an obligatory post
I feel compelled to write. I feel like I need to write. I'm not sure why.
A high school classmate of mine has a blog. On it, she posted a rant about high school and using full names, wrote about people she hated, people who she was not looking forward to seeing, etc. Generally, it was a pretty nasty post. And then she patted a few people on the back as the only cool, decent people. It was pretty indendiary. As it turns out, the blog got passed around and around and around, and people started commenting like it was going out of style. (Unlike on here.) She recently posted a retraction. Which was followed by more comments. And then someone called this girl's friend and passed on a threat of physical violence. (e.g. Tell her I'm going to beat the crap out of her at reunion.) So she has decided not to go.
I have decided to create a forum for these rants and take them off her blog. It's an interesting read, even if you don't recognize any of the names. I find it hilarious. And somewhat disturbing. You can link to it here.
In other, better, news, my BFF is coming to visit this weekend!! I can't wait. I [heart] my BFF.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
on youth
My current situation has me somewhat more in tune with the undergrad scene than any 28 y.o. law student ought to be. I've been reading a lot of blogs written by undergrads and I've noticed something that makes me reminisce about my youth.
I remember college. It was this time of incredible emotional upheavals. Everything was so intense and so important. The littlest things would set me off on weeks of depression. I had such weird social issues I missed my best friend's birthday celebration more than once. I became fascinated with drinking. I got into a weird lingering relationship with my ex. I had no direction and changed majors every half semester. I thought it was my life. I thought it was me and my inability to control emotions or find direction. I think, it turns out, that my life experience, while my own experience, was and is not necessarily unique.
You know how people say Accutane might make kids suicidal? And that teen brains, even at 18-21 years of age, are still developing? Well, I think it's totally, anecdotally true. I totally thought, at the time, that my inability to control my emotions, my suffering through enormous mood swings, was chemical. Try as I might, I could never get out of them. And maybe, biologically, I couldn't.
It would also explain why at 28 things are mellowing out. I still kinda have mood swings, but they're totally manageable. Everything just seems manageable. Even great tragedies and intense romantic infatuations. They do not incapacitate me. I am a very high functioning mood-swinger these days. These years.
If only I could somehow explain my infatuation with 20-22 year old men. Or boys. Hmm.
My current situation has me somewhat more in tune with the undergrad scene than any 28 y.o. law student ought to be. I've been reading a lot of blogs written by undergrads and I've noticed something that makes me reminisce about my youth.
I remember college. It was this time of incredible emotional upheavals. Everything was so intense and so important. The littlest things would set me off on weeks of depression. I had such weird social issues I missed my best friend's birthday celebration more than once. I became fascinated with drinking. I got into a weird lingering relationship with my ex. I had no direction and changed majors every half semester. I thought it was my life. I thought it was me and my inability to control emotions or find direction. I think, it turns out, that my life experience, while my own experience, was and is not necessarily unique.
You know how people say Accutane might make kids suicidal? And that teen brains, even at 18-21 years of age, are still developing? Well, I think it's totally, anecdotally true. I totally thought, at the time, that my inability to control my emotions, my suffering through enormous mood swings, was chemical. Try as I might, I could never get out of them. And maybe, biologically, I couldn't.
It would also explain why at 28 things are mellowing out. I still kinda have mood swings, but they're totally manageable. Everything just seems manageable. Even great tragedies and intense romantic infatuations. They do not incapacitate me. I am a very high functioning mood-swinger these days. These years.
If only I could somehow explain my infatuation with 20-22 year old men. Or boys. Hmm.
Monday, September 26, 2005
on kickball
I went to my first kickball game of the season this afternoon. There's something about the game ... Do you remember it? That red rubber ball. The baseball diamond. I remember how much I loved the game when I was a kid. I think I was pretty good at it, too, because I was always bigger than my classmates so I was generally stronger and could kick farther. And I think the ball we played with in elementary school is smaller than the one we play with now. Kickball was good, grade school fun.
Adult kickball is ... interesting. Many of the teams drink during the game and before the game and always after the game. Our bench smelled like a brewery by the end of the game. The ball is bigger, but so are the players. I managed to get on base both times I was up, but just barely. Players can palm the ball. They can also pitch remarkably fast. There were no gimme pitches today. And, my teammates and opponents are not the classmates I see every day and school and so kind of trust and like. No, these are strangers from all walks of life around the city. Professionals, students, stand-up comedians. My heart was actually racing when I got up to bat.
The game is fun. And when we play a good team, and by good I mean friendly, the game is great fun. Today's opponents, not so much. They were chumps. They were obnoxious and loud and petty. For example, a runner stole a base while the ball was being thrown back to the pitcher. All play stops when the ball is back at the pitcher, but the other team argued that technically, the ball was in the air and not with the pitcher. Yeah, technically, but my team was the one populated with law students and even we weren't splitting hairs like that. And then, to be completely catty, the pitcher from the other team, I have never spoken to her, never seen her before, and yet I just detest her. Nothing she said was funny. Nothing she said was interesting. Yet she insisted on being loud and the center of attention. It was like she thought she was the biggest shit and I wanted to deck her. Oh I so could have taken her. If it was ultimate fighting kickball, I know I could have won. Oh my how this post has deteriorated.
All in all, though, it was a good time. It will be, and is, a fun diversion from other crap, like school. Although right now, I don't really need any more ways to recreate. Monday is my climbing class. Swim class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm going to try and swim on Wednesdays as well, although this past week I went climbing instead. This past Friday I played volleyball, then ping-pong for 15 minutes, then climbed. On Saturday I swam and climbed.
My body is tired.
Also ... I missed the bidding deadline for the government/public interest job fair. I was considering it as an alternative to the firm thing, because maybe the firm thing isn't for me. But, I seem to have painted myself into a corner here.
