No News is Good News??? And News on Me!

So for about a month I really haven't paid attention to the news. So I am kind of clueless about what's going on and you know what I have proved a theory, "Ignorance is Bliss". It is kind of true. Not knowing what is going on in the world for a few weeks is pretty nice. I remembered when I did watch the news constantly, literally every day, I would feel aggravated for at least 1-2 hours of the day. And you know why???? Because there are so many idiots out there that want power, are greedy and in the process decided to screw around with the world.

For this month I have just been focusing on myself. I haven't even watched Glenn Beck and I admire the man, even though I don't entirely agree with everything he believes in. I haven't watched Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, etc. at all. Only occasionally do I look on Drudge Report, but I could not tell you what I had read. The last thing I remember reading was when they compared Michelle Obama to Marie Antoinette....it had something to do with the fact that she was going onb way to many vacations and that as a result she was dragging secret services everywhere, which was costing taxpapers....there it is.

Other then that I haven't followed anything. It has been nice.

At the same time though I do still want to follow the news, I have always been one of those people that believe that a person should be informed about what's going on and that there is no such thing as too much information. It is hard though becuase I become aggravated and depressed by the fact that there are so many selfish people out there.

That's one of the parts about myself that I want to work on, that I can be informed, make decisions, and learn about the world myself (using my own knowledge and logic) and reach the truth. All the while I want to still be able to be happy and have some sense of hope and faith that this situation that we are in will become better.

I could never be apathetic about this or anything for the matter. For me being apathetic is the worst sin ever. So I can't become this kind of person otherwise I would be a hypocrite.

So that is one of the things I will be working on in the next month.

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As of news for my life there are new things going on, I will be signing up for classes this week and I will be starting classes next week. I'm kind of excited. I know I will be taking English classes, maybe an art class or history class. To be honest I have no idea, but I will find out soon.

I hope things work out at my new school, I will be definitly trying to join some organizations and do some volunteer work. Hopefully I could maybe get a part time job there.

I have been helping my brother with his homework, which has been definitly an expereince. He has autism so it has been a challenge, but I'm glad for the bonding.

Well I got to go look at classes. Wish me luck!

Life Goes On..

So far my month of July has been great. I hope that it will stay that way, because I like have this happy content feeling I have been having. Right now I'm in the Pellissippi State Library right now waiting for my class to start.

Good news about the last class I took this summer.

My American Literature I class (that I worked so hard in) was a sucess...I got an A!!!! I'm still overjoyed about that. Since I was sick all last year the highest grade I made was a B, so seeing an A right now, really, really boasts my confidence.

Also this past weekend was an awesome weekend, I got to see some of my friends, hang out with my family and my boyfriend got to come up and spend the weekend with my family. He and my family got along really well. That made me very happy. I was great we went to a few bookstores, drove around K-Town, spent time together playing the new Harry Potter lego game (Years 1-4), it was the awesome!!! We also went to the World's Fair Park, and saw the fireworks and listened to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. That was fun, but I'm not sure I would do it again....still on the fence.

This past 4th of July was pretty important and special for me. Not just because of my family, friends, and my boyfriend. It's because of everything that has happend these past 2 years. It's not just because Barack Obama is the President and we have a democratic majority in the House & Senate. That is a part of it, but not the reason. They helped play a part when it comes to question everything I have known and been told since I can remember.

An example with education, how many of us ever thought we were going to question what our teachers and professors told us? After all they are the "experts" they are the ones that know there stuff. How many of us read about history, science, and literature beyond what we are told in taxtbooks and the classroom? I know for me science would be a little hard seeing I am an English Major ( I also want to be a History major as well, I have just not filled out the paperwork yet to do this). But for me reading Literature and learning about History is not a hard thing. But others find it boring....which is a shame.

I use to not read a lot of historical non fiction books, after all it just wasn't my interest. But I started watching Glenn Beck. I honestly originally did not watch him even though he was on Fox News because he was on Headline News ( supported by CNN). But I started watching him and was amazed with how he was able to go after both parties with completle honesty. Then there was the fact that he talked about history and how it can apply to today, this was exicitng for me simply because I always thought that this was true. Then he really started to go into detail about history, that's when my brain went, "Wait....what!?!?!?!?"

He started talking about all these people, places and events that I have never heard of in American History, especially Colonial era during the time of the American Revelution, which my family and friends can tell I love readin about that era and I am an enthusiast. So for me not to know these things, immedialty put me into action. I started doing more research on what he was talking about and at the same time trying to find at the same time to see if there is any evidence that contradicts it. However I soon realized that I wasn't finding any evidence to contradict what he was saying, in fact I was finding more evidence to support it.

As a result I feel what I have learned in all of my class cannot be taken at face value. Like I said in my last post I really can't know who or what to believe anymore. I have to go straight to the sources.

I almost done reading a book called "The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette" by Carolly Erickson, it is quite good. After I finish reading that I think I will be reading a biography she wrote called "Misstress Anne".

