Christmas Break Movie Watching

It sure has been a long time since I posted last, I guess I’m on the blogging hiatus that most of the other bloggers are on too.

I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately in an effort to catch up on what I missed during the semester. So far, since Finals I’ve seen the following movies:
Thank You For Smoking – A great movie, very funny. 3 (of 4) stars
Sopranos Season 6 Vols. 1-4 – The first few episodes sucked ass, but it seems to have gotten better as it went along. I’m still waiting for the rest of the season but it doesn’t look like it will be out by the time school starts up again.
Click – An interesting movie, not what I was really expecting form an Adam Sandler flick. Had plenty of funny moments, but the plot twist made it too serious of a movie, IMO. 2.5 stars
Failure to Launch – I DID NOT pick this movie. It sucked even more than I thought it would. Is it possible to give negative stars? It’s my rating system, so yes: -2 stars
Lucky Number Sleven – A good movie with an interesting story. I might have thought it better had the casting not been so odd. I had a hard time seeing Morgan Freeman and Sir Ben Kingsley as opposing mob bosses. 3 stars
Little Miss Sunshine – Not what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be a comedy, but I thought it more a drama with a lot of comedic relief. A very good movie with a hilarious ending: 3.5 stars
Talledega Nights – Much better than I thought it would be. It was a very funny movie. 3 stars
Clerks II – One of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. There is definitely something to offend every one. The first Clerks is one of my favorite movies, Clerks II, is a good follow up, but doesn’t have the same (e.g. low budget, independent, experimental, etc.) feel as the first. 4 stars
Fearless – Ever since Hero, I’ve become a Jet Li fan. This is a great movie with a great story. Very character driven unlike Hero which, IMO, was story driven. 4 stars

A FITting end.

I can’t believe that some grades are starting to trickle in. Now that I have one class officially behind me, I had to properly dispose of the book (see below). I couldn’t think of a better way to put that class behind me.

And done.

I am officially halfway done with law school. (assuming I have not failed any classes, a fairly big assumption at this point)

Misc. and Westlaw Still Sucks

It amazes me exactly how often the people at Westlaw Googles themselves (and the phrase “Westlaw Sucks”). I would think they would have something better to do on a Sunday night.

Anyhow, since you are here, Mr./Ms. Westlaw, can you please explain why you ended Westlaw Trivia on December 16? At UT, finals run until December 22, and I suspect more than a couple students still use your service. If you want to say that you are too cheap to hand out points for an extra week, that’s okay. It’s also okay if you want to say that UT’s administration is to blame for having finals so damn late. Also, feel free to comment that you cater your programs to more elite schools. I anxiously await your reply.

--------

And for those of you needing another distraction before your next final, here you go. I am sorry that it’s not as addictive as clubbing baby seals.

--------

Oh, and I don’t mean to sound like a braggart, but I’ve just been named Time’s Man of the Year.

Nothing much to say today

So here is a small tribute the Lawyer I hope to one day become, Lionel Hutz.

Three down

One to go.

I am beat. Physically, mentally, and any other way you can think of. Over the last two days I have had my two hardest finals ever. The one I have left, I’ve been told, should not be a problem. But there is a problem, I’ve done zero work for it all semester. That’s not an exaggeration, either.

One more thing, after some discussions with classmates, I will never take B.A. with Sokolow nor Fed Courts. From what I’ve heard about those finals, I don’t want anything to do with them.

More distractions

It seems that the other blogs have stopped posting distractions. Well, if you are tired of those old distractions, here’s some more.

This one is my favorite.

Yet another post about Finals

Why? Because I’m a law student, that’s why.

I didn’t realize it was possible, but my motivation has actually decreased.

If there is any up side to this, it is the lack of stress I’m feeling. I’m not completely stress free, but compared to last year, I’m on Cloud 9. The stress I do feel isn’t even related to the exams. As for studying, I think that 1 to 3 is a fair estimate as to how much I’ve studied this Fall for finals compared to last Fall. I am screwed and I have come to grips with it. It’s called Acceptance. It’s also the final stage of grief.

Oh and what kind of idiot schedules an interview in the middle of finals in a city two hours away? An idiot that is both pretty damn stupid and pretty damn desperate. In other words, me.

Last minute miracle

If you are in need of a last minute miracle (as I am), the only source for them is the Bible. What's that you say? No time to read?
No problem. Audio bibles are the way to go. I suggest this one. After all, if Samuel L. Jackson is the voice of God, you better listen.

Gives new meaning to Ezekiel 25:17, doesn't it?

Screwed

That is what I am. Last night, when I had about 36 hours before my first final exam, what did I decide to do? I don't know, but I do know what I didn't do, Study. Maybe it was that damn computer program that the prof suggested, maybe it was the inability to shake the laziness that has stuck with me all semester, but all I know is that the last thing I wanted to think about was Law, so I went out to dinner. It didn't help that family decided to come in for a visit. And yes, they knew I had finals.

There you have it, my official prediction as to how my semester is going to go. In just a few short days this will be me (but hopefully without what appear to be man-boobs):

Rant

Warning: Do not read this post if you do not want to hear the obscenity laced rant of a Law Student preparing for finals. Also, there will probably be more misspellings and typos due to my current enraged state.

In preparing for one of my finals, the Prof suggested using some internet based sample questions. I swear this program is just fucking with my mind! I am even more confused now than when I started this damn exercise. I don’t know what right or wrong, here or there, up or down.

The first exercise went something like this:
Statement of facts. Question, yes or no.
I click “yes”
Then the program says: but consider that blah blah blah. Now answer your questions again.
I think, Hmmm, that’s not how I remembered that issue, but maybe it’s right. Click No.
Computer then says, Wrong, the correct answer is “Yes.”
Then why did you give me all that other blah blah blah bullshit when I got the question right?

After a few of those, and contemplating throwing my laptop across the room, I think maybe it’s just too late, I need some rest.

Now this morning, I try the program again and get an experience like this:
Facts. Question, Yes or No.

I click no, because I think that’s the answer. The computer replies: “Wrong, the answer is Close.”

What the fuck kind of answer is close? How the hell am I supposed to learn anything with a damn answer like “close?” This isn’t a mother-fucking in-person hypo, where the prof is trying t hammer out the nuances of the law. This is supposed to be a yes or no answer. This isn’t an essay question!!! How do you expect me to answer “close” if I can’t make an argument?

I hate you, internet learning!! Damn your eyes (if you have them). Damn your children! May the wrath of Posner, Scalia, and John Marshall fall upon you. May you be attacked with the vengeance of a thousand viruses. May your servers be infected with worms, and I don’t mean computer viruses. I hope whoever wrote these dame questions and answers is happily living in a box under a bridge somewhere eating what other bums throw away.

Ultimate Time Waste

A sincere thank you to Mr. McGee for all the great distractions he has been providing recently. However, I was sent an email with the worst possible time waster.

WARNING: If you are serious about studying, DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK.

Update: The font was adjusted to emphasize the danger of the above link.

And thus continues…

…the stupidest tradition in law school. I’m speaking, of course, of the tradition of clapping for your professor at the end of the semester. I still have no idea how this started or why it even continues.

This semester isn’t as bad as last year since I actually like most of my professors. There is one professor that I’m glad I took. He was a great teacher and a real credit to the law school. I think that the same clap that all the other professors get is simply inadequate. So, if you are in that class with me, join me in an Arsenio Hall style whoo-whoop-whoop!

--------------------

Yet another reason to hate Westlaw.

