Confessions Poll: Is Sallie Mae Busy Today?

Today is your last day to lock in low interest rates on student loans. Starting tomorrow they go up 2%. Do you think Sallie Mae's phone lines and website is a bit busy today?

I'm so glad I did this last week.

I love this picture. The setting sun provides a certain light quality that isn't duplicated by anything else. The cathedral at Caen, France in June 2003. Amazing what a cheap 35 mm camera can do.

Vrooming News

Two interesting items to report today.

The Ford Mustang is selling like tasty hotcakes. Sales for the newly redesigned '05 model are up 47% from last year. How embaressing for some people must it be when one car outsells entire brands? Looking at Scion, Saturn, Mercedes-Benz and Subaru. Wow. Current sales are so strong, the resale value of older Mustangs has risen.

If you're looking for more practical transportation, here are spy shots of the upcoming, redesigned Honda Civic. To be honest it looks a lot like the current Civic especially from the rear 3/4 view. I realize the single frontal shot is heavily disguised, but the Civic resembles a Saturn to me. Potential base motor of 140 hp could make it an interesting ride. Honda will sell over a quarter-milliion in the U.S. without a problem, but doesn't seem as dynamic as the Mazda 3. Future test drives will be interesting.

Dubya As A Public Speaker.

The text of the President's speech updating the situation in Iraq was okay. The text had some good lines. I simply wish the President was a more dynamic speaker. For a speech like this you need a Winston Churchill persona. Sometimes the delivery of the message is as important as the message itself.

Regardless of your opinions on how the Second Persian Gulf War was started, the fact of the matter is we're there now. Let's do the best job we as a nation can do to assist the Iraqi people to be self-governing. That is a very worthy goal for our nation.

The Way You Want To Kiss.

*insert steamy saxophone solo*

Part Expert Kisser

You're a kissing pro, but it's all about quality and not quantity You've perfected your kissing technique and can knock anyone's socks off And you're adaptable, giving each partner what they crave When it comes down to it, your kisses are truly unforgettable

Part Passionate Kisser

For you, kissing is about all about following your urges If someone's hot, you'll go in for the kiss - end of story You can keep any relationship hot with your steamy kisses A total spark plug - your kisses are bound to get you in trouble

What Kind of Kisser Are You?

I Wonder About My Classmates Sometimes.

Picture this: you're spent the last 3 or 4 years of your life earning a Juris Doctorate degree. You've spent a metric buttload of money to get that degree. You still have to take the bar exam to become a lawyer. You've paid well over $1,000 to be in a bar review class to prepare you to take the worst exam of your life (unless you happen to be a M.D., then Boards are even worse I'll admit). You've spent a lot of time and money in preparation. So why do you do any of the following:

• Not attend class.
• Fall asleep during the lecture (okay maybe you were not asleep, but your eyes were closed a long time).
• Giggle incessantly and loudly thus disturbing your classmates.
• When given a practice exam to take in class, to simply leave. Where do you have to go? What do you have to do? A quarter of the class left after one practice exam was handed out. Are you going to take the exam from the comfort of home while timing yourself?
• Leave early before the end of the lecture. Are you not booking the entire morning as a block of time? (Okay if you're not feeling well physically I can understand that.)

I'll admit I'm not studying as well at home as I would like to be. To get through some of these overdetailed, incredibly dense outlines can take me the rest of the day. The way I see it though, if you've put in this much time and money, at least put in the effort by attending lectures and paying attention.

We're going uphill at this point. One more month to go. Let's get to work people!

Someone Please Turn That Off

Dear Mother Nature,

If you're going to wake me up at 4 in the morning with a fantastic sound show, could you at least produce enough rain that the ground is wet when I finally get up? I don't get that much sleep to begin with so the missing 2 hours are a serious deprivation of Zs.

Thank you.

New Blogger Features Test

This is only a test of the Emergency Blogger PhotoPoster. Please remember this is only a test. If you can caption this photo please try.

Let Someone Else Be The Messenger

EDITED DOWN BELOW:

Much to my chagrin this is not an anonymous blog. However since my words will be attributed to me I will say some of what I want to say here. On this piece of the internet my concerns are purely for myself, on other pieces I have to worry about other people and institutions.

One of my favorite professors is in a bit of a controversy. Prof. Bradford is likely leaving the school for reasons known to him. He has taught for 3 years and isn't eligible for tenure yet (a process that begins after year 6 I believe). Prof. Bradford is something of a rarity in education: a libertarian/conservative. He has clashed with some of the more liberal elements, or the most liberal element, of our faculty on numerous occasions. I very much like the man. I've had 3 classes with him despite the fact I didn't receive great grades in most of them. How many students willingly take a class with a professor they know won't help boost their G.P.A. up?

Normally this is behind-the-scenes politicin' that I wouldn't blog about, but it has made the news. Ruth Holladay isn't my favorite writer. I find many of her pieces to be fluffy, one sided, and often not well reasoned. Still she does bring to light issues that need to be in the spotlight at times so I like her for that. The problem I have with her article is that it seems to imply facts that aren't there. It implied that Prof. Bradford sought tenure. I don't believe he actually did seek early tenure. His 3 year teaching contract expires (or already expired?) this year. From what I understand faculty approved a promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor this year. Where there is smoke there is often fire, but Ruth Holladay's article just has more smoke. My science, technical, and now legal background demands more factual information before I make a reasoned judgment. Is there more to the story? Oh hell ya there is, but I'm only privy to parts of this ivory tower, not the higher circles.

When I read the article yesterday during breakfast I thought it was blogworthy for the school, but I didn't want to write that post. In fact several of the contributors received received an email from a admitted 0L asking us to post the article to see what reaction from the student body and faculty would be. I wouldn't do it. Thanks to being in three of Prof. Bradford's classes and being an officer in the law society he is the sponsor for I know I couldn't be seen as objective. I could have written a fantastic analytical post, but it would be for naught. In our highly politicized world sometimes a great message needs a different messenger. At least others have taken the baton. About time you other people started writing as the school blog was looking like the Brian Talk Show! This conflict has sparked discussion in other parts of the blogosphere.

Just what our school needs, yet another controversy. One Christmas Tree fiasco, faculty hating each other, rampant anonymous comments on the school blog calling professors the Anti-Christ, professors performing non-professional acts that invite such vehement criticism, list-serv wars where everyone with an opinion proceeds to let the entire student body know what it is, and a general disappointment with people I consider intelligent yet childish. This does nothing to enhance our reputation at all.

Depending on your point of view I got to put in my 2 cents worth as well. A camera crew arrived from the CBS affiliate. I don't know who else they interviewed, but they found me in the atrium after lunch and asked for my opinion. I was trying to sneak away, but I was too busy commenting on someone else's blog to make my escape. At least I was in a presentable shirt. I honestly tried to tell the truth as I knew it. I honestly gave opinions that I hoped were well-reasoned. I really tried to make it look make all the individuals involved look professional instead of a tabloidish left liberal vs right conservative slugfest. Ack! I went into Public Relations Spin-Mode! "Lawyers: We're Here To Cover YOUR Ass!"