I went to my first kickball game of the season this afternoon. There's something about the game ... Do you remember it? That red rubber ball. The baseball diamond. I remember how much I loved the game when I was a kid. I think I was pretty good at it, too, because I was always bigger than my classmates so I was generally stronger and could kick farther. And I think the ball we played with in elementary school is smaller than the one we play with now. Kickball was good, grade school fun.
Adult kickball is ... interesting. Many of the teams drink during the game and before the game and always after the game. Our bench smelled like a brewery by the end of the game. The ball is bigger, but so are the players. I managed to get on base both times I was up, but just barely. Players can palm the ball. They can also pitch remarkably fast. There were no gimme pitches today. And, my teammates and opponents are not the classmates I see every day and school and so kind of trust and like. No, these are strangers from all walks of life around the city. Professionals, students, stand-up comedians. My heart was actually racing when I got up to bat.
The game is fun. And when we play a good team, and by good I mean friendly, the game is great fun. Today's opponents, not so much. They were chumps. They were obnoxious and loud and petty. For example, a runner stole a base while the ball was being thrown back to the pitcher. All play stops when the ball is back at the pitcher, but the other team argued that technically, the ball was in the air and not with the pitcher. Yeah, technically, but my team was the one populated with law students and even we weren't splitting hairs like that. And then, to be completely catty, the pitcher from the other team, I have never spoken to her, never seen her before, and yet I just detest her. Nothing she said was funny. Nothing she said was interesting. Yet she insisted on being loud and the center of attention. It was like she thought she was the biggest shit and I wanted to deck her. Oh I so could have taken her. If it was ultimate fighting kickball, I know I could have won. Oh my how this post has deteriorated.
All in all, though, it was a good time. It will be, and is, a fun diversion from other crap, like school. Although right now, I don't really need any more ways to recreate. Monday is my climbing class. Swim class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm going to try and swim on Wednesdays as well, although this past week I went climbing instead. This past Friday I played volleyball, then ping-pong for 15 minutes, then climbed. On Saturday I swam and climbed.
My body is tired.
Also ... I missed the bidding deadline for the government/public interest job fair. I was considering it as an alternative to the firm thing, because maybe the firm thing isn't for me. But, I seem to have painted myself into a corner here.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
not a bad thing to read on a sunday morning
Deal Is Reached to Drop Debt of 18 Poor Nations
September 25, 2005
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS from NYTimes.com
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 - Finance ministers from around the world reached agreement on Saturday on a plan to wipe out as much as $55 billion in debt owed by impoverished countries.
The deal still needs to win support from the major shareholders of the World Bank, which would forgive a large portion of the outstanding loans, but American and European officials said they were confident the plan would win approval on Sunday.
The agreement, which will initially affect about 18 countries, came after two years of grinding debate between the United States, Japan, Britain and most of the wealthy nations in Europe.
"The breakthrough is that we now have a set of proposals that are supported by the whole international community," said Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer for Britain and the chairman of the International Monetary Fund's policy-making committee.
If all goes according to plan, the 18 highly indebted low-income countries could be freed as early as the end of this year from the need to repay a total of about $1 billion a year in interest and principal.
Though the nominal amount of debt at stake is about $55 billion, the actual cost of forgiving the debt immediately is closer to about $18 billion.
Eventually, as many as 35 countries could qualify for debt relief and the total cost to wealthy countries would climb higher.
The criteria for eligibility was one of the most difficult issues, with the United States, Japan and Germany adamantly opposed to opening the door to an ever-expanding list of nations.
When the plan was first hammered out last summer by the United States and Britain, the idea was to make it available to countries that are currently categorized as "highly indebted poor countries."
But fund officials said eligibility had to be based on a specific formula that would apply the same standards to all countries.
The exact criteria remained unclear on Saturday, though Mr. Brown said it was based on a nation's per capita income. In addition to being poor, however, a government has to follow "sound" economic policies and meet standards for good governance.
The immediate goal of the plan is to give hopelessly indebted nations a chance to wipe the slate clean. The broader goal, supported by the Bush administration and a broad coalition of anti-poverty activists, is to shift future aid to outright grants and away from loans.
The biggest political obstacle to the plan stemmed from demands by some European countries, as well as by Paul Wolfowitz, the new president of the World Bank, that wealthy countries make firm commitments to pick up the full cost of debt relief.
On Friday, the Group of 8 industrial nations signed a letter explicitly promising that they would cover the cost "dollar for dollar" and that they would not reduce their regular contributions to the World Bank in order to make up for the cancelled debt repayment.
Even as they closed in on an agreement to wipe out billions of dollars in debt for poor countries, finance ministers meeting here this weekend were far more divided about the long-term roles of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
American officials proposed that the fund cut back on its loans for specific projects in low-income countries while playing a more aggressive role in pressuring countries - implicitly China, though it was not cited by name - that may be manipulating their exchange rates.
The fund, he said, should have a "limited" role in providing assistance to low-income countries. But it should "not shy away from tough judgments" on a nation's exchange-rate practices.
Treasury officials are hoping that the fund could put new public pressure on China to let its currency float more freely. China has pegged its currency, the yuan, at a fixed exchange rate to the dollar for more than a decade.
Many economists say the yuan is heavily undervalued, making Chinese exports cheaper than they would be if the yuan traded at market rates.
But Rodrigo de Rato, the fund's managing director, had already cautioned Friday that it would be "unrealistic" to expect the fund to achieve much by berating countries over their exchange rates.
Instead, Mr. De Rato has focused on prodding governments to shore up their underlying policies. On Saturday, he warned that the United States needed to reduce its large budget deficits and huge foreign indebtedness.
