Tuesday, May 27, 2008

time for workie

i start my summer job tomorrow morning! i'm doing an internship at chevron for the summer, which i believe will include elements of history and graphic design. perfecto! i should have a better idea of what my position will look like after tomorrow. in the mean time, i'm off to bed since dad and i will be leaving earlier than i would ever wake up... looks like it's back to the high school 5:30 alarm days. wooooo summer job! :)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

one reason i love summer.


currently on loan from the public library.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Stalingrad

One of my favorite things about summer is the chance it gives me to read... a lot. My first project this summer was to finish the book 'Stalingrad' by Antony Beevor (a book I was theoretically supposed to read all of in class this semester, but only got halfway through). So, I finished the book today, and wow, what a sad, sad story.

The battle of Stalingrad took place during World War II between 1942 and 1943. Estimates put the number of casualties from both sides at more than 1.5 million. ONE POINT FIVE MILLION. That's incredible. Beevor's book recounts in detail the suffering of soldiers (and civilians) on both sides who beyond the physical violence of war, underwent starvation, extreme frostbite, and debilitating disease.

The part that really got to me was this: Towards the end of the battle it became obvious that the Germans were going to lose. They were encircled by the Soviets, trapped, starved, and severely under-provisioned by fuel and arms. The suffering of both armies, but in this case specifically the German, was beyond belief. A surrender would have saved countless lives of those who had miraculously survived thus far. Hitler's order was this:

"Surrender out of the question. Troops fight on to the end. If possible, hold reduced Fortress with troops still battleworthy. Bravery and tenacity of Fortress have provided the opportunity to establish a new front and launch counter-attacks. Sixth Army has thus fulfilled its historical contribution in the greatest passage in German history."

Surrender out of the question.
How extraordinarily sad.

Friday, May 9, 2008

wooo summer!

hey hey, i'm a senior!
it's summer time!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

7 hours... 12 pages...

Woooooo!! After weeks of researching the Jewish women in the Holocaust, I wrote my big history paper today! It took me seven hours of solid writing, but I got 'er done. :) Twelve pages... that's the most I've ever written - and in one day! Now just one final tomorrow, some packing, and hanging out with people until I go home!

P.S. Here's the first paragraph of my papety-pape:

"The horrors of the Jewish Holocaust are well recognized and well documented. The Nazi’s systematic discrimination, collection, and extermination of Jewish men, women, and children is one of the most reviled events in human history. Genocide, while horrific, is not unique to Nazism. Yet it is the cold, calculated, and widespread nature of the Holocaust that sets it apart. Six million European Jews were murdered in the effort to ‘rid Europe of the plague of International Jewry’ – to paraphrase Hitler. Within studies of the Holocaust, the accounts of men dominate academic literature. In many ways, the male experience has come to be accepted as the ‘normal experience.’ However, Jewish women, while often left out of academic study, have much to say in their accounts of Nazi oppression. According to their stories, the Jewish woman’s experience during World War II and the Holocaust is uniquely female and deserves to be told equally with that of men."

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

final web design project

i put my final web design project online today... you can check it out at:
www.ajenda.net/wheaton/hepburn/musicbox

it's finals week... two down... one big paper and one final to go!
(plus packing)

"oh-oh, halfway there, oh-oh, living on a prayer!"

Monday, May 5, 2008

We Called It "Family Vacation"






One of the greatest, shortest, longest vacations of recent history... Ten of us drove to our friend's lake house in southern Indiana for an incredible weekend of tubing, ATV-ing, sitting in the sun, and general relaxation. Here are some pictures!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Happy Lei Day!


May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i! So happy Lei Day! Today is significant for many reasons:
1. I worked my last day at Crossway today. We had company lunch... I love company lunch.
2. A week from today, school is OVER.
3. Today is the anniversary of Goebbels', the Nazi head of propaganda, suicide. So, I'm a history dork... what can I say?
4. It's Lei Day!

Alright, it's back to working on this research paper... Nope, not the big one; just a 5 pager on teen pregnancy. It's due in 16.5 hours... here we go!