In the end I'm going to miss Prof. Bradford. He really cared about his students and gave you every opportunity to learn. That is more than several professors I know. Love him or hate him, you couldn't ignore him.

EDIT: I know they interviewed at least 2 other people and probably more. When the report aired only 3 people were used: the professor involved, a university (not law school) public relations person, and me. Why did they have to use me? At least it was only one comment out of the 5 minutes I gave them stating that he was a very good professor.

EDIT PART DEUX: Always fun when friends see you on TV and decide to call you. Rather sad to say that I don't really know everything that is going on so I can't explain it much better. On second thought admitting you don't know the whole story is much better than many people I know.

WWotM Crisis Averted

One of the ironies of the lectures last week was Estate & Gift Tax. Estates deal with dead people. Yes even when you're dead taxes still must be paid. Our lecturer didn't show up so they put in a video tape and we watched her February lecture. The entire time I'm thinking, "Wouldn't it suck if she had a car accident on the way here and was now subject to this topic."

On Friday we got word the lecturer was okay. Thank god she wasn't the WWotM (highlight if you're unsure)(White Woman of the Moment). Yes, I'm a mentally sick person. Didn't you know that by now?

I Discovered I Have Discovery Tomorrow.

Topic for tomorrow is Civil Procedure. Topic for Tuesday is Appellate Procedure. I notice there is a section labeled "Discovery" in between those two sections. I'm going to assume I have another 28 pages of an outline to read. So much for working in some PMBR/multiple choice questions tonight.

Those are proving impossible to do. By the time I get done with some of these monster outlines I don't have time to work on more than 10 m/c questions if that many.

How the hell am I supposed to remember all this crap?

I Want A Road Trip!

Talk about suffering from the ultimate distraction right now. I want a vacation! Unless you count the summer classes I spent in Europe (which I could understand if you did) I haven't had a real vacation in 4 years. Aside from a 3 day weekend trip to Chicago, a warp speed damsel in distress trip to Dallas, or maybe a bachelor party or three I have done so little travel these past few years. I've certainly done no travel where my plans were my own versus helping someone else out with whatever problem they've had. Helping people move certainly isn't relaxing.

I want to be away. I want to be someplace where my time is purely my time. The original idea was to be on a 10 - 14 day or so trip through Portland, Seattle, British Columbia. I liked the ideas of kayaking on Puget Sound, hiking on Mount Hood, staying in a bed & breakfast on the San Juan Islands. Unless someone donates a lot of money that isn't going to happen.

I wonder about 3 day weekend on one of the Great Lakes. I understand Ohio has some nice islands on Lake Erie. Maybe something on one of the Michigan coasts. After the Bar I want to be away for some time. I don't want to see old friends, but simply have a little time to myself and recover. Some might view that as selfish. I view it as therapy. I want to be somewhere where I don't know anyone. I don't know why, but I've grown to appreciate the water of the past few years. Sometimes sitting next to the lake or river is so relaxing.

Does anyone have any trip suggestions? Now if only I could borrow a friend's 64 Caddy he just got. Perfect road-tripmobile.

NIMBY, Grumpy Old Man, and Being A Socialist

If you've never attended a public meeting hosted by some governmental authority you need to know the following.

• People fear what they don't understand.
• People don't like anything that goes near their property.
• People distrust government.
• People like to bitch.
• People dislike change.
• People dislike paying for anything.
• People tend not to listen to anything that challenges their assumptions.

As you can tell aspects of the Rapid Transit meeting went very well. I'll edit this later to give the scoop, but sometimes I wonder if public input is actually worth anything. Yes notice and comment is nice ideal, but you can't prevent people from having a watertight closed mind. I've never been called a Socialist before. Does anyone else find that amusing?

High School All Over Again

Pulled from the vast Archive of Drafts!

Drama Nerd/Band Geek eh close enough for government work!
Do you dare go back to your dark days?

Oh wait a minute I already did. It was called LAW SCHOOL! I am NOT kidding when I thought to myself within the first week that it felt like I was back in high school. The only difference was everyone was more educated than the first time. I never understood the social dynamics that created such an environment. Who knows, law school might be one of the places where all the nerds that have some success end up?

You scored as Drama nerd. Drama nerd 69% Loner 56% Prep/Jock/Cheerleader 44% Geek 44% Punk/Rebel 38% Goth 31% Stoner 25% Ghetto gangsta 19% What's Your High School Stereotype? created with QuizFarm.com

Reverse Is On The Left

First I'm jealous in so many ways. CAG said she knew she should have walked away, but she ended up buying it. She got a new VW Jetta. She wanted me to be with her because of the sexist stupid car salesmen. She wanted the dorks to deal with me so she could swoop in at the last second with her checkbook and see the look on their faces. Hey I would have been helping test drive cars so it would be very fun for me. The high end of her range was Acuras, BMWs and other sports sedans. I don't get in Acuras and BMWs very often. She reneged on her promise. Damnit this is supposed to be about me, me, me!!! A Jetta, I see CAG's pragmatic side got to her.

I don't know why women get screwed in the car buying process. Why does the typical car salesman treat women like idiots? Sometimes women even have letters after their name meaning they have an education and maybe even a brain! Sometimes women car shoppers buy a Consumer Reports magazine to see how cars rate. (CR isn't my first choice of guide, but I respect them to a point.)

The Mitsubishi dealer tried to steer CAG towards an Eclipse. Mitsubishi had some quality control problems lately so their long term reliability is below industry average. CAG's opinion of Mitsubishi is, "Aren't they around to make girls look pretty?" I never thought of it that way before, but yes sometimes a Mitsubishi is a pretty car with little substance (at least with some models). Told ya The CAG had a brain. Salesman asked what else she was shopping for. After hearing her reply the salesman said, "You don't want to buy a 4-cylinder car. They fall apart at 70 to 90 thousand miles!" The CAG told me she thought about this reply but didn't actually say it (oh don't start holding back now dear), "Well maybe your cars do." Dumbass Salesman obviously didn't see her driving up in a Honda Civic, one of the most reliable cars on the planet!

Still she did test drive the Mazda 3 based on my recommendation. She liked the 3, but says it doesn't compare to the Jetta. Well duh! The Jetta is a full step up-market from a 3 and isn't a fair comparison. Yes, the Jetta interior is very, very nice. VW/Audi are industry leaders in interior design for a reason. The CAG finds the straight-line acceleration okay, but not thrilling (extra 35 horsepower has been offset by 300lb gain), but handles nicely and is very quiet according to her. She did note the 3's shifter is definitely more sporty than the Jetta's. Mazda seems the have the best front drive manual tranny out there. VW's is still good though.

I get to drive the Jetta next time I see her. She treats me well despite the grief I give her sometimes. I know I'll fall in love (with the car) and desire it. I suspect the Jetta will be my upper range of auto when I eventually go shopping. At least I'll have someone familiar with the vehicle to bounce questions off of. Oh, when I drive her's I'll already know reverse is on the left, unlike some people who forgot to look. F.Y.I. on many European cars to hit the Reverse gear you push the shifter vertically DOWN, then LEFT and FORWARD. It isn't just RIGHT, then BACKWARD like on Asian and American cars.