"As the net external liabilities of the U.S. continue to rise, so do the vulnerabilities of the nation's economy," Mr. De Rato said in a speech at the annual meetings here of the fund and the World Bank.
Friday, September 23, 2005
long time no...
It begins, the death of blogging.
Yeah, things have been crazy. Today was the first time I've been to Thursday classes. They're no different from Tuesday classes, but the difference is that I was actually at school today.
Yesterday was my first call-back interview. It was ok. The firm seemed really great, but ... well, I kind of worry that I'm making a horrible decision. The environment, the feel, the atmosphere. Every individual I met was really great and nice and interesting. But ... I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe I should look at smaller firms. We'll see. I have more call-backs and really, this whole issue might be moot if I don't get an offer.
Hurricane Rita. I was reading something yesterday about how public officials were telling Gulf Coast citizens to help each other out. To go out and look for people who need help. I got teary-eyed. I think I was in the middle of class, too. God help the people in the region, but ... do you ever notice how immediately following a disaster or some sort, the response to the next threat of a similar disaster is above and beyond what is necessary? I know it's better safe than sorry when it comes to people's lives, but there's something about this whole situation that is laughable. Maybe it's knowing that somewhere in there, part of the impetus for this response is trying to make up for the poor response/preparation for Katrina. I guess that's what's laughable. Bush is going to try and use this hurricane to make up for the heartlessness he showed in the last one. And he's going to over do it. I don't know, I'm rambling.
I went climbing last night. Oh man, I love climbing. I'm also taking an intermediate class on Monday nights. I have blisters on every one of my fingers.
I have a headache and I'm going to bed. Yeay, bed!
It begins, the death of blogging.
Yeah, things have been crazy. Today was the first time I've been to Thursday classes. They're no different from Tuesday classes, but the difference is that I was actually at school today.
Yesterday was my first call-back interview. It was ok. The firm seemed really great, but ... well, I kind of worry that I'm making a horrible decision. The environment, the feel, the atmosphere. Every individual I met was really great and nice and interesting. But ... I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe I should look at smaller firms. We'll see. I have more call-backs and really, this whole issue might be moot if I don't get an offer.
Hurricane Rita. I was reading something yesterday about how public officials were telling Gulf Coast citizens to help each other out. To go out and look for people who need help. I got teary-eyed. I think I was in the middle of class, too. God help the people in the region, but ... do you ever notice how immediately following a disaster or some sort, the response to the next threat of a similar disaster is above and beyond what is necessary? I know it's better safe than sorry when it comes to people's lives, but there's something about this whole situation that is laughable. Maybe it's knowing that somewhere in there, part of the impetus for this response is trying to make up for the poor response/preparation for Katrina. I guess that's what's laughable. Bush is going to try and use this hurricane to make up for the heartlessness he showed in the last one. And he's going to over do it. I don't know, I'm rambling.
I went climbing last night. Oh man, I love climbing. I'm also taking an intermediate class on Monday nights. I have blisters on every one of my fingers.
I have a headache and I'm going to bed. Yeay, bed!
Sunday, September 18, 2005
HOME!
I am home, after an uneventful red-eye back from Oakland. Managed to sleep for about 4.5 hours of the 5 hour flight. It helped that my row was empty.
First off, a shout out to myevilterran and noirah for welcoming me into their home for two nights and for being very kind and gracious hosts. And having some wonderful genes and creating one of the most delightful kids ever.
So here is a summary of my California jaunt:
* My interviews in LA were OK. There were some good ones, some ok ones. The task of putting myself out there and being judged is starting to get tiring. It's also starting to become personal, whereas after the first interviews, I was able to just let it go and stand back and say, eh, it's all just a process and it doesn't mean anything. Now, it's starting to feel like it's about me, my character, my worth, my value. Blah.
* Jet Blue is a fantastic airline. Everyone was so happy on my flight out to LA, from the pilots, who went by first names, to the flight attendants, down to the people in my row. One of the flight attendants even said, "I work for Jet Blue because I like Jet Blue." Exit stage left.
* While waiting at LGB for my flight to Oakland, I SWEAR I saw Ed Helms exit the airport. He so made eye contact with me before running off towards the rental car trailer.
* My interviews in San Francisco were not so good. One firm didn't have an environmental practice. When I mentioned environmental litigation, which was advertised on the firm's website, my interviewer said, oh, yeah, I think we had a case. Once. Another firm only had a real estate practice. One firm is based in Sacramento, and the other was for a governmental organization that doesn't pay. Uhh, I'm not MOVING to SF for the summer to work for free, buddy. What am I? 21 years old?
* On Sunday, my hosts, see above, took me out and about in Berkeley. Ran into traffic and crowds from the Cal v. Illinois football game. Had fantastic pizza. Walked around the Berkeley botanical garden. And went shopping. At this huge t-shirt shop with all sorts of funny and cool t-shirts, I came away with a plain black shirt. Eh, go figure.
* I had a stack of rejection letters waiting for me when I got home this morning. Most of them I was expecting. One of them I was optimistically expecting a call back. And one of them was a toss-up. I shouldn't have been shocked, but reading one right after the other was kind of tedious. See Point 1 above. It's ok, though. I'm doing ok in terms of interviewing, so I'm not really sweating it.
* My apartment is a mess and I do not see myself remedying that situation anytime in the near future.
* Must get to gym today. [Update: I so did not get to the gym. Instead, I took about 5 naps on Sunday.]
I am home, after an uneventful red-eye back from Oakland. Managed to sleep for about 4.5 hours of the 5 hour flight. It helped that my row was empty.
First off, a shout out to myevilterran and noirah for welcoming me into their home for two nights and for being very kind and gracious hosts. And having some wonderful genes and creating one of the most delightful kids ever.
