The Uncertainty Principle

Bar Review Day 5

2011-06-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

Everything is going pretty well as far as studying goes. I am just slightly behind with what I am required to accomplish at this moment, but I think I can make it up today.

My day consists of the following: First, I read 30 - 60 pages of in depth material meant to refresh my memory on a subject. Then I listen to a three hour lecture on the subject, taking notes and filling in a workbook that BarBri has provided. After lecture, I turn these materials in a condensed outline for studying purposes. After I finish the outline, I do a few practice tests on the subject. Then I'm done for the day!

Its been pretty grueling so far, but my spirits are as high as the stakes. Let's hope they stay that way.

The OMG Moment

2011-05-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

I finally had that OMG moment where I realized how much work it is going to be to study for the bar. Barbri expects 8 - 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, right up to the bar.

After the moment passed, I am sort of bracing myself. They are the experts, and I am confident that I can do it if I put my mind to it.

The logistics of today were more of problem. The bus is an hour each way. The lectures are online, so why am I going? Tomorrow I am trying out staying home. There is no one home during the day at my folk's house, so i figure its as good of as office as any.

On a lighter note, does anyone remember property law? I love how quirky it is. Its the hilarious old uncle of law subjects.

Below: Lewis and Clark through the forest. I saw robins eggs, a rabbit, and a giant banana slug today.

Back in the Northwest

2011-05-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

What a week! I had a great road trip with my lovely girlfriend and from Socal to the Great Northwest. And it truly is great.

Tomorrow is my first day studying for the Washington State Bar Exam. I am taking a Bar prep course with BarBri of Washington, even though my actual classes are at Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

My dad and I took a trip there to see the lay of the land, and to see whether I would be able to take the somewhat elaborate bus ride from Vancouver, Washington.

So the plan is, I will essentially ride to and from the Vancouver park and ride with my dad every weekday. We will ride the bus together to his work in downtown Portland. From there I catch another bus, and walk about half mile through a path in the woods to the law school. Sounds like a little much. I will let you know how it was tomorrow. If it is indeed too much, I see a car in my future.

Ultimate Man Cave

2011-05-08T15:11:00.000-07:00

Now that I am moving, I keep dreaming about have a really awesome recreation room or man cave. Of course, women would be welcome and enjoy it too-- who wouldn't enjoy this stuff? This is a brief indulgence in materialism, and the things listed are considered as if money is no object.

Heavy Metal Meltdown Pinball Machine (video here and here)
Shuffle Board Table
Beer Pong Table
Ms. Pacman Cocktail Table
55 Inch HD TV
Best Couch Ever from Restoration Hardware
Kegerator
Coolest Furnace Ever

So come on over any time! Well, any time in the not so near future...

Mise En Place: Preparing with Books and Classes

2011-05-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

I would love to own my own business. The safe and boring cocoon that is law school only encouraged me to day dream of ideas for start ups and solo firms as is planning my escape.

To prepare for my Steve-McQueen-esque lurch to the real world, I took as many business law classes (and entertainment with business applications) as my schedule would allow and I read books about solo firms and business (basically as much reading outside of law school as the reading inside law school would allow). Let's take a look:

Classes:

Books

Social Entrepreneurship and Business Model Flexibility

2011-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

I really love this new post about Social Entrepreneurship by Inc. Magazine -- It's really got my imagination working on overdrive. Social entrepreneurship marries the thrill of starting your own business with the gratification of doing something worthwhile for the betterment of the world.

I wonder, however, if seemingly bloated and bulky requirements of 501(c)(3) can commiserate with the agility, flexibility and ability to improvise I see as necessary for a successful business model.

Keep It Simple, Stupid. It worked for building airplanes, and it works for business.

Write Less & Improve Your Grades

2011-04-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished my last law school class. Ever. Wow.

Anyway, that means that finals time is here. The following is a short check list of tricks I have picked up over my law school career (nearing its end, btw) that can help you with those law school (or college, etc.) writing assignments.

1. Be a Minimalist.

When you are given a reading assignment, which do you prefer: 20 pages, or 10? 10 pages or 5? I know your answer: the shorter the better. How much more likely are you to read something if it is short? You are probably much more likely to read a short article.(See http://www.useit.com/ for a discussion on the cost/benefit ratio of long and short articles)

Professors are people too. And like the rest of us, they get bored. For this reason, it is advantageous to write as little as possible while still getting you complete message across. If you can say something in 5 pages, why do it in 7? My general rule: if there is a page maximum, aim for around 70% of it. If there is a minimum, hit it on the nose.

