A Few of My Favorite Things

As my time in Lawrence begins to draw to a close, I can't help but become a little bit nostalgic. So while I was driving down Tennessee today, I began to think about what I'll miss about Lawrence.

The brick sidewalks and streets

The Wheel

Allen Fieldhouse

Mass Street

The sound of the trains at night

The dark one way streets, especially Tennessee and Kentucky

The Crossing

Yellow Sub

Mass Street Music

Friends, new and old

It's late and there's tons more...and I'd love to hear what's on everyone elses list!

Can't believe I hadn't heard about this...

I happened to have an old friend of mine ask me this weekend if I had seen Colbert's speech at the White House Press Dinner. I hadn't. In fact, I hadn't even heard of it. While I'm sure conservatives won't find this funny at all, I thought it was absolutely hilarious. Of course, there's a whole other question of whether it was right to go as far as he did with the president sitting right beside him, but then again, THEY INVITED HIM! Surely someone had seen his show...one would assume so.

Anyway, chances are you haven't seen it either, and you should. It's about 25 minutes long, and in my [humble] opinion, well worth the time. Sadly, the truth has become so obscene, that hearing Colbert speak it is funny. The video is available at:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-869183917758574879

-cheers!

The Hits Keep Coming

I used to enjoy Bill O'Reilly. Generally, I don't anymore. I've changed some, he's changed some. But that's not the point. My point is, for a long time, this guy was one of the major Bush Backers, though he didn't like to admit it. (He's always labeled himself an independent). But now O'Reilly is comparing his presidency to Jimmy Carter's and offering ideas on how to turn things around.

To me, this is just another sign as to how bad it's gotten for Bush. And while its terrible for the country, it does make me feel somewhat vindicated. You see, I've labeled him a nitwit from the beginning. I cannot understand how anyone can support him. As a particularly wise professor of mine suggested, "Sometimes it seems like his plan is to screw up everything he can."

Does Bush know something I don't know? Did God tell him the date of Armageddon during one of their conversations?

In all seriousness, I just think its a shame how things have fallen apart. I would have rather been wrong than see it come to this. I often wonder, if we could turn back the clock now, and vote again, how much would Bush lose by? My gut says it would be a landslide, but could I be wrong? What do people know now that they didn't know in 2004? He was doing just as poorly back then. And yes, I understand that the Democrats didn't do a great job of getting people motivated. But, when your pitcher has given up back to back to back to back to back homeruns, sometimes you HAVE to bring someone else in, even if the guy doesn't seem like he's necessarily that good either.

Diary of a Procrastinator

It's getting down to crunchtime folks, and I've still got much to do. My two main concerns: My media law project and secured transactions. With the project, which is probably about 20% complete at best, I'm beginning to freak out. For whatever reason, I'm having some sort of writers block. I thought hammering something out on here might help. We'll see...

Secured is a whole other area. I should have taken this class 3 semesters ago. Back then my study habits were better and I was far better equipped for this nonsense. If you don't know what a secured transaction is, allow me to explain: you're lucky!!! Let's just leave it at that.

Anyway, I've read books that suggest some of the reasons why I might procrastinate. Most of it makes sense. But you know what? Here I am...no further along.

The good thing is though, I've gotten all sorts of less important tasks done. For example, the dishwasher is running right now, I gave blood today, and I started reading Zen in the Art of Archery. Good stuff.

You know what? I think this has helped!

Back to work...

Forgive Me

I was doing so much better, averaging several posts a week. But lately I just haven't had it in me. Graduation is 5 weeks from tomorrow...which is awesome and hard to believe at the same time. There's much to talk about and I'm going to try to get back on track with the postings and whatnot.

This site will of course begin to shift its focus over the upcoming summer. I'll be a law school graduate studying for the bar, 5 blocks from the edge of Western Civilization. My evenings will be consumed with my wonderful bar/bri review course, and my days will be a mixture of study and job hunting. Somewhere in there I'd like to do some surfing as well. Maybe I could get into a routine of starting my day that way. That always sounded fun and I think it would help me become more "functional" in the mornings.

