Again, don't mind me - just talking about a love of History
I know I consider myself a bit of a history geek. What can I say? Every week my dad would bring both Sean and myself down to the library where I would insist on borrowing all the non-fiction, historical books. I don't think I actually read a novel until I was in my early teens.
I don't have just one era I delve into; I love it all. From Dinosaurs to the Celts, to the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, right up until present day. Well actually I tend to draw the line at most things past the 1990's. That may be "history", but to be me it's news, as the major stuff that happened I would have seen on the News or heard second hand from conversations while growing up.
And that is somewhat my problem - I limit myself. History I love. Politics I hate. And to understand recent history you need to know about politics. Ick! How very droll!
I go through phases of what's my favourite part of history to indulge in is. My younger years was all about the Romans and early pre-Christian Ireland. (You know a lot of Irish people in the West are Spanish descent - most think it's due to the Armada, but there is strong thinking that the earliest Irish settlers were from Northern Spain. How excellent is that??!! Anyway, I'm getting off track...)
A phase I often go back to are the World Wars. Perhaps more so the second than the first. I can't help it, it's fascinating.
But again I am limited in what I learned. (Or should I say was limited.) What school thought was just the basics, even though I did take Higher History. And the majority of what I have been influenced by would be the English side of the war. I get the English channels here so most all the documentaries I view are English made. (doc's are great because I don't read fast, and since finding the "novel" - thank you very much Harry James Potter - I don't devote myself to history books as I once did) And while they do explain both sides, they do kind of go back to what British life was like, whether it be during the Blitz or the tale of the solider on the front line.
A good example of being limited in what your told in school is the whole: Two World Wars = Germany's fault. As a teenager I discovered it was this whole big huge mess of crap regarding Serb's and Hungarians, Austrians and Russians. I was like...wait a second...why was this all dumped on Germany? Sure the Kaiser was a egotistical, megalomaniac, but he wasn't the only one trigger happy here.
But I think that book was so political I think I stopped reading. God damn my hatred of politics! I could have found out who won in the end...iz waz de Germanz right?
Lately my new phase is, surprise surprise, Germany, again. I can't help it. That country draws me in. When I see it on the television I always get this feeling down my spine like I'm meant to be there, or something. For a place I've never visited - nor likely unless I grow a pair of balls and go alone - I couldn't inflict me in Germany on any of my friends. The overwhelming gigginess of me being able to stand where Hitler's bunker is (don't look at me like that!) or visit the Stasi Headquarters or stand where the Hohenzollern palace/Palast der Republik stood. - It's a place that I feel that I am meant to visit. If you know what I mean? Although I don't think I would stay too long. 1) I suck at languages. So no matter how much I would love to learn German, or lived in/visited Germany I would never get over the language barrier. 2) I've met Germans. They're not like the Irish. And while I could listen to them talk all day long my sense of humour just wouldn't be got over there. And I need to have a laugh and take the piss out of people in order to survive. It's a must. 3) This could be totally wrong; but they seem to drink a shit load of coffee. I don't think I could become a "coffee person". Give me a strong brew of tea in my china tea cup any day!
Anyway as I was saying - it's all German history lately. Mainly due to the ace Stasiland by Anna Funder that I'm currently reading. This time though I'm actually grasping a bit of the politics without having my pants bored off. Perhaps because it includes a bit of the old Communism. Got to love Communism - what a fuck up that was, eh? When I think of communism I always see that scene in Dr. Zhivrgo when Yuri comes home from service and finds his home is all divided up and lots of people are living there also. When he, being the nice chap he is, welcomes them, the little runt <<<:O Ooooh....get you, missus...Go fuck yourself! If you're so much all about "for the people" stop eating all the pies. Ya fat bitch! - that would have been my reply if I was Yuri. Though that said, my Hufflepuff nature probably would have me saying nothing and just dealing with it. But then again...try to take away my shit...IT. IS. ON. I love my shit. I'd stab you with my letter opener if you even tried. :P
I'm actually going to stop it here. I'm really going into rambles now. I knew I had no idea where I was really going when I started this post...kinda like history...in a way...