The Journal of CSI_Sanders1129

So, I was in DC most of yesterday with the History Club. It did involve getting up at 7am on a Saturday, a time of day which should not even exist. Walking to our meet-up spot was creeptastic, I saw one person on campus the whole way there. This palce is deserted on weekends as it is, but at 7am there is no one.

There were 15 of us total, split between 3 cars. Stopped long enough to get gas/McDonalds and then started the ~1.5 hour drive to the metro stop. Our car (five girls), spent the time blasting and singing along to awesome 90's tunes. All in all we got into DC around noon, right outside all the Smithsonian stuff. We all kind of split up from there. My self-assigned group of varying numbers of people looked around a few exhibits in the National American History Museum and then they all decided that we'd go see the Botanical Gardens (all the way at the other end of the National Mall, of course). From there we had plans to check out all the monuments and stuff and maybe the White House, but after the Gardens we were all starving so we got awesome (but expensive) sandwiches. Did take some pics in front of the Capitol Building and some other various statues around.

Groups kind of merged and redivided following lunch. Mine ended up giving up on the monuments/White House, and going to the Natural History Museum. Walked around there for like hours. (One thing that is cool about going to museums with fellow history majors is that we're all dorks and we all know random facts that we can share with each other). By that point we were all pretty dead on our feet and we were having communication issues with the rest of the group, so after some debate we decided it was time to go. Met up back at the Metro and (eventually) headed out. By 9:00 we were about an hour away from Frostburg and decided it was time for dinner. Ended up at TGI Fridays which entailed lots of awesomeness and picturing taking and yummy food. It was also someone's Birthday within our little group, so he got the humiliating serenade by the staff. What I got came with dessert which amounted to delicious cheescake that I just ate a little while ago. Nom nom nom.

We ended up not getting back to campus until like midnight. I was also in sleep!fail mode and left my phone in my friend's car when I zombie-walked back into my dorm, so I was awake and in panic mode for like an hour and a half before I finally gave up for the night and crashed. Got it back like 3 hours ago when I adventured on a ~2 mile walk through the snow to go fetch it from said friend's house. I took a loooooong way by accident. That trip also enabled me to get some space from the roommate who didn't even leave the room once today and my tolerance level was already at a low breaking point since I was in phone-withdrawal.

Now, though, I am content. And sorting through the bazillion and seven facebook picture tagging notifications I have been getting all day. O.o

There's like 3-4 inches of snow on the ground, but I think it's pretty much done now, so we probably won't be late tomorrow.

So, this is like the first time I've been in my room since like 9am. And not for roommate reason, just for normal reasons. Had class from 9:30-10:45, then paytofay and I checked out the new building on campus that just opened last week and ended up chilling until our 12:30-1:45 class. Following that, I chilled in the library with my homework (since I didn't need a computer for it! Hah!) and then at 5, it was time for our first History Club meeting. History Club is awesome. We are all complete nerds. That lasted until like 6:30, which was one of our shorter meetings. Six of us ended up walking to some place that serves 40 cent wings and chilling out there until 10. Lots of fun. Even if it is ridiculously chilly. It's been snowy and windy all day and most of the sidewalks are still kinda icy. I think the windchill right now is like -5.

So, yeah. Now I need to do the computer requiring homework.

WEST CIV 1:
~In Class Assignments: 30, 30, 30, 30, 30 (150/150)
~Analysis Paper: 143/150
~Midterm: 150/150
(Doing a really cool paper/presentation on Irish Castles at the end of the semester :D)

HIST OF MD:
~Exam 1: 95/100

HOLISTIC HEALTH:
~Paper 1: 100/100
~Oral Presentation: 85/100

WEST CIV 2:
~Exam 1: 95/100

Also, started some totally ridiculous 1 credit online class that I have to take to stay on my parents insurance today. It's so stupid. How would I have survived college/life this long if I didn't know how to use Word? It's not like it's any kind of hard to figure out. Type. Save. The end. And I have to go buy a textbook! Ugh. As if I weren't wasting enough money on it.

