Can You Tell?

I often wonder if you, the loyal readers, can tell what mood I'm in sometimes by my posts. I used to do it in Civ Pro. Read the Prof's blog before class to get an idea of how he would be in class. I discovered it was a fairly accurate technique.

Can you tell when I'm happy? Can you tell when I'm lost? Can you tell when I'm fraustrated? Can you tell when I just want to beat the crap out of someone?

I don't believe the quality of recent posts have gone downhill, though you would be the judge of that. I simply feel like I haven't really been posting the things I want to talk about. Some of it is finding the time to write what I want to write. Some if it is that I focus my attention on two blogs. When I concentrate on one the other suffers sometimes. To be honest, some things I would love to write about, but I can't for various reasons. I bet you'll find that last reason odd, given some of the things I have written about.

I don't mind the short quickies I write here sometimes. I feel that has been all I've been writing here lately, minimalist posts. I need to stretch my creative juices out a bit. I hope I'll have some more free time to do so.

Have I Even Heard Of This One?

Maybe if I heard it, then I would know it. Sounds vaguely familiar, but I just don't know. Likely a truthful answer though. Courtesy of MP&S.

100 Years by Five for Fighting

"Every day's a new day... 15 there's still time for you Time to buy and time to choose Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this When you only got 100 years to live" 2004 was about thinking and reflecting - but isn't every year?

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

Diamond In The Rough

I needed to come up with a writing sample for the freelance columnist position. They came back with the criteria it will be judged by: originality of thought, writing style and voice, provocation, relevance to magazine's audience, and timeliness. Here's what I came up. Oh yeah I had almost 8 hours to spare with the deadline. Never had that much spare time for any of my legal writing assignments.

Diamond In The Rough

“The problem with Indianapolis is that it tries too hard to be something that it isn’t,” said my friend during our dinner in Fountain Square. Though I politely disagreed with her, I understood some of what she thought. The ‘problem’ isn’t so much that this city is trying to be something it isn’t. It’s more that we’re a city in transition; trying to figure out who and what we are.

The good news is Indy trended up from a decaying Rust-Belt city that rolled up the sidewalks downtown after work. We have a vibrant growing downtown filled with new construction or renovation of old historic buildings. We have an expanding Greenways system slowly crossing the city and surrounding suburbs. Indy has numerous new or expanding museums to visit. We have theaters, small and large, that host plays, music, and dance. We have a growing influx of people from around the world calling Indianapolis home.

I told my friend that Indy’s identity now is the diamond in the rough. We have most of the things that create a vibrant community. You simply have to dig a little bit to find them sometimes. I know too many friends from larger cities such as New York, L.A., Houston, or Chicago who continuously complain about the things Indianapolis lacks. True, we don’t have Broadway, the Magnificent Mile, the Space Needle, or a mountainous vista here. Yet those things alone don’t make a city great. Part of what makes a great city is the support of the people for the things already in the community. People like you, my parents, and my friend should stop watching reality TV and be a part of the outside reality. All of us need to dig a little bit and find the things around Indy that interest us.

Another part of a great city is the community’s desire to bring new things here. I want to see new industries come to our community with different types of jobs so my friends won’t feel the need to leave just to find decent work. I want to see that souped up People Mover be a form of mass transit so I’m not stuck on the interstate during rush hour. I want to see our community go from risk-adverse to one willing to take chances so that we can be a great vibrant city.

I love Indianapolis. It’s my city. I’m proud of the improvements I’ve seen. Upon her graduation my friend will likely go to Houston for a job. Before she leaves I want to show her our diamond in the rough. When she returns I would love to show her the newly polished parts.

Ballot Boxes & Bulletproof Vests

Dear Iraq,

We have citizens that complain about the cold or rain when voting. You guys have to worry about Improvised Explosive Devices and bullets. I know voting on a ballot with multiple candidates can be confusing (see Florida 2000), but I think you'll like the idea. I know you have lots of differences between Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, and Christians, but if you're willing to put effort into the democratic process you'll discover that you're stronger together than apart.

Good luck today.

What Do You Talk About?

What do you do when you don't want to talk about school, because you both already know about what is going on there? You can't really talk about your own life because nothing really interesting has happened in it lately. You can't talk too much about family as you don't have a very big family. You can talk about sports a little bit, but you're not that familiar with each other's conferences.

I'm so good about putting in nice comments in a conversation, an occasional witty remark, and asking pointed, yet open-ended, questions that allow the other person to be engaged. When the tables are turned on me I find it a little odd. I'm just not used to talking about myself that much. I'm far more the interested listener now. It seems odd to talk about things in the distant past because they occurred so long ago. Just so difficult to talk about anything in the present that doesn't revolve around school. I guess I could have talked politics, but that would seem like school as well. I see I need to work on basic conversation again. At least the dinner and wine were good.

The Bloggie Award Nominees Are Up

Lots of categories and I didn't get nominated for any of them. *pout* Note to self: get more readers and advertise myself. Of course I'm competing against Wonkette and Go Fug Yourself and those are tough competition. I think MP&S should have been nominated for the Best Entertainment Blog. Lawren I learn more about that from you than Entertainment Tonight. If you want to vote go here.

The Philosphy Of An Exhausted Mind

Respect me or fear me, and I'm not sure yet which one I want you to do. I really am a duelistic personality. From an IM last night:

ExhaustedMind: Every journy begins with the small steps. We're still babies here if u think about it. We just slowly gather our forces, then present our arguments in a logical way once with have sufficient ammo.

[My advisee]: Sounds half Confuscious, half Machiavelli.

ExhaustedMind: I learned from the great ones.

Per Chance To Dream The Impossible Dream

As much as I can't stand the Black Hole I really want to be a lawyer. It has been a dream of mine for nearly five years now. Yet opportunity came knocking on another dream of mine. I've always dreamed of being a writer. I've written journals for various classes, I've sent travelouge emails to friends and family as I toured the world, and I've created my own small publishing empire online.

My ability to contribute to the Black Hole's blog and Confessions is something that I treasure. Sometimes I'm critical and want to make you think. Sometimes I simply want to amuse you. Sometimes I just want someone to listen to me.

I found an opportunity to write for a local magazine. It would be a pure part time gig. I have no idea what it pays, but hopefully enough for beer and nachos. I have no idea what topics they want me to write on or if I have freedom to write whatever I want within certain parameters. But I'm known to gamble and take chances, and I wanted this chance. I cherry picked 15 posts. Some from here at Confessions, some from the school's blog. I didn't always send the best stuff because I wanted to demonstrate the ride range of writing styles that I have. So I picked a best of category post, though I would have gladly sent a few different ones that I thought were better if not for the fact I had already selected from that category.

Sometimes others remind me that my words have power. I hope they do. I want this chance. I want this dream.

Dear Anonymous

The proof is in the pudding, eh? Since all my grades have finally arrived I thought I would share them just for you: three A's and two B's.

You may suck it at my convenience, because Anonymous is synonym for Coward.

The West Wing

Dear Donna,

You love Josh. We all know you do. Next time you peer at him through the peephole in your door with 'Desire' playing in the background, just open up the door and snag him. Don't let working in two different political campaigns stop you. After being with Amy I'm sure he'll appreciate a nice Midwestern girl.