PS: If you ever want to take a guy along just to screen you from the salesman let me know. Just let me dismantle poke and prod the vehicles of choice. This wouldn't be a job for me, but a public service.

Ode To An Intern

DrunkenIrishMan has provided me with one of those sad, but true links. Raise your hands if you've dealt with interns or coworkers like this. Yep, so have I.

Right Hand, Left Hand, and No One Paying Attention

Get home and listen to answering machine. Sallie Mae has called pleading with me to consolidate my student loans before July 1. Wait a sec I consolidated last Friday. Did something go wrong? Will I have to fill out that online form yet again?

Reach into the mailbox and see a letter from Sallie Mae. It thanks me for consolidating my student loans through them.

Gotta love big bureaucracies eh?

What Part of "Recent Graduate" Do They Not Understand?

Searching the job bank at school to see if anything looks interesting. One option is for "Recent Graduates 0-2 Years Experience" and that describes me perfectly. Several employers don't seem to understand that. Several posts have the phrase "extensive experience" or other such phrases that imply lots of previous knowledge and experience.

Hello folks, but recent graduates by default aren't going to have much previous legal experience. I'm just letting you know that. Now if my previous career counts for something let me know.

Oh my it is a drought of jobs right now.

I REALLY Wanted To Be An F-14 Tomcat

However, I can live with this. My tech quotient must have carried me over the top.

What military aircraft are you? F/A-22 Raptor You are an F/A-22. You are technologically inclined, and though you've never been tested in combat, your very name is feared. You like noise, but prefer not to pollute any more than you have to. And you can move with the best.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Time To Fight For Your Local Rapid Transit System.

Long time readers know of my pet project to encourage a true public transportation system in this area. You want to be a world class city you need to have world class public transportation and IndyGoNowhere isn't it.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization is having a public meeting in Glendale Mall Community Room on Thursday June 23rd. Door open at 6:30 and the meeting starts at 7pm. The IMPO has studied 4 potential routes for the rapid transit system and is looking for public input on those routes.
I'm assuming you can comment on the type of technology used. Here are some pointers.

• You don't want to use buses because they're expensive to operate and will never pay for themselves. A bus system will cost nearly $2 per passenger mile. Don't be fooled by the cheaper up front infrastructure costs.
• You do want the elevanted system. I know it is the most expensive up front infrastructure, but your per-passenger mile cost is around 5 to 10 cents. An elevated system could pay for itself eventually and fund extensions to the system.
• A light rail system fail in between at around $1.20 to $1.30 per passenger mile to operate.

Here is a very good article from this Sunday's Star explaining the options and the meeting. RECOMMENDED READING!

They will give powerpoint slides ahead of time so you can organize your thoughts if you wish to speak. I recommend bringing a legal pad and pencil. I also want everyone in favor of the project to please remind the board "JUST BUILD THE DAMN THING!"

U.S. Grand Prix

It sounds like there is plenty of blame to go around, but F1 is a political circus worse than NASCAR. Thanks to whoever for letting only 6 cars races at the GP. You want to wreck F1's chances of gaining acceptance in the United States? You couldn't do a better job than this. What a joke! I thought about going next year. Now I'm not certain. Yet another example of Big Sports screwing over the Fan. You remember Professional Hockey? Neither does anyone else.

Michelin said they didn't build a safe tire (tyre if your British). Yet the only team that had problems was Toyota. Something different in their suspension setup or they didn't inflate their tires to a required pressure is the most likely cause of this. Don't give me the new diamond cut on the track asphalt was the problem crap. Diamond cutting a surface isn't unusual in racing and 3 weeks ago 33 cars turned 200 laps without tire problems. "But Brian, F1 mandates one set of tires for the entire race while IndyRacing League has tire changes every 40 laps. Doesn't that make a difference?" BULLOCKS I SAY! I'm not encouraging drivers to intentionally crash their cars, but that is a part of racing. How was this week different than any other week where they might run over some debris and slash a tire that way?

I know some will say that the rules shouldn't change right before a race. One group was ready to race and if the other group wasn't ready it suck to be them. I'll agree with that idea to a point, but the point ends when it threatens to cancel a race. Adding a chicane to a turn doesn't materially alter the character of the sport. I'm amazed how overregulated Formula 1 is. Loosen up the rules a bit so the fans can have a race.

All this fiasco did was hurt the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the City of Indianapolis. This race isn't likely to come back after 2006 and that hurts this city big time when 100,000 don't show up for a big party and spend their money. We want to be a World Class City and we need World Class Events. F1 is a bunch of spoiled children that don't care about their fans and anyone else they hurt. They're giants playing in the playground. Somebody needs a spanking!

Legal Guide For Bloggers

We've had a bit of discussion about the legal rights and responsibilities of bloggers. This guide is from the Electronic Frontiers Foundation. Please note is is only a legal guideline, not legal advice (You always have to CYA ya know.) If you want to look at the intellectual property guildlines concerning copyrights (a.k.a. copying from and linking to other people's posts) go here. The entire guide is worth a good read especially if you are a blogger!

*Found at Evan Schaeffer's Legal Underground.

Happy Father's Day

Don't forget the Father or Father-Figure you have in your life!

Mail a card, make a phone call, hop in the car, do whatever it takes to remind him that he matters to you. If you feel he doesn't matter to you, perhaps you should take today to try to mend fences. Being a father is more than being a male genetic donor, but many fathers try to be involved in their children's lives and love their children. A shame so many people don't recognize that. What a shame we need some Hallmark Holiday to remind of us that.

Batman Begins

I'll add a little more later, but I'll give you what I have now. RUN, don't walk to the nearest cineplex.

As the reimagining of the previous Batman quadrilogy Batman Begins will naturally draw comparisons to the 1989 Tim Burton directed, Danny Elman/Prince scored, Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson/Kim Basinger starred version of Batman. The previous version of Batman rightly deserves a place among the great films. It pegged the KICKASS Meter and was the best superhero film since Superman 11 years ealier.

I'll give you my summation of Batman Begins and explain it a bit: IT KICKS ASS! Batman Begins pegs the KICKASS Meter. In many ways it is even better than Batman! In comparison Revenge Of The Sith, which I saw a few weeks ago, is a downright mediocre film. Part of the problem of comparing films is the treatment between the two is vastly different. The original Batman was a fantastic persona that had a fantastic world built around him. You needed an Over The Top villian like a Joker played by Jack Nicholson to fit in. Batman was a great comic book made into a great movie. Batman Begins takes a different tack. Batman Begins is set in the real world. This is easily New York, Boston, Philidelphia, Chicago (part was filmed in Chicago), or any other large city in the Northeastern U.S. This movie shows how the worst parts of our society can create a person who desires to be a Batman. The realistic approach seperates this from any other so-called comic book/superhero movie I can think of.