Oh, Maryland's State Song, called 'Maryland, My Maryland' (Lyrics here? First of all, it is set to O, Tannenbaum (O, Christmas Tree...). Second of all, it should be entitled the 'Lincoln is a Jackass, down with the Union' song. It's hard to believe that we have this as a state song when we so hypocritically went after all sorts of other people over the years since the 1860's.

And, in the process of filling out Frostburg stuff, I have discovered that I am due for a shot. Yay. More of an inconvenience going all the way out to my Doc, who practices in like Timbuktu. After the tattoos it is most definitely the out of the wayness and not the shotness.

I'm... going to take a nap.

“George Washington, who lived along the Potomac River, albeit on the Virginia side, at Mt. Vernon, says ‘I know where there’s some really good land. It’s about 12 miles from my house’ and that is how Washington DC gets located where it is. They go to, at first, Maryland and Virginia, and ask if they will both give up some land on either side of the Potomac for the National City. Maryland agrees, and it gets carved out of what was then Montgomery County and they carve out a section of land, a bit oddly shaped, no? A lot of folks over the years look at it and go ‘Well, that’s a rather strange looking… I mean, if you’re gonna make it why not just like a square? Why this funky thing?’ Well, the original plan for the National City was to have it on both sides of the Potomac River. And if you look at a map, you will notice that Alexandria, Virginia, is similarly oddly shaped. So you would have, geographically two rather funky shapes that combine together through the Potomac to make a rectangle. Maryland gives up the land for Washington DC. Maryland says,’ yeah, you can have it, but we’re going to hang on to the River through here’. And Virginia says’ yes, you can have the land, but we want part of the Potomac, too’. Maryland says ‘Hell No’. And Virginia says ‘well then, fine, we won’t give the land’. And thusly, Alexandria, while shaped correctly, never becomes part of the National City. And that’s how we get DC where it is.”

“In 1807 Jefferson had Congress pass the Embargo Act. Long story short, gang, the Embargo Act said that we were not going to trade much with European nations. Okay, on face value, that doesn’t sound all that bad. But, if you still wanted European goods and the government says you can’t do it, are you gonna just say ‘Oh, government says I can’t do it… guess I better not’? No. No, it’s kinda like speedlimits. Says its 55... Well, 80’s close.”

“So, if you can’t trade legally and you want to trade illegally, that’s called ‘smuggling’. Did Baltimore have any kinda ships that would be good for stuff like that?” // *chorus of sarcastic replies* // “Yeah, maybe that really, really fast, really, really useful thing we were talking about that Privateers were using to loot British merchant ships? For Baltimore, the smuggling was all about the Clipper ships. Where are they made? Right in downtown Baltimore.”