2. Put Your Best Arguments in the Beginning.

If professors DO get tired of your writing and decide they can make a grade determination before finishing your whole work (which is lazy, I know, but I'm sure it happens even if no one admits it) wouldn't you want your A material in the beginning?

3. Use Big Font.

Kids books aren't written in big font because their eyesight is bad. Big font simply makes comprehension of the text easier. Also, large print is easier for people with diminished eyesight. So increase comprehension and decrease frustration by keeping your font around 12.5 or 13. Same can be said for double spacing over single spacing. Some people go as far as bolding or italicized key arguments and phrases, but this is only for the truly punk-rock rebel.

4. What Font to Use?

I am no typographer, and so I am not sure about this. I am considering writing one of my finals, which is in the form of a client letter, in Georgia. This could through the Professor off, however, and so the question is: How dangerously should I choose to live?

Song Lyrics Don't Reflect The Personality Of A Generation

2011-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

So, a psychology professor, Dr. Nathan DeWall at the University of Kentucky, analyzed hit songs between 1980 and 2007 and found a correlation between egotistical song lyrics and increasing narcissism in society. (see http://www.npr.org/2011/04/26/135745227/study-narcissism-on-rise-in-pop-lyrics)

I don't buy it. Statistics alone can't derive the meaning of song lyrics. This study ignores the nuances of song writing like metaphor, sarcasm and irony. (Although I will admit that pop music isn't known for subtlety. See e.g., Rebecca Black - Friday http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0) For example, the Prof. Nathan DeWall cites Weezer's song, "The Greatest Man in the World" (see e.g., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYrz-M2Zc8E) as one such narcissistic song. Sure, without even hearing it, it sounds narcissistic; and that would be the case if Rivers Cuomo wasn't being sarcastic.

To analogize, this study is like a regular computer playing jeopardy compared to the IBM supercomputer, Watson, playing Jeopardy. It might give us some interesting results, but they are not going to be correct.

If anything, I think the increased frequency of narcissistic lyrics is a reflection of the music industry itself, rather than of the personality traits pop musics listeners. The record companies today are hit machines (see http://www.thejazzlawyer.com/2011/02/25/you-want-a-fucking-record-deal/) and don't particularly care what ridiculous garbage is on the radio so long as it makes money. This is especially true since record companies don't make money selling records anymore. Today, record companies sell image not music. (see 360 deal, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/arts/music/11leed.html)

So maybe superficiality rather than narcissism is the real culprit here. But hey, that's pop music for ya.

Booth in Picture of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address?

2010-03-14T20:19:00.001-07:00

Abraham Lincoln delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865. With victory for the north only weeks away, a specter of his death was even closer: supposedly John Wilkes Booth is in the picture too. Booth murdered Lincoln a little over a month later, April 15, 1865.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-03-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

Well, its only about three weeks until spring break. But I have and Evidence midterm and 25 page rough draft standing in the way! I know I can do it though, just have to keep my nose to the grindstone.

Halfway / Halflife

2009-10-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I am almost half way done with this semester (not inlcuding reading week and two weeks of finals). I am doing a lot of writing for my two seminar classes, Adv. Legal Writing and Adv. Entertainment Law. I have my first major assingments due for both in two weeks, including a 20 - 30 page article for entertainment.

I am writing about the musician Tom Waits and his suits involving the right or Publicity. The right of publicity is a property right that protects an individual from unwanted use of her likeness, voice, name, identity and more depending on the jurisdiction and relevant state statute. Tom Waits doesn't do commercials, but lots of companies want his music to promote their product. So, Tom Waits sues them when they use his voice or an impersonator of his voice in a commercial. My argument is that he should not be able to do this, because he is not the only artist to sing with a gravelly voice. Wait's voice is a sound-a-like to many artists voices, including Howling Wolf, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, and Capt. Beefheart. Pop culture has a short memory, however. Tom Waits is the modern equivalent of an amalgamation of these artists, and so his voice is "unique". More on this as it develops.

Otherwise, I am doing well and just trying to keep up. The 1Ls are a constant reminder that I have it a lot better than I did; the feeling is like a glass of water in the desert.

