Desert Rhapsody

Rotting on the inside?

2008-05-10T22:38:00.003-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted something here. It's probably due to what I call my rotting on the inside that started about a year ago this time. I had neuro problems with my head that have been somewhat resolved but a load of crap has not been. I have had a team of Drs. - infectious disease, 2 neuro, internal, rheumatology, etc. and they can't figure it out so... I am headed to the Mayo clinic in MN. There are two good things that have come out of this: my asthma is the best it has ever been and I am losing weight easily. The latter is probably not a good thing but I'll take it.

I don't normally look like anything is medically wrong with me. As a matter of fact I don't even look my age. Most people think I am almost a decade younger which is fine by me.

The big shitty thing about this is I should have graduated from law school yesterday. I didn't because I had to take a leave of absence so many times due to illness. At this point I have no idea when I'll finish but my friend Erin who was lucky to graduate said that I was listed in the program as a Summer 2008 grad-duh!

Is my liiiiiiiight on?

2007-05-30T21:42:00.000-05:00

Since April my life seems to be an episode of "House" but without Dr. House making a diagnosis. Viral meningitis, 12 days total in the hospital since mid-April, test after test after test, PICC line, daily trips to the infusion center, etc... I am beyond frustrated. I hope this new specialist can figure this crap out.
It would be nice to get this damn PICC line out so I can take a shower without having layers of GLAD press n' seal wrapped around my bicep.

For those who don't know what a PICC line is: http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Linesports/PICCline

For those of you who have a choice of health insurance - get the insurance that will get you a private room. Oh-my-friggin-god - both extended hospital stays had me sharing a room. For one or two days no big deal. Anything beyond that is insane. My first "roommie" was so ancient looking she could have doubled for the Crypt Keeper. The other, had so many health problems that I hardly got any sleep because nurses were constantly in and out 24-7 taking care of her. I felt like I had nothing wrong with me compared to my "roomies" b/c I could walk to the bathroom without assistance and I knew how to use the Call button instead of annoyingly yelling "Nurse" constantly.

All of the hospital stays did have their humorous moments. During one of my ER trips there was this elderly woman with some type of dementia issue. She also seemed to be a hypochondriac/attention seeker which is not a good combo if you are her caretaker. This woman sounded like a cross between Stella from " A Street Car Named Desire" and Blanche from "The Golden Girls." There would be all of this commotion in the ER and every time there was a lull you'd hear her say in her Deep Southern best, "Is my liiight on?" She was like a wind up toy with limited expressions. It went from "Is my liiight on?" to "I can't ba-ree-uth (breathe)!" I didn't know the word breathe could be spoken with three syllables. She could breathe though - there was absolutely nothing wrong with her and it was her third trip to the ER that day. The nurses and Drs. in the ER had had it with her. Oh, and the other expression was, "Can somebody get me a Dr?" Mind you, imagine this being uttered non-stop every time there is a split second of a lull in the cacophony that is an ER, by a cross between Stella and Blanche, ad nauseum for a couple of hours.

My liiight is on but nobody's home.

Let's Get Organized

2007-03-06T22:35:00.000-05:00

No. I'm not talking about unionization. I'm talking about my chaotic den. During my week off (yay exciting spring break) one of my projects is attempting to organize my den. Since my den is where I do all my work the disorganize state it was in was not helping. The problem now is I have made things even worse. I think if FEMA came here I would qualify for some federal disaster aid. I wish I knew where my web cam was (there's a hint as to how bad it is) because I would take a pic and post it.

Let me set the scene. . . It's a roughly 13X14 room and one of the longer walls is a wall to wall closet. Roughly one half of the packed closet's contents are now all over the floor. There are also half open/half empty boxes and crap all over the floor. I have basically decided what needs to go so far but the problem is - how the hell do I organize what I'm left with? Not only am I mathematically challenged, but I am not any good with organizing things like this.

It's snowing outside and so far there's about 2 inches. The hell with this! I think I'm going to go outside and make a snow angel.

Brain? What brain?