“To show you how badly some folks were opposed to the war, and to show you how strong the divides were between Federalist and Democratic-Republicans were, let me explain something that happens in our own Baltimore. Spring of 1812, kay? We had a newspaper editor, a guy named Alexander Hanson. And Alexander Hanson is a Federalist. Alexander Hanson publishes the ‘Federal Republican’ Again, named just to confuse college students in the 21st century. It is a Federalist newspaper and right after war is declared on Great Britain, Alexander Hanson, in the pages of the Federal Republican, writes an editorial that basically says ‘The President, James Madison, is a lout, is a kook, is absolutely obsessed with being a war-monger, that the war is unnecessary, the war is blatantly political, the war id only to boost him.’ Odd that, right? Basically, it’s an editorial that’s just scathing at going off to war and at Madison personally. When the Federal Republican issues hit the streets of Balmer, Republicans – of which most of Baltimore was split – who supported President Madison said ‘I don’t like that Hanson, I don’t like his paper. I think we should do something about it.’ And instead of taking pen to ink and writing their own editorial? No. They get a whole bunch of guys, they go to the Federal Republican, they go to Hanson’s office and they not only destroy the printing press, but tear down the entire building. Hanson got out, he knew they were coming so he high-tailed it out of there back to his home in Rockville. Now, the city government was basically in the hands of the Democratic-Republicans, so what do you think they did? Nothing. Nothing at all. Well, now, Hanson’s mad and he says ‘I will not allow my voice to be stilled!’ Basically what happens then is that a whole bunch of Federalists say ‘Let’s go back and kick some Democratic-Republican butt!’ So, he gets about 30 Federalists, they arm themselves with guns and shovels and rakes and other implements of destruction [Hello, Alice’s Restaurant reference] and they go back to Baltimore, get a new building with a new printing press and issue another, even more scathing editorial. But, he’s ready now cause he’s got his own armed men! And so as the Republicans start marching toward it, the armed men start shooting. The city government is like ‘Well, I guess we better do something now. Call out the militia!’ There’s one problem. The militia are mainly Democratic Republicans! And the militia goes ‘I ain’t getting involved’ And now we’ve got this fight. And this is great, to where the Mayor of Baltimore actually goes, stands at the front door of Hanson’s new building and pleads with the Federalists inside to go to jail. Not because they were being arrested but because it was the only place they could protect them. Because now the mob is so huge it’s gonna tear this building down and the Federalists inside start to go ‘Uhrm… I think we better go to jail?’ Because it’s safe. And so they march to jail, kay? Just like they’re an army troop and they’re in the jail. And the Mayor of Baltimore thinks ‘Phew, we’ve got this handled.’ Except that night, more Republcans come in, they break into the jail and start beating these guys. Several of them were beaten very severly, two will actually die, Hanson escapes again. And then the Republicans go back and they destroy the printing press and the new office. THIS WAS WHY BALTMORE IS KNOWN AS MOB TOWN!”

“A lot of times there were – we would call them ‘gangs’ today, in and around Baltimore. Back then a lot of ‘em were called Volunteer Fire Company’s. These guys would get together, start rioting and fighting, start to burn something down. And they’d come and put the fire out. We’ve got folks on both sides, again a schizophrenic Baltimore. And the country is at war during all of this. And they’re fighting amongst themselves. Because of a strong political ideology? No. Simply because… they can. It’s fun. “

"McKinley and Senator Hanna are sitting around going 'SO, what are we gonna do about Roosevelt?' They gotta do something. He's got PR, he was in the war, he's earned the Medal of Honor and he wants it...What can we do? And Senator Hanna says 'Not to fear, I've got the perfect place to hide him. We'll put him in a positing where he will be lost forever because it has absolutely no power, no authority. It is the back water of everything, let's make him... Vice President." - "Just don't get shot." - "That's it. As long as McKinley stays healthy, we're fine. Cause, of course, nothing like that's ever gonna happen, right? Right? Well, in 1901, President McKinley's up in Buffalo and he's shaking hands. Basically, he's standing there for hours going 'Hi, how ya doing? Nice to see you.' Like politicians all do. Cause, I mean, they all look at you and go 'Oh, hi! How ya doing? Nice to see you!' as if they're your long lost brother. And, so, for hours... Then finally, some guy walks by with his right hand all bandaged. McKinley, he starts to reach out with his right hand, but he see's the bandage, so he reaches out with his left and says 'Oh, you poor man,' and the poor man says 'Yes,' and raises his bandaged hand and... fires a bullet into McKinley's stomach. Because in the bandaged hand was a gun.

McKinley lingered for several days, near death. And, finally, he succumbed to his wounds. McKinley died - and he stayed dead - much to the chagrin of Mrs. McKinley, I'm sure.

But, when Senator Mark Hanna, the gentleman who had been the whole power behind McKinley, when he heard that his friend had died, his first words were not 'Poor President McKinley,' or 'Poor Mrs. McKinley.' No, his first words? 'Oh my God, the damn cowboy is in the White House!' Honestly.

Teddy is now the President. And remember now, this is the reason I said, the other day about this, after he sent Admiral Dewey off to the Philippines, he told his friends 'The Secretary of the Navy is away, I am having tremendous fun running the Navy!' Can you imagine his excitement now!? 'Ohboyohboyohboy!!! I got the whole country! Hell, I got the whole world!!!! OHBOY!' I mean, like the hell with that medal of honor deal, I'M PRESIDENT! YAY!"


