for turnin until next week, and I've gotten almost all of it done now. All that I have remaining now is some work for my afternoon logic class.
I'm aware that I'm up rather late, by the way...I wouldn't be up this late, except that I took a nap after dinner. You know you need an evening nap when you're nearly falling asleep during an after-lunch class, and when you can't stay awake just after dinnertime.