So here is a summary of my California jaunt:
* My interviews in LA were OK. There were some good ones, some ok ones. The task of putting myself out there and being judged is starting to get tiring. It's also starting to become personal, whereas after the first interviews, I was able to just let it go and stand back and say, eh, it's all just a process and it doesn't mean anything. Now, it's starting to feel like it's about me, my character, my worth, my value. Blah.
* Jet Blue is a fantastic airline. Everyone was so happy on my flight out to LA, from the pilots, who went by first names, to the flight attendants, down to the people in my row. One of the flight attendants even said, "I work for Jet Blue because I like Jet Blue." Exit stage left.
* While waiting at LGB for my flight to Oakland, I SWEAR I saw Ed Helms exit the airport. He so made eye contact with me before running off towards the rental car trailer.
* My interviews in San Francisco were not so good. One firm didn't have an environmental practice. When I mentioned environmental litigation, which was advertised on the firm's website, my interviewer said, oh, yeah, I think we had a case. Once. Another firm only had a real estate practice. One firm is based in Sacramento, and the other was for a governmental organization that doesn't pay. Uhh, I'm not MOVING to SF for the summer to work for free, buddy. What am I? 21 years old?
* On Sunday, my hosts, see above, took me out and about in Berkeley. Ran into traffic and crowds from the Cal v. Illinois football game. Had fantastic pizza. Walked around the Berkeley botanical garden. And went shopping. At this huge t-shirt shop with all sorts of funny and cool t-shirts, I came away with a plain black shirt. Eh, go figure.
* I had a stack of rejection letters waiting for me when I got home this morning. Most of them I was expecting. One of them I was optimistically expecting a call back. And one of them was a toss-up. I shouldn't have been shocked, but reading one right after the other was kind of tedious. See Point 1 above. It's ok, though. I'm doing ok in terms of interviewing, so I'm not really sweating it.
* My apartment is a mess and I do not see myself remedying that situation anytime in the near future.
* Must get to gym today. [Update: I so did not get to the gym. Instead, I took about 5 naps on Sunday.]
Monday, September 12, 2005
a few random thoughts
* I live by one of the most god-awfully smelly places in all of the world. There's this alley that is on the other side of the street from my side, and occasionally when I walk to and from the T stop, I pass by it. Really, I try to avoid doing it when possible b/c evil evil things must go on in that alley, because the smell...oh god, even a good drenching rain can't wash it away.
* I think I have a sinus infection. It makes my nose leak randomly and at inopportune times. I forgot tissues today.
* One of my classes only meets on Monday and today was our first meeting of the year. It's full of mostly 3Ls. I got called on -- the very first person on the very first day. It was very nearly crash-and-burn but right before you should have stuck a fork in me, I managed to pull it out of freefall. Oh, mixed metaphors. This class meets from 3-6, which is going to be incredibly depressing in a few weeks when it's dark at 6.
* Yesterday I studied at the Hillel House. It's amazing there. I was kinda nervous going, what with me not being Jewish and all, but the receptionist was super friendly. I guess it makes sense not to exclude, you know, non-Jews from a campus building and all.
* I [heart] volleyball.
* I may come to [heart] wallyball. Apparently, it's volleyball played on a racquetball court. Hmm... They're having a "intro to wallyball" IM event in November or something, they being the powers that be at my university that organize IM events. I'm either going to love it or HATE it, because it's going to be so much more chaotic than volleyball. I'm hoping for loving it, and that it's chaotic like broomball. Oh, broomball. I [heart] that, too. One day, I will convert all the naysayers and doubters to the joy and wonder of broomball.
[My goodness, I am bored and unmotivated and it's only the second week of school. How I ramble on...]
* I live by one of the most god-awfully smelly places in all of the world. There's this alley that is on the other side of the street from my side, and occasionally when I walk to and from the T stop, I pass by it. Really, I try to avoid doing it when possible b/c evil evil things must go on in that alley, because the smell...oh god, even a good drenching rain can't wash it away.
* I think I have a sinus infection. It makes my nose leak randomly and at inopportune times. I forgot tissues today.
* One of my classes only meets on Monday and today was our first meeting of the year. It's full of mostly 3Ls. I got called on -- the very first person on the very first day. It was very nearly crash-and-burn but right before you should have stuck a fork in me, I managed to pull it out of freefall. Oh, mixed metaphors. This class meets from 3-6, which is going to be incredibly depressing in a few weeks when it's dark at 6.
* Yesterday I studied at the Hillel House. It's amazing there. I was kinda nervous going, what with me not being Jewish and all, but the receptionist was super friendly. I guess it makes sense not to exclude, you know, non-Jews from a campus building and all.
* I [heart] volleyball.
* I may come to [heart] wallyball. Apparently, it's volleyball played on a racquetball court. Hmm... They're having a "intro to wallyball" IM event in November or something, they being the powers that be at my university that organize IM events. I'm either going to love it or HATE it, because it's going to be so much more chaotic than volleyball. I'm hoping for loving it, and that it's chaotic like broomball. Oh, broomball. I [heart] that, too. One day, I will convert all the naysayers and doubters to the joy and wonder of broomball.
[My goodness, I am bored and unmotivated and it's only the second week of school. How I ramble on...]
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
6am blogging
BRAIN MAY STILL BE EVOLVING, STUDIES HINT
from The New York Times
OK, I realize it's the 6 o'clock hour, and the only reason I'm up blogging at this hour is because we had an open bar social after our journal training last night, and thus everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. But isn't it kind of presumptuous to think that humans had stopped evolving? I mean, on the whole, sure, humans have accomplished a lot, but look around, it ain't perfect. We use only a small percentage of our brains. We fuck everything up. I would hope to high heaven that after billions of years of evolution, our pathetic existence is NOT all that genetics and evolution could come up with. For crying out loud.