Anyway, I'm glad to have you back reading this and I look forward to more posts in the upcoming weeks.

-thememowriter

P.S. A belated happy birthday to thememowriter, which just celebrated its first birthday. Yet another sign that time is flying by...

Goodnight Cinderella

It was not to be.

I was really pulling for George Mason tonight. I love a good David and Goliath story. George Mason was a special story, because they were 4-0 against Goliath going into the game tonight. But a new David was ready and waiting...and this time he was even taller than usual.

They hung in there for a while...just minutes before the half they were down just one point. But Florida's insane barrage of 3 pointers and rebounding was just too much to overcome.

So when you think of amazing sports accomplishments, don't forget about George Mason. They should always remain a stunning reminder that seemingly impossible dreams can be achieved when you give everything you have.

Goodnight Cinderella. Goodnight.

Home

Well, its good to come home. I had a nice trip, but its not easy keeping up with these young guys. The trip was nice, some baseball, cooking, margaritas, beer, wine, steak, basketball, sun, rain, music, and mayhem. The weather didn't cooperate the whole time (it never seems to on Spring Break.) But it was still a great time. For some reason, it caused me to be very reflective.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how things are really coming to a head here. My parents are always asking me if I feel like "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel," and that sort of thing. I usually don't make much of those sorts of questions, but when I was asked the other day, I had an answer that many of you might relate to. I said, "I'm so busy right now, I can't really see very far in front of my face." I feel overextended right now. I really do. School and work will be over in about six weeks. While that's nice, I want to make sure I can avoid living my life in an overextended manner. It can make it really hard to enjoy yourself.

A friend of mine just did an interesting post regarding the value of religion. I am planning on responding as soon as I'm in the right frame of mind. You should read it, but if you don't have the time, here are a few snipits:

"I see tremendous value in religion. I find the value given to an individual that is received by belief in something to be, for lack of a better term, invaluable. I've looked for something to replace belief and I just can't find it. Belief, in my opinion, runs along the same lines as hope, but has been sublimated. And who among us would even dare to suggest the removal of "hope" from the human vernacular?!!"

"I was saying that hope and belief have very similar characteristics and that to disregard belief is to devalue hope. So I guess the counterargument would be that we should attempt to displace belief with hope, since belief relies on the supernatural. And I must say that makes sense to me if I'm claiming that belief and hope hold relatively the same value. But remember that I said that belief had been sublimated."

If you enjoyed those snipits, check out the post. The link is above. And my response will come soon. Best wishes to all of you!

On the road again

Hey all. Not much time to talk, I'm heading out the door in about 10 minutes. I don't know whether I'll do any posts or not. I'm going to be in Surprise, Arizona for one week. There will be sun, swimming, and stupidity. Always a good combination. Before leaving, I wrote down a list of "major to dos." The list was staggering, but since I assume I will complete it, I wanted to post it now:

• Complete all portions of the California Bar App by 3.31
• complete local government writing project by 4.7
• Find a job!
• Sublease my apartment
• Find an apartment in San Diego
  
• Complete & pay for Bar/Bri
• those bastards!
  
• Pass the bar!
• Torts II
• try to stay awake
  
• Civil Rights actions
• try to get another outline
  
• Secured transactions
• figure out what the %$#@ is going on in that class
  
• complete media law project
• partial first draft due 3.31
• interview with Judge

That's just the major stuff. But don't feel sorry for me. Most everyone I know is going through the same thing right now too. It's like I said to my friend the other day...I'm going to remember this when I'm trying to rationalize overbilling my clients.

Cheers!

In Case of Blackout, Grill Shrimp

Last night was actually one of my favorite nights of the year. I like it when stuff happens that throws us out of our routines. We all need a reminder from time to time that we don't have quite as much control over things as we like to believe. And its really nice to have the TV removed as an option for a while.

So last night I hung out in a dark room with a few friends, ate some shrimp that I grilled, and drank a bottle of wine I brought back from Cinque Terre, Italy. It was one of the most relaxing evenings I've had in a long time. I wish we had nights like that more often. I'm really getting bored with the loud bar scene. But I'm in too good a mood to complain. I just wish I still had some shrimp left.