Signed,
WW Fan

PS: great way to tell the same story from three different points of view. That was cool.

Princes and Players

Amazing how many of these are applicable to men as well, but really it is the women I see around me who need this list the most. My question is what would be the equivalent for us guys? What signs should we, as guys, be looking for differentiate a princess from a royal bee-yatch? Ladies I expect answers.

Wednesday Tuesday Monday RequestLine

Note: I'll keep moving this up to keep on top so you don't have any out of sight out of mind experiences. Gimme something to work with people.

Note II: Okay we're starting to get some suggestions. I know my readers are crafty so keep coming up with stuff.

I'll follow the fashion that's been going round the blogosphere the past few weeks. Anyone have any requests for posts? I'll try to get to answer in a timely fashion to the best of my honest ability. I'm not certain I can come up with stuff as good as E.Spat's last great kiss and job though. Wow E.Spat those were good stories!

No I'm not suffering from lack of inspiration, just curious what was on your minds.

Just Fix It The Third Or Fourth Time!

I get annoyed at ongoing problems that I feel are easy to resolve.

My saving account gets dinged for having a low minimum balence. I was about to have the account canceled in August because the $3 monthly fee was more then the $0.03 in interest I was earning. I was sad going into the bank because I had this savings account since I was a kid. Nice sentimental value to me to always have something in reserve financially. It had great reserves until I went back to school and blew through the money like a drunken sailor. The teller informed me that I could switch to a different type of account that didn't have the monthly fee. The deal was to have $25 a month transferred from my checking to savings account. Okay sure why not?

Only it didn't work. The $25 transfers occured every month, but I kept getting dinged $3 for the low minimum balance. During the break I went back to the bank and explained the problem. The bank would forward it to their tech support people to fix the account. The next statement I get should have no fees and all my fees would be credited back. Cool.

Only it still hasn't worked. You know that *deep sigh* you do when you see a minor problem that just won't go away. That's what I did upon reading this month's statement. I've gone back again and explained the problem. I hope they fix it this time or else I'll have to go back and threaten someone.

"No officer I'm not robbing the bank. I'm just using this boomstick as a persuasive tool to get the results that I want for my own account."

This Is The Last Time And We Really Mean It!

I let my AAA membership lapse in December. The reason was simple: I was out of money! Thoughout November and December AAA kept mailing me reminders to renew my membership. After it lapsed they asked pretty-please to send them a check. Over the weekend I got a FINAL OFFER on red paper no less (gotta get my attention somehow I guess). So I sent them a check.

Oh the joy of having financial aid fill up the checking account. I so hate being po'. That's why I like free pizza so much Robin.

Disappear

From Hoobastank - The Reason. So many good songs on this disc I should just finally buy it.

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

There's a pain that sleeps inside

It sleeps with just one eye

And awakens the moment that you leave

Though I try to look away

The pain it still remains

Only leaving when you're next to me

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

Do you know, that everytime you're near

Everybody else seems far away

So can you come and make them disappear

Make them disappear and we can stay

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

So I stand and look around

Distracted by the sounds

Of everyone and everything I see

And I search through every face

Without a single trace, of the person

The person that I need

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

Do you know, that everytime you're near

Everybody else seems far away

So can you come and make them disappear

Make them disappear and we can stay

Can you make them disappear?

Make them disappear

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

There's a pain that sleeps inside

Sleeps with just one eye

And awakens, the moment that you leave

And I search through every face

Without a single trace, of the person

The person that I need

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

Do you know, that everytime you're near

Everybody else seems far away

So can you come and make them disappear

Make them disappear and we can stay

A VW Ad That Should Be.

Sadly this ad in Quicktime video format is a fake. But I enjoyed it! The more I watch it the more I enjoy it. Much more interesting than many real ads. Oh the car in question is the VW Polo which is smaller than the Golf and not sold in the U.S.

Courtesy of Inter Alia.

And The Nominees Are...

Academy Award Nominees just came out. Lots of the expected suspects. My personal picks for Best Actress is Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jamie Foxx for Ray (long way from Booty Call eh?), and I have no clue what will be Best Picture.

Technical Updates

I'm not exactly sure what these do, and I definitely don't know HOW they do it (I was more a hardware guy), but I've enabled RSS feeds through both Atom and Feedburner. RSS is Really Simple Syndication and it somehow lets other blogs know when mine has updated. You go to certain blogs and can see if I have something new by noticing a "new" or "newly chic" (I love that one Lawren).

So if you're into the coding like that feel free to sign up for my feed via the bottom of the left column.

Hey Baby Why Don't You Slide On In

For the perfect Valentine's Day atmosphere.
Courtesy of my Atlas group.

I HATE New England

I am an AFC person, but I can't stand the New England Patriots. I'm tired of hearing how Tom Brady is god at QB and how Bill Belichick is a coaching genius. I don't like the Eagles either, but this SuperBowl is like last year's Presidential election for many people: which one do you like the least?

On the plus side at least Philly did finally win in the title game and managed to save us from Atlanta. I couldn't had stood 2 weeks of hearing about the Atlanta Michael Vicks. The Atlanta Michael Vicks can pass and how the Atlanta Michael Vicks can run and how the Atlanta Michael Vicks can catch and how the Atlanta Michael Vicks can kick. Thank you Philly for saving me from that nauseating experience and proving that there is no I in TEAM. Maybe Chunky's Soup will have a cool SuperBowl commercial with Donovan's mom?

EDITED to increase sarcasm detection. I forget that the written text isn't as flexible as my nuanced vocals are.

Heeerrrrrrrre's Johnny

R.I.P. Johnny Carson.

The iKill

This story is one of the funniest things I've seen in such a long time. Dude should get his own talk show as he has a fine understanding of sarcasm.

So I thought I would try to upgrade the cultural aesthetics of my new maligned xmas gift. I wanted something that screamed 'sensitive, caring, enlightened, liberal intellectual.'" Hence the Apple sticker. He added: "It's class-based humor and a juxtaposition. The Mac crowd is
seen as more educated, liberal, even sensitive, and the rifle is quite redneck.

What makes it even more funny to me is the thought of several of my Mac-loving classmates just having an aneurysm when they read this story on Confessions.
*Signed The Windows Fascist

Happy 12,000th

Traffic has been up fairly recently and that is very amazing due to the Winter Break lull. I can tell I'm getting hits from very different places as well. Likely as a result of linking to many other blogs that I've enjoyed. Nice thing about the blogging community is that we tend to link to each other and create traffic for all.

To all who have come I hope you've enjoyed your visit. Back to cleaning for me. Too much snow for me to want to go out I'll curl up with a good textbook. Tax looks so interesting.

The Second Term

The folks at JibJab are at it again in case you haven't heard. Have fun.

Funny Man

20 Questions to a Better Sense of Humor

Sunny/Dark: 3/10drY/Gross: 8/10Traditional/Offbeat: 4/10Active/Passive: 6/10

You are a SGT--Sunny Gross Traditional.