2007-02-27T23:20:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to see MRI images of my brain. I actually was surprised to find that there was a brain hiding out within my skull. It was kind of creepy to look at and I found myself wondering that since my skull wasn't full of air or jello - why couldn't I remember the name of the street I lived on the other night? Duh!

I will see if I can post some of the images.

Counterfeiters Look Out

2007-02-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

If you are selling counterfeit goods (fake coach bags, fake Rolex's, etc.) I will be looking for you.
Not really - well at least not yet. But there's a lot of money lost in counterfeit goods and I can't wait to bust some heads.

Happiness. . .

2007-02-21T02:02:00.000-05:00

Happiness, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

is a piece of string and a mouse.

Whole Flat World

2007-02-21T01:12:00.000-05:00

It has been quite some time since I've posted. I have been trapped in a well with that creepy bitch from the movie The Ring.

I'm just about 3/4ths through my 2nd year of law school. Strange, totally strange.
I have some serious thinking and research to do because I have no freaking idea where I want to work/take the bar exam.
Michigan?
Tennessee?
Guam?

NYC metro area is not even a possibility. Maybe after I have my Scrooge McDuck piles of money to swim through will I move back to the NYC metro area.

I love Michigan but I do not know what the market is for practicing copyright/trademark law in Michigan. I know I would have no problem with that in Tennessee but after being away from TN for about a year and a half I've come to realize that it isn't my first choice but I don't know what my first choice is.

I feel like a true nomad. Home for me literally is where I hang my hat. NY isn't home to me anymore. I haven't lived there for any length of time since 1989 really. NJ was just a place to live. TN, well, it was one long, bad trip.

Any suggestions?

Happy Thanksgiving?

2005-11-10T00:50:00.000-05:00

My parents are coming to visit for FIVE whole days! Umm, what was I thinking?

Teaching An Old Dog A New Trick

2005-11-10T00:28:00.000-05:00

There's just about a month left of law school and I've only missed 2 classes total. Not of the same class - I missed one day of classes which was 2 classes. That's a freakin' miracle for me. For those of you who know me from my undergrad days - if attendance wasn't taken in a class I was not there. I basically taught myself the work by cramming thru the textbooks and the few notes I had. If I did attend class I didn't do any work until right before an exam. Procrastination has been my game. Even in high school I didn't really do any work until right before an exam. I never had to really work hard academically my whole life. It worked out ok in high school b/c I was an A student but in college it caught up with me a bit but I did ok overall.

Fast forward now to law school. I have to attend pretty much every class b/c attendance is taken and by ABA rules you can't miss more than 4 classes. Also, you don't want to miss class b/c you might not know what the hell is going on. Oh, I almost forgot - you have to prepare for every damn class. This might not sound like a news flash for any of you who actually applied themselves academically but at my age, to have to basically rewire your study habits or lack thereof is nothing short of a miracle. I'm not totally out of the woods though. There's a lot more work I could have done so far that I haven't done yet. I should be reading for my contracts class but instead I'm writing this blog. It just completely drives me insane that I can't totally goof off when I want to. Having to adhere to a strict schedule is making me nuts. I'm slowly getting used to it but the avoidance dance I do every nite before I do my homework until I finally give in is such a ridiculous time waster but I can't help it.

All that time I made fun of my brother b/c he had to keep up with his homework while I just skimmed it and did just as well is biting me in the ass now. To try and become disciplined academically when you've never done that your whole life is worse than trying to teach an old dog new tricks. It's like trying to teach an old deaf and blind dog how to fetch.

Winter is Here

2005-10-19T23:22:00.000-05:00

It's only October 20th and I think I can safely say that Winter has arrived here in Michigan. The temperature doesn't really get past the mid 50s anymore and right now at midnight it is 33 degrees out and it's been that cold since at least 9pm.
Man, do I miss Tennessee. It's still in the mid to high 70s there and currently it's 69 degrees there. In Tennessee when Spring arrived it would only be about 2 or 3 weeks long and then the summer weather would arrive despite it only being early April.
Here apparently Fall is the short season. It last about 2 weeks.
I am glad my winter parka from L.L. Bean arrived today. It's warmth rated to -40 below. All I need is a good pair of snow boots and a couple of pairs of cold weather shoes/non-snow boots and I'll be set. Actually that's not true. I need some winter clothes b/c I haven't bought any since the Fall of 1997 which was in preparation for what was my last Winter in the northeast.