Kansas 80 - Texas 68
Big 12 Tournament Champions

Hammer Time

I've added a new link to the side of my blog. That's right, none other than MC Hammer has started a blog. It appears to be slightly more popular than mine. But I'm not drinkin the Haterade. No way. Back in the day, Hammer used to be my boy. I had the parachute pants. I had the MC Hammer tape rockin my Sony boombox. I knew the words to random songs: "that's why we pray (pray), oh yeah we pray (pray), we've got to pray just to make it today..."

Soon enough the guy was on top of the world. Millions of dollars in the bank. Multi-million dollar mansions. Nothing could stop him. I recall when my father, who had slightly more refined musical tastes asked me, "do you really think he's still going to be around five years from now?" I laughed at him. I thought that suggestion was absurd. Hammer was the man! You can't touch this!

Fast forward ten years or so, and here he is, at home writing a blog, not all that different than me. Except I got a JD in the meantime.

"My my my my, music hits me, so hard, makes me say, "oh my lord!"

Hand Me That Gun

"After spending 3 years learning how to hold a gun, eventually you're going to want to put some bullets in and shoot something."
-me

This sums up the feelings of many of the future litigators of America. Most notably, my classmates and colleagues. We're hungry. We want blood! Seriously, I want to get out there and start shooting. I know that almost everyone is going to have more experience. That doesn't bother me. I'm young. I'm still a bit naive. And when I get my chance I'm going to line up my shot and shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot. When the dust clears, I expect to have my first victory and be on my way. But what if instead I see holes in my shirt and see that I'm the one that has been shot? Well, I'll just have to put some band-aids on and reload.

That's part of the fun of starting out fresh. We're young trial lawyers. A clean slate. While law school has worn each of us down to some degree, we still have the benefit of youth and inexperience. While experience is a weapon that can be quite useful, fresh legs go a long way. A 55 year old lawyer of 25 years may have seen it all. He may have tried hundreds of cases. And while that gives him an edge, it may also erode his passion. To me, my first case will be everything. The championship. I hope we all keep in touch so we can share the experience of cutting down our respective nets!

Shock the World!

10 Weeks and Life to Go

Nothing too scandalous to talk about today, so I'm just going to post the thoughts that have been occupying my mind the past few days.

Unbelievable as it is, the countdown is really beginning to get serious. 10 weeks from now, I will be in another state, studying for the bar. I've decided to take the evening review class which will be 6-10PM. I know that's kind of a bummer, but I found some compelling reasons to choose that time. First of all, the other choice was 9AM-1PM. I'm generally not all that great at studying at 9AM. I don't retain information all that well. Also, I could really use the time during the day for studying, surfing, and knocking on doors. I'm still looking for a job, but remaining optimistic. I won't receive word on the bar until November of this year, so I probably couldn't start until then anyway. I really don't want to work while I'm studying for the bar. I don't think the time investment is worth the money I could make. Nonetheless, it's going to be an expensive process. The bar review will cost me $3000, and the bar application will cost me at least $1000. Throw in my monthly expenses from June-November (6 months) and I'm looking at another $6000. Add it up, $10,000. But I think the investment is going to be well worth it. I'm risking $10,000 of loaned money to live and work in the place I want to be. Since I've only got one life, I don't see any other choice.

. . .

I had a very interesting chat with the Los Angeles Court Spokeswoman last night. I'm working on a project involving media access. I'm looking at issues such as cameras in the courtroom, gag orders and sealed documents. Specifically, I'll be looking at the Westerfield trial in San Diego. It looks to be a very interesting project and I'm looking forward to getting it done. I'm hoping that with the help of my professor, I can get it published. I'd love to have that on my resume and it would be a satisfying personal achievement as well.

Well, that's what has been on my mind, with the exception of the extremely vivid dreams I've been having lately. It's funny; I tend to rotate from periods of not dreaming or not remembering my dreams to having extremely detailed and memorable ones. Sometimes I wish I had a better understanding of psychology so I could understand what’s going on upstairs.