This makes you a John Hughes.Your sense of humor makes you the ultimate every- person, just I'm-a try not to trouble nobody. You're laid back. Like la-a-a-aid back. You might be from the Midwest.

You enjoy the occasional weird or dark humor, and the right joke out of nowhere can really make you laugh out loud. In fact, the funniest stuff for you is the stuff that takes you off guard. If you can see it coming, you don't want to see it arrive. You probably don't think this site is all that funny. So it's weird that you're here. I appreciate it, though. Maybe I'll cut back on the ranting and say something nice for a change.

Of the 7636 people who have taken this quiz, 28.3 % are this type.

Your Active humor score of 6/10 means you are ju-u-ust right. You're probably pretty popular -- a walking social lubricant. You know how to take someone from on edge to relaxed, and from relaxed to larfing. You're kind of like an episode of Arrested Development. That show is good. Anyway. Rave on, funny one.

Take the quiz here.

Liberated from Disoriented Express.

Your Honor, Is That A Gavel Or Are You Happy To See Me?

Oh my. Who wants to start the comments?

No Morning Classes

One of the few good things about my class schedule is that I have no morning classes. I've been hoping to use the free time to work out, pay bills, get groceries, study for classes, or if needed sleep in a bit.

A good thing I have no morning classes as I forgot to set the alarm this morning. Whoops!

A Real Man's Car

DaimlerChrysler AG has no qualms about ignoring female tastes -- at least when it comes to selling Dodge cars.
The new Dodge Magnum sport wagon and a soon-to-be-released Dodge Charger, a modern
update of the classic muscle car from the 1960s, are very much targeted at a male audience, said Trevor Creed, design chief at the company's U.S.-based Chrysler unit.
"It does scream male, there's no doubt about that. We found that in our market research and focus groups," he said at an automotive conference in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn.

Is someone having a problem with such manly marketing and design? I sure don't. *grunt* More power!

It isn't like Dodge hasn't designed cars specifically for female in the past. "Heather rose" as a paint color with plenty of feminine accessories? *shudders* I just hope those designers are smarter now. Le Femme...*shudders*

Hail To The Chief Baby

The Old Man Is Young At Heart

Unless you actually know my age, no one believes it. Most think I'm around 5 years or so younger than I actually am. Though it's been suggested by several others that I have an old soul. The soul may be old, but the heart isn't!

Perhaps my Gemini duality explains the results. That other side took this test. Or is that my other personality? Is it really bad when a twinned Gemini has multiple personality disorder? Ummmmm.
Courtesy of Robin.

You Are 24 Years Old

24 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

The Cost of Pomp & Circumstance

You know what? The more I research and think about the issue of $40 million or so being spent on President Bush's inauguration tomorrow, the more I am convinced it is not as big a deal as many are trying to make it out to be.

Brian, you normally talk about fiscal restraint; how can you believe this price tag isn't a bad thing? The simplest answer to that question is that it is not my money being spent on this shindig! If my tax dollars were going for this I would much more angry, yet it is private donations from people and corporations that are paying for most of the inauguration. It is much more difficult to complain about how other people spend their money. You could complain how big donors are buying access to political bigwigs, and how that might not be fair compared to average people like you and me. However, that is a very different issue; one that I don't want to get sidetracked on in this post to be honest.

The amount spent on this year's festivities will rival the $40 million raised to celebrate Bush's first inauguration in 2001, and will exceed the $33 million spent by President Clinton in 1993 when Democrats returned to the White House for the first time in 12 years.

Once you factor in inflation is 40 million 2005 dollars that much more than 33 million 1993 dollars? I don't know, is it? Is there an economist in the audience?

"Precedent suggests that inaugural festivities should be muted if not canceled -- in wartime," Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-New York wrote Bush on Tuesday.

Rep. Weiner is likely referencing President Roosevelt's 1945 inauguration during World War II. That was a very subdued affair from what others, those mysterious others, have said. I have no desire to make light of the current fighting in Iraq and against terrorists elsewhere, but the 'War on Terror' is a very different animal than World War II. We had 16 million men involved in WWII out of a total American population of less than 100 million (by my guess) people. Today our country has over 280 million citizens, yet we have less than 500,000 military personnel (by my guess) involved in the 'War on Terror' and Iraq. Our society is less openly involved in the current wars than our grandfathers' were. Since Rep. Weiner wants to draw on historical analogies I'll draw another one: the Viet Nam War. I've asked my elders if people complained about the cost and scope of inaugurations during the Viet Nam era. They don't recall any such protests, or if such protests existed none compared to the intensity of now.

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has estimated it will cost the district $17.3 million to help pay for security at the first post-September 11 inauguration, which includes 6,000 law officers and 2,500 military personnel to guard the 250,000 people [Ed. wow that is a lot of people!] at the swearing-in and the half-million expected to line the parade route.
Williams, in a letter last month to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, said he can use $5.4 million from a fund for special events in the capital, but the other $11.9 million will have to come from the city's federal homeland security budget.

To paraphrase a friend when discussing this last week, Washington D.C. was created for pomp and circumstances like this. The only reason the city exists is to be our nation's capitol and the capitol city is expected to perform certain duties like host big political parties! Doesn't a vast majority of Washington D.C.'s city budget come from the federal government? If the answer is yes, then this city will be spending budget money, both regular and Homeland Security, that was given to it from the federal government to do things like host an inauguration in the first place. Thank you Washington D.C. for doing your job.

Would John Kerry have spent less money on his inauguration? We'll never truly know, but I doubt it. I guess we can't complain about the cost from that point of view.

Besides I kinda like the traditions and the pomp and circumstances involved in things like this. It gives me pride as an American citizen that we can transfer or maintain executive power peacefully with no blood in the streets and no bullets fired in anger. The most powerful country on the planet can decide a leader with the flick of a lever or a marking on a ballot. The big party shows the rest of the world that a republican form of government works and is something to aspire to. See, if you go with democracy you can have a peaceful party to celebrate your victory. I like that message. I hope the Iraqis feel that at the end of the month when they select their general assembly.

On a last note, we often denigrate the idea of "Well we don't want the terrorists to win" whenever it is offered to excuse something we don't like. Yet after our buildings were destroy and our people killed we, as a country, said that we were going to continue living our lives as normally as we could. We were not going to alter our behavior just because of some suicidal nutjob. We've always had Presidential Inaugurations. This is the way Americans celebrate a winner. Why should we as Americans do it any differently this time?

Tomorrow I am simply an American and I am going to enjoy watching the celebration. Hail to the Chief baby!

Quotes & Thoughts For The Day

Number 1:
The next time a woman asks me to lick her finger I should just do as she asks. I could provide a proper context for the thought, but it's much more fun not to!

Number 2:
Isn't the chocolate good?
Yes it is. You know chocolate is an aphrodisiac.
Oh yeah, it is!
My theory is that if a woman doesn't like the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate she must be a lesbian.
*pouts* Oh, you know I told I normally don't like sweets! *pouts more*
Hey you can dispel my theory pretty easily.
See this is why you should be in Sexual Harassment with me. You would be perfect!