I had a friend buy me a powerball ticket. Maybe I'll win and I'll charter a jet every weekend and stay in the South. For those of you who were thinking I'd quit law school if I won powerball - you must be smokin' crack. After what I went through to get to law school I'm not going anywhere.

Bush dumbing down America

2005-10-05T01:43:00.000-05:00

How is it that as Bush's presidency goes on his incompetence goes up and up? You'd think by now being into his second term he'd sort of have a clue. Nope, not good ol' George. He gets two shots at the Supreme Court - 1st choice Judge Roberts. I have no opinion of him b/c there's just not enough out there on him but at least he could be considered somewhat scholarly based on what the tidbits I saw during his confirmation hearings. He creeps me out a bit and in my opinion kind of looks like Ted Bundy w/ thinner eyebrows - but hey, just as long as he doesn't go on a murderous spree he seems ok.

Now, as far as Harriet Miers goes - what the hell is Bush thinking? Forget about the fact that she bares a creepy resemblance to the Sea Hag from the Popeye cartoons; she does not even come close to being qualified to step into the Supreme Court, let alone sit as an associate judge of the highest court in America. I haven't done a lot of research into the background of justices in the past but from what I know off hand, they were for the most part impressive in their judicial knowledge and their educational background. You expect Supreme Court justices to hail from our country's finest collegiate institutions and our finest law schools. Harvard, Yale and Stanford are thrown in there quite a bit. If not Harvard and Yale, then they are top schools. Additionally, don't justices usually finish at the top of their classes and have degrees other than an undergraduate degree and a J.D.?

Just a little side note - have you seen the way Harriet Miers wears her makeup? What's with the racoon eyes? Is she giving props to Billie Joe Armstrong or to the bad make-up techniques exhibited by many Aqua Net loving girls of Staten Island and Brooklyn in the 80s? Do we want a woman who can't be trusted with an eyeliner pencil or with choosing a proper shade of lipstick with being the last stop on the U.S. judicial road?

At the end of this I have pasted in the biographies of the current justices (not including Roberts which was not posted yet) that I took from the Supreme Court's web page. Please glance over the justices biographies which are all quite impressive and then read over the biography of Harriet "Sea Hag" Miers that I took off off findlaw.com. Her academic claim to fame is an undergrad degree from Southern Methodist University definately on par with Harvard and Yale, and she didn't even finish magna cum laude or even summa cum laude for that matter. Same thing with her J.D. from the same institution - not even at the top of her class. Her biggest claim to fame other than her current job as Bush's Counsel is that she was the head of the Texas Lottery. She's just a corporate lawyer. You don't have to know much about the law to know that having a J.D. does not mean you are a constitutional scholar with the know how to sit in one of those nine chairs.

First Bush appoints the former president of the Arabian Horse society to be the head of FEMA and it turns out that the moron (Michael Brown, not Bush) was fired from the horse club job.

The Supreme Court is not a place for cronyism. All politics aside, I would prefer a justice who does not comport to my ideals if he or she has the judicial and Constitutional knowledge and awareness befitting a justice of the Supreme Court.

Here are the biographies I meantioned earlier:

The Justices of the Supreme Court
John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice, was born in Chicago, Illinois, April 20, 1920. He married Maryan Mulholland, and has four children—John Joseph (deceased), Kathryn, Elizabeth Jane, and Susan Roberta. He received an A.B. from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. He served in the United States Navy from 1942–1945, and was a law clerk to Justice Wiley Rutledge of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1947 Term. He was admitted to law practice in Illinois in 1949. He was Associate Counsel to the Subcommittee on the Study of Monopoly Power of the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1951–1952, and a member of the Attorney General’s National Committee to Study Antitrust Law, 1953–1955. He was Second Vice President of the Chicago Bar Association in 1970. From 1970–1975, he served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. President Ford nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat December
19, 1975. * * *