Actually I take part of that back. This IS NOT a comic book/superhero movie. This a drama at its best. This drama is about the will of a man to do an impossible task.

The cast is superb and from top to bottom is loaded with some heavyweight actors. They may not be superstars, but they have the cred. Liam Neeson (once again a fantastic mentoring figure), Michael Caine (if anyone can takeover for Michael Gough as the faithful butler Alfred it is Michael Caine), Ken Wanatabe, Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldham (last good cop Sgt. Gordon), and Morgan Freeman are all thesbian heavyweights. I've never seen Christian Bale in anything, but I understand he is highly regarded in the field. After seeing Batman Begins I'll affirm that. He played Bruce Wayne/Batman with perfect intensity and floppiness when the scene required.

Which leads to the weakest cast member: Katie Holmes. I was highly impressed with her acting actually, but she reveals the biggest flaw of the movie. Either Batman Begins deals with a Batman in his early 30s or so and his friend a tough minded Assistant District Attorney Rachel Dawes played by Katie Holmes (age 26 now) looks too damn young to be a woman with that much experience and responsibility. Or, if everyone is in their mid-20s or so the character of Rachel Dawes can't be a lawyer earlier in the movie because she wouldn't be old enough to graduated from college yet, much less law school. The movie is THAT GOOD so I have to bitch about a flaw like that.

BTW: the new Batmobile KICKS ASS! People say it is a Bat ESSUVEE and they're wrong. Bat-Tank is a better description. The special effect department made a real Batmobile that didn't rely too much on computerized special effects. Much of what you see in the movie with the Batmobile is what was actually filmed! Kudos to the FX department for making something that real it could do 0-60 is less than 6 seconds, turn, brake, and survive a running fall of 20 feet. "I gotta get me one of those!"

This movie is 2 hours and 20 minuts of your life well spent.

Friday Spies© Early Birds

Swiped from Frequent Citations and please remember BTQ is the original source of this intellectual property.

1. Which relationship will last longer, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ("Brangelina"), or Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ("TomKat")?

I don't know, which one do I need to kidnap first? Katie is the one you bring home to Mom after you've deprogramed her Tom's control freak ways and the Cult of Freakinology. Angelina is the one you bring to the party and start drinking shots with.

2. Less importantly, which will have nuclear bombs first, North Korea or Iran?

I think North Korea already has the bomb.

3. What is your dream car?

Given that I am a car guy this is going to be so hard. If I select a Chrysler Crossfire Convertible I can take Gillian Anderson with me. If I select a Ford Mustang GT Convertible I can take Gillian, Katie, and Angelina with me.

Or I can go with something exotic like the Batmobile. "It's the car. Chicks dig the car."

4. What book have you read the most times?

Good question. I've read The Hunt For Red October a few times. I know I have books on my shelves I haven't even gotten to yet.

5. Are you a matchmaker?

Oh no, oh no, no, no! Actually right before finals I had three other people trying to set me up with friends of their's. In fact let us not discuss matching me with women at all.

The Problem With This Recipe

Two frozen chicken breasts.
Some Hawaiian marinade.
Throw into the crock pot and let it simmer for a few hours.
Side dish will be some leftover pasta salad.

Sounds like it should be yummy dinner in a few hours right?
I plugged in the toaster, not the crock pot. I swear bar review is making me stupid.

Do Women Really Dream Of Kias?

LADIES!!!!! I need your help with something. This article states something that scares the crap out of me to be honest. No one will argue that men and women think differently. No one will argue that men and women tend to have different value systems.

An international marketing research firm that I have never heard of, NOP World, conducted a survey asking men and women what their dream cars were.

The highest-rated car among men? To no one's surprise, it's a Porsche 911. Other top-10 winners among men: the Maserati Spyder, the Mercedes CL and the BMW 6 Series. In other words, men like their cars fast, hot and into the six-figures.

Women, on the other hand, didn't go for any model of Porsche or Mercedes. Their top-10 list reads like notes from a Suze Orman lecture on household budgeting. It includes the Suzuki Forenza, the Pontiac Sunfire and the Kia Rio sedan.

Are you kidding me? In my observations women tend to value the a good bargain but those are some of the least expensive cars around. Were any convertibles on the list? I've noticed many women have a thing for convertibles. I realize that passion for automobiles tends to be a guy thing (but not always as I point to one ex-girlfriend who thankfully doesn't read this blog). I would love to see the complete list.

"Men may diss women for being so parsimonious. Women can chide the men for overcompensating. (Incidentally, the same survey found most men expect to pay $18,800 for a car -- so good luck with those Maserati negotiations.)" [Ed. FYI: average price for a new automobile is over $30,000 now. That $18,800 will get you a nice Mazda 3. I like the Mazda 3, but that is the league we're talking about.] I can only surmise that many of the people taking the survey were idiots and totally clueless. Maybe they always ride the bus?

Unless you truly desire Yugos and Daewoos (in that case I will mock you instantly) what do you like? Can you, my highly educated and sophisticated audience, come up with a better list than above?

Lecturer Styles

These type of people are everywhere: in meetings, in board room, in classrooms, etc. Just because they lectured us don't mean they are special in that respect.

Dazed & Confused Lecturer: You are so lost and unorganized is there any point in us listening to you. Goes back and forth between thoughts in whatever random fashion he/she wants to.

Monotone Lecturer: Speaks with no inflection and emotion at all. Angelina Jolie might be able to get away with this and still hold my attention, but even then I'm not sure.

Reads The Powerpoint Slides Exactly Lecturer: The Powerpoint slides are the script. Most consider it a mere outline, but you felt it was so important you read it directly to us.

Detailed Lecturer: The opposite of the Powerpoint Lecturer. The Powerpoint slides are a mere bare bones outline of your lecture. You then fill in every single possible gap and nuance in those slides. With luck we'll get through 8 pages in 7 hours.

Comedic Lecturer: If only you could make money by going out on tour. Sadly a typical audience isn't familiar enough with the law to enjoy the jokes.

Knows What He Is Talking About Lecturer: Luckily not too uncommon. A good lecturer that holds my attention and educates me.

Indy Cultural Tidbits

Thursday June 16th: Concerts on The Canal from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Located at the Indiana Historical Society across from Military Park and the law school. On Friday for lunch they have a another band too.

Friday June 17 to Sunday Jun 19: Indy Jazzfest. I hope school isn't having finals at the same time as Jazzfest. That was LOUD!

Sunday June 19th: United States Grand Prix at the Indianpolis Motor Speedway. See all them foreigners race and make right turns. Starting Thursday June 16th is Pit Walkabout from 8am to noon. You need a race day ticket to do this though. Practice on Friday for $10 and qualifying on Saturday for $20. A combo ticket for both is $25.

After all the stuff they had last week, this week is a bit of a let down. On the other hand Jazzfest and the Grand Prix are two VERY LARGE events. Balances out I guess.

The Ides Of June

EDITED DOWN BELOW:

Things of note. At least of note to me.