This was my Westlaw Trivia question:
Question: To search for cases referring to psycho, psychotic or psychopathic clowns, you should search:

These should have been the options:
A) under your bed
B) in your nightmares
C) in your suppressed memories
D) all of the above

Misc.

As most of the UT Blawgs slow their postings to a trickle, Ex.Coll. will continue his near daily blogging. So, everyone who is in class with me, please email me and I will give you my locker number so you can slide a $10 bill in appreciation for me taking a slot at the bottom of the curve. Cash only, no checks.
-----------
Is it possible to block just one internet site on a computer?

Let’s say (hypothetically, of course) that I was addicted to a website. Say games.yahoo.com. Is it possible to just prevent me from going to that one site? Oh never mind.

Thank you, D. Yes, the same D who helped me waste a significant amount of time writing limericks.
-----------
I’ve noticed a slight increase of traffic on my blog these last couple of days. I assumed it was due to people searching for homeless sex, but actually the searches that are bringing people in are searches for “Travis Club Senators” (Who the hell would want to Google that? I can’t even imagine searching a Walgreen’s for them.) and “legal limericks.”

The Travis Club searches surprised me. First off, that someone would be searching for information on buck-a-smoke cigars, and secondly that one of the searches came from West Point and another from Mills Shirley. Remind me never to work at that firm.

As for the Legal Limericks, I’m just glad I was able to fill a void.
------------
I ate Georges for lunch today. I stayed away from the tacos and went for the burger on a baguette. I was not impressed. Overpriced. Crappy. Nothing more to say about it.

Woo-Hoo!

I have no idea how I was able to miss this last night, but the University of Spoiled Children got knocked out of No. 2 in the BCS. Woo-hoo! Christmas came early for me. I had hoped for the Longhorns to repeat, but I knew that would be a long shot at best. My second hope for the season was that USC wouldn’t get another shot.

Since I missed the game, I don’t know if they cried about the loss a la Matt Leinert after loosing to UT.

Shameless Link

Longhorn Law posted a link to Calvin and Hobbs on YouTube. The only reason I am reposting the link here is because this is from Robot Chicken (which for those of you who haven’t been paying attention, is my favorite show). I can’t believe the third comment on the blog, though. Seriously, Jeff, get a life, it’s a friggen animated parody show. I can only imagine what he would have said about Robot Chicken’s take on Charlie Brown’s Great Pumpkin.

Wasted days and wasted nights

There is just over a week left until finals begin, so what did I do for more than half the day yesterday? Run errands. One of them was taking care of a ticket. I had to go to a JP court. I’d been there before and it was always in and out, no problem. But this time, for some reason, I actually had to talk to the judge. Since I had already missed my court date, I was the last case herd, there went half the day.

So, now that I have lost more than a half day of studying, what will I be doing today? Sleeping late and later I’ll be going to a Christmas party.

At lest I’m not stressed over finals.

A very disturbing image

I hoped to never have to blog about this, but I fear it is the only way to purge this out or my memory. I few weeks ago I saw what I believe was the most disturbing thing I have ever seen.

I thought that I would be able to suppress the image for as long as it took me to forget and I would never have to speak or think of it again. I was pretty successful in it’s suppression until… the friend I was with at the time mentioned it to me a few days ago. Since then I have been unable to get it out of my head. My hope now is that if I blog about it, and put it out for the whole world (the whole world = my three regular readers) to see, I can somehow purge it permanently from my head without actually talking about it.

The disturbing scene I had the misfortune of seeing was… homeless sex.

Yes, I had the misfortune of seeing two homeless people fornicating on a sidewalk. It was a pretty very disgusting site. I was in an area of town where many homeless seem to congregate. I was at a stop sign (the second car, actually) and I was looking around when I saw a homeless couple, sharing a sleeping bag on the side walk. Sharing a sleeping bag, face to face, facing each other, with movement in the mid section. Had that been all, I could have easily forgotten the image knowing that sex was likely but still not certain. But then I saw the guy moving around too much. The sleeping bag fell off. The worst part of the sleeping bag to fall off. There was then no doubt whatsoever. I saw a total of about one to two seconds, and it was the WRONG one or two to see. Without even knowing I said “they are having sex.” My friend turned, saw the scene and confirmed it. The car in front of me finally moved and I then ran the stop sign in an effort to get away from the scene as fast as I could.

I know that by posting this I am opening myself up to all kinds of comments that I am some closet homeless voyeur, that I’m just an ordinary perv, or that I’m somehow anti-homeless people. But I’m not, really I’m not. If I was a perv (not that there’s anything wrong with that (apologies to Seinfeld)) I hope that I wouldn’t be so desperate to troll around under bridges hoping to see homeless sex. As for being anti-homeless, I know that the homeless have needs and urges, just please don’t fill those needs and urges on the sidewalk during the day when traffic is around. Is that too much to ask? I think not.

I have a feeling that I’ll be deleting my first post very soon…

I thought this was interesting

I know I don’t usually link to news articles, but I found this interesting. A federal judge has held that the current form of paper money in the United States is discriminatory against people who are blind. It was from a District Court and I just don’t see this being upheld on appeal. This isn’t to say the legal arguments are unsound, I just find it very hard to believe that that the Court of Appeals (or SCOTUS) will let stand an order to the US Treasury to completely revamp all paper currency.

This thought just came to me, what about checks???

I was a poet and didn’t even know it.

I was sitting in the Lounge this morning discussing my most recent post. The conversation soon moved from criticism of my most recent attempt at haiku to the lack of legal limericks. A Google search proved to be pretty disappointing, but it did come up with this blog. After reading them we agreed most were pretty bad and that we could come up with much better ones. I don’t know if that was proven by this sampeling, but without further adieu, I present more legal limericks. (Names have been redacted to protect the guilty when necessary.)

There once was a law prof named Mitch

Whose students all thought him a bitch.

There was too much to read,

So they all then agreed,

He’d be better off found in a ditch.

--D

Contracts with Rau was quite bad.

The students all thought they’d been had.

Damages was all that he taught,

Till their brains started to rot,

Now they all have gone quite mad.

--D

Wills is a class, it’s been said,

Whose material is dense as lead,

But the key to remember,

All the way till December,

Is in the end, everyone ends up dead.

-- Ex.Coll.

Ascher once taught a tax class.

His delivery was smooth as glass.

Some clauses did bite,

As Congress did write,

But they pulled all out of their ass.

--Ex.Coll

UPDTE: This site has much better limericks the the previously linked to blog.

An ode / to iPod / Haiku

i Pod, I miss you.

Sans you, read in quiet I must.

Read in quiet I hate.

------------

In case it isn’t apparent in my poem, my iPod is gone. I had no idea I was hooked to it. I have a smaller (capacity), less user-friendly, mp3 player, but I’ve lost most of my iTunes.

Does anyone have a website where I can download some classical music? If so, please post in the comments or email me. (excollblog@yahoo.com) Thanks.

football

Like an alcoholic who knows he got a problem but is not ready to admit it, I just wasn’t ready to say that the Horns had been overrated all season. It is now painfully obvious. I, along with most fans, was willing to accept the loss to No. 1, but losing two consecutive games to unranked teams? How the Hell do you explain that? To go from talk (very outside chance) of going for the national championship again, to setting for the Big 12 title, to now hoping that OU manages to screw it up against OK state.

What went wrong today? Plenty. I could chalk up a lot of it to some of the worst officiating I’ve seen all season. I could also blame it on the couple cheap shots the Aggies laid on our QB. But even those things can’t make up for the Longhorn’s own shortcomings.