New Place, New Year

2009-08-17T17:02:00.001-07:00

I am finally all moved on to the new place and it is great! I hung out at the pool all day yesterday. My room is pizza shaped which makes for a layout challenge. We finally got our hot water turned on and I am excited for my first hot shower in 5 days!

School starts Wednesday. I am taking business associations, constitutional law, music industry contracts, advanced entertainment law and hopefully advanced legal writing, if I get in (I am still on the waitlist). I am excited to get to school and meet all the new 1ls!

Summer Vactation Sea Change

2009-07-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

Finals are finally done! It was nice to only have two this semester. I think I did pretty well so that is exciting.

Finals over, its time for vacation and a few changes. On Tuesday, I am flying to Seattle. I'll be there until Saturday, then I am heading to Vancouver until Thursday. From there I will fly to Lollapalooza in Chicago! My friend Adam is going too. We are outdoor concert veterans: we have been to 5 or 6 together. Gonna be great.

That's it for the vacation. Now on to the change. I am moving to a really nice apartment complex on Sunset & Vine. It will be a two bedroom/two bath, at about the same price I am paying now. The complex has a pool and a gym and it is in a much nicer and hipper neighborhood: Hollywood!

Books on the Shelf

2009-07-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

Only a few days until my vacation. One thing Mom always made sure I had on a summer vacation was a big stack of books, and I have pretty much continued the habit of doing my heaviest reading during the summer. Here are my planned books:

That should pretty much do it, because I only have month off. Reviews of these to come!

SLO but Steady Wins the Race...

2009-07-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

I was in San Luis Obispo (SLO) this weekend for my DJing gig at Rachel's wedding. It went pretty well. I think people had a good time and my music selection (along with the bride's) made for a fun atmosphere. I was also responsible for keeping the wedding running on time and for MCing. The former was more difficult than the latter, but we didn't get too far off schedule.

My law school finals are in one week from today, so I am hunkering down and trying to get my study on. Unfortunately, finals coincide with what seems to be the nicest weather of the year to date, making it all the more diffcult to spend my days inside. I only have one more week, and with only two classes to study for, amounting to 1/3 of my ususal course load, this week should not be too harsh on my already summer oriented mind.

Wish me luck!

Summer Dreams Ripped At The Seams, But Oh, Those Summer Nights...

2009-07-06T18:55:00.000-07:00

I just made a blog post last week about the state of summer classes at Southwestern Law School, but I am realizing to day that summer session is beginning to wind down! My finals in Defamation and Entertainment Law are on Monday, July 20th and Tuesday, July 21st, respectively. That means that as of the time of this post, I have about two weeks left of summer session! It is so short compared to a full semester. Then I will have about a month off before fall begins again.

So here are some things that are going on this week:

The public affairs office has me stuffing envelopes (a lot) and one of my organizations, Public Interest Law Committee, also needs envelope stuffing. Public Interest is sending out letters requesting donations and support for public interest law week in the fall. I realized stuffing letter after letter that the next logical step was having to lick all the adhesive strips on something like 2000 letters. Remembering George Costanza's late fiance, I asked a coworker if we had to lick all the envelopes, and thankfully she said no. Apparently a machine can do that. Good thing I am not an UNPAID intern, or I would probably be that machine. I imagine some Rube-Goldbergian contraption with a bunch of tongues.

I am DJing my friend Rachel's wedding this weekend. I am looking forward to busting out some of the skills I used on Rainy Dawg Radio back at the University of Washington. It should be a good time. I am making a few different playlists to pull from depending on crowd reactions (if any). If you need a DJ and are on a budget, call me. Will spin for food.

How to Use Twitter and Not Waste Your Time Pt. II

2009-06-29T16:07:00.001-07:00

1. Use the "search" to find people seeking services you or your business provides. If you provide catering or dj services, for example, search wedding, party, event, etc. If you are a lawyer, brainstorm some keywords relating to your practice area and do a similar search. Then use @_____ to reply to posts you find.

2. When people tweet, listen. If you picked the right people to follow, you should be able to click on any link posted to your twitter homepage by those you follow and find something that interests you. If someone you followed consistently leads you astray, feel free to not follow them anymore. Furthermore, don't feel obligated to follow someone that is following you. The point of twitter is to filter out unwanted information, and boost the signal of wanted information.