BRAIN MAY STILL BE EVOLVING, STUDIES HINT
from The New York Times
Two genes involved in determining the size of the human brain have undergone substantial evolution in the last 60,000 years, researchers say, leading to the surprising suggestion that the brain is still undergoing rapid evolution.
The discovery adds weight to the view that human evolution is still a work in progress, since previous instances of recent genetic change have come to light in genes that defend against disease and confer the ability to digest milk in adulthood.
It had been widely assumed until recently that human evolution more or less stopped 50,000 years ago.
OK, I realize it's the 6 o'clock hour, and the only reason I'm up blogging at this hour is because we had an open bar social after our journal training last night, and thus everything I say should be taken with a grain of salt. But isn't it kind of presumptuous to think that humans had stopped evolving? I mean, on the whole, sure, humans have accomplished a lot, but look around, it ain't perfect. We use only a small percentage of our brains. We fuck everything up. I would hope to high heaven that after billions of years of evolution, our pathetic existence is NOT all that genetics and evolution could come up with. For crying out loud.
Friday, September 09, 2005
hmm...
From NYTimes.com: In New Orleans, a Legal System Is in Shambles
by Peter Applebome and Jonathan D. Glater
From NYTimes.com: In New Orleans, a Legal System Is in Shambles
by Peter Applebome and Jonathan D. Glater
BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 8 - At Rapides Parish Detention Center 3 in Alexandria, which normally holds convicted felons, there are now 200 new inmates who arrived hot, hungry and exhausted on buses this week after being evacuated from flooded jails in New Orleans.
They have no paperwork indicating whether they are charged with having too much to drink or attempted murder. There is no judge to hear their cases, no courthouse designated to hear them in and no lawyer to represent them. If lawyers can be found, there is no mechanism for paying them. The prisoners have had no contact with their families for days and do not know whether they are alive or dead, if their homes do or do not exist.
Along with the destruction of homes, neighborhoods and lives, Hurricane Katrina decimated the legal system of the New Orleans region.
More than a third of the state's lawyers have lost their offices, some for good. Most computer records will be saved. Many other records will be lost forever. Some local courthouses have been flooded, imperiling a vast universe of files, records and documents. Court proceedings from divorces to murder trials, to corporate litigation, to custody cases will be indefinitely halted and when proceedings resume lawyers will face prodigious - if not insurmountable - obstacles in finding witnesses and principals and in recovering evidence.
It is an implosion of the legal network not seen since disasters like the Chicago fire of 1871 or the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, events in times so much simpler as to be useless in making much sense of this one.
"There aren't too many catastrophes that have just wiped out entire cities," said Robert Gordon, a professor at Yale Law School who teaches legal history.
The effects on individual lawyers vary, from large firms that have already been able to find space, contact clients and resume working on cases, to individual lawyers who fear they may never be able to put their practices back together. But the storm has left even prominent lawyers wondering whether they will have anything to go back to.
i'm a bad person
I often read about historical atrocities -- e.g. slavery, women's voting rights, etc. -- and think, man, if I were living in that time, I would sooo be fighting the good fight for [insert cause here]. But, really, would I? There is so much crap going on in the world -- outright genocide, war, inequality, poverty, etc. -- I don't really do anything about. I set on my arse, read about it in the Times and pat myself on the back for reading the paper, and then just sit on my arse and continue along in my self-involved way. I would have been even worse back then because I wouldn't have had the internet to help me stay informed.
I am a bad person.
I am also a bad person because I am 2/3 of the way to fully selling out. I did 8 interviews today, from 9:20 to 5:20. I got blisters on my feet from my shoes. I took the T home with a bunch of other lame commuters. And I'm well on my way to corporate law. Hrmph.
I often read about historical atrocities -- e.g. slavery, women's voting rights, etc. -- and think, man, if I were living in that time, I would sooo be fighting the good fight for [insert cause here]. But, really, would I? There is so much crap going on in the world -- outright genocide, war, inequality, poverty, etc. -- I don't really do anything about. I set on my arse, read about it in the Times and pat myself on the back for reading the paper, and then just sit on my arse and continue along in my self-involved way. I would have been even worse back then because I wouldn't have had the internet to help me stay informed.
I am a bad person.
I am also a bad person because I am 2/3 of the way to fully selling out. I did 8 interviews today, from 9:20 to 5:20. I got blisters on my feet from my shoes. I took the T home with a bunch of other lame commuters. And I'm well on my way to corporate law. Hrmph.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
day 2
No, I will not give a daily summary for every day of law school. After a few weeks, the days will become a lot more monotonous and mundane and ... well, I don't know that there's room to get busier. Life is insane right now.
Today was kind of a crappy day. Biffed my three interviews, I think. Doesn't matter what the other person thinks. I felt crappy coming out of them, and it affected my mood for the rest of the afternoon / evening. I hate the way I obsess about these things.
But then my evening picked up. There might be 20,000 undergrads, but I have one favorite, and he is back where he should be.
I'm prepping my the job fair tomorrow and interviewing these firms has been the most laborious endeavor EVER. Homework? What homework? I'm not doing any b/c I am not going to class tomorrow and don't have any on Friday. I hope to tackle that pile of laundry before it tackles me...
No, I will not give a daily summary for every day of law school. After a few weeks, the days will become a lot more monotonous and mundane and ... well, I don't know that there's room to get busier. Life is insane right now.
Today was kind of a crappy day. Biffed my three interviews, I think. Doesn't matter what the other person thinks. I felt crappy coming out of them, and it affected my mood for the rest of the afternoon / evening. I hate the way I obsess about these things.
But then my evening picked up. There might be 20,000 undergrads, but I have one favorite, and he is back where he should be.