They were finally able to stop the pass, but allowed the Aggies to run all over them. Then there were the turnovers. And Colt not being at 100% and thus causing him to throw bad passes that should have been completed. Oh, and don’t forget what I said about the last game, we don’t have a god backup QB. QB2 did have a 100% pass completion rate; the only problem is that it was to an Aggie.

Man on man, this sucks.

Why I Smoke Cigars

I came across this article today while I was avoiding studying. Its a great article that I wholeheartedly agree with.

----------------------------

Why I Smoke Cigars

By Dennis Prager
FrontPageMagazine.com November 21, 2006

There are few personal confessions more likely to alienate many Americans than to admit to smoking. Singles ads are filled with people who will never even go on a first date with someone who smokes. I strongly suspect that more women would date a millionaire who earned his money disreputably than a millionaire who smoked.

Drinkers are far more highly regarded than smokers, as are playboys, gamblers, lawyers, politicians and almost anyone else except child molesters.

So I have no doubt that some readers who until now have held me in esteem will lose respect for me when they learn that not only do I smoke cigars and a pipe, but I love doing so, have no interest in stopping and have been happy to pass this pleasure on to my older son. In fact, we regularly have some of our best talks while we enjoy our cigars.

[Read the rest of the article here]

And speaking of exams…

Am I the only one disheartened by the fact that Texas came out fourth in terms of bar passage rates for the July bar?

You mean we have finals EVERY semester?

Yes, it is finals time. The time of the semester where the Tom Clark lounge is a viable study option because the library has not yet opened. The time when students curse that the coffee booth isn’t open at 8 p.m. The time when students wonder if you can actually check out books from the library.

Other blawgs have made their comments this time of semester and I had planned on posting mine, but I had a very difficult time in coming up with anything decent (I know, that’s never stopped be from posting before). Anyhow, as I was browsing the internet, in an effort to stay awake in class, I came across the following picture. It speaks volumes to my thoughts at this time. Guess which one is me.

Misc.

I guess in the interest of full disclosure, I should reveal what the cigar was that I blind tasted. The only thing I was told was that it was a Fuente. It has to be a green band, because it was Conn. Shade wrapper. I was not told the specific size, but I am going to guess that it was a Cuban Corona. I think my experience is not typical for Fuentes, I assume I just got a dud.
-------------------
OSU and Michigan are playing right now. It’s halftime and OSU is proving why they are #1.

Blind Tasting Results

First my rating system. I will be using a 100 point scale with the breakdown as follows:
Appearance: 10 points
Construction (including draw): 20 points
Beginning flavor (first ¼ of cigar): 20 points
Ending flavor (remaining ¾): 40 points
Overall enjoyment (a somewhat arbitrary number that I assign to how all the other factors come together): 10 points

First thought on the cigar: defiantly not a Cuban cigar. The wrapper is probably Connecticut Shade (a negative since I rarely like Conn Shade cigars). When I first got the cigar, it was kind of squishy to the touch; I assumed it was because of over-humidification. When I smoked it about a week later, it had firmed up a bit, but still too soft, I attribute it to construction.

The wrapper was very nice, a light shade of brown, somewhat veiny, and with very little tooth. There was a minor tear on the wrapper near the head which could be attributed to the removal of the band.

I cut the cap and got a somewhat hard draw, probably because of the humidification. It had a good smell to it (very familiar scent, but defiantly not Cuban). The pre-light flavor was good, but not great. Appearance 9 points.

The cigar had a very good burn throughout and did not require any touch ups. The wrapper stayed intact. The draw eased up as I smoked. Construction: 18 points.

Beginning Flavor: Not good. I got an almost chemical taste to it in the very beginning. That taste died down after the first few puffs, but never really went away. It’s a medium body cigar to begin, but mellowed out fairly quickly. I might just be to harshin this aspect, but the chemical flavor really hurt the score here: 10 points.

Ending flavor: the cigar mellowed out even more but about halfway through started to develop more strength. About this time I got up form my chair and it hit me. A bit of a sleeper. The chemical taste never really left and the finish was extremely harsh. At about the 3/4 mark, I simply could not smoke any more, the flavor became too bitter and it was far too harsh to be enjoyable.. There is a lot of very dark smoke, which is uncommon for Conn Shade cigars and the ash is very dark, also uncommon. I think I might be a bit too generous on this score, but the middle of the cigar was enjoyable. Was the harsh beginning and end worth it, I don’t know, I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and awarding 35 points.

Overall, I don’t think this was a very good cigar, but it has some potential. I think a lot of negatives could be overcome with more aging. I think this cigar could be much better with about 2 years in the humidor. Would I smoke this one again, depends. If I were in a bar and just wanted something to smoke and was drinking a beer and it was offered to me for free, sure, if there were no others available. If I was at a cigar shop and I saw this on the shelf, I’d pass on it. I would not make this a part of my regular rotation. Overall Enjoyment: 5.

Final Score: 77

Blind Cigar Tasting

Normally I would never agree to this, but a classmate and fellow UT blawger offered me the challenge. A blind tasting of a cigar.

The reason I would never agree to this was because I’ve seen it blow up in other people’s faces. A few years ago, on a cigar BB that I frequent, a few guys were spouting off about how they were great cigars aficionados and how so many cigar smokers didn’t know what they were smoking and couldn’t tell a good one from a bad one. They claimed that people smoked expensive cigars only for their reputation. They then made the broad assumption that most smokers could not tell a Cuban from a non-Cuban cigar, an assumption that I share.

As typically happens once someone gets behind a keyboard, bold statements were made and three people were called out. A VERY knowledgeable member, one who’s credentials and reputation were unquestionable offered to send each of the three a pack of several cigars of varying quality and origin. They were all sent the same cigars and they were numbered and packaged by a third party. The three blowhards were then to taste the cigars and post brief reviews on the BB. The reviews were simply for fun, the challenge was simply to say whether the cigars were Cuban or not.

Needless to say the results were hilarious. I don’t think a singe one got more than 50% right. The one that got me the most was that two of the three agreed one cigar was Cuban when it was really a Travis Club Senator, a ~$1 machine made cigar that can be bought in almost any gas station in the country, and uh… not Cuban.

So, with this in my mind, I still accepted this challenge. I am not expected to guess the origin of the cigar or it’s brand, I am simply to post here my thoughts and opinion on the cigar. I have also warned the challenger that I will not be posting a Cigar Aficionado-type review. I planned on posting my response in this entry, but seeing how long-winded I’ve already made this, I’ll do it in my next post. (I’m still smoking it and gathering my thoughts).

By the way, I unknowingly accepted this challenge by two people, but the other doesn’t know about this blog and therefore has no expectation of publicly humiliating me.

God’s Gonna Cut You Down

A video was released for God’s Gonna Cut You Down, from American V: A Hundred Highways. American V was the last of Johnny’s albums and was released posthumously. Johnny had selected all the songs for the album, but the final mixes were put together after he died. I think the album was great and this song is defiantly my favorite from the CD, but I’m not sure about the video.

It is a nice tribute, but I’m not sure that it should have been mixed with the song. The people featured on it, IMO, don’t really fit the tone of the song, one of righteousness, of going forth and doing God’s will.

I’ve not read much about the video itself, so I may be wrong, but it seems to me it’s just a bunch of the Hollywood-hipsters (very few, if any, of them deserve to be put into the same category of JR Cash, but maybe that’s the point) taking short videos of themselves and superimposing them over a Johnny Cash song.