• Happy Anniversary parental units. 36 37 years I do believe. I'll drop off the card later today.
• In bar review today is the first time we'll have a subject that I haven't had the class for. Might be an interesting or frustrating lecture. The basics seem simple enough, but the devil is always in the details.
• BATMAN BEGINS. Anyone want to see it this weekend?

EDIT:

Parental Units saw Batman Begins. They claimed it is even better than the original Michael Keaton starring/Tim Burton directed Batman. I don't know. The original Batman is on my KICKASS (TM) LIST of movies. I'll figure it out soon I hope. Parental Units went out for steak dinner. Maybe by their 40th I'll have a job and I'll take them out to a good steakhouse like St. Elmo's. Darn them for having only one child and leaving me with all the assumed duties for stuff like this.

Stuff

Not Guilty But...

Dear Parents,

Since being freaky is not a crime, Michael Jackson was found not guilty on 14 charges. That State of California did not meet the burden of proving every element of the crimes charged. Two out of three elements doesn't count in Crim Pro. However, please do not let you children associate with him. I believe atypical and not socially accepted behavior has been proved.

Thank you.

Grades: Bah!!!

I swear there is no rhyme or reason when it comes to grades. You fell like you kicked ass on the final and get a C+. You swear you just failed one final exam so bad the Dean will come to your house and plead with you never to step foot on campus again. You get an A in that class. You have one surprisingly good semester followed by one surprisingly bad semester.

The fall was surprisingly good all things considered. Now my last grade is back and the spring has proven most unkind. If they were classes I had no interest in I could understand that. No reason to not do well, but I could understand it. No, I enjoyed three of my four classes.

I realize the bar exam is far more important than my final exams, but it would have been nice to go out on a high note concerning my scholastic career. Still I don't feel sorry for the people who say, "That B was the lowest grade I've ever gotten." Hush now please.

As I was explaining to Robin today at lunch: the bar exam tests for minimal competence. Minimal is our friend now. Screw it, at least I graduated! How many people can say that?

Sirens

You hear the sirens, you go online to check various weather sites to see if the tornadoes are coming your way, and then you wait. After spending a few minutes online the best I could say to the others was, "It'll be close."

Luckily the worst of the of the storms went a bit east of us, but time stopped for a bit. Except for an occasional glance at the TV, putting an ear to the weather radio, working on a Windows XP install on a laptop, and grabbing a few more nachos.

Still, it's a helpless feeling for a few minutes. You know you can't do anything and you're at the mercy of inbound storms.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Conerning the practice Multistate Bar Exam (MBE, 200 multiple choice questions), the practice Multistate Performance Exam (MPE, a self-contained pseudo open book practical legal writing assignment), and the practice state essay question.

AYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-YIIIIIIIIIII-YIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!

Maybe later I'll tell you how they sucked, but it looks like I'm going to really play to my strengths and work on multiple choice.

You Can Do Bar Review At A Bar.

I feel this is an example of how too much knowledge warps your mind. But first a little background.

I thought it was an interesting bachlorette party coming into the bar. All of them were dressed in costume and it isn't Holloween now so it had to have been a bachlorette party. No one was wearing the traditional veil or a tiarra so I couldn't tell who the lucky bride to be was. Given they were about ready to fall down stumbling a bit I figured they visited a few other bars before walking in.

Their costumes were interesting. One police officer with what looked like functioning handcuffs, two old school white nurse uniforms with short skirts and Wonderbras, the toolbelt diva complete with wrench and hammer, and three Catholic schoolgirls with pleated skirts and tied knots with their shirts. Looked like they were having a good time.

After what appeared to be a few rounds one of the schoolgirls screamed, "I'm Catholic. I have sinned and must be spanked!"

Given the above fact pattern is this an offer or merely an invitation for offers? Legally this makes a difference. If it is an offer then someone else can accept. If it is merely an invitation for offers then I have to make an offer and she has the power to accept or not. Yes you too can find legal implications in ordinary life.

Wisteria Lane Has NOTHING On Us!

I swear several of my neighbors are simply gossip hounds. The Cat Lady and I just had an interesting chat about things happening around our courtyard. My neighbor who disappeared didn't really disappear. I figured since FBI, mail cops, and local law enforcement asked me so many questions about computers and children that he had to be into naughty kiddie pics. Sadly I was right and he's been sentenced to 13 years. I rather liked the guy. He seemed cool overall, but sometimes you can never tell about your neighbors. Would you believe it all started with him getting pulled over for a D.U.I. and finding stuff in the trunk. I'm so glad my porn is of age. Chatrooms are for adults people! Please watch your kids while they are on the internet or you'll find them on the internet! Sadly who knows how long it'll take to foreclose on the unit next to me. I'm told it is a dive, and his family didn't want to spend the money to fix it so they're letting foreclosure take place. GREAT, a deteriorating property is right next to me.

Cat Lady is buying a house. One reason is because she just wants a bigger home and our neighbors are apparently Britney Spears/Kevin Federline wannabes. It appears I need to be on the lookout for choking, grabbing, slapping, filing of false police reports, trashing the garden, and other small and not so small stuff. Great. I'm so glad I don't spend too much time here.

On the positive side another abandoned property was just bought. The nice lady moved in during Memorial Day weekend. Not only that, but the day after she moved in she also bought a new car. I'm hoping she isn't an axe murderer.

Friday Spies©

From BTQ

Here are the questions for this week's Friday Spies. And yes, I misspelled Nobel in the email. That's what you get for blindly following MS Word spellchecker. I beg your forgiveness if my spelling faux pas offended you. [Ed. Dude, like I have any room to talk about spelling errors.]

1. What is the earliest movie you remember watching in the theater?
Star Wars and not the Special Edition, but the true edition where Han Solo shoots first. Nothing like watching an opening sequence where a giant flying wedge of cheese occupies the entire screen. But an evil flying wedge of cheese.

2. If you could strike one word from the English language, which word would you choose and why?
Ain't. That word just makes you sound...

3. If you were a superhero, what would be your kryptonite?
Redhead females, all those damn redheads. You would think after 4 I would have learned my lesson.

4. Would you rather win an Emmy, Grammy, Tony, Golden Globe, Oscar, Pulitzer, or Nobel Prize? What work would you win it for?
The Nobel Prize. Sadly law is not a category. Literature is however. If I post that one great blogger post it might count!

5. What is your catch phrase? Don't have one? Then make one up!
I have several choices to select:

• Common sense is an uncommon virtue.
• Woo-hoo!
• Beer me please.
• SONOFABITCH!!!!!!!!!
• What numbnuttedassmunchshitforbrainsmoron did ...

As you can tell I have anger control issues, an attitude, and a potty mouth. Bite me.

Cute N Sassey

The home phone almost never rings. I'm never home or if I am I'm online tying up the phone. Imagine my surprise when on the Caller ID I see 'Cute N Sassey' and a local phone number. I almost picked it up just to see what the heck they are.

I might call from a pay phone (to prevent my number on their Caller ID from showing up) just to find out who they are. Nothing good can come from that phone call.