3. Check out this blog post for a great collection of articles on twitter. http://www.alnyethelawyerguy.com/al_nye_the_lawyer_guy/2009/06/35-valuable-articles-for-lawyers-to-read-about-twitter.html

Good Luck!!!

Summer Time and the Law School Is Easy...

2009-06-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

This summer I am taking two classes: Entertainment Law and Defamation Privacy and Publicity. Entertainment Law is a very general overview of the business and legal side of the entertainment industry, focusing on such topics as talent contracts. Defamation, on the other hand, is a very focused class on a specific species of tort that balances individual's personal rights with constitutionally protected free speech.

It is great to finally take classes that represent my career interests specifically. While all of law school is a rhizome of overlapping and intertwining subject matter, it feels good to get a little specialization, and to apply what I have learned in other classes ( like contracts and torts) to the area of law I hope to break into in two years.

Southwestern itself is a strange atmosphere during the summer, reminding me of the lazy summer days and casual classes of the summer session of undergrad. It is a nostalgic, if ephemeral, feeling.

Judges Say the Darndest Things...

2009-06-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

Judges sometimes have a penchant for the dramatic. And sometimes they seem to be a little bit angry. But I suppose this is with good reason, they are supposed to be very wise, and they often have a way with words. Here are some of my favorite Judge quotes and phrases, typically recorded in real cases thus far:

"Braggadocio of a Badass"

"Plaintiff's counsel, apparently laboring under the impression that I am not dealing with a full deck and that my knowledge of diversity requirements is about equal to that of a low-grade moron..." -Judge Lord

"...I can hardly expect any more from a counsel whose familiarity with Title 28 U.S.C. 1332 could be no more than a friendly wave from a distance visible only through a powerful telescope." -Judge Lord

The court has, "no obligation to lead counsel through a jurisdictional paint-by-numbers scheme."

How to Use Twitter and Not Waste Your Time Pt. 1

2009-06-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

Twitter is the best new form of personal marketing available. I often get strange looks from friends and acquaintances when I say this, but it is true. Here is how I believe best used for non-trivial purposes:

1. Follow people who have meaningful and pertinent things to say. If you are sports fan, follow the players you like, the sports writers who have interesting blogs and the teams you are a fan of. If you are a lawyer, search for other lawyers in your practice area or that are local. Try searches related to you practice area to see what people are saying about it and "tweet" about current topics or topics that are missing.

2. Be a person who people want to follow. How to do this? Make meaningful and pertinent posts. I always try to include a link to an interesting article in my "tweets", so that there is always more content per tweet than the 140 characters.

3. Know and use the lingo. Use hash marks (#____) and re-tweets (RT @username) to generate buzz about what you are saying. The # symbol before a keyword create posts that term to sites like http://twitter.com/hashtags , http://www.hashtweeps.com/ and http://www.tweetscan.com/ . Re-tweeting is like amplifying another person's signal, sending the original person's tweet to all your followers. If you like someone's tweet, it is good twitter etiquette to retweet it with "RT @username" before the post. More on that here: http://bloggingbits.com/the-art-and-science-of-retweeting-for-twitteraholics/

To be continued....

Extracurriculars

2009-02-17T22:40:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a few months. Sorry.

I am volunteering with this program called Teen Court as of late. It is an alternative to Juvenile detention for young law breakers, offering them a chance to keep their record clean. Before a judge and a jury of their peers, they have to explain various aspects of the crime the committed, their current activities, what they hope to accomplish if they don't get their act together, etc. I help with jury instruction, but it is really not necessary; these kids know their stuff. It is truly amazing to watch theses judges at work. They are not individuals with whom to mess. Tomorrow, we have about 100 kids coming from Dorsey High School to see how we live. Dorsey is a legal magnet school, so hopefully we either scare these kids into choosing a different career path or sharpen their resolve. We can't all be lawyers, after all.

I am now a member of the National Lawyers Guild. It is a Critical Theory Bar Association; basically it is CHID for grown up lawyers. Mumia Abu-Jamal is a Vice President of the organization, if that is any indication of the type of crowd.