Architecture Gone Bad

I probably just wasn't paying attention, but I didn't know this was the design they came up with for the Sept. 11 Memorial. I don't claim to know much about architecture, but I do have some form of taste. I see things that I like, and I see things that look awful. Most of it falls somewhere in between, although I constantly find myself annoyed by all of the boxy strip malls of Bed Bath & Beyonds and Office Depots.

But this goes beyond the cheap architecture of suburbia. This is New York. Our biggest, most recognized city. It is a major symbol of America. Yet this building is wrong on so many levels. Keep in mind, I'm writing this as a sort of knee jerk reaction to seeing the above photo. I don't like how it completely dominates the skyline. It leaves me wondering, should we build a massive (and in my opinion ugly) building that turns the NYC skyline into exclusively a 9/11 memorial?

Should New York forever scream "9/11" to every resident and visitor? It seems unhealthy to me.

As I've said, I don't claim to possess any particular architectural knowledge, but I suspect that many of you will find the building ugly as well. For me, its just one of those instant visual gag reflexes. Perhaps you can articulate it for me, I'm at a loss. And I just don't understand why it can't be somewhat subtle. Must it scream, "Ha! Blow us up again fuckers!?!" I know many people would prefer that we did say that. These people are idiots. Little is accomplished by intentionally egging on the enemy. Instead, perhaps we could focus more on a tasteful memorial created to serve the families of those who lost their loved ones on that tragic day.

March!

Well, at last we are down to one week of February. I'll tell you what. Wake me up when it's over! I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday, and we both agreed that February is our least favorite month of the year. What does it bring to the table? Cold weather. Valentines day. Freezing cold weather. That's about it.

Am I alone on this? I mean, I can find something wrong with just about every month. Sure, it gets crazy hot in July and August. But even then, at least its usually bearable at night. That sure isn't the case in the Winter. Far from it.

Listen to me bitching, and this has been one of the mildest Winters I can remember. I guess its a good thing I'm moving. I promised myself 3 years ago that was the last Winter I was going to put up with. 3 Winters later, I'm making the same pledge again. This is my last week of Winter for a very long time. Do you think I'll ever miss it?

While my finger gently bleeds

One downside to playing the guitar too much is that you might slice your left index finger open and bleed all over your apartment. Hey, it happened to me. I don't have any serious topics to discuss today, but as per my new pledge, I am working hard to continue posting as often as possible.

If anyone is interested, you might want to click over to Existo Luego Existo where we have been having an interesting and ongoing discussion about college basketball rankings and the concept of a meritocracy.

You'll notice I've added a links section to my page. I would have done it sooner, but for whatever reason, blogger decided to make it a little bit harder than it needs to be.

On another note, I recently saw Nine Inch Nails and was very pleasantly suprised with their performance. They put on quite a show that really gave me a new respect for their music. With some bands, such as NIN, I just don't quite understand what the music is all about until I see them perform it live. Trent Reznor did not disapoint. He plays music with confidence, power, volume, impressive visuals, and monster techno style bass lines.

And on yet another note, at last the weather is warming up again. Last week was cruel and unusually cold. I'm ready for Spring. So very ready...

While my guitar gently weeps

Well, I recently picked up a new guitar and I'm very excited about it. For one thing, I had a very positive experience when I picked it out. We have a fantastic music shop in town, and they were a tremendous help. You have to pay a little bit more than online, but it was well worth it. Besides, if I was shopping online, I never would have ended up with the guitar I picked out. Actually the guitar kind of picked me out. It had a unique sound that I couldn't get away from. I also loved the way it looks.

I was just saying the other day that I'm happy because right now I'm in the middle of a musical growth period. It feels like most of the time you are stuck in a plateau, but occasionally you really feel like you're consistently getting better. That's an awesome feeling.

I don't know how to do it yet, but soon I hope to figure out how to post demos that I record at my place. I'd like to occasionally tack them onto my blog for you to sample and comment on if you like. I think that would be fun and a great way to share my creations. I think it will also encourage me to create more often.

I could have had a Martin or a Guild, but I got hooked on the sound of this guy pretty fast. And the reviews were all amazing. So that was that. Oh, and RIP to my Fender DG-7. Thanks for all the memories.