I’ve watched it several times and I just can’t get the visuals to go with the song.

Any Johnny Cash fans want to chime in?

A BCS Shakeup

A hell of a week for college football. Rutgers started a trend because this week numbers 3, 5, 6, and 8, all lost this week to teams they should have won. This should make this week’s BCS ranking interesting.

Semi-live football blogging.

I call this "semi-live" becasue I don't plan on keeping this up all game as I did last time.

I’m watching the Longhorns tonight. 6:30 left in the half. All I have to say is W – T – F?

Why is it that Mack Brown never sees the need to have a decent backup quarterback? Everyone on the team has a good back up, depth is never a problem, except for the QB.


Texs Down 21-14.

UPDTE:
What the shit is going on here? How the Hell is Texas going to do shit with all these damn turnovers???
Texas down 35-21.

Generosity

Law schools have a reputation for being very competitive places and law students often have the reputation for being unwilling to help other students. I’ve heard first-hand accounts from people at other law schools, but I can honestly say I’ve never seen it or even heard about it at UT.

Just a few weeks ago, when it was discovered that a fellow student was in a car accident and was injured and lost her school work, other students took it upon themselves to help her out. Last year, other students were helping to bring a sick student’s family into the country for a visit they could otherwise not afford.

I had a minor setback this week, and was amazed at the assistance given to me by other students. Some I know are readers of this blog, I don’t know if others are. Whatever the case, I’m pretty sure you know who you are. To all of you I want to give you my sincerest thank you.

So my advice to everyone, is to always be willing to give a hand, you never know when you will need one yourself. You might also be humbled at the extent that others are willing to help you out.

Notice to all Independent Voters

In just a few minutes it can be a historic day, if you do your duty. In just a few minutes it will be Election Day and it is only a matter of hours before the polls will open and you have the ability to exercise the most fundamental of rights, the right to vote. It is your civic duty to make sure that your vote counts. Countless people have died so that you can stand up and make sure that you have a say in who governs you. To this day, there are people fighting and dieing to spread this right, yet in this country, the majority of those who have the right, don’t even bother to show up.

Make your voice heard. Vote and make Kinky Friedman the next Governor of the great state of Texas.

Notice to all Republican and Democratic Voters

In a few minutes it will be Tuesday. Go ahead; sleep in, you don’t have anything important to do anyway.

A couple friends came into town over the weekend. On Friday night, we were outside smoking cigars chatting about various things when the topic of Music came up. Before you knew it, two of us had out laptops out and playing what can only be described as inebriated Dueling iTunes. A couple of hours, a couple cigars, and many Vodka drinks, Tequila shots, and beers later, we declared a draw and went inside.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. I return from the grocery store and my neighbor sees me. He approaches and says “you know, on Friday night, at about 3 a.m. I heard some crazy noises. I didn’t come outside, but is sounded a lot like a couple drunks singing their heart out. They sounded like rejects from American Idol.” I told him I didn’t hear anything, blamed the homeless people in the woods and quickly went inside. I don’t think he bought it.

George’s Café v. Lava Java

As many others have already mentioned, George’s Café is now open for business, and only about a year late for what I understand. Now I could just say which I like better, but that might be based on pure emotion, so here we go, a head to head comparison on the factors most important (to me): food quality, cost, variety, hours, environment, and convenience.

Food Quality (2 points)
This one is no contest. George’s has a decent selection of breakfast tacos, but Lava Java has a different kind of variety. Granted, I’ve never had a black bean and spinach on wheat, it’s nice to know that if I ever did, it’d be there. Lava Java is skimpy on their filling, but George’s doesn’t have the quality ingredients. As I ate my bacon, egg, and cheese and potato, egg, and cheese tacos, I couldn’t help but notice the obvious fast food ingredients. It tasted like Burger King in a tortilla. Also, the tortilla tasted like it was cold before the taco was even made. This was despite being there at 8 a.m. The winner: Lava Java.

Cost (2 points)
No question, for less than $3 at Lava Java I can get two tacos and a small coffee, at George’s that would set me back more than twice that. Plus, since they are currently not taking credit cards, you might have to add an ATM fee onto that. Winner: Lava Java.

Variety (1 point)
Much of this was covered in the Food Quality category, but there are more factors to consider. I’m not sure whether to include Po-Boy’s with Lava Java, but I don’t think that would change my decision. George’s not only offers the tacos all day, but they have sandwiches and soups. While I will probably never eat them, I’ve heard they are good. Winner: George’s.

Hours (1 point)
Lava Java 7:30 – Midnight, George’s 8:00-7:00.
While Lava Java only sells tacos until 10:30, George’s sells food all day. But when finals time comes to the Tarlton and Ex.Coll. needs his coffee fix at 10 p.m., I’ll be heading to Lava Java. Plus, the extra half hour in the morning helps out early birds like myself. Winner: Lava Java.

Environment (1 point)
George’s: contemporary look with lots of space, bright colors and new furniture. There are two big screen HD TVs keeping you up to date with the goings on at the law school.
Lava Java: Small, cramped, uncomfortable chairs, dark, and kind of hippie-ish. Personally, I like Lava Java better. I’d rater have hippie-ish more than Aramark-ish, a coffee shop more than a cafeteria, Austin more than everywhere else. I can see the appeal of George’s, but it’s not for me. Plus, it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the Law School. Winner: Lava Java.

Convenience (2 points)
Notwithstanding the hours, George’s defiantly wins this. Why? Location, Location, Location. Winner: George’s

So the final tally is 6-3 for Lava Java. Sorry George’s.

Halloween

I really dislike Halloween. I have since I was about en years old. I guess I was always the party pooper that time of year, but I just hated the whole concept of the costume thing and going out panhandling for candy. Most people I know fell out of the whole thing around middle school and by high school it was rare for people to make anything out of it. About half of the people who did would simply wear their Dungeons & Dragons outfits in public. I suppose I just grew up in a town full of Halloween Grinches.

I really don’t remember what the Halloween situation in undergrad was like, but I was the polar opposite of a frat boy and my undergrad school was far from being known as a party school.

Seeing the hype around this place with Ex Parte and others baffles me. I guess it’s just not in me to do this kind of thing. Oh well, to each his own.

If you want to look for me tonight, I’ll be at either the Tarlton Book Cemetery or in the apartment with the porch light turned off.

More on cigars

For those who may be interested, the auction I referred to a couple posts back to raise money for the children of the Dominican Republic raised over $50,000 for the kids. The Culebra sold for over $1100 alone. If only I had the $$$.
---------------
And speaking of wishing I had the $$$. I decided to go over to Arlin Liss’s website. He makes what I consider to be the best humidors in the world. I’ve meet Arlin and he’s a great guy. He offered me a discount on one of his humidors, but unless that discount was in the range of 80-90%, I told him any negotiations would be moot. They are beautiful pieces of art and I have yet to hear of ANY complaint about them.
---------------
I finally got to smoke a bit over the last couple of days. Yesterday I smoked a bundled Honduran cigar from a bundle I got for free from Holt’s. I had bought very expensive (at least by my budget) box of cigars from them about a year and a half ago and they threw in the bundle for free. I couldn’t afford the box, so I split it with about 10 other guys. It was cool and I must do it again sometime.