I'm prepping my the job fair tomorrow and interviewing these firms has been the most laborious endeavor EVER. Homework? What homework? I'm not doing any b/c I am not going to class tomorrow and don't have any on Friday. I hope to tackle that pile of laundry before it tackles me...
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
day 1: complete
My abbreviated schedule for today: interview, interview, class, swim class, interview, interview, class. Started at 9am, finished at 5:45. Hit up a reception at school for some snacks and an end-of-day aperitif. Mmmm. Then my classmate's wife came to school to pick her up. (Oh, you read that sentence right, my friends. If you haven't caught on yet, I do live in Massachusetts.) And I got to see their brand new squiggly squishy adorable tasty yummy baby. And then they went home, which is exactly how babies in my life should be (i.e. going home with other people).
You know, my interviews today, not so bad. Two I would say were ok, and two were eh. (I tend to be conservative with my adjectives when it comes to things like this.) But all better than most of my interviews in the spring. And, dare I say it, I had FUN. FUN WAS HAD BY ME! I had the same attitude after moot court. I was all scared and then I ended up having fun. The interviewers are real people too, many of them are alums of my school. And all my interviewers were chatty interesting people. It was nice to start off my first interview with a dude who talked for about 15 minutes, blew sunshine up my ass about my resume, and then gave me a post-it cube. Seriously. Sunshine up butt and office products. Could the day get better?
I think a big part of my confidence was wearing my power suit. And by power suit, I mean it was really expensive. I think I look good in it. If you missed me in it, don't worry, you have the next two days and then next Tuesday and Wednesday to catch me in it. But the shoes. Oh the shoes. Ouch. I could barely stand up when I got home at 7pm tonight. Ouch. I'm such a sellout.
On a final note of summary ... my swim class kinda sucks. Have you ever seen the start of the Iron Man triathalon, or any triathalon for that matter? You know how the mass of people all take off at the start and go nuts and the water looks like it's full of hungry piranha feeding on many fat cows? That's about what my swim class looked like today, as we were swimming in the diving well, all 4700 of us in 5 lanes. When I told the instructor my time, though, she was impressed (that a fat cow like me could swim at even a moderate pace). I took the class with her all of last year, so she kind of knows me. I think the class will get better. We're supposed to move to the main pool next week, and people tend to stop coming (last semester, that was me).
Ok, that's it for now. I'm almost done researching my firms for my interviews tomorrow, and then I have this pesky little thing called homework...
My abbreviated schedule for today: interview, interview, class, swim class, interview, interview, class. Started at 9am, finished at 5:45. Hit up a reception at school for some snacks and an end-of-day aperitif. Mmmm. Then my classmate's wife came to school to pick her up. (Oh, you read that sentence right, my friends. If you haven't caught on yet, I do live in Massachusetts.) And I got to see their brand new squiggly squishy adorable tasty yummy baby. And then they went home, which is exactly how babies in my life should be (i.e. going home with other people).
You know, my interviews today, not so bad. Two I would say were ok, and two were eh. (I tend to be conservative with my adjectives when it comes to things like this.) But all better than most of my interviews in the spring. And, dare I say it, I had FUN. FUN WAS HAD BY ME! I had the same attitude after moot court. I was all scared and then I ended up having fun. The interviewers are real people too, many of them are alums of my school. And all my interviewers were chatty interesting people. It was nice to start off my first interview with a dude who talked for about 15 minutes, blew sunshine up my ass about my resume, and then gave me a post-it cube. Seriously. Sunshine up butt and office products. Could the day get better?
I think a big part of my confidence was wearing my power suit. And by power suit, I mean it was really expensive. I think I look good in it. If you missed me in it, don't worry, you have the next two days and then next Tuesday and Wednesday to catch me in it. But the shoes. Oh the shoes. Ouch. I could barely stand up when I got home at 7pm tonight. Ouch. I'm such a sellout.
On a final note of summary ... my swim class kinda sucks. Have you ever seen the start of the Iron Man triathalon, or any triathalon for that matter? You know how the mass of people all take off at the start and go nuts and the water looks like it's full of hungry piranha feeding on many fat cows? That's about what my swim class looked like today, as we were swimming in the diving well, all 4700 of us in 5 lanes. When I told the instructor my time, though, she was impressed (that a fat cow like me could swim at even a moderate pace). I took the class with her all of last year, so she kind of knows me. I think the class will get better. We're supposed to move to the main pool next week, and people tend to stop coming (last semester, that was me).
Ok, that's it for now. I'm almost done researching my firms for my interviews tomorrow, and then I have this pesky little thing called homework...
Monday, September 05, 2005
undergrads make my tummy hurt
The T ride from hell: getting packed in like sardines with baseball fans. They get off. Then the freshmen get on b/c they're all going to convocation or something. Like 5000 of them. Thankfully some of them walked. They get off. Then everyone and their mother was at the grocery store and they get on. A trip that was maybe 2 miles took 35 minutes. So wrong.
I have interviews tomorrow. I'm so nervous. I'm canning answers, prepping documents, learning about the firms. If the firm has 8 names in its name, do I have to remember them all? I haven't finished my homework, but that's because I HAVE INTERVIEWS TOMORROW. They make me so nervous. Oh, did I say that already? I know that by the end of this whole ordeal, I will have some good interviews and some awful interviews and some where it's just eh. And probably, by the end, I'll have dry cleaned my suit several times and become numb to the whole ordeal. That's ok. I'll get through it. I just get so nervous beforehand, but I know I'll be alright once I get down to it. So get down to it already! Let me get on with my life!
Here's a quandary: How soon after meeting someone are you allowed to add them as your friend on friendster or facebook?