Episode III: Hide The Princess

The lobby has some people. The Princess L and

Obi-Wan Brian wait patiently. The Princess spots The

Evil Family of Ex-Fiance. Fearing boring conversation

and capture the Princess pleads with Obi-Wan Brian to

hide her. .............................................................................

.................

Using great cunning and powers Obi-Wan stands

as guardian to prevent detection of the Princess.

As the Family lurks from concession stand to poster

Obi-Wan casually moves his large frame to screen the

Princess from detection. ...........................................

.................

After evading Family forces Obi-Wan Brian and Princess

L enter the theater only to discover the trap awaiting within

as the Family is already seated waiting for opening credits to roll.

What Force can save our hero and heroine now... .............................

..............

First, she actually said "You should blog this" so I have permission for this story. Second Episode III is VASTLY superior to the first 2 films. Of course that isn't saying much. The Empire Strikes Back is still #1. Star Wars is still #2, but I say that Revenge Of The Sith is around the same level as Return of the Jedi. I can't figure out which is better yet at this time.

.........

What a revelation to figure out that part of His Lord Supreme Badassness Darth Vader's problem is that he tried to do a good thing for all the wrong reasons. Like most men who fall, he tried to help a woman. The flip side of that rule is exemplified by Padme (Natalie Portman): good girls always fall for bad boys. As difficult as this is to believe Darth Vader is now a sympathetic persona, or at least Anakin Skywalker was. How different will it be for our children to view all six movies in numerical order, 1 through 6, than the way we saw it with the back half of the story first?

......

I could actually talk about the movie, but my screening function was the most interesting portion of the night actually. We know our ideosyncrasies too well so we enjoyed the absurdity of the moment. Okay I'll say one thing about the movie: the end fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader is the lightsaber battle royale you've been waiting for. Yeah baby!

People Watching

I agree with Robin, people watching is a ton of fun and very distracting to bar studies.

FASHION EMERGENCY
I'm hardly a fashionable person, but even my lack of taste has limits. Gentleman in his 50s wearing a rainbow colored plaid jacket. Visible from 3 miles would be my guess.

BAD COMBINATION
Two men were sitting at a bus stop. One just lit up a cigarette next to another person on oxygen. I smell a negligence suit if anything goes boom.

Indy Cultural Tidbits: Cars, Strawberrys, Italians, Russians Oh My!

There's more than corn in Indiana!

Thursday June 9th: Christ Church Cathedral's 40th Annual Strawberry Festival. Ice cream and strawberries on Monument Circle form 8:30 am 6pm. It is yummy trust me on that. The Works is still $5.

Thursday June 9th: Concerts on The Canal from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Dixie Power Trio located at the Indiana Historical Society across from Military Park and the law school. On Friday for lunch they have a jazz band too.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: Goodguys Hot Rod Nationals at Raceway Park. Hot rods and quarter miles. Need I say more?

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: Middle Eastern Festival at St. George Orthodox Church at 4020 N. Sherman on the east side. Last year might have been more fun if I had company and wasn't dodging rain. I'm willing to give this one another try. $3 to get in. Be Middle Eastern for a day.

Saturday and Sunday: Italian Festival at Holy Rosary Catholic Church just east of the Lilly Corporate Campus downtown. Admission free from 5 - 11 pm. Food, beer (besides Peroni), Catholic procession parade, Italian music and dancing. Be Italian for a night!

Saturday and Sunday: 50th Talbott Street Art Fair. This was so cool last year! I seriously splurged. I want another dragon seeing how I broke mine last year. Located in the Herron Morton neighborhood next to the old Herron School of Art building on 16th St a little east of Meridian St. Free admission.

Sunday June 12th only: 13th Annual Russian Festival at Clowes Hall on the Butler campus. Russian cuisine, crafts and art starting at 5pm. Tchaikovsky starts at 8pm. Tix $20 unless you're a student or senior citizen, then $10. Make your poverty work for you!

I Have To Pay Back HOW MUCH!!!

Part of the fun I've had this week is attempting to consolidate my student loans. I will save you the trouble of all the numbnutted rings of fire I've had to jump through, but suffice it to say: they make it a lot more difficult then they say it will be.

Here's the rub: I have both Stafford loans and Perkins loans. Sallie Mae's website is automatically set up to consolidate your Stafford loans. There is an ADD button so the user, me, can manually add in other loans. There is a preselected option for Perkins, but every option requires you to put in contact info such as name of lender, address, telephone number, etc. From the federal government's website it gives me only 'Federal Government' as the contact info for my Perkins loans. The government does give me all the contact info for the Stafford loans, but Sallie Mae already has that information.

Luckily Sallie Mae gave me a phone number of someone who deal with Perkins loans. I'm saving that phone call for tomorrow simply due to frustration with this task and wanting to review my exam today. If I consolidate the Perkins loans with my Stafford loans it does up my interest somewhat. Staffords are at 2.77% currently and Perkins are at 5% and there is a weighted averaging of interest rates. Still even the consolidated interest rate is small if you think about it. I'll lose any ability to have the Perkins loans forgiven. If you take certain jobs like Peace Corps, nurse & medical technician, special needs teacher they government can outright forgive your loan. Though I don't know what type of job I'll have it is so unlikely I'll end up in one of the qualified jobs that I'm willing to take the chance of consolidating everything.

I'm just trying to figure out how the hell I'm going to pay all this back! I bought new Corvette with a Kia thrown in based on the debt load I have now. Stretching that out from 10 years to 30 years adds on interest costs and at the end I'll paid off a small house.

*Grumpy Mode On*

I knew going in that I was going into debt. When you see the final numbers it is shocking. Defibulators were required to jump start my heart when I first saw those numbers. I have no idea how I'll juggle student loans, the desire for some new, yet modest, vehicular transportation, and the desire to have a house. By pursuing one dream (law school) I gave up several others (moving up in employment field, a new car, a new house). This is a nightmarish deja vu world. All those years ago after graduating from undergrad and I wondered what was I going to do. I had no job and the job market was crap. All these years later I've graduated again with no job and a crappy job market.

Yet this time I want to jump start my life. I know the things I want to do now, but I don't see how to do them. I'm tired of having my life unstuck in time. The world moved on and changed in so many ways, but the past 4 years had me marking time. If I were 25 and not having a clue about the real world it would be one thing. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. I have to remind myself that my life before was pretty crappy to be honest. Why did I leave computers and go to school? I lost the passion. I taught myself something the became a job and I was one of the best. I was so good that I wasn't allowed to leave. I wasn't allowed to grow. I was too good at what I did. I worked with some great people and I count them as good friends, but I couldn't do the job anymore. I had burned out several years earlier and was marking time.

I think this is what is burning me the most. I'm so close to achieving one major goal. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I see other tunnels beyond that and I don't have a map of the system. I know where I am now, but I don't know how to get to the places I want to be. I'm getting too old to continually reinvent myself and go down wrong paths. I don't want to waste my energy on wrong paths. I only want 4 or 5 simple things, one of which is a fulfilling job that pays a decent wage. How do I get that? Maybe once I get that figured out, the other 3 or 4 things can start falling in place.