As for the Honduran, it was good for the price. I think they go for about $3 a stick, and easily worth that, however I got my first dud of the bundle. The wrapper kept coming off. Normally this would be attributable to storage, but I double checked my hydrometer and all was okay. I inspected a few surrounding cigars and they were good too. Within a quarter of the cigar, the wrapper was flapping in the wind. A few puffs later said wrapper was gone with the wind. I always wanted to test the theory that the wrapper accounts for 90% of the cigar’s flavor, but it wouldn’t happen with this one. The constriction was so poor, the damn thing was falling apart in my mouth. Oh well…

Today I smoked a Hemingway Classic. True to it’s name, it is a classic cigar in every way, from its perfecto shape, to it’s flavor profile. The weather was perfect so I grabbed a chair, a book for class, and sat next to my apartment complex’s formerly condemned pool to fire it up. It was great. It was also about 6 hours ago. I’m now in the Tarlton trying to figure what the hell this statute says and longing for the relaxation of 6 hours ago….

Live Football Blogging

This is a first for me, live blogging.
I’m watching the Texas Texas Tech game.
More than 6 min left in the First quarter.
Texas is playing like Shit. No other way to put it. Tech is already up 14-0 and Texas has already lost one fumble.

UPDATE:
1:04 left in the first.
Colt throws an interception that is run back for their third touchdown.

Now I know what it feels like to be on the other side. UT still playing like shit.


UPDATE:
11:18 left in the 2nd.
Longhorns are playing better. They just scored, score now 21-7. The last drive wasn’t pretty and they almost last the last one, but they scored. Keep it up horns.

UPDATE:
4:35 left in the half.
Texas is finally getting better. The seem to have woken up the defense. Maybe they should tell them every play is first and goal. Texas just had a very nice run and pass. 14-24.

UPDATE:
2:15 left in the half.
Finally a break for the Horns. A turnover followed by a facemask on Tech. Ball now on the 45.

OMG! As I was typing this Colt throws a 45 yard pass to Sweed for a touchdown. 7 seconds for a turnover and score. 21-24.

UPDATE:
:24 remaining in the half.
Proving no good turn goes unpunished, Tech scores. 21-31.
If Texas doesn’t turn this around in the second half, they deserve to get knocked out of the top 10, if not the top 15. At least Texas gets the 2nd half kickoff.

UPDATE:
8:30 left in the 3rd.
Colt makes about a 10 yard run for a touchdown. Tech is reviewing it, he may have stepped out at the 3. If it is reversed, it will be only the second time a Big 12 call has been reversed, and will also be the second in this game. And the officials say… . he was out at the 2. Not a bad call.

UPDATE:
7:51 left in the 3rd.
3 hard plays later, Texas Scores. 28-31.

UPDATE:
Just when I think the Horns are getting into shape, they screw up. This time a fumble by Young. Luckily, they were finally able to stop Tech. Horns still down 28-31, but they are getting better, or probably more accurately, Tech is getting tired. End of the third.

UPDATE:
13:24 left in the fourth
Texas Touchdown, a beautiful play. 4th TD pass for Colt. Texas finally takes the lead. 35-31. just 6 more to beat the spread.

Final Update:
Game over about 20 minutes ago. Sorry, but I just couldn’t blog. My blood pressure was too high. Turnovers, penalties, good calls, close calls. Longhorns win. With USC’s loss to an unranked team, the horns should go up a bit in the rankings, but, and it pains me to say, UT was not playing like a top 5 team. To Tech’s credit, they should be ranked. They have a great team and deserve credit.

Awesome cigars

The good folks over at Cigar Family are having their annual auction to benefit the kids of the Dominican Republic. A fantastic Charity, IMO. For this auction, Carlito has his rollers make some of the most unusual cigars ever made. They are truly works of art, and they sell for very high prices. I’ve seen some of the less unusual ones, and even smoked a few. But some like the Opus Spiral Culebra, the Opus Pope’s Hat, Opus Roller's Nightmare, or the Hemingway Unedited Story, I’ve never seen in person. Just click this link and check out any of the threads for pictures of these amazing cigars. Any football lover will love this one; it was originally made for a Dan Marino tribute and auctioned for charity. And yes, it is smokeable.

When will OCI end?

While for most of my class, OCI is but a fond memory of a bygone time. It’s still kicking me in the stomach.
I suppose I did okay for the limited number of bids I put in. I got callbacks form two thirds of the interviews I was selected for and thus far have gotten offers from zero thirds. I’m still waiting to hear back from two firms. I hope to hear from them very soon so I can start strategically placing my resumes where lawyers can find them (i.e. the back of ambulances).
--------------
On a related note, overheard in an interview,
Senior Partner: This firm is a cross between a gym class, a sweatshop, and a locker room.

Are you a policy wonk?

What do you get when you cross ESPN and C-SPAN? Sports Illustrated and the New Your Times? Weed and Acid?

Answer: One of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of. Find out here.

Go Kinky!

Kinky Friedman has picked up yet another endorsement. This one is from the Round Top Register, the on-line newspaper for Round Top, Texas. In case you were wondering, Round Top is close to Carmine, Texas.

From their ringing endorsement:

He is clearly the most qualified to serve.
Therefore, our endorsement goes to Kinky Friedman for Governor of the State of Texas.
Why? Because he's the only one who is honest. He admits he's full of BS while the others try to hide what is obvious. Politics in Texas could use a little humor. God knows, there is little a rational person can do these days but laugh or cry, and laughing would be a lot more fun. We think paying someone to poke fun at the legislature until the next election would do the state a world of good. . .
As Kinky says: “Why the Hell not?”

Eat that Chris Bell.

More cleaning out the Law Mail

Law Mail group: Student Life

If you would like to learn some strategies for handling the stress associated with law school, please come to a Stress Management Workshop on Monday, October 23 from 3:30 until 4:15 in the Eidman Jury Room. The workshop will be facilitated by the UT Counseling Center. This session is limited to 15 students, first-come, first-served. If you want to participate, email Paula Taylor at ptaylor@law.utexas.edu.

Let’s just hope that there aren’t more than 15 people stressed out, otherwise people will be stressing out to figure out how to get into the workshop that tells them how to not to stress out. Or maybe, that’s the plan, stress them out so they crack now.

For those who will not be able to make it, I give you the Ex.Coll. 4 simple steps to stress-free finals:
1. Find your closest liquor store. Make sure to get to know the guy behind the counter, after all, you’ll be there a lot.
2. Buy alcohol. I have found that brown liquors work best, e.g. bourbon, scotch, aged rum. Of course there is the exception of vodka, I recommend Tito’s
3. Consume said alcohol. I suggest mixing at a rate of 50/50 mixer/alcohol. This can continue until your knowledge of Contracts/CivPro/Torts/Property/ConLaw is so immense that you find it difficult to walk a straight line, find your nose, or speak coherently. At that point, dispense with the mixing and drink the alcohol straight until it becomes to cumbersome to pour. Commence drinking straight from the bottle.
4. Repeat. Repeat nightly until finals are over and grades have been posted. Once grades have been posted, you should then decide whether this therapy should continue.

R.I.P.

Baldemar Huerta, more commonly known as Freddie Fender, has passed away.

I cannot believe that a stupid party would be blown so out of proportion.
This concludes my posting about said party.

TLF Auction

Is it just me or has the TLF hype for their auction been pretty lame? Come on guys, can’t you do better than annoying papers hanging form the ceiling?

For the first time this week, I read my LawMail. Among the items up for auction was this donated by Professor Rau:

~Alan Rau~ First auction item: Lunch for 3 with Professor Rau, his treat.
Second auction item: Lunch for 3 with Professor Rau, students’ treat.

That is quintessential Rau.