Mumia is a black panther convicted of murdering a police officer and is currently serving a life sentence (I believe he was or is sentenced to death, however). It was one of those case similar to the Hurricane (with whom I've spoken), where no one really saw what happened, and an "angry" black man was there to get blamed. Its also a case of racism inherent in the legal system, with various court officials showing evidence of racial bias (This is an understatement which I meant to be sarcastic. A court stenographer filed an affidavit stating that he over heard one of the judges sitting on the appeal state that he would like to help "fry the n****r"). Rage Against The Machine is one of his big proponents.

Needless to say I am excited to go to the first NLG networking event.

I am also thinking about volunteering next door with the Heart of Los Angeles Youth Program. It is a question of when I will find the time however. I need to get on that. A 1L does not have much time to do anything, let alone non-law school things.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-28T22:52:00.001-07:00

Halloween is coming up. Unfortunately I didn't have a costume picked out six months in advance this year. I was unsure as to why, but then I looked back at the last six months of my life and figured it out: I might be a little more busy than I used to be.

Anyway, I decided to go as something I could do easily: a greaser! I have some black boots, jeans, t-shirt, $2.00 worth of Murray's pomade and I picked up a motorcycle jacket. Voila! I am Marlon Brando in The Wild One. We have a "bar review" on Thursday. That's where the student government throws a party, despite what it might sound like (it's a pun). Then on Saturday I am going to the UW v. USC football game here in LA with some ol' SAE boys from Cali. I am already mentally preparing myself for the abuse I am going to take from the rabid Trojan fans.

I got my first graded assigment back last week. I am happy with the grade; essentially it's a high B. Bs are not very common in law school, so that's great. Just gotta keep it up!

The Gunner Phenomenon

2008-10-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

There are some specialized terms we use in law school to define different types of students.

Podium Trolls, for example, are the people that run up after class to ask the Prof. questions, or whatever. Like in the tale of bridge troll, you can't pass behind the podium area with out answering these little lurker's questions. "Answer me these questions three, lest the other side ye may nev'r see. Question the first...

Gunners are by far the worst. While podium trolls are harmless, Gunners have a tendency to actively annoy you. Here is a youtube video one of my class mates forwarded me:

The Way of the Buffalo... er, Bison.

2008-09-30T20:59:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday I was really excited because I saw a few droplets of rain. I have been waiting for what seems like forever to see just a few drops of that magical liquid sunshine, if not for a reminder of home, just to rinse down the LA grime a little. Today, I had my fingers crossed that we'd get some more rain, like an actual little storm but no such luck. In fact, the opposite. It has got to be one of the hottest days since I moved here. It is 9:00 PM and has not cooled down in any noticeable fashion. I reversed my fan to blow downwards, so that helps a little.

Today we have no school. While other law schools might be Jesuit (like Seattle University) or vaguely non-affiliated (Public Schools), we are apparently Jewish. Not officially, but we are one of the few schools that I know of from speaking with my law school friends around the country that gets the day off for Rosh Hashanah, and other kosher friendly holidays. So that's cool. I spent the day trying to get ahead in school, cleaning, sleep and life in general.

Last week I found out that Southwestern has a mascot: the Bison! I had no idea. We don't have any sports teams, so I assumed we didn't have one. GO BISON!

The Two Most Terrifying Chairs in LA

2008-08-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

A couple Saturdays ago, I went to Six Flags with some friends, three who live in the LA area, and three visiting from Washington. I am not the biggest roller coaster guy, and if it were not for the encouraging words of my friends, I would have probably stayed on the ground like god, nature, physics, biology, etc. intended. Anyway, they have some crazy rides at Six Flags. I rode three rollercoasters; one with one of the highest vertical loops, one with the 10^th highest vertical drop in the world, and the X2. It was the craziest ride I’ve ever been on! The chairs rotate forwards and backwards; so at any given point you could be going backwards, hanging upside down, free falling perpendicular to the ground, and basically any conceivable orientation. There are even fire and lightning effects. It was awesome! I am really glad I went on it.

The second chair didn’t rotate. It did, however, manually swivel and adjust height. And it had hair cutting effects. These effects were not impressive. Not in the least. On the plus side, this chair cost me quite a bit less than the ones at Six Flags.

So… I got a haircut. It wasn’t what I hoping for. Heck, it wasn’t even what I asked for! It ended up okay though, it just freaked me out at first. I am used to having it a little longer, but its not such a bad cut.

Before (sorta)

After

"... if, you know, you're not into the whole brevity thing."