Pres Clinton In Town

President Clinton is in town for a few public appearances. He is signing his book 'My Life' at the Barnes & Nobles in Castleton at 3:00. People have been lined up since last night. They'll hand out 500 ribbons and those 500 get to have their book signed by the former President. No purses, cell phones, or cameras allowed in the store for security reasons (please).

Later he'll appear at the Beth 'El Zedic (I can't spell it and I don't have time to look it up) temple. They've sold 1,500 tickets for that.

I'll be downtown studying for the bar and avoiding all the traffic.

Woof!

You Are a Golden Retriever Puppy

Tolerant, fun-loving, and patient. You are eager to please - and attached to your frisbee.

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Congratulations: You're Still A Dumbass At 53%

Today was half of a practice MBE (the multiple choice section of the bar) exam. Our lecturer gave us his war story of only getting 42% the first time out. During the PMBR classes I was averaging 40-45% on the practice tests.

We had 3 hours for 100 questions in a random order, just like the real thing or at least a morning session. Pacing wasn't an issue before, but some lady told the last of us that time was up awhile ago. I was on question 99 or 100 at the time. Oh great now I have to worry about pacing!

53%. Good news is that I've improved the last few weeks. Bad news I can use a good 10-15% more! Tomorrow morning we get the final 100 questions. I hope I get done in 3 hours and I hope I score higher. It would also be nice to actually understand the reasoning of the answers I got both wrong and right.

At least with the 20 Criminal Procedure questions I just got through I got a 70%. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

The B.M.V. Zone

Welcome to a world where time slows down.

No one wants to go to the B.M.V., but I had to. My driver's license expired last week. D'oh! I recall making a mental note earlier in the year to renew it before my birthday, but I obviously forgot. I tried to renew it online (which you can do now FYI), but my social security number isn't in their database. Oh yeah, they aren't open on Mondays anymore meaning I had to wait until today after class.

I'm had to do this the old fashioned way and physically show up. The air conditioning was functioning in that it was slightly cooler and less humid than outside, but not by much. I thought about brining some of my multistate materials with me to study with, but anything bigger than a paperback is unwieldly in their waiting area. The lecturer today had the idea of trying to study in a shopping mall to get used to distractions. If the B.M.V. had tables it would work just as well.

I only needed to show my old license, confirm the information, show my Social Security card, sign the form saying I'll be a total organ donor in a worst case scenario (hey I'll be dead so I won't be needing my organs with me) and paid $19. I wore a nice shirt just to have my photo taken. You have to look somewhat presentable you know?

At least I was out in less than 2 hours with a minimal fuss.

Ironic Or Merely Interesting?

Does anyone else find it cosmically interesting that the boneheads who spray painted graffiti all over the Statehouse were arrested on the lawn of the law school? When watching the news on Sunday I was in disbelief when I saw that familiar building.

FYI: If you want to be paid to protest the I-69 extension to Evansville, fine (protesters for hire, shiftless people with nothing better to do IMHO). Just realize that your Freedom of Speech does cover non-verbal acts, but it doesn't cover illegal acts like vandalism.

Oh one other thing, if you were looking for free legal aid the law school is a bad place to go looking for some. Students can't practice law.

Confessions Poll: Gas vs Charcoal

I know gas is easier to set up. I know gas isn't as messy as charcoal. I know gas is faster because you don't have to wait 30 minutes for the coals to get just right.

Food just doesn't taste as good when it comes off a gas grill. CHARCOAL for me!

This Is A Tricky Multistate...

While going through some Multistate (the multiple choice part of the exam) questions yesterday I kept running into explanations that being with the above phrase. I almost ALWAYS got those questions correct. The simple concepts seem to be the ones that throw me off.

I'll see if I can do 75 questions today as we don't have class. Oh yeah I need to call Sallie Mae to see about loan consolidation as well. Yes I know I can do it completely online, but something on their system glitched and a screen popped up suggesting I call them. Going to be a fun day I bet.

The Goody Bag

This was in the goody bag. One piece of chocolate cake with chcolate icing in a tupperware container. One candle, one fork, one ballon with "Happy Birthday" on it, one paper plate with a colorful "Happy Birthday" on it with matching napkin.

Sometimes I do get taken care of :-)
The cake was yummy.

I Feel The Need. The Need For Speed.

I'm on a motorcycle kick again lately. A couple on a Yamaha V Star pulled up next to me at a stoplight and I've been itching for two-wheeled fun ever since. With luck in the fall or most likely next spring I'll try a riding class again and see if I can complete it. If I pass I'll see if I can swing some cheap used bike to practice on. A bike with a 400-500cc (cubic centimeter) engine would be plenty. Enough engine to grow with as my riding skills get better, but not too large that it is way beyond my initial skill.

While many 250cc bikes, such as the Yamaha Virago 250 (a kick-butt little cruiser some say) and Honda Rebel (saw one downtown on Friday, so cute!) are perfect beginner bikes, I've heard you quickly outgrow those bikes once you get some experience.

Keep the motor running folks.

Things To Do If You Want To Avoid Studying.

I'll actually study today simply because yesterday was a cleaning day. I have a dining room table and most of my family room back so I don't consider yesterday wasted effort. However if YOU want to take the day off or at least the afternoon here are possible places to go.

Saturday and Sunday the Indiana Festival at Conner Prarie. Celebrating the arts, music and people of the Midwest.

Saturday and Sunday the Indianapolis Art Festival. Free admission and it benefits the Children's Bureau. See painting, jewelry, photography, sculpture, ceramics and more.

Saturday and Sunday the Wine and Food Festival across the street from the law school.

Saturday and Sunday the Woodruff Place Flea Market. It is an old historic neighborhood between 10th and Michigan Streets on the near eastside. If you're into flea markets its cool, but you can see the neighborhood, the fountains, and take tours of some old houses.

How Scary Am I?

I'm not dead from last night! I've had a shower so now I feel human again. Just a little something to show I'm still alive and kicking.

You Are a Little Scary

You've got a nice edge to you. Use it.

How scary are you?

Who Are You, Who, Who, Who, Who!

INTJ is appearantly the answer for me. Introversion, iNtuitive perceptions, Thinking judgment, Judging. I took the Myers-Briggs as part of my job search through our Office of Professional Development. I would like find my results from the 1991 test I took to see how much I've changed, or if I've changed at all. Those results are around somewhere in the spare bedroom.

Looking at the results of the new test the office head was surprised I wasn't extroverted. No I've always been slightly introverted and if I don't know you I will come off as a bit cold or at least reserved. Once I know you a bit hey I'm a very gregarious extroverted person, but my thoughts tend to be inner focused hence the introversion score. Some of you know me pretty well, others don't know me very well, and some of you only know me from my words here. Feel free to comment on if you believe this is correct.