Miscellaneous ramblings

If there was any doubt prior to Saturday that OU sucks, said doubt has been alleviated.
While I liked seeing OU get trounced just as much as any Longhorn fan, was this footage from the game really necessary? I just hope his parents didn’t think this was so cute that they saved a tape of it to play for all his future girlfriends.
------------
How cool is it when your case book has a paragraph length footnote describing a Saturday Night Live sketch? What makes this all the more unusual is that it was a sketch featuring Norm MacDonald and that I was thinking of the sketch as I read the case.
-------------
Now we have a real controversy! I’ve refrained from commenting on it because of the high level of attention given by other blogs (including the UT Law Blog of Record), but I feel it my responsibility to compliment the Dean on his message to the student body. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen the words “heedless,” “odious,” and “foolhardy” used within three paragraphs.

I guess that just goes to show my lack of culture.
--------------
And to you, Westlaw, I got your email but I have not yet gone to see if you made it to provide breakfast. Once bitten, twice shy, my friend. Once bitten, twice shy.

On Politics and Football

The second biggest smackdown in Dallas the weekend went down last night.
Funny how Perry only agreed to one debate and that it be on Friday night during Texas high school football and the day before the UT/OU game, but I digress.

In my unbiased, professional/amateur opinion, the winner was clearly…. Chris Bell. ?!?! Yes, I said it. While I still support Kinky, I have to say he was not his normal self at the debate. Chris Bell, on the other hand proved that he was, despite contrary reports, alive. He did have the best line of the debate. When asked if he knew whether there were term limits for the governor, his response ( I don’t remember the quote, but it was very close to this): “That is the single best reason to vote for me. There are no term limits for Governor and our current Governor has said if he wins this election, he will run again.” Snap!

More High/low lights:
Carole Keeton Rylander McClellon Strayhorn Jinglehimer Schmidt didn’t know who the president of Mexico was nor how long unemployment benefits last.

Perry – proved his was a douche and looked bored. His hair was of typical porn-star quality. He lied through his teeth about the Trans Texas Corridor.

Kinky – got in a few zingers, but nothing new if you have been following him. Frankly, I was disappointed. I saw him speak at the Student Union this week, and basically he said the same things. Kinky lost an opportunity, albeit, considering the timing of the debate, not a big one. Hi did include his definition of politics joke; “politics” come from “poly” meaning more than one, and “tics” meaning blood-sucking parasites.

James Werner – the Libertarian Party candidate who, despite being on the ballot, was not invited to the debate. The clear loser, since he wasn’t even there. Why wasn’t he invited? According to Belo, they didn’t want to turn the race into a circus. LOL, a bit late for that. This will be the first time in my life not voting for a Libertarian.

Go Kinky!

Give em Hell
Give em Hell
Perry Sucks!

-----------------

And moving on to Foosball, the bid Texas / OU game is this afternoon.
Texas is favored by 4. IMHO, you should put your money on Texas (I did) no way this will be a single digit game. Hook em Horns!

Give em Hell
Give em Hell
OU Sucks!

Karma

Wow, I've been posting a lot these last few days. Looking over my posting over the last week, they seem pretty negative. So to lighten things up a bit, here’s a little Ex.Coll. joke telling:

Ex.Coll.: Hey Jimmy, next semester’s schedule sure is crappy.

Jimmy: How crappy is it?

Ex.Coll.: It’s so crappy, I’m thinking of taking Rau again.

[rim shot]

Every breath you take…

I’ll be watching you.

Hello Westlaw. In case you check back in, please note the menu suggestions in the comments of my previous post. Remember, I like my pancakes with Pecans. And no cheap syrup either.

Westlaw still sucks

This morning, just for grins, I went to blogsearch.google.com and searched “Westlaw.” It looks like my “Westlaw is Dead to Me” post appears as number two. This is a testament to my blog’s influential presence on the web, or it’s lameness in that I am one of the few people who would even give a damn enough to blog about Westlaw. Either way, I wonder how long before the fine (breakfast-teasing) folks over at Westlaw / Thompson see that posting. Hopefully soon enough to bring in some breakfast.

And for the record, Westlaw, you got some serious making up to do. Krispy Kremes and bagels will not cut it for make-up breakfast. This is calling for breakfast tacos… good ones… lots of them… soon.

OU Sucks

That is all.

Westlaw is Dead to Me!

Westlaw Sucks! Yesterday I get an email form Ashlea Allsup with the subject line “UT Westlaw Table - Get breakfast!” The email read: Come by and see your Westlaw(R) Representatives on Tuesday, 10/3, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Westlaw table in the atrium. We will have coffee and breakfast!

So I head over to the Atrium around 9:15-ish, and all they have is free coffee. I go back at 10:20 and still only coffee. Hell, the reps weren’t even there.

Westlaw, nobody like a breakfast tease.

From now on, I’m all about Lexis. Westlaw, you’re dead to me.

Reason I Regret Moving #4

This series of postings was formally called Signs I Moved Into A Bad Apt Complex, but with this incident, it goes way beyond being a sign. I am now completely in regret. First a bit of context.

Over this weekend, I spent over 20 hours in my car and drove nearly 1100 miles. It was not exactly fun. My travels took me through Austin, San Antonio, Houston, New Braunfels, and inexplicably, Luling (where, by the way, I learned that no matter how delicious it sounds, buffalo jerky is not good). Tonight will be m first night since Wednesday night that I will sleep in my own apartment. When I return, what do I find next to my door? A nice little note from the staff. I wish to God that I was kidding or somehow exaggerating this, but I’m not. I don’t even want to try to paraphrase what the note said so I’ll just quote the whole thing here:

Residents:
We have had several complaints about homeless people living in the woods on the back side of our property. We please ask all of you to be aware of this and ask that if you see anyone who looks suspicious in any way to please call the police immediately. We do encourage you to contact this office, but only after you have called the police to report what you have seen. We have also had several reports of cars being broken into. We would like to remind you to not leave anything of value in your vehicles at any time, day or night.
Again we ask that if you see anything suspicious to please contact the police before you call the office, as they can better assist you than office personal. Our staff is doing all it can to help prevent this, but it is imperative that all of you be part of the solution. With all of your help, we can make this a better community for everyone!

What makes the situation worse is that when I came to look at the property I noticed the woods and thought that it would be nice to have an apartment that faced the woods since that would be quieter than the parking lot.

Why, oh why, did I move???

Oh, and by the way, OU still sucks.

Longhorn Football; 56-3

Give 'em Hell, Give 'em Hell, OU Sucks!

----------------

I’m not sure why I even went to the football game this week. I honestly have no idea why they even played the game. It literally served no purpose. One commentator had it right when he said on Friday that he couldn’t believe that they were actually charging admission for the game.

The opponent was Sam Houston State University (in Huntsville, for those who don’t know). Apparently Mac put this team on the schedule because Texas College for the Blind already had Texas A&M scheduled this year. The sad thing is that TCB is favored by 6.5.

And speaking of point spreads, the spread for the UT vs. SHSU game were… if you know, please tell me. I checked USA Today, Bodog.com, Sportsbook.com, and a couple other Vegas odds makers, and none of them even bothered to set any odds. Just sad.

I think the most ironic thing about the game was the unsportsmanlike conduct call in the first quarter against the Longhorns. Hell, the fact that SHSU was even on the schedule was unsportsmanlike conduct.

And one final note. The official attendance for the game was 88,956, meaning there were only 466 fewer people than were at the Ohio State game. If true, the 466 who didn’t go must have all had tickets in my section because I had a heck of a lot more elbow room that I did for OSU. Personally, I think the “official attendance” number is worthless.