*Sniff*

Thanks to Lawren at MP&S, then E.McPan, then the Atlas crew (thanks guys, you all look out for me) I have been informed the inagural Confessions Spokeswoman Of The Month Gillian Anderson has married someone who is NOT ME! The goddess, the prototype of perfection, the mother of my future children, has forsaken me. It is enough to send me back to a depressive relapse. I'm going to drink now and wonder how I lost her.

Yet thanks to this betrayal I have learned many things about her that I didn't know before. 1 point for being 1 inch less than 5'4", but she's a natural blonde instead of a redhead!!!!!!!!! Wow, just twist that knife in my gut even worse Gillian!

Photos borrowed from other places and I claim Fair Use under Intellectual Property law.

This Might Explain A Few Things.*

*I will not explain how I overheard this. I will not include any names to protect the guilty, the innocent, the drunk, the sober. Anyone familiar with this conversation should not say a word or at least lie.

Can someone tell me why prostitution is illegal? I sell my services by the hour all the time, why is sex different?

Probably lobbies from women's groups, not to mention the florist lobby. Men end up paying way more for sex under the current system.It usually takes hundreds of dollars of dinners, movies, and gifts to even get a chick to even *think* about sleeping with you. If men could legally pay directly for sex, entire industries would dry up.

Interesting take. I was just going to go with church and legislating morality, but yours is much more"second gunman" of a theory. I like it.

Nerds & Losers

Courtesy of Blonde Justice.

I must seriously be out of my old domain to have scored so low.



If I'm normal I feel really bad for lots of other people!

In Case You've Been Gone

If you've been gone for the entire break you'll notice many updates for your enjoyment. Over 45 new links and a new motto that reflects my current mood. Have fun.

If you have any suggestions please let me know. Thanks.

The Beginning Of The End

Classes begin today for me. My last semester has finally arrived. Over two and a half years straight of classes leading to this moment. I see the far light at the end of the tunnel. Why does it feel like a freight train coming my way?

If you look at the numbers you would think I'm happy. I'm only taking three classes and law review for 11 credits. I could have gotten away with taking only one class. I may have classes 5 days a week, but at least nothing starts till after lunch. I can study, do pro bono, possibly find a job, or just sleep in a bit during those mornings.

I'm just melancholy about today. It should be a new fresh beginning, yet it feels like the S.O.S. to me. I hope today is good. I'll find out in a few hours.

*NOTE: In case you don't know what S.O.S. stands for just highlight below.
S.O.S. = Same Old Shit

OUCH!

I still have a scar from where I bashed in my own head last week. I was cleaning my floor and moved a CD carole out of the way that is underneath a shelving system I have on the wall. As I bent down to get the dustpan in a good position to catch the dust bunnies I managed to whack my head on the corner of what would normally be a chest high shelf. I have no idea how blood didn't escape from my body and two aspirin and an ice pack later I decided to finish the job. Since it is an L-shaped scar I can tell I hit the corner and all that pressure was on one point of my skull. No wonder it felt like someone drove a nail into my head.

However at least I didn't actually nail own head unlike this guy. Yikes, through his lip and just missed his right eye. The fact the nail was in his skull for 6 days and no one including him knew about it is freaky. Watching the news this morning the Denver hospital said it was the second time they've removed a nail from a head in a year. The construction worker is thinking about getting a different type of job once he recovers. Ya think! I wonder what the OSHA form would say?

Random TV Thoughts

Boston Legal: I'm not sure which is better 1) the fantastic witty dialogue or 2) the fantastic visuals. Examples of the witty dialogue are too numerous to quote. The visual of Tara lounging her chair watching TV is hilarious once she and her chair are shoved backwards and Alan Shore's head pops up from underneath the desk to watch the news. I'm sure E.Spat wished she was Tara at that point.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: They had on what was probably the single best episode in all 7 seasons of Buffy. The one where Angel is still evil, kills Willow's fish, lays pictures he has drawn of people next to their bed, and KILLS Jenny Calendar. This thought comes to me every now and then about The Curse. Okay lemme get this straight. Gypsies give an evil vampire his soul back as punishment so that he'll have to feel the guilt of all the evil things he has done. Makes sense so far. However if the vampire with a soul isn't feeling guilty, but feels one perfect moment of true happiness, then the soul goes away, he no longer feels guilt over his crimes, and he is no an evil vampire again. WTF kind of tripwire flaw is that? Well golly gee I guess if you feel all happy then it's okay to let you go evil again. That doesn't make any sense!

Battlestar Galactica: After only 2 episodes, this may now be the best drama on TV. Not sci-fi drama, but drama. Dramas are ultimately about people, and not about the places they take place in. BSG takes place in space with starships, but the stories are about the people. Actions have consequences and this show brings that point home. Someone has to give the order to destroy a ship that might have 1,300 people aboard. Someone as to pull the trigger and live with the consequences that he may have just killed 1,300 people. Lovers are hiding evidence that may damn one as a traitor. One person is confused about who and what she is quite literally. Damn that is drama! Doesn't hurt to have two Academy Award nominated actors in the cast as well. BSG also shows how great the mighty Trek franchise has fallen with Enterprise. Jeez was the high watermark of Star Trek really Deep Space Nine?

The West Wing: Did they hire new writers or has the inclusion of John Wells as producer really been that much of a difference? This has been the most interesting season of West Wing in years. Have the pres incur MS episdoes, almost kill Leo, and let's break up the gang and see what happens. Crazy idea I thought, but so far WW has managed it very well.

The Simpsons: Still good, still better than 75% of the shows out there currently, but definitely has lost a few steps. After 16 seasons who would be surprised by that? I wonder when Fox will finally cancel it? In another year or two it might deserve it, but the fan uproar would be scary to see.

GO COLTS!

Halftime Edit: Okay the defense has allowed only 6 points. Good! The bad news is the offense spun it's wheels for most of the first half. Looked pretty good on that last drive and managed to get a field goal. Down only 6-3 in the middle of a snowstorm isn't too bad in my opinon.

Let's see if Peyton, Edge, Marvin and the rest of the gang can get it going after halftime.

Postgame Edit: Patriots 20 - Colts 3. What is it going to take to beat them? Dungy was right has we won the first game we would have hosted them in the Dome. Hell we would have had the bye week if we were the 2 seed. Crap!

But I Wanted To Be Ferris

Vintages From North Of The Cheddar Curtain

Okay you cheesehead Packer lovers I wasn't sure about a blackberry wine from the Door Peninsula (have no idea where that is but I feel the need to see it once), but it does taste good and goes with gouda fine. I remember looking at the bottle in MARS CHEESE CASTLE and thinking "Umm..blackberry? Could be interesting."

I couldn't help it! I picked up a fancy cheese and couldn't wait to just savior it. At that point why not throw in a bottle of wine? Yes I drank the whole thing. No I am merely an alcoholic connoisseur. Okay I was just trying to enjoy cleaning the first floor of this place. What a pain.

Thursday Lunches

Last semester I started having lunch with a friend. My friend had a two hour gap between classes and I was usually working two blocks away for the morning. It was fun to just find yummy places downtown, avoid traffic and parades, and go someplace with the thought of "Hey that place sounds interesting!" It was good to chat with my friend as we commented on all the odd things in our lives.