Sandra Day O’Connor, Associate Justice, was born in El Paso, Texas, March 26, 1930. She married John Jay O’Connor III in 1952 and has three sons—Scott, Brian, and Jay. She received her B.A. and LL.B. from Stanford University. She served as Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, California from 1952–1953 and as a civilian attorney
for Quartermaster Market Center, Frankfurt, Germany from 1954–1957. From 1958– 1960, she practiced law in Maryvale, Arizona, and served as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona from 1965–1969. She was appointed to the Arizona State Senate in 1969 and was subsequently reelected to two two-year terms. In 1975 she was elected Judge of the Maricopa
County Superior Court and served until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. President Reagan nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat September 25, 1981. * * *

Antonin Scalia, Associate Justice, was born in Trenton, New Jersey, March 11, 1936. He married Maureen McCarthy and has nine children—Ann Forrest, Eugene, John Francis,
Catherine Elisabeth, Mary Clare, Paul David, Matthew, Christopher James, and Margaret Jane. He received his A.B. from Georgetown University and the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School, and was a Sheldon Fellow of Harvard University from 1960–1961. He was in private practice in Cleveland, Ohio from 1961–1967, a Professor of Law at the University of Virginia from 1967–1971, and a Professor
of Law at the University of Chicago from 1977–1982, and a Visiting Professor of Law at Georgetown University and Stanford University. He was chairman of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law, 1981–1982, and its Conference of Section Chairmen, 1982–1983. He served the federal government as General Counsel of the Office of Telecommunications Policy from 1971–1972, Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States from 1972–1974, and Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel from 1974–1977. He was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1982. President Reagan nominated him asan Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat September 26, 1986. * * *

Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice, was born in Sacramento, California, July 23, 1936. He married Mary Davis and has three children. He received his B.A. from Stanford University and the London School of Economics, and his LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He was in private practice in San Francisco, California from 1961–1963, as well as in Sacramento, California from 1963–1975. From 1965 to 1988, he was a Professor of Constitutional Law at the McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific. He has served in numerous positions during his career, including a member of the California Army National Guard in 1961, the board of the Federal Judicial Center from 1987–1988, and two
committees of the Judicial Conference of the United States: the Advisory Panel on Financial
Disclosure Reports and Judicial Activities, subsequently renamed the Advisory Committee
on Codes of Conduct, from 1979–1987, and the Committee on Pacific Territories from 1979–1990, which he chaired from 1982–1990. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1975. President Reagan nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat February 18, 1988. * * *

David Hackett Souter, Associate Justice, was born in Melrose, Massachusetts,September 17, 1939. He was graduated from Harvard College, from which he received his A.B. After two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, he received an A.B. in Jurisprudence from Oxford University and an M.A. in 1989. After receivingan LL.B. from Harvard Law School, he was an associate at Orr and Reno in Concord, New Hampshire from 1966 to 1968, when he became an Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire. In 1971, he became Deputy Attorney General and in 1976, Attorney General of New Hampshire. In 1978, he was named an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire, and was appointed to the Supreme Court of New Hampshire as an Associate Justice in 1983. He became a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on May 25, 1990. President Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat October 9, 1990. * * *

Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice, was born in the Pin Point community of Georgia near Savannah June 23, 1948. He married Virginia Lamp in 1987 and has one child, Jamal Adeen, by a previous marriage. He attended Conception Seminary and received an A.B., cum laude, from Holy Cross College, and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1974. He was admitted to law practice in Missouri in 1974, and served as an Assistant Attorney General of Missouri from 1974–1977, an attorney with the Monsanto Company from 1977–1979, and Legislative Assistant to Senator John Danforth from 1979–1981. From 1981–1982, he served as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, and as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1982–1990. He became a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1990. President Bush nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat October 23, 1991. * * *