----------------

I felt that the Bearkats deserved something for their efforts besides the hundreds of thousands of dollars from their cut of the game.

While not quite as noteworthy as say achieving ABA accreditation, the fact that they showed up, played four full quarters of football, came back on the field after being down by 49 points at the half, and survived (meaning no fatalities), deserves some kind of award. Since this accomplishment is not quite worth of a prestigious Ex.Coll. Thumbs Up Award ®, I am now awarding the first ever Ex.Coll. Salute® to the Sam Houston State Bearkats! Congrats Bearkats, please feel free to print out this award and hang in a place of prominence in your locker room.

My First Paid Spokesperson

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased announce that I have hired a spokesperson. I hired him in order to call attention to my blog and increase traffic in the hope that one day I will be able to sell out for the bazillions of dollars advertisers throw as law student’s blogs.

Let’s hear it for my new spokesman, Hugo Chavez:

A long night of reading ahead

You can tell it’s going to be a long read when the first case starts off with:
“Early in the history of the law of…”
Zzzzzzzzz

Cigars

So far this has been a great month for cigars. While I’m nowhere close to the 5/week I used to smoke, I’ve had a fair amount this month. Here are some highlights:

Fuente Fuente Forbidden X – a 6 1/4 x 48 cigar encased in a glass tube. This is the one the came with the Fuente DVD a couple years back. A great cigar. Spicy, yet smooth. This one had a couple years in the ‘dor so it lost some of it’s bite, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I have one left, and I’m waiting for the right occasion to smoke it.

Hemingway Work of Art (Natural) – I would rank this cigar #3 in the list of best Hemingways (with the Untold Story at No. 1 and the Work of Art (Maduro) at No. 2) but in a line like the Hemingway line, being number 3 is pretty damn good. As I smoked it I appreciated the complexities that you can only get in a 60 ring cigar. Its shape is perfect to be able to comfortably accommodate a 60 ring cigar in a shot length. Unfortunately, I had to cut this cigar short because on an emergency. I wish I had another, but alas, I don’t.

Camacho Coyolar Perfecto #1 – There is no other way to say it other than this cigar kicked my ass! I tend to favor full bodied and strong cigars, but this one was unbelievable. It’s a very small cigar, and I couldn’t even get past the halfway point without getting wobbly knees. After that it wasn’t long before the lightheadedness and cold sweats came one. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach. Easily one of the three strongest cigars I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, all this one had was strength. There was little flavor and no complexity unlike the other ass-kickers. In terms of strength, this was comparable to an Opus X BBMF, however, the BBMF is far and away a better cigar. While it will kick your ass, it has a very unique flavor profile and is complex form beginning to end. The Camacho was much like drinking Everclear straight from the bottle, no enjoyment.

I also enjoyed a few other cigars including an ISOM Ramon Allones and Partagas, but this post is already too long…

About time I posted something about School.

I guess it wouldn’t be a Fall semester without some sort of UT Blawg controversy. Last year it involved good old LonghornLaw. I’d give my take on the situation, but really, what’s the point? (Come to think of it, what’s the point of my Blog?)

UPDATE: I found one of the posts from last year’s incident I was referring to. It’s from a now defunct UT Blawg. Also, the second point is extremely important when filling out ConLaw course evaluations.


------------
In other Law School news, the SBA now has their Bar Review coordinators for the year. Congrats to anyone who cares about this stuff. For some reason I was curious and read the statements that were posted in the atrium by the candidates, (something I didn’t even do last year) and a couple things stood out to me:
1) Some people must have gotten high marks in Kindergarten for cut, paste, and glitter use. I suppose thy may have also gotten bad marks and have spent the 16 years since trying to overcompensate.
2) Someone actually wrote that they had 4 years of student government experience from high school. Not sure if she won or not, not sure if I care.

With these kinds of candidates, I can’t wait for the elections in the Spring. It should make all the crap form last year pale in comparison.

"I heartily recommend this book."

Apparently Hugo Chaves has now become a shill for Noam Chomsky. Not sure if this was before or after he called Bush “the Devil.” Oh well, just another Dictator sell out. Now I’ve lost all respect for him.
What’s next…

School

School doesn’t seem to be as busy for me as it is for most other 2Ls. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been doing much. While the extra free time is nice, I am behind in three of my classes. This has the potential to ruin my strict “no school work on weekends” policy. I wish I had a good excuse as to why I’m behind, but I don’t. I could blame it on OCI, but I didn’t have enough interviews to really interfere with my studying. The fact that the interviews I did get are all spaced out at good intervals was nice, but it makes for a bad scapegoat. Well, until I get caught up, it’ll be midnights at the Tarlton for me.

Good times... good times.

A great deal for a great cigar!

I friend sent me a link to this auction.
A note to anyone interested in buying Cuban cigars, these are fakes. There are so many things wrong I was literally LOL. I think my favorite is the date code of 30 Feb 2005.

If the auction get’s pulled, you can see it here.

For Sale: One Soul

OCI is upon us. Much to my amazement, I actually got interviews (yes, you read that correctly, I used the plural). I’ve read up on all the firms I’m interviewing with as well as the attorney’s with whom I’ll be interviewing with, and other than that, I have no idea what other “research” I need to do. I’m usually pretty good at BSing my way through an interview, so with some luck, I just might land a gig.

It won’t be long before this monkey gets to put on a suit and dance for the partners. BigLaw, here I come!

Sign I'm living in a bad Apt complex #2 and #3

#2 - no damn water pressure for most of this afternoon. I called the complex to find out what was going on and they had no idea. It wasn’t until they called me back I found out there was a busted water main.

#3 - my (neighbor’s) wireless connection sucks. It sucks so bad that there’s no point in even trying to connect. I am now internetless at my apartment.

Ex.Coll is not a happy camper

Damn.

With apologies to my friend, all I can say is Damn. I can’t think of anything else to say about Saturday’s game. I was afraid it would end like this after last weeks performance, but I didn’t think it would be that bad. Come on, being held to 7 damn points. Ohio just had a great team with a great defense.
At least Vince Young and the Oilers lost this week too.

Thanks, Lioness

The Lioness gave me a great idea. Believe it or not, those wine fridges are easily modified to create a temperature controlled humidor. All you need some Spanish Cedar lining, a small fan, a Cigar Oasis (or the like), the Hydro/thermometer, and a timer to turn the fridge on and off at the correct times, and you are ready to go.

Normally, a temp regulated humidor with the capacity of a wine cooler can easily run into the thousands. Buying a fridge and the necessary equipment will only set you back a few hundred. If I can get the fridge for free…

--------------
I don’t know what worse, when some idiot celebrity spouts off her/her mouth about politics trying to affect a political outcome, or when a politician spouts off about celebrities in an effort to affect a “pop-culture” outcome. Also, check out the photo of Tucker Carlson. Maybe he needs a bowtie.

--------------
And speaking of Westlaw, is this a new dipshit they are using? I don't remember this one from last year.

Longhorn Football

Am I the only one disappointed over the UNT game? That should have been a 70 point game, or at least a shutout. I know it was the first game of the season and that it takes some time for the team to get into a rhythm, but still. There were mistakes that should not have been made. IF they play like that on Saturday, OSU will trounce them.

----------

Speaking of football... Ohio is supposed to be #1 and UT #2, right? Then why is UT favored? How can #2 be expected to beat #1? I’m pretty confident in the Horns ability to win, and I know it’ll be a Hell of a game. I’m looking forward to it. I just wish we could go in as underdogs.