I hope we can keep doing something like that next semester. Those were fun. If I have any other friends that are interested let me know. I like lunches away from the Black Hole. Amazing how it is the little things that are so enjoyable.

Good Bye! Good Bye! Good Bye!

I've never understood the Toyota Echo. Such an ugly car, totally underpowered, and handled like a sled. It appears less than 4,000 people understood it last year so Toyota is pulling the plug on their subcompact. Toyota advertised it as hip and fresh. I guess they meant really weird looking. The biggest flaw is that you could get the slightly larger, slightly more powerful, best selling Corrola for just slightly more, if not the same, amount of money as the Echo. You can't have two cars with at very similar price points in the same family, not if they serve the same basic function.

Since two "European styled" small cars will replace it in 2006 those replacements will compete against the new Honda that will be below the entry level Civic and the possible sub-Jetta from VW. Two replacement cars? It just takes one decent car to replace that piece of dog meat Echo.

Morning Observations

Questions I pondered as I watched TV and read the paper as I had breakfast.

How is Star Jones a celebrity? Really. What has she ever done? Brian she's a host on The View. I don't accept being a host as reason to be celebrity. Even if I did, still what did she do before? 3 minutes with her showed my the most condescending full of herself pompous woman I've seen in a long time.

In a demonstration on how clothes can alter the appearance of your body to hide flaws I find two flaws. 1) No before photos. I can't tell how the appearance has been altered by the fashion ideas. You could be talking smack and I wouldn't know. 2) The three male models looked like extras for The O.C. The first one was a fitness trainer. I don't know what the other two were, but if you combined all three guys they might weigh more than me. It would be close though. If you want to demo how clothes alter imperfect appearances why don't you find real men.

Oh, fashion part II, now they've demoed the women. Okay maybe vertical pinstripes add height to the 5'2" petite model (could have been you Lawren except this was a brunette), but on TV she could be 6'2" and I wouldn't know it! Sorta like demoing HDTV through my regular TV.

Mayor Bart (d'oh!) wants a slogan for the city. Okay sounds like a good idea and no tax dollars are being spent on it. Here are some of my initial ideas.

• Indy: where frigid monsoons make winter interesting.
• Watch transformers explode for fun! Note: I'm talking electrical transformers, not Optimus Prime.
• Come gamble for our new stadium.
• I-465 is just practice for all the races.

BCS Formula

Posts too numerous to link to have been popping up the past few weeks about dating adventures, both good and horror stories beyond belief bad, or what people look for in a date/spouse/friends with benefits. Being inspired I decided to come up with the Brian Companionship Search formula. Borrowing liberally from that other BCS formula used in college football I've come up with a totally screwed up formula matrix that makes sense to me and no one else on the planet. Maybe I should have used a different template? Perfection can be achieved with only 14 points if they are the right 14 points. How f*&#ed whacked is that? Must be distinction between I-A and I-AA rankings and when losses occur in the season. This matrix works out like an arbitrary bell curve, much like first year grades.

Unless otherwise stated everything is worth one (1) point.

• You are at least 25 years old. That seems to be the mininum age for a minimum amount of maturity. Though if you're over 21 and feel you're a special case feel free to let me know with appropriate photos.
• You are college educated.
• With a degree.
• That isn't from a correspondence school.
• You like having a beer sometimes.
• You like having wine sometimes.
• You drink enough hard liquor to put me under the table.
• You like to dance.
• If you don't like to dance you're willing to learn how to.
• You don't mind me accidently stepping on your feet as we learn.
• Three Points: You give fantastic back massages.
• Five Points: You are NOT Catholic. I am not kidding when I say I have some innate Guilt-dar that has been fine tuned over the past 15 years.
• Ten Points: You are Catholic, but you're a Naughty Catholic who must be punished for your sins. Often.
• You have chin length hair.
• Two Points: You have shoulder length hair.
• Negative Two Points: You've giving Repuntzel a run for her money.
• Seventy-Five Points: You are Gillian Anderson.
• Double Bonus Points: You're not Gillian Anderson, but you are a redhead.
• Five Points: You're a redhead from a bottle.
• Three Points: You have a red wig you like to wear for special occasions.
• Three Points: You're strong willed, but not a stubbron bitch unreasonable.
• Negative Twenty Points: You are a TOTAL BITCH! That's why I'm not that into you! EDIT: If you score this particular item, you are automatically disqualified.
• Five Points: You can debate a person with an opposite opinion without being condescending.
• If you wear glasses you know exactly when to take them off.
• Negative Five Points: You are a scrawny thing that will blow over in a stiff breeze. (Exception: you are Alyson Hannigan plus Twenty-Five points. One willowy frame is okay.) Women should have the plush tush.
• Negative Twenty-Five Points: You are an Olsen Twin.
• Negative Infinite Points: You have starred in a reality TV series.
• Three Points: You know how to drive a stick shift.
• Five Points: You actually drive a stick shift currently. (Not cummulative with the above).
• Five Points: You're willing to negotiate together time. I.E. One night you go to a basketball game with me; one night I help you antique shop. Wait a second, I kinda like antique shopping. You get the picture regardless, if you let me do some things I like I'll gladly help you do some things you like.
• Three Points: you can field strip a weapon.
• You are a musician.
• You are a singer.
• If you do either of the two above you are in tune.
• You are an artist.
• You like football.
• You like basketball.
• You can explain hockey to me because I just don't get it.
• One Point per inch you are below 5'4" in height. Nothing wrong with being taller, but you don't get points for that.
• Negative Fifty Points: you've appeared on COPS, but you weren't a cop.
• Five Points: you hold a silk scarf and can begin a sentence with the phrase, "You know Brian when I was in school I could do this..."

For The Ladies: How To Pick Up Guys

Public Service Announcement from Confessions.

Ladies, I've heard so many of you complain (be honest Brian some really know how to BITCH) about your inability to find a nice guy. Some of you are actually nice people so the problem isn't you. (Though if you are a TOTAL BITCH, then he's just not that into you for good reason.) This brief article is full of useful tips, but I personally like #1: having my ego stroked (a little bit), 2: seeing that you like sports (it wouldn't take much for you to have more sports knowledge than I), #4: you demonstrating that you have a sense of humor (I love a good joke or funny story) and aren't a total bitch, and #5: that plunger story is one I can relate to. I can be found in Aisle 4.

EDIT: I like the idea behind #8, but if you burn a CD it might have certain Intellectual Property issues. I won't tell if you won't tell though.

I Picked The Wrong Week To Give Up Drinking!

Beer is losing market share! I guess some of this is my fault as I've also switched to wines and spirits like many people have. I'll have to drink more in order to get overall sales up. Who wants to join me in this noble quest?

Oh HOW True!

"Those that live by the spell-checker, dye by the spell-checker."

The Evil Christmas Edition MacGyver

"I am going to kill you for putting these antlers on."

I know that is what the Evil MacGyver is thinking. Those eyes look very cute, but they really hide pure evil. Just look at those Eddie Munster eyebrows of his.