The T ride from hell: getting packed in like sardines with baseball fans. They get off. Then the freshmen get on b/c they're all going to convocation or something. Like 5000 of them. Thankfully some of them walked. They get off. Then everyone and their mother was at the grocery store and they get on. A trip that was maybe 2 miles took 35 minutes. So wrong.
I have interviews tomorrow. I'm so nervous. I'm canning answers, prepping documents, learning about the firms. If the firm has 8 names in its name, do I have to remember them all? I haven't finished my homework, but that's because I HAVE INTERVIEWS TOMORROW. They make me so nervous. Oh, did I say that already? I know that by the end of this whole ordeal, I will have some good interviews and some awful interviews and some where it's just eh. And probably, by the end, I'll have dry cleaned my suit several times and become numb to the whole ordeal. That's ok. I'll get through it. I just get so nervous beforehand, but I know I'll be alright once I get down to it. So get down to it already! Let me get on with my life!
Here's a quandary: How soon after meeting someone are you allowed to add them as your friend on friendster or facebook?
if ever you had doubts, a different type of quiz
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/TypeAB.html for determining type A/B personality.
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/TypeAB.html for determining type A/B personality.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
FINALLY! A happy(ish) story!
By Allen G. Breed, Associated Press Writer | September 4, 2005
French Quarter holdouts create 'tribes'
By Allen G. Breed, Associated Press Writer | September 4, 2005
NEW ORLEANS --In the absence of information and outside assistance, groups of rich and poor banded together in the French Quarter, forming "tribes" and dividing up the labor.
As some went down to the river to do the wash, others remained behind to protect property. In a bar, a bartender put near-perfect stitches into the torn ear of a robbery victim.
While mold and contagion grew in the muck that engulfed most of the city, something else sprouted in this most decadent of American neighborhoods -- humanity.
"Some people became animals," Vasilioas Tryphonas said Sunday morning as he sipped a hot beer in Johnny White's Sports Bar on Bourbon Street. "We became more civilized."
While hundreds of thousands fled the below-sea-level city before the storm, many refused to leave the Vieux Carre, or old quarter. Built on some of the highest ground around and equipped with underground power lines, residents considered it about the safest place to be.
Katrina blew off roof slates and knocked down some already-unstable buildings but otherwise left the 18th and 19th century homes with their trademark iron balconies intact. Even without water and power, most preferred it to the squalor and death in the emergency shelters set up at the Superdome and Convention Center.
But what had at first been a refuge soon became an ornate prison.
Police came through commandeering drivable vehicles and siphoning gas. Officials took over a hotel and ejected the guests.
An officer pumped his shotgun at a group trying to return to their hotel on Chartres Street.
"This is our block," he said, pointing the gun down a side street. "Go that way."
Jack Jones, a retired oil rig worker, bought a huge generator and stocked up on gasoline. But after hearing automatic gunfire on the next block one night, he became too afraid to use it -- for fear of drawing attention.
Still, he continues to boil his clothes in vinegar and dip water out of neighbors' pools for toilet flushing and bathing.
"They may have to shoot me to get me out of here," he said. "I'm much better off here than anyplace they might take me."
Many in outlying areas consider the Quarter a playground for the rich and complain that the place gets special attention.
Yes, wealthy people feasted on steak and quaffed warm champagne in the days after the storm. But many who stayed behind were the working poor -- residents of the cramped spaces above the restaurants and shops.
Tired of waiting for trucks to come with food and water, residents turned to each other.
Johnny White's is famous for never closing, even during a hurricane. The doors don't even have locks.
Since the storm, it has become more than a bar. Along with the warm beer and shots, the bartenders passed out scrounged military Meals Ready to Eat and bottled water to the people who drive the mule carts, bus the tables and hawk the T-shirts that keep the Quarter's economy humming.
"It's our community center," said Marcie Ramsey, 33, whom Katrina promoted from graveyard shift bartender to acting manager.
For some, the bar has also become a hospital.
Tryphonas, who restores buildings in the Quarter, left the neighborhood briefly Saturday. Someone hit him in the head with a 2-by-4 and stole his last $5.
When Tryphonas showed up at Johnny White's with his left ear split in two, Joseph Bellomy -- a customer pressed into service as a bartender -- put a wooden spoon between Tryphonas' teeth and used a needle and thread to sew it up. Military medics who later looked at Bellomy's handiwork decided to simply bandage the ear.
"That's my savior," Tryphonas said, raising his beer in salute to the former Air Force medical assistant.
A few blocks away, a dozen people in three houses got together and divided the labor. One group went to the Mississippi River to haul water, one cooked, one washed the dishes.
"We're the tribe of 12," 76-year-old Carolyn Krack said as she sat on the sidewalk with a cup of coffee, a packet of cigarettes and a box of pralines.
The tribe, whose members included a doctor, a merchant and a store clerk, improvised survival tactics. Krack, for example, brushed her dentures with antibacterial dish soap.
It had been a tribe of 13, but a member died Wednesday of a drug overdose. After some negotiating, the police carried the body out on the trunk of a car.
The neighbors knew the man only as Jersey.
Tribe member Dave Rabalais, a clothing store owner, said he thinks the authorities could restore utilities to the Quarter. But he knows that would only bring "resentment and the riffraff."
"The French Quarter is the blood line of New Orleans," he said. "They can't let anything happen to this."
On Sunday, the tribe of 12 became a tribe of eight.
Four white tour buses rolled into the Quarter under Humvee escort. National Guardsmen told residents they had one hour to gather their belongings and get a ride out. Four of the tribe members decided to leave.
"Hallelujah!" Teresa Lawson shouted as she dragged her suitcase down the road. "Thank you, Jesus!"
For Mark Rowland, the leaving was bittersweet.