----------

I found this clip online. This is the greatest movie car chase scene ever. It has everything you could possible want in a car chase. Good guys, bad guys, cops, guns, unbelievable wrecks, jumps, flips, bystanders, and Nazis.

...

Here I am, in the library, nearly caught up in my classes. I’m finally being productive when what do I hear? A f’n scanner! Yes, someone has brought a damn scanner into the library. It sounds just like a vending machine accepting and then rejecting a dollar bill. Again. And Again. And Again. And Again…
Why in the Hell would anyone do this in what is ordinarily the quietest part of the library. If you are going to bring your own peripherals to the library to do work, why must you do it in the quiet area?

I just now noticed, the guy even has a carrying case for the scanner. Where else does he take this thing?

Farewell, Easter-Nair. Best of luck to you.

Steve Irwin dead.

Stabbed by a stingray. While I wasn’t there, my Ex.Coll. sources report that his last words were as follows:
What we have here is a Short Tailed Stingray. These can be deadly when provoked. Now, if there’s anything that Stingrays hate, it’s when you flick it eyes with your index finger. You can tell this one’s angry because it’s lifting up it’s tail and getting ready to –

Edit: I mistakenly misspelled (among other things) Mr. Irwin’s name. Rumors notwithstanding, the Crocodile Hunter is not related to Frank Erwin of Frank Erwin Center fame.

RIP: Corodile Hunter

Sign I'm living in a bad Apt complex #1.

Not “closed for repair.” Not “closed for maintenance.” Not even “closed by police because some nutjob killed a dozen kittens in it.” Closed by the city health department. I’ve seen some pretty nasty looking pools before, but never one that was so bad that it was closed by the city. I wonder what was so bad that they had to close the stupid thing. Also, why did they have to drain the pool… 30 yards form by front door?

First day

Survived a Hell of a first day. Not too bad. I can already see which professors I will like and dislike most.

Also, I could have done without the Gomer Pyle reference. Although a Sgt. Carter quote would have been appreciated. I am not looking forward to whatever other obscure references that may be lurking in the Prof’s repertoire.

Off to a great start.

I moved into my new apartment this past Friday. I hate moving. Anyhow, I hurt my knee moving. I was carrying a big box containing all my 1L and all my 3 of this semesters books. Needless to say it was heavy. So, in order to avoid waling all the way around the apartment building, I took a shortcut that involved a 3 foot drop-off. I should not have attempted that while carrying ~50 lbs of books. I limped for a couple of days because of that.

-----------

After moving, I decided I needed to get the Hell out of Dodge while I could still do so (at least without the guilt), so I headed out of town that evening. I only took what was absolutely necessary. That weekend I began getting email form profs with first day assignments. So it looks like I’ll be starting off the semester behind.

It took me at least 3 weeks to fall behind last year.

----------

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this year is off to a great start.

-----------------

PANIC UPDATE: Since I just got back to the apt. this evening, I just realized this new apartment is alcohol free. Not only that, at this hour all the liquor stores are closed!

Yes, a fantastic start.

Brief Review of Orientation… One year later.

Ah, orientation…

Orientations are always a weird kind of thing. Whether it be at work, school, a new cult, anything, the orientation is basically the last commercial they get to show you to make you believe that you didn’t make a mistake. What was most striking about UT’s orientation was the people they brought in, politicians, professors, judges, and of course, lawyers, lawyers, and more lawyers.

I remember what I thought about a year ago when I sat in the auditorium of the LBJ. I thought, wow! I’m really at UT. I’ll admit, the commercial had it’s desired effect on me. I thought of the possibilities. I thought of how all the students there were in the same boat as I am. Now, a year later, I’m far more jaded, cynical, (disgusted), and overall, disillusioned about law school and the whole “law school experience.”

This is not to say that it’s all been bad, just the “law school” part of the “law school experience.”

So my advice to any 1L reading and looking for some advice that is actually useful, enjoy the BBQ and beer while you can. Take advantage of all the free pizza, sodas, coffee, mugs, Wexis crap, cookies, and booze you can. Ditch the conversations with the professors and just make some friends.

BTW: I was too lazy to didn’t get to make it to the Book Exchange in time to sell all my 1L books, and I refuse to set foot on campus until I absolutely “have to.” Hence, I have some 1L books to sell. I’ll make it worth your while. Email me if interested.

Calm Before the Storm.

I enjoyed an ISOM Montecristo No. 2 last night. I few years ago, a friend told me he bought a box of ISOMs made the month and year he began smoking cigars. Since then he smoked one per year during that month. He made sure it was his favorite brand and volita. I decided to do something similar. Since I don’t remember what month I started smoking cigars, I just bought a box of my favorites at that time, Monte #2 and I smoke one a year every August. The one I smoked last night was 5 years old. The Monte #2 is a great cigar. Some purists will claim since the blend changed in 97, the new ones aren’t worth the time. I disagree. I’ve had a few pre-97, and I must say they were fantastic. However, the post-97s have been excellent as well. If I had the time (and money) I would smoke one of these nightly.

Quote

“Three years of law school and I still have no idea.”

Said by a prosecuting attorney when trying to explain what “beyond a reasonable doubt” meant to a jury pool during voi dire.

I couldn’t help but chuckle under my breath. I’m sure I’ll be saying that a lot in a couple of years.

A Lawyer with a grill?

Went to the Dentist today. It was not a good visit. I never have been an anti-dentite, but I may turn into one now. It looks like I’ll need some fairly extensive work done over the next couple of months.

It did make me wonder whether I should invest in a grill. I could be “that lawyer with a grill.” A good idea?

Fulbright gets an F.

Well, here’s a change, maybe their grades aren’t high enough for me. From the Austin Chronicle:

• Five of Austin's largest law firms each earned an "A+" for their efforts to hire and retain minority attorneys, according to the seventh annual minority hiring report card compiled and reported by Austin's minority bar associations. According to the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin and the Austin Black Lawyers Association, minority hiring and retention at Austin's 27 largest law firms is actually down this year, with minority lawyers making up only 10.7% of the attorney workforce, down from 11.3% in 2005 (and down from a seven-year 11.6% high in 2003); statewide, minority membership in the State Bar of Texas is 14%. Amazingly, of the 573 partners at the largest firms, just 45 are minorities. On a brighter note, nearly 30% of all summer law clerks – 43 of 144 – were minorities. Pulling in top grades this year were Locke Liddell & Sapp with 18.4% minority attorneys, and Winstead Sechrest & Minick at 15.8%. Also in the top five: Jenkens & Gilchrist and Thompson & Knight, both at 14.3%, and Clark, Thomas & Winters, at 14%. On the flip side, four Austin heavyweights earned an "F" for their efforts – including Fulbright & Jaworski, Haynes and Boone, and Armbrust & Brown, who, according to the minority lawyer groups, refused to even participate in this year's report card. "In the past, every Austin law firm we surveyed has responded, even when its minority attorney numbers were not good," said Paul Ruiz, chair of the HBAA/ABLA Committee on Law Firm Hiring. "Armbrust & Brown's refusal to participate in our survey indicates to us that diversity and minority hiring are not a priority to the firm or its attorneys." In the report's seven-year stats, Bickerstaff Heath Pollan & Caroom take top honors with consistently high marks; the most improved award appears to go to Jenkens & Gilchrist, which has risen from an "F" in 2000 to an impressive "A+" two years running. – J.S.