Reality Or Stereotype: You Make The Call

I expect to hear from my experts.

Once you go black you never go back.

Quote From Late Night TV.

I don't know Xan. For a love spell to work the intent has to be pure.
My intent is to have revenge. Pure as the wind driven snow.

I miss Buffy.

I'm An O.G. Baby!

I don't know how white suburban boy like me gets this result, but maybe I have some inner gangsta trying to get out! Don't make me bust a cap in yo ass and where da ho with the junk in the trunk?

WTF?

Okay what's up with Randy Moss' hair? You have no idea how badly I wanted someone to grab the sheep shears and put him in a headlock.

Of course Randy is such a class act with his pulling down his pants and wiping his butt with the goal posts maneuver. Did he need a diaper change? Don't you love athletes paid millions of dollars to act like a 12 year old?

Open Letter To Peyton Manning

Dear Peyton,

Thank you for showing us, the loyal fans, who is the M.V.P. of the league. The Denver Broncos questioned the toughness of your team by implying they were soft. It was nice that you demonstrated their arrogance by bitch-slapping the Broncos back to the Mile High City in a 49-24 ass-kicking. That little 2 yard flick to James Mungro set the tone for the rest of the game. It wasn't pretty, but the results were fabulous.

However I am not writing to you to praise you near-diety status among the NFL elite. I am writing you for a far more humble purpose. Here's the deal, I'm part of a small group that likes to play football every other weekend in a small park in Fishers. It's simply a friendly game of two-hand touch as we don't want to hurt ourselves too badly. I'm amazed at how many collisions we still inflict on each other despite the lack of pads. Anyway we usually have one person who is an all-time quarterback. Our all-time Q isn't the greatest passer in the world. Okay he really makes lots of bad to questionable decisions in a game, like Brett Farve against the Minnesota Vikings.

Back to the point our small group would be honored to have you play with us on a Sunday sometime this year. We realize that you will be busy the next few weeks and hopefully you'll have a nice trip to Jacksonville at the end, but sometime during the off season or during a bye week we would be thrilled at seeing a master perform his craft. No cameras would be involved, no radio stations broadcasting the game, just a couple of guys having fun playing the sport they love with maybe a few beers afterwards if you're in the mood. If you want to bring Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark, and a couple of other friends feel free to. When picking teams we just have to make sure one side isn't loaded up on speed. I might be able to keep up with center Jeff Saturday but to be honest I'm not sure I'm even that fast. Marvin would dust our speediest guy hands down. Then again Marvin leaves most professional players in his dust so maybe it wouldn't be a bad reflection on us.

Oh, I do have to warn you we do have one Idiot Receiver. You know the type, nothing he ever does is wrong. He never runs the wrong route, or the ball was just too high for him to catch, or something similar. He might mouth off, but I know you've handled similar situations. Just put the Idiot Reciever in his place once and let the game go on.

If you're interested in a friendly pick up game please let me know. I'm sure we can work out a time for the master.

Thank you,
Brian

Don't Care About Grades

Three weeks since finals ended. When was the first time I checked for grades? Today! Sometimes I show great restraint. Truthfully I've learned after two and a half years that it takes at least three weeks for grades to get in. How many showed up? The pass/fail class only so far.

You know I might not check again for another 3 weeks. I can understand the 1Ls wanting to know their grades. A "baptism by fire" mindset to see a cummulation of their first semester. If they did okay then no need to modify study habits. If not so okay, then might need to read more in-depth, create better outlines or something. As for everyone else it doesn't matter. Does anything we did in the fall affect us in the spring? Nope.

Besides, the bulk of the cumulative G.P.A. is well behind me. I could get straight A's or straight F's and my G.P.A. wouldn't change that much. You might move up or down the class rankings a bit, but unless you're in that top 10% gunning for something close to valedictorian, your rankings won't move enough once you're a 3L to worry about anything. Think about it the math involved (yes I know this will be difficult for many law students as you came to school to avoid math, but trust me). Your general G.P.A. and class ranking have been determined by your third semester. The rest of your academic career you're likely making the similar grades as the first three semesters. Unless you suddenly produce some radically different grades, like straight A's or straight F's then the numbers you produce in one semester won't be enough to alter the numbers you've already produced.

Hence I'm very calm about my grades. 14 credits will not change my general position on the bell curve. Besides one grade is always late, so hopefully everything will be in by Spring Break.

Must See TV

I LOVE great television dramas. Sometimes a rare gem does show up on TV to remind us that Reality TV hasn't totally conquered the landscape. [Reality TV: Making America dumber since 1999. Thank you DrunkenIrishMan for that quote!] The West Wing is kicking ass this season. E.R. has plenty of fans (not me though. I like it, but not must see TV for me). Lost seems to be a huge hit (haven't seen it). I think TV can use another quality drama and you can see a preview of one this Saturday night at 8pm E.S.T. Just saw the commercial on NBC and it makes sense to cross promote between networks owned by the same company.

How about a drama where the President was so far down the succession list she never thought to be a leader and she is battling terminal breast cancer? How about a son who blames his father for the death of the younger brother? How about a best friend who was the younger brother's lover and might have a thing for the older brother? How about an old military officer who was about to retire suddenly in the command position of his life? What about an alcoholic executive officer who suddenly must make life or death decisions? Want to see a scientific genius who helped cause the problems everyone now faces by sleeping with the enemy? How about an enemy that has only one mission: total genocide? [In the context of televised drama genocide really ups the pressure on the audience.]

Damn, is that a preview of next season's West Wing? Nope. Some new drama in the vein of Alias or 24? Nope. Is it an adaptation of a Tom Clancey novel? Nope. In fact you may have already heard of it as this new drama is an updating for more modern sophisticated audiences (a.k.a. reimagination) of the original cheesefest 1970's era of polyester show: Battlestar Galactica.

DO NOT let the name scare you off! Who would have thought a show named Buffy The Vampire Slayer had some of the richest drama, great writing, fantastic story telling of the past 10 years? If all you remember of BSG was watching it as a kid or the cheesy reruns of the 1970's original on Sci-Fi then forget about the original. The names are the same, the basic story is the same, but this is a modern version of the old story. The characters are very different, their personalities are flawed and that makes them very human instead of the cartoonish characatures of the original series.

If you didn't see the original miniseries in December 2003, then I recommend watching it on NBC. It will prime you for the series when it runs on Friday Jan. 14 at 9pm E.S.T. However, NBC is broadcasting a 4 hour miniseries in a 3 hour timeslot. I suspect major editing will be involved so many of the minor scenes will get chopped. What a shame as those were often the richest points of the story.

Still give it try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

EDIT: Of course you can only see if it the local NBC affiliate decides to show the movie and not some telethon! I hate it when commercials lie to me. Just another reason to go out to the bars I guess.

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor

I know some BIG Kevin Spacey fans read Confessions so here's the scoop. Spacey's next project beginning March 3rd is the role of Lex Luthor in Bryan Singer's version of Superman.