I was looking for a song Awesome!Prof played last semester, but I found this, realized I hadn't posted it, and while laughing probably a little more than hysterically, decided I must.

Zach took notes again in class today. LMAOHERE

“It was to be secret. And to show you how secret it [The Pentagon Papers] was supposed to be, McNamara says, and I love this, ‘We need to make it the new Manhattan Project’. Now, what’s the importance of the Manhattan Project? That was the Atomic Bomb, but what was the thing that kept it so secret? Not everybody knew what was going on. If you had the Clickers for the Razzafrazzas and the hojimebobbers, you were in Tennessee. If you had the Whatchamacallits to the Thingamajigs for the Whirrrrrs, you were in Chicago. And so the Razzafrazzers and the Whirrrrrs weren’t together. And Razzafrazzers knew nothing of Whirrrrrs, and Whirrrrrs knew nothing of Razzafrazzers. And so that is how the Pentagon Papers, as we will call them, comes about. One guy looks at this, another guy goes and looks at that, and another rguy goes and looks at that over there.”

“They were people committed to a cause. The other day in Jess’ and Roger’s class, Anthro, we were talking about something totally different about Vietnam (and I’m glad that this pissed him off as much as it did me) but it of course, rolls right into this. To where, someone was saying like ‘Well, the Viet Cong, they’re terrorists, they were a terrorist deal and that they were evil and bad and that they put their families in hardship.’ Yeah, what about those guys in 1776, 1777, 1778, who left their families out in the wilds of Western Maryland to be ravaged by Indians, you know, kind of deal. ‘Well, that’s different cause that brings us America and freedom! They’re evil communists!’”

“In Vietnam, we had more. My granddad was in World War II, and I did an oral history of his experiences, and I can still remember him saying that he remembers having that first beer, after 6 months of service. He said, ‘I can still remember the taste of that beer’ because you just couldn’t get stuff. Whereas in Vietnam, as my buddy Craig will say, he was part of AirCav, ‘We need ice! Somebody go take a Huey!’ And they would actually take a chopper to go and get ice someplace. They had it all! Legal, illegal, right? A lot of times you’ll hear ‘Oh, well it was just those lazy ones that were on drugs.’ No! It was right there! Look at the part of the world you’re in. What comes outta that part of the world? ALL OF IT! You know, you can grow all of it right there. And so you have this whole deal of, you know, we went in with more. We went in with a hammer, but when a hammer’s all you got in your toolbox, then pretty soon everything kinda starts lookin’ like a nail. It’s hard to hammer in screws, isn’t it? Hard to hammer in lightbulbs. And that’s what transpires. Ellsberg says – Remember Ellsberg? This is a lecture about Ellsberg…” <- You will only get that one if you’ve sat through ‘Alice’s Restaurant. ‘Remember Alice? This is a song about Alice.’


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And on another note, the paper I had to write for Music class - I did it on Maori Culture - I will not be getting back. Because apparently, it was so awesome that he's keeping it as an example. Cool.

Okay, so, Zach's math class (at the same time as my AMV class) is done. It was some self-paced thing and he finsihed early. Awesome!Prof, being awesome was totally cool with Zach sitting in on AMV.

He's been there for a week now, and today, he decided to take notes. Not serious notes, of course, but incredibly hilarious ones. We were talking about Kent State and all that so they're only humorous up until people started dying, at which point, they stop.

I am still attempting to translate/relate it to what we were talking about and I will fill you in later after I'm done a project for Anthro.

It comes complete with doodles!

HERE

“But, Rhodes… Rhodes was that law and order candidate and I mentioned that he was in this primary election fight against the Taft family, kay? That would be like trying to run against a Kennedy in Massachusetts or Rhode Island or Maryland… or wherever there isn’t a Kennedy. Uhm, Utah. I don’t think there’s any Kennedy’s in Utah. // Guy: Yet. // Hah, yet. Or trying to go up against the Governator, right? Jeez. There’s a Kennedy, there, too!”