2008-08-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

After a whole week and a half of class, my scholastic career has pretty much come down to one thing alone: the case brief. Studying the law is typically centered around reading cases that represent the topic at hand out of a case book, a collection of cases read for their pedagogical value. Cases can be anywhere from two pages up, but usually never get past the ten page mark. It is their contents, not their length, which hides their inherent difficulty; to the point of creating and proliferating a term known by legal technicians and those unfortunate souls who must deal with them as "legalese".

The Socratic Method is a teaching style that offers only questions. After one does the reading, it is expected that one will be prepared in such a manner that, when asked said questions, one will be able to stumble through something that suffices as a response (albeit not a correct one, usually). Luckily, we are given an extraordinary tool with which to organize the case in a quickly retrievable way: the case brief.

The brief form is as follows:
Issue: What the court is deciding.
Facts: Relevant facts which determine the outcome of the case.
Rule: Rule or Rules, in the form of statutes, precedents, or other relevant dictum.
Holding: What the court decided.
Reasoning: The logical way in which the court applied the rules, or derived a new rule, from the relevant facts.

Its both a tedious and exciting experience. On the one hand, briefing between five and twelve cases a night can be extremely boring. On the other hand, it is already apparent to me that my skills at reading cases and writing have been sharpened by this experience. In this way, law school is analagous to hitting a rock face with a sledge hammer. Hit it long enough, with the correct amount of tenacity and diligence and it will be just another barrier destroyed in your wake.

Dinner and a Movie #1

2008-08-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

...Gone Pear-Shaped Spinach Salad w/ Raspberry Vinaigrette

For Salad:
1 Big Handful Spinach
Two Chicken Breasts, Sliced
1 Pear, Sliced
1-2 Tbsp. Raspberry Vinaigrette

If you've got it (I don't):
1/4 Cup Candied Walnuts, Chopped
1/4 Cup Blue Cheese

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and toss em'. Makes one big portion or two side portions.

For Vinaigrette (Approx.):
1/8 Rounded Cup Frozen Raspberries
1/2 Tbsp. Spicy Brown Mustard
1/2 Tbsp. Sweet Chile Sauce
1 Tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/8 Cup Water
1 Tsp. Pepper
1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Blend everything except oil until futile to continue. Turn off blender. Use spatula to get ingredients off the sides, moving them near the blades. Turn blender on low (once you get your hand outta there). Through the little hole in the top of the lid, slowly pour olive oil into the blender. If you are doing this right, i.e. slow enough, the ingredients should combine to make one liquid, rather than oil on top and water-based stuff on bottom. Oil and water do mix, you just gotta have the skills. It's called an emulsion, Bobby Flay. Adjust ingredients to taste. Makes way too much for one salad.

Joe's Apartment (1996)

Plot Summary: The story of Joe, a guy just out of college, who moves to New York from Iowa. Having no money and no future prospects, he attempts to find the cheapest apartment he can possibly find, which ends up being a rent controlled place he luckily (and dishonestly) acquires. Joe is not the only tenant however: he shares his flat with 40,000 or so talking, singing, dancing cockroaches. The rest of the movie has something to do with a girl, gardening, organized crime, etc., etc. Even though humans and cockroaches are more often than not on the opposite sides of the protagonist/antagonist dichotomy in this situation, Joe leads a good example by adopting a live and let live mentality and accepting his new friends for what they are: a helpful, if frustrating, nuisance. After all, they were here before us, and they'll be here when we're gone.

Review: Okay at best. It's a fun movie, not a big thinker. Its kind what you'd expect for MTV's first attempt at the big screen. The songs are annoying; the kind of annoying that sticks in your head. On the plus side, the lead is a Pre-Sliders Jerry O'Connell (Stand By Me, Scream 2). I have always enjoyed this actor, but it could be a nerd thing.

Putting a Face to that Name

2008-08-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here is my new Southwestern ID card. It gets me into the fitness center, and I think I can check out books with it too. I had a kind of clown hair thing going on, but it was early and normally I fix it pretty quick, so here's to hoping.