As for Spacey, Singer [Ed. X-Men, X2, Apt Pupil] had long sought to cast the actor, who in turn was eager to reunite with the director who guided his first Oscar-winning performance a decade ago in The Usual Suspects. [Ed. One of my personal favorite movies.] ''The huge attraction for me was the chance to work with Bryan again,'' Spacey told Variety. ''Lex Luthor is a wonderful
role.''

Spacey will be working with Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. [Ed. I'm not so sure about that one, but...]

Bosworth won the part over several other prominent actresses — including Claire Danes, Scooby-Doo's Linda Cardellini, and Boston Public's Michelle Monaghan — through a long series of auditions that involved what the trade paper calls a ''chemistry test'' seeking sparks between
relative unknown [Brandon] Routh [Ed. the new Superman] and his more seasoned potential leading ladies.

I know Kevin Spacey has the gravitas to play such a meaty role, but how does he look bald?

Who Has Power?

Fabulous Kelly P., I've been watching the news for a few days and it looks like your entire county is without electricity. Raising floodwaters to substations AND heavy ice knocking down the power lines makes for a bad combo. If your okay let us know please.

Some of the backroads around here remind me that I should have checked the "Amphibious Option Pack" box when buying the MGR. At least the neighbors didn't get flooded out again.

I AM Entropy!

Entropy is that ability of the universe to decay. Between the furnace falling apart last month, my clothes falling apart this month, and the fact the Mighty Green Ranger is in the shop (again) getting repairs that total the BlueBook value of the vehicle (again) I've come to the conclusion that I am Entropy manifest!

Damnit I wanted to be Batman!

25 Greatest Political Quotes of '04

Many of them are pretty good, but 5, 7, &8 are my personal favorites.

#8: "If Barbara gets her hands on John Kerry, he might get another Purple Heart." —Former President Bush, on the political attacks on his son

#7: "It really gets me when the critics say I haven't done enough for the economy," he said. "I mean, look what I've done for the book publishing industry. You've heard some of the titles. 'Big Lies,' 'The Lies of George W. Bush,' 'The Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them.' I'd like to tell you I've read each of these books, but that'd be a lie." —President Bush, at the White House Correspondents Dinner

#5: "I wanted to say to Governor Dean, don't be hard on yourself about hooting and hollering. If I had spent the money you did and got 18 percent, I'd still be in Iowa hooting and hollering." —Rev. Al Sharpton

I love Rev. Al and he needs to show up on Boston Legal more often. Does anyone know if that "I Hate My Job" reality TV show where Rev. Al was going to host ever happened? Or was that on cable TV so I missed it?

Found from Lawren at MP&S.

Sleepwear Poll

The poll is simple this time: When sleeping what do you wear?

1. Nothing! I love the feel of the sheets against my skin.
2. Nothing as well, but I have a fantastic partner in crime lying next to me as well.
3. A silk see-through thing.
4. Still with silk, but thicker and far more practical. I just hope I don't slide out of bed wearing it.
5. Underwear works for me. Hold on I gotta scratch.
6. Regular pajama type outfit.
7. This old thing that has lots of holes in it.
8. T-shirt and something that covers my ass.
9. T-shirt and sweatpants.
10. T-shirt, sweatpants, sweatshirt! You have any idea how friggin cold it gets in my bedroom?
11. What's sleep? I'm an insomniac.
12. Bed isn't made for sleeping as I'm a nymphomaniac!

Let Darwinism Happen Please

For those out of town we're currently experiencing a 40 days and 40 nights rain cycle currently. We got road closed all over the place due to flooding. Though hard to believe it only takes 3 or 4 inches of running water to float many cars. This is why the roads are closed.

Sadly after 2 generations of putting warning labels on everything, mandating seatbelt use, airbags and antilock brakes in cars, wearing helmets while riding bikes, soft plush toys instead of hard metal toys, we have created several generations of people that Darwin would have taken out in the past.

Case in point: on the morning news today they showed how some rural roads were closed with newly installed flood barricades. Think of a big steel gate blocking the road so that Dawrinistic drivers can't continue driving through. Show three blonde under 21 women in a Chevy Cavelier. You know that voice young women who struggle to have triple digit IQs have? She had that voice. Ummm..ya know if that barricade wasn't there I would go for it. Pan to the road overflowing with water from a large creek next to it. I say go for it girl. Just don't expect a rescue when your car gets swept into the creek. Let Darwinism happen please!

Ford Halts Battlestar Production

Environmentalists, Jewboy included, are dancing on their Yugos, Renaults, and Daewoos as Ford unofficially announced it is halting production of the 19 foot long Excursion, a Battlestar-class SUV. Among the reasons for the cancellation is to increase production of Ford's SuperDuty pickup trucks.

U.S. sales of the Excursion, which was launched in 1999, are
down 25 percent so far this year. The Sierra Club, which dubbed the Excursion
the "Ford Valdez" after the infamous Alaskan oil spill, called it an
environmental disaster because of its poor fuel economy rating. ... [T]he
Excursion gets about 14 miles per gallon on the highway and 10 miles per gallon
in the city.

Excursions, shown below

Whoops, I'm sorry that is the Battlestar Galactica. They're pretty close in size and have very similar styling so I get confused sometimes.
Below is an Excursion so you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway everyone loves to bitch about the bad mileage this Battlestar gets. People forget to remember what it can do! 19 feet long, weighs 3 tons, available 4 wheel drive, hauls 9 passengers, can tow up to 11,000 pounds, carries 44 gallons of fuel, has 4 attack squadrons of Colonial Vipers, point defense lasers... Oh I'm sorry, the last two specifications are for the Galactica, NOT the Excursion. Far too easy to get them confused. The point being that 25 years ago such a vehicle wouldn't have been as capable of these things and still would have gotten 10 miles to the gallon. At least with modern technology you get a lot more bang for the gallon.

Besides, with the third row seats flat and the hatch open you can still land a Viper at full approach speed.

I Hope No One Noticed

Got back from the gym and pulled my gym shorts out of the bag. I hadn't noticed the rather large hole in a strategic location. I'm hoping no one else did as well. Had I known I would have looked for some replacements when I was shopping earlier.

As a corollary you would think that after losing 20-25 pounds in 18 months that maybe I could shop for new jeans that are a size smaller now. As I discovered today yes I can. It was good to use Christmas gift money for two pair. Replacements were required as I did notice that the old pairs were getting ragged, including one having a small hole in a strategic location. Sharon Stone made a career out of a big gapping hole in a strategic location, but I'm not her and most of you are thankful for that.

Now I can just get back to running 3 miles at a time in proper, non-holey, shorts. Taking most of December off for finals and holidays mucks up the endurance.

CRAP, I should have gotten an advisory opinion from my Official Fashion Consultant when buying the new jeans. Oh they're just basic jeans so I guess I can get away with not using her services this once.

No More College Football!

I'll admit the USC-Oklahoma game was boring as USC went on cruise control, but at least it was football. As a consulation prize the NFL playoffs are starting this weekend. Yeah! One more month of glorious football :-) Brian happy when pigskin is on TV. Football is life! Okay I'm lying a bit hear as I didn't even watch the second half. 55-19 makes a really boring game unless you're a Trojan fanatic!