Blueridge BR-160

The Blueridge BR-160 dreadnaught has the key technical specs and performance characteristics inherent in the original "Pre-War Herringbones", that acoustic/Bluegrass musicians find so desirable. The sound and response that are great - and bound to get better over time as the guitar is played in!

Finest solid spruce top with handcarved parabolic braces in the classic forward X-pattern.
Solid, Select Indian Rosewood back and sides.
Delicate herringbone top inlay for vintage look.
White binding with fine black and white purfling on body.
Back features center strip of delicate wood marquetry.
Slim mahogany neck has adjustable truss rod.
Style B- Mother-of-pearl and abalone design on peghead.
Natural high-gloss finish with aging toner for perfect vintage look.

Roll Call

After having a discussion with a friend of mine, I've decided to up the ante on The Memo Writer. I am planning on posting more often. Other changes will be made as well, hopefully for the better.

Now, here is where you, the faithful reader, can contribute. I want you to tell me what you would like to see done differently, added, subtracted, or otherwise changed about my blog. I will take all of your suggestions into consideration and sometime soon I will roll out a new and improved version of The Memo Writer. And don't worry, I won't do anything too drastic. I'll be very careful not to be the next New Coke.

I look forward to hearing from you!

-thememowriter

Pull!

At the risk of being unoriginal, I had to talk about this. When was the last time a President or VP shot someone in the face? I'm confident this is the first time in my brief time on this planet. But the focus of this post is instead on how it relates to the Bush administration in general.

Did anyone notice how they (as usual) have gone out of their way to sweep this under the rug? First of all, they waited a day before releasing the information, and then tried to do so in a casual way..."oh by the way, Cheney shot someone this weekend...and also, lunch will be at 12:30..." Then, Cheney ducks out early from the morning meeting so he can avoid talking about it. What a chicken shit! What happened to the Cheney who told people to fuck off? Why is he so afraid to take accountability for what he did? Afraid to answer some questions and take a little ribbing. Luckily, no one died. Honestly, no matter where you fall politically, you have to understand that this is something you have to deal with. Why does the Bush administration try so hard to hide everything?

Here's all it takes to deal with this sort of thing. I'm pretty sure past administrations have handled it this way. #1: Call press conference #2: Have person made a genuine apology in which they acknowledge the mistake they made and take accountability. #3: Answer a few questions about it, expecting to be badgered and made fun of a bit.

But then again, with Bush & Cheney, this is what I've come to expect.

Golden State

The path:

Well, In a few months I plan to put a few miles on the Jeep. About 1689 of them. That's going to be, as they say, a long drive. But when I arrive and see the above sunset, I have a feeling it will all be worthwhile.

My plan is beginning to take shape. Graduate May 21, leave in the following days, move into some sort of temporary living arrangement, study for the bar for about 2 months, find a job, pass the bar, and then leave a giant trail of dust behind me as I conquer San Diego much like Denny Crane conquered Boston.

Simple enough.

Did you ever notice how annoying old people are?

Don't get me wrong. Lots of elderly people are very wise and interesting. But then there's Andy Rooney. Somehow this guy has continued to hold a job as a pseudo-CBS journalist. I can't think of anything much less interesting than listening to a grumpy old man complain about progress. I have a hard time understanding why people expect that things will stay the same. Sure, sometimes progress isn't all that its cracked up to be. But what is the alternative? Doing nothing? Being satisfied and just leaving it alone? I'll tell you what Rooney: you claim to be a true American, but I can't think of a less American view on progress.

A few of my favorite Rooney quotes:

“Computers may save time but they sure waste a lot of paper. About 98 percent of everything printed out by a computer is garbage that no one ever reads.”

"Did you know that it costs $40,000 a year to house each prisoner? Jeez, for $40,000 apiece I'll take a few prisoners into my house. I live in Los Angeles -- I already have bars on the windows. I don't think we should give free room and board to criminals. I think they should have to run 12 hours a day on a treadmill and generate electricity. And if they don't want to run, they can rest in the chair that's hooked up to the generator."