Yes it is about Anne Bolyen, but I find her just fascinating and also since I checked it out of the library I should try to read that first instead of the other numerous books I have. I don't think I should check out books for a while, unless I have a paper to write. I always do this, I try to not to, it's just that I love books so much.

Anyway I should get going my class is in about an hour and I want to be able to read more of my book before class starts.

Oh and by the way for all those that live in Knoxville, Tennessee. it may reach 101 degrees today (which may be a record for the area of Knoxville). Stay cool everyone during this hot summer and have a great day!

What or Who Should I Believe.....

I have always been a questioning, skeptical person. An example being was I always asked all these questions about Santa Claus and I was persistent (after all we didn't have a chimney, so how did he get in?) I soon learned tht answer to that question :D

Now there have been parts of my life that I never thought I had to be skeptical towards when it comes to believing it and that is in the classroom. Call me naive, inexperienced, young, etc. whatever. The point is this I never thought I would have to wonder whether what I was being in taught in class was true or not.

I hear some many facts abotu history that contradict each other. I read different historical books, hear different facts from many professors and even stuff on TV: History Channel, Natinoal Geographic, and even Glenn Beck with his different specials that he has and his most famous one Founder's Fridays.

I hear and read of so many contradicting facts from all kinds of sources. I don't what to think. What I would like to be able to do is to be able to is to read the original documents and see it for myself, instead have other people and teachers telling me what to believe and think.

I want to think objectivly for myself, not have someone else do it for me. After all I don't like being told what to believe. I know I'm not the only one to believe this.

I know now what I need to do, I need to research anything that is of interest to me and write about, to help create interest in others. To help them to learn for themselves and to help them appreciate the amazing history of this great country.

Never Forget where we came from, for if we do, we will forget who we are and will be lost. I hope that if we do get lost, we will once again find our way. For I fear what to think if we are lost forever.

Books I have Read and Want to Read #1

I have a lot of books. I want to read all the books that exist. I had a goal to finish about 10 books by the end of this summer.

This is What I have Read so far:

1. The Bad Queen ~Carolyn Meyer
2. A Child of Hitler~ Alfons Heck
3. Sybil ~ Flora Rheat Schreiber
   

...I need to get a move on. Although with taking classes and reading a lot there, I'm sure its understandable that I have read beyond that class.

Here are the books that I want to read that I have so far:

1. Rebel Women of the Gold Rush: Extrodinary Achievements and Daring Adventures ~ Rich Mole
2. Remember the Ladies: The First Women's Rights Convention ~ Norma Johnston
3. Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black & White ~ David Barton
4. Samuel Adams: A Life ~ Ira Stoll
5. Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Loves Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them ~ Francine Prose (love the last name...fitting for the book)
6. Ladies of Liberty: The Women who Shaped our Nation ~ Cokie Roberts
7. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream ~ Barack Obama ( I can't believe I'm going to read this but I can't critcize a book if I haven't read it, even though I know I might gage from reading it)
8. The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity ~ Wm. Paul Young
9. Republic ~ Plato
10. Vanity Fair ~ William Makepeace Thackeray
11. Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams
12. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies ~ Jared Diamond
13. George Washington's Sacred Fire ~ Peter A. Lillback with Jerry Newcombs
14. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Read Between the Lines
15. A Severe Mercy (With Eighteen Letters)~ Sheldon Vanauken
16. Narrative of the Life of Federick Douglass, an American Slave~ Federick Douglass
17. My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams ~ Edited by Margaret A. Hogan & C. James Taylor
18. The Color Purple ~ Alice Walker
19. The Three Musketeers ~ Alexandre Dumas
20. The Man in the Iron Mask ~ Alexandre Dumas
21. The Guardian ~ Nicholas Sparks
22. The Princess Bride: S. Morganstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure ~ William Goldman
23. A Tale of Two Cities ~ Charles Dickens
24. What Could He Be Thinking? : How a Man's Mind Really Works ~ Michael Gurian
25. The Lovely Bones ~ Alice Sebold
26. Essential Dialogues of Plato
27. Dracula ~ Bram Stoker
28. Grimm's Fiary Tales
29. Eight Plays (all by Henrik Ibsen)
30. Cold Sassy Tree ~ Olive Ann Burns
    

So these are the list of books I want to try to get to this summer...I know I need to get going. And if you are wondering I have more books then the ones listed above...I just know I can't list all of them.

The Books that I am reading are:

1. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writer's ~ Christopher Vogler
2. The Overton Window ~ Glenn Beck
3. Founding Mothers: The Women who Raised our Nation ~ Cokie Roberts
4. The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette ~ Carolly Erickson

So I hope I will be able to get to this. I was thinking about writing a book review on the books I have read...but I have to get to the reading for my class tomorrow. Maybe I will do that later tonight before I go to bed.