The Hand of LAWS Is On Us Now

2008-08-13T13:02:00.001-07:00

This first week of school is dedicated specifically to Southwestern's innovative LAWS (Legal Analysis and Writing Skills) class. It functions as a crash course in the skills we need prior to beginning our doctrinal classes next week. The only students here (pretty much) are 1L until Monday, so now's a good chance to get out there and meet some friends. Its kinda tough though, because so many people are from this are and have no vested interest in making new friends. This makes lunch on the awkward side, and although it has been eight years since I was a freshman in high school, I am kinda having flash backs. Its weird how cyclical life can be. The school is so small, smaller than my high school, so I know that as long as I keep chipping away at it I will probably meet and know pretty much everyone on campus, to the point of finding them obnoxious. I can only look forward to that moment.

I did my first case brief, even though I had no instructions on how to do one, and it actually turned out pretty well considering. The little victories are what keep me trudging on to greater glory.

-Ryan

My First Night in the Land of Sunsets

2008-08-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

It is awesome to have my own place! It is already a source of pride to have a clean apartment that is decorated to my specifications. I worked on unpacking for most of the night, until I got bored and went out on the balcony near my room where some of my neighbors were hanging out. I introduced myself, and I met my neighbor across the hall, C., and E. from somewhere else in the building, her boyfriend P. and her friend L. The girls were artists and they were generally interesting. They said that everyone in the building is handpicked by the owner based on “good fit” rather than credit rating! I slept well. My bed is not only space efficient, it’s comfortable!

-Ryan

The Home Front

2008-08-09T16:30:00.001-07:00

Dad and I arrived in Los Angeles Wednesday morning and immediately began hunting for the ultimate goal of the first two days: a decent apartment. I had about four appointments made via craigslist, but they weren’t until later so we took to the streets as if throwing a dart at a map of koreatown. The results were less than spectacular. Being from the northwest I am not familiar with cockroaches, but by the end of the day I received a crash course in insect behavior and physiology. The prices were right though.

The appointments represented a marked increase in overall quality and cleanliness, but unfortunately price as well. I really wanted hardwood floors, a decent kitchen and bathroom separated from the main room as much as possible. This is asking a lot of a studio.

We found couple clean studios with great views on Rampart Blvd. A less clean and less expensive studio with a used-car-salesman-esque, ex-musician, lawyer, manager who assured us that he was going to plant more roses in already very nice enclosed garden area.

J.: Do you know what I’m doing tomorrow, Ryan?

R.: (Confused/Concerned) No?

J.: I am going to get fifty, count ‘em fifty, roses of all shades and hues and plant them right here in this magnificent garden.

R.: (Relieved) Oh? Oh, um. Cool…

We finally found another place on Rampart that I was immediately excited about, which considering how jaded I felt at this point was really a good sign. I signed the lease about four hours later. It is the first concrete and steel building built west of the Mississippi, circa 1908 as a luxury hotel. The apartment is a studio, with a fold-down Murphy bed, a large kitchen, bizarre old fashioned fixtures and red-painted concrete floors. It is funky to say the least, and I picked out some really cool old pieces of furniture to match. The Swedish’s attempt to take over the world failed again. Take that IKEA. Photos to come.

-Ryan

Even Rockstars Sing Karaoke, or My Last Strange Familiar Days in the NW

2008-08-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday night and it was time to explore a little bit of portland before its too late. Z., B. and M. went with me to one of my favorite P-town places: The Alibi. I had been there once before many years ago on a date, although we had to leave at 8:00pm due to our status as minors. This place is basically world famous due to Chuck Palahnuik's Guide to Portland.

There are always locals crooning away on the microphone over tracks in the style of whomever. Karaoke runs 7 days a week, and on Saturday (apparently) there is a free buffet at midnight.

We got an okay seat but couldn't see the singers, which was fine. Someone sang "Father of Mine" by Everclear, a band fronted by none other than lead singer, local radio DJ, and world record holder for songs with the word 'no' repeated generously, Art Aleksakis. I commented that it would be weird if it actually were Art singing the his own song, when the karaoker started doing a great impression of the famous Aleksakis 'no-oh'. It was too good. I stood up to see, and it was Art himself. In the flesh. I've seen pleenty of celebs, including Ted Nugent, Ben Stein, and Bruce Campbell. Heck, I even rolled burritos for Sheryl Crowe and Lance Armstrong. But this was pretty cool.

It just goes to show that humble beginnings are the same as beginning in any other manner: Every beginning has an end and its the end that counts the most. Who knows. Maybe some day I will be famous enough to sing karaoke in a dive bar.

-Ryan