"I'm heart-broken to leave the city that I love," Rowland said as he sat in the air-conditioned splendor of the bus. "It didn't have to be this way."
Saturday, September 03, 2005
help
My law school and university at large are opening their doors to local students who attend Tulane. I believe the quote in the press release used the words "sister university". I hear that there may be a school, ahem, across the river that is dragging its feet to do the same. In times of chaos, let education and civilization go on as best they can.
My law school and university at large are opening their doors to local students who attend Tulane. I believe the quote in the press release used the words "sister university". I hear that there may be a school, ahem, across the river that is dragging its feet to do the same. In times of chaos, let education and civilization go on as best they can.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
81% pure
The not-anonymous blogger behind anonymous lawyer has written a law school purity test. That's my score up there. This is the test down here:
(Can also be found here.)
I wonder what my score will be next year...
The not-anonymous blogger behind anonymous lawyer has written a law school purity test. That's my score up there. This is the test down here:
Score one point for a "yes" answer to each of the following:
I. The Basics
1. Have you ever taken the LSAT?
2. ...more than once?
3. ...more than twice?
4. Have you ever filled out a law school application form?
5. ...more than five of them?
6. ...more than ten?
7. ...more than twenty?
8. Have you ever stepped foot on a law school campus?
9. ...taken a tour?
10. ...asked a question specifically about the library?
11. Are or were you ever a law school student?
12. ...at an accredited university?
13. ...at more than one law school?
14. ...at the same time?
II. Classes
15. Have you ever missed a class?
16. ...more than half the classes in a semester?
17. ...all the classes in the semester but you still took the exam?
18. ...did you pass?
19. Have you ever chosen a class for an academically-impure reason?
20. ...like what time it met?
21. ...or what kind of exam it had?
22. Have you taken a class with the title "Law and..." ?
23. ...did you choose it because it sounded easy?
24. Do you know what the socratic method is?
25. ...have you ever been called on?
26. ...when you hadn't done the reading?
27. ...and you faked in pretty well anyway?
28. Have you ever cheated on a law school exam?
29. ...by using prohibited materials, like the Internet?
30. ...by consulting a live human being?
31. ...by obtaining a copy of the exam beforehand?
32. ...was it a legal ethics or professional responsibility exam?
33. ...did you get caught?
34. Do you know what a "gunner" is?
35. ...have you ever been one?
36. Have you ever gone down to talk to a professor at the end of a class?
37. ...more times than not?
38. Have you ever gone to office hours?
39. ...specifically to suck up to the professor?
40. Have you ever volunteered to be the student who hands in the course evaluations?
41. ...or some other similarly unnecessary duty just to curry favor?
III. Interpersonal Academic Relations
42. Have you ever borrowed notes from a classmate?
43. ...and not returned the favor when he or she asked?
44. Have you ever deliberately changed ("dumb-ified") your notes when a classmate asked for them?
45. Have you ever stolen a book from the library?
46. ...ripped pages out of a book in the library?
47. ...hidden a book somewhere it didn't belong to keep other people from finding it?
48. ...checked the book out and ignored the recall notice?
49. ...checked the book out on someone else's card and ignored the recall notice?
50. Have you ever given someone a wrong answer to a question on purpose?
51. Have you ever been part of a study group?
52. ...did you organize the study group?
53. ...did you ever kick someone else out for not pulling his or her weight?
54. ...did you just do it to get someone else's outline?
55. ...did they do better than you anyway in the class?
56. ...did you ever have a meeting that lasted more than 12 hours straight?
57. ...more than 24 hours?
IV. Interpersonal Non-Academic Relations
58. Have you ever gone on a date with a fellow law student?
59. ...in your section?
60. Have you ever made out in the library?
61. ...in a classroom?
62. ...during class?
63. ...while being called on by a professor?
64. Have you ever made out with a professor?
65. ...in a dorm room?
66. ...the week before the exam with the express intent of finding out the questions?
67. ...did it work?
V. Dorky Things To Do
68. Have you ever used Lexis or Westlaw?
69. Have you ever bought anything with Lexis or Westlaw points?
70. ...something really cool, like a TV?
71. Have you ever won a Lexis or Westlaw contest?
72. Have you ever taken any extra Lexis or Westlaw training just to win points?
73. ...just for fun?
74. Did you sign up for Bar-Bri as a 1L?
75. ...did you go to any of their 1L "review" lectures?
76. Did you buy any pre-law-school books before law school?
77. ...more than five?
78. ...were any of them "study guides" like "Getting to Maybe" ?
79. Have you ever listened to any law-school-related cassette tapes?
80. ...are you too embarassed to admit it to anyone?
VI. The Recruiting Process
81. Have you ever interviewed with a law firm?
82. ...more than fifty of them?
83. Did you ever get a callback?
84. On your callback, did the firm pay for your flight and/or hotel?
85. ...did you bill them for meals?
86. ...meals your friends ate?
87. ...meals no one ate but you just wanted the money?
88. Did you ever get an offer?
89. ...more than five?
90. Did you make the firm wait before you accepted just because you could?
91. ...more than two firms?
92. Did you lie on your resume?
93. ...on your transcript?
94. ...about something serious?
95. ...did you get caught?
VII. Finally...
96. Have you ever worked for a law firm?
97. ...did you like it?
98. ...did you love it?
99. ...is there nothing else you'd rather do in the world?
100. ...but you'll be a lawyer anyway? :)
Count up the number of "yes" answers and subtract from 100. This is your law school purity percentage.
80%-100% -- Are you sure you're a law student?
60%-80% -- Nothing to be ashamed of
40%-60% -- I hear white-collar prison isn't too bad
0% - 40% -- I want you to be my defense attorney
(Can also be found here.)
I wonder what my score will be next year...
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