INTJ: logical, critical, decisive INNOVATORS of ideas; serious, intent, very independent, concerned with organization; determined, oftern stubborn. With introverted INTUITION as their strongest mental process, they are at their best when inspiration turns insights into ideas and plans for improving human knowledge and systems. They value

• A restrained, organized outer life; a spontaneious, inutitive inner life.
• Conceptural skills, theorizing
• Planful, independent, academic learning.
• Skepticisim; critical analysis; objective principles
• Originality, independence of mind
• Intellectual quickness, ingenuity
• Nonemotional tought-mindedness
• Freedom from interference in projects
• Working to a plan and schedule
• Seeing complexities, hidden meanings
• Improving things by finding flaws
• Probing new possibilities; taking the long view
• Pursuing a vision; foresight; conceptualizing
• Getting insights to reframe problems.

Careers often selected by INTJs include Archeitect, Attorney: administrator non-practicing, Computer Professional (been there done that), Lawyer: practicing, Manager: federal executive, Management Consultant, Scientist: chemistry, Lawyer or Judge, Photograher, Teacher: university, Psychologist, Social Scientist, Actor, Artist or Entertainer, Writer or Journalist (does Blogger count?), Engineer: all categories, Physician: all specialties, Manager: city, county, or state government, Rabbi, and Military Officer.

Here's the deal, I've already done some of these in some way. I went to school as a Physics major (scientist). I graduated with a Psychology degree (social scientist), obtained employment in various Information Technology jobs (computers), and now have finished three years of law school (Legal). If I meet the physical requirments I have no qualms about going into the military for JAG. This blog means I'm a writer. I mentor and teach others all the time and in every place I'm at. Im betting if I find that old test the results will be the same. At least I've lived the life my thought processes prefer.

That is the good news, but this is the ultimate question: how do I find a job that utilizes my skills and strengths? At least I have a very wide range of jobs that would satisfy me and not all of them are in the legal field. Unlike some of my compatriots I don't have to be a lawyer. I would like and prefer to be a lawyer, but I have no qualms about positions that make use of my law degree yet don't require me to practice law. The world is full of possibilities to me. I have to narrow my focus, but I like having a wide range of choices now. Some of my classmates focused on one goal, usually BIGLAW, and some will enjoy that world. Yet I fear others will burn out as they discover their personalities don't match the job they've chosen.

Perhaps they should have taken the Myer-Briggs exam?

Bar Review Joy & Disappointment

The lecturer is brilliant. He truly knows the subject. He has been a guest speaker numerous times. He was great as a teacher for one of my classes. This lecture was going to be fun.

How wrong I was. He was lost. He wasn't organized. I swear he wasn't awake. It was the most agonizing 3 hours I've had in weeks, worse than the monotone lady.

However some gems have appeared during the week. This one is my favorite:

"The NAACP and the KKK want to march down Meridian Street at the same time. I see problems with this."

Deep Throat Schmeep Throat

Poll Time: Does anyone actually care that Deep Throat has revealed his true identity?

I know it resolves the greatest political mystery of the last half century, yet I simply don't care. The Nixon officials that went to jail, they care. I get that. I honestly don't care.

My Life Used To Be Ordered.

Before law school my checking account always balanced and every bill was paid on time. Now I can't get the checking account to balance no matter how often I redo the math and take into account the ATM visit I forgot the write down. Yesterday I discovered the electrical, a credit card, and the telephone bill were all past due. I swear bar review is making me stupid. When the weekend comes I'm spending a day just cleaning and organizing around here.

Friday Spies© The 6 Days Late Edition

A few days late. Hey I've been busy!
1. What is the best thing about the city in which you live? What is the worst?

The best: it is revitalizing and becoming far more cosmopolitan. With a renewed since of history, a discovery of the arts and new people moving in this is becoming a very diverse area. New restarants, new festivals, new things to do all the time. I love it.

The worst: normally I like the conservative mindset of not falling for fads and taking time to think things through, but too many people take it to an extreme and fear change around here. The mentality is 'if it isn't my problem why should I do anything differently.' Damnit people we need a real public transportation system around here!

2. Describe an idea or invention of yours that you would like to see turned into reality.

I can't come up with an original idea, but I would love to see Faster Than Light travel. I want to go looking for aliens (preferably the friendly ones). If they aren't friendly I'm going to need big guns with lots of ammo.

3. Name an overrated author, musician, and movie. Name an underrated author, musician, and movie.

Overrated author: I haven't touched a non-textbook in years so I have no clue. I haven't been paying attention to the literary world at all. Sorry.
Overrated musician: Britney Spears, Miriah Carey, Celine Deon all rank at the top of my list.
Overrated movie: Titanic. I do like the movie, but the love story just seemed too forced to me.

Underrated author: same as the other category.
Underrated musician: Kenny Wayne Shepard. This kid knows how to play a guitar.
Underrated movie: After The Sunset. This movie should suck, but the lines between Woody Harrelson and Pierce Brosnan make this movie.

4. If your life were a sitcom slated to air in the fall, what would the show be called? Who would you cast in the starring role? And for extra credit, give us a brief treatment of the show.

'Masters of Mediocrity.' Ummm...maybe 'Fractured Realities?' Oh I like that one better because it reflects my life more accurately.

The show can follow the humorous parts of the different aspects of my life. The legal part is very different from the non-legal part, but insanity is everywhere ensuring good laughs. Show would be insane because it can be high minded ironic humor one episode, then blue collar burp jokes the next. I like the idea of John Goodman or Dan Ackroyd as they have the humor, but they're a tad too old for the part. I think Anthony Michael Hall will play me. Why? I just really like him. Gillian Anderson must be a co-star though.

5. When is the fun supposed to start?

Not soon enough!

In Your Eyes

Okay I've had this post in the Incredible Cache of Drafts for almost 2 weeks now. Robin decided to post on favorite love songs (I didn't realize she was requesting what are your favorite love songs. Sorry for the misread.). Time to publish this post now. I had to sing this one time in a very John Cusack moment. Rather cool story behind it. Peter Gabriel 's 'So' did rock. Far too many good songs on that CD.

love I get so lost, sometimes

days pass and this emptiness fills my heart

when I want to run away

I drive off in my car

but whichever way I go

I come back to the place you are

...

all my instincts, they return

and the grand facade, so soon will burn

without a noise, without my pride

I reach out from the inside

...

in your eyes the light the heat

in your eyes I am complete

in your eyes I see the doorway to a thousand churches

in your eyes the resolution of all the fruitless searches

...

in your eyes I see the light and the heat

in your eyes oh, I want to be that complete

I want to touch the light the heat I see in your eyes

...

love, I don't like to see so much pain

so much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away

I get so tired of working so hard for our survival

I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive

...

and all my instincts, they return

and the grand facade, so soon will burn

without a noise, without my pride

I reach out from the inside

...

in your eyes the light the heat

in your eyes I am complete

in your eyes I see the doorway to a thousand churches

in your eyes the resolution of all the fruitless searches

...

in your eyes I see the light and the heat

in your eyes oh, I want to be that complete

I want to touch the light, the heat I see in your eyes

in your eyes in your eyes

in your eyes in your eyes

in your eyes in your eyes