“Kent is different. The only major protest action after Nixon’s announcement on the Kent campus was a bunch of graduate history students. ‘Whoa, this’ll be cool. Let’s demonstrate!’ ‘Okay, what’re we gonna do?’ Very simple. ‘We will…bury the Constitution!’And to show you how bent they were on bringing down the American government and destroying the way of life as we know it, they decided that they had to have a name. They’re name would be… WHORE. ‘Cause only history grad students could come up with this, kay? ‘World Historians Opposed to Racism and Exploitation’. Now, they wanted it to be ‘World Historians Opposed to Racism and Inequality’ until they realized that inequality doesn’t start with an E. So, exploitation. History students havin’ fun? Yeah. And what they did, gang, was they went to the central part of campus. The commons, a green area, surrounded by different buildings, kind of hilly. There’s a pretty steep hill that each year gets steeper. It’s amazing how that happens. You know, so each year when I walk it it’s like *heaves for breath*Gets steeper. // Guy: I don’t think it’s the hill… // No! The hill gets steeper! That’s how it works, right? And one of the things that’s right in the middle of the commons is something known as the victory bell. This was the rallying point. Mainly it was the rallying point for sports events, like whenever the Kent State football team won, they’d go and they would ring the bell. It hadn’t been rung in long time, so they figured they might as well go and work there. What these guys decided to do… was to bury the constitution. So they show up at noon on Friday May 1st, at the victory bell with a shovel and a bullhorn and someone said ‘Okay, whose got the Constitution?’ ‘I don’t have it, do you?’ ‘No, I don’t have it.’ ‘Well, whose got the Constitution?’ ‘Well, I don’t. Alright, we got the bullhorn. And we got a shovel to bury it.’ But they didn’t have… these are really dynamo protestors, aren’t they? I mean, wow, these guys are dangerous. So, what they did was they sent one guy to run up the hill to one of the buildings called Taylor Hall, someone ran in there, found a history text book, ripped the back pages out that has the Constitution, ran down and said ‘Hey, got the Constitution!’ And so, with the bullhorn a few folks spoke saying how Nixon, with his executive action on going into Cambodia, has killed the Constitution, so we might as well give it a good burial.”

“’Bout the only thing these guys actually accomplished on Friday was to say ‘Hey, on Monday, let’s have another one at noon. Because Kent is an enlightened institution to where it has a free hour for all students between 12 and 1. * looks up to TBTP’s on above floor* It is an enlightened institution that has a free hour for all students between 12 and 1. So students can congregate and talk- Ooh. That’s it, isn’t it?”

“Kent… is a college town. And typically in college towns you have what? IN the business district ,there were a plethora of… establishments that would serve alcoholic beverages. In a college town on a weekend night – well, now, pretty much starting on Thursday’s – you, of course have students in the library studying. A few who are in their dorms studying – or they’r ein their dorms putting towels against their doors and window sills… - or they’re going where? To said establishment’s serving alcoholic beverages.”

“As the number of kids hanging out and about start to build, a couple of the Kent police officers in one of the several Kent police cars, start driving through the area. Somebody takes a beer bottle and throws it, it hits the police car, kay? Which was, again, not unusual. It’s like all of a sudden it’s ‘OHMYGOD!’ This is normal Friday night stuff. But, the problem is that you’ve got this kind of tension going on, cause of what has happened in other parts of the country. I mean… it’s not like they… stole the police car where it was parked out in front of Bert’s and drove it around for 45 minutes listening to the police scanner saying ‘Did you see ‘em, Charlie? I don’t know where they are?’ And you’d take it and you’d park it behind the high school and run up into the woods. It’s not like… they did that. // Guy: Who’d do that? // I don’t know who would do that. Not at all. No idea. Probably some young ruffians who’d do that. But the dumb thing was that they kept using the same police band that was on in the car! We knew where they were! It was like, OHMYGOD, ‘Andy, they took my police car!’ Anyhow… that was somewhere else, too, not Kent.”