Basketball isn't as good especially since all the teams I like suck.

Just Hire Me If Ya Use My Words!

On December 7th I commented on the next generation of VW Jetta. I stated, "I'm not certain about the taillight treatment. Looks like it was stolen from a Toyota Corolla."

On page 22 of my Feb '05 issue of MotorTrend they discuss the new Jetta and note, "Clean, conservative design, but the tail looks too much like a Toyota Corolla's." If you're gonna use my ideas, just hire me! I have an entire portfolio here you can look at! One of my numerous writing styles would fit into automotive journalism just fine. Besides combine my legal skills with a few weeks of advanced track driving school and imagine what I could do for MotorTrend!

*cue cheesy harp music for dream sequence*
"In order to properly understand the legal implications of having 400 horsepower I will have to personally examine this Pontiac GTO on the road."

In other news I've pondered before, page 24 notes that "Oldsmobile sports car? It's not far-fetched. GM is quickly taking Saturn upmarket to take that space in its lineup between Pontiac and Buick...." Umm...not too long ago General Motors had an upscale Oldsmobile-like division called Oldsmobile! I realize quite a few of you are fans of Saturn, but GM still killed the wrong division or perhaps they should have killed both. That would bring GM down to what...10 divisions!!! Way too much overlap over at the General!

Biggest Boobs Contest

No I'm not referring to the four radio stations that came up with "Breast Christmas Ever" contest in which 13 women won breast enlargement surgery. What I'm referring to is who ARE the biggest boobs in this entire story. Choices are:

• The four radio stations who offered the contest.
• The 91,000 women that entered the contest.
• The 13 winners.
• The National Organization of Women and the National Research Center For Women & Families for complaining about a voluntary contest.
• The FCC because...well why not complain against the FCC.

Oh decisions, decisions. What do you think?

Happy Birthday Dad

The Old Man got another year today. We're doing movie and a dinner for him. I have no idea what the movie will be though. He's already seen The Aviator so I have no idea what is out now that he would be interested in.

EDIT: Flight of the Phoenix was the answer. Pretty good, but not to the level of the Jimmy Stewart original. Now that was intense!

Happy 11,000th Visitor

Though it is Winter Break *cough Christmas Break cough* the page hits are still 60% of normal. Fascinating. My muses are speaking all the time, but I lack the ability to post as often right now. School dial-up sucks! I'll try to post fairly often, but don't think you're getting 3 posts a day ever day okay?

Resolutions

Started Thursday December 30, 2004. Slightly belated, but here is to a Happy New Year.

This time of year most people make resolutions they hope to follow in the new year. They promise to quit smoking, lose weight, learn a new hobby, be a better parent, etc. Yet this time of year is perfect for contemplation of the other meaning of 'resolution': endings or finality. Human beings like tidy endings to the chapters in the book of life. Yet we don't get such tidy endings very often. Life is messy and the problems are often unresolved or at best resolved poorly. During Christmas CAG asked me if this year of 2004 was the worst of my life. I answered yes. Starting with hiccups from the past winter, sliding through the spring and summer, crashing through fall, too many stories of this year had unsatisfactory bad, yet complete, endings or equally bad incomplete endings resulting in, at best, a perilously stable status quo. Though the tribulations of 2004 an old incomplete story became an inspirational source of guidance through the turbulence.

Rare in life do we get a second chance. Rare is the opportunity to create resolution in the chapters of life. Yet sometimes a second chance appears allowing stories to have a proper and final ending. The mission was simple, to find my old friend Liz and see her. I did my homework, put a few pieces of information together, and found my old friend. It would be good to see Liz again. A three hour drive to Columbus wouldn’t be that much effort. Seeing her before New Year’s Eve would be a most appropriate time given our past adventures. With nice sweater and pants, a small bouquet of roses and baby’s breath, a full bottle of soft red wine, two cups, and a printout of directions I was on my way. One should always bring gifts when seeing an old friend for the first time in ages. You need small tokens of appeasement for the sin of allowing so much time to pass.

The oddly warm spring like air meet the cold of several inches of snow on the ground. The resulting fog pierced by the intermittent sunlight was cathedral-like in ambiance. Beyond weird doesn’t adequately describe how I felt when I finally saw her. So much time had passed between us, but it was oddly right to be in her presence again. I had to catch her up on my life. So much had occurred. I opened up the bottle of wine; it was far superior to the last bottle we shared, pleasant and semi-sweet. I told Liz I was sorry I wasn’t around when she had her troubles. Had I known of her problems I gladly would have helped her. The noble aspects of friendship are measured by the willingness to follow troubled souls into hell and back. I’ve followed my true friends before, I’ll follow my true friends later, and I would have followed Liz had I known it was needed. Your friends should be willing to help you or else they’re not your friends.

I told her I felt selfish in a way. This moment, this mission, should have been about her, but it was also about me and my simple desire to finally see her. To me the mission was more important than the man, but sometimes part of the mission is the man. Maybe she understood that. I told Liz of our common illness and how she inspired me to continue on despite the obstacles life threw at me. I felt she was a little angel over my shoulder reminding me of things to do and not do. I thanked her for helping me out even though it was truly memories that inspired me. For a brief time I did have an eternal sunshine on my not-so-spotless mind as I recounted all the weird parallels in our lives. After a long chat I finally said farewell to Liz; something I never got to say the first time. It was a proper resolution for us as I planted the flowers in the snow next to her headstone.

Resolutions are endings. As 2004 finally resolves into the mists of time and memory I say good riddance! It was a time of discovery. I observed the best of humanity. Love, weddings, children, helping hands, camaraderie, bravery, inspiration, and ponderings of how to make the world a better place. I observed that I have friends, both from the people that I expected and from people I didn’t expect. I discovered a small cadre of friends that were once broken, dark, and depressed as I was; they knew how to carry me into the sunlight once more.

I observed the worst of humanity. I discovered the hate, the fear, the laziness of people. The destruction of relationships and social bonds, the complete lack of desire to understand the differences in people were too commonplace. When the chips are down go for the simple solution, but not the right solution. I discovered the people I thought had the richest personalities were actually quite shallow. I found some that I thought of as friends, really weren’t. I discovered I had enemies, people willing to threaten me. How junior-high schoolesque is that? (As an aside, if one really intends to employ such childish tactics, at least be capable of backing up those tactics.) I discovered human hubris from those that should least have it. I discovered so many are broken; they just don’t realize it yet.

Yet many endings are also beginnings. All this ultimately leads to that other meaning of resolution: promises for the future. If 2004 proved to be the year I survived, then 2005 shall be the year I lived. Though battered, bruised, and battle damaged some have noted that underneath it all I still have an impressive strength. Though not yet whole I am far better now than even a few months ago. But in the human experience are we ever truly whole? Through the moments of transition and moments of revelation I feel I am being reborn. I am not now what I was; I will not be what I am now. I suspect the results are going to be interesting, and I fully intend to live this year and to see what happens. It won’t be easy, one last semester, bar review classes, that cursed brain drain known as the bar exam, looking for a job are all challenges. You can have mighty challenges and still live.

The future is not yet set, but it has much promise.