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice, was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933. She married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954, and has a daughter, Jane, and a son, James. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her LL.B. from Columbia Law School. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1959–1961. From 1961–1963, she was a research associate and then associate director of the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure. She was a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law from 1963–1972, and Columbia Law School from 1972–1980, and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral
Sciences in Stanford, California from 1977–1978. In 1971, she was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served as the ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973–1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974–1980. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat August 10, 1993. * * *

Stephen G. Breyer, Associate Justice, was born in San Francisco, California, August 15, 1938. He married Joanna Hare in 1967, and has three children—Chloe, Nell, and Michael. He received an A.B. from Stanford University, a B.A. from Magdalen College,
Oxford, and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School. He served as a law clerk to Justice Arthur Goldberg of the Supreme Court of the United States during the 1964 Term, as a Special Assistant to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Antitrust, 1965–1967, as an Assistant Special Prosecutor of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, 1973, as Special Counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, 1974–1975, and as Chief Counsel of the committee, 1979–1980. He was an Assistant Professor, Professor of Law, and Lecturer at Harvard Law School, 1967–1994, a Professor at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, 1977–1980, and a Visiting Professor at the College of Law, Sydney, Australia and at the University of Rome. From 1980–1990, he served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and as its Chief Judge, 1990–1994. He also served as a member of the Judicial Conference of the United States, 1990–1994, and of the United States Sentencing Commission, 1985–1989. President Clinton nominated him as an Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat August 3, 1994.

Here's Harriet Miers' biography. I left out the honors and awards b/c they are irrelevant.

Current Employment Position(s):

White House Counsel

Areas of Practice:

Antitrust & Trade Regulation
Litigation & Appeals

Bar Admissions:

Texas, 1970

Education:

Southern Methodist University School of Law, Dallas, Texas, 1970
J.D., Juris Doctor
Honors: Barristers, Moot Court Board, Kappa Beta Pi
Law Review: Comments Editor, Southwestern Law Journal, 1969 - 1970Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, 1967
B.S., Bachelor of Science

Classes/Seminars Taught:

Former Trial Advocacy Instructor, SMU NITA Program, Southern Methodist University School of Law

Past Employment Positions:
United States District Court, Northern District of Texas, Hon. Joe E. Estes, Law Clerk, 1970 - 1972Belli, Ashe, Ellison, Choulos & Lieff, Law Clerk, 1969City of Dallas, Judicial Nominating Commission, ChairNorth Texas Commission, Board of Directors, Former MemberLocke Purnell Rain Harrell, PresidentTexas Lottery Commission, Chair

Gross

2005-09-25T00:08:00.000-05:00

My poor dog, I'm going to kill her if she doesn't go and find a spot for herself in the house and lay down. She's been irritating the crap out of me all day. I hate when she gets in moods like this. They seem to last a few days at least and it consists of her pacing around and being up my ass 24-7. To add to the fun she seems to have some kind of irritation and she's constantly licking herself and it's just so damn gross. I need to take her to the vet this week. Right now she's trying to stare me down - what a crazy supersnook.

Aside from River driving me nuts, the cat is being bad as well. I got home from school this afternoon to find that Tiggy(she's a cat) knocked over the box of DOG milkbones on the counter in the kitchen and proceeded to eat DOG milkbones until she was full. That freakin' little pig. If there had been a box of cat treats she wouldn't have bothered with them. Don't get me wrong, she'd eat them but she wouldn't risk my wrath for measly cat food. I'm just waiting for Tiggy to start barking. There's no safe place for me to put the milkbones. All the upper cabinets are full and the only ones with room are the lower cabinets. Yes, my cat knows how to open up the cabinets and she likes to walk in the kitchen every now and then and she'll open up the cabinets, peak inside and close them. Once she figures out where I moved the milkbones to she'll get at them. Am I going to have to get baby locks for my cabinets b/c of Tiggy???

Saturday?

2005-09-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

As if I didn't have enought to do....school on a Saturday. Yep, right now I am sitting in between 2 different lectures on outlining skills and such. What a friggin drag.

Cough Cough Cough

2005-09-23T15:18:00.000-05:00

It was in the news here the other day how Michigan is the 4th worst state for the prevalence of asthma. I was a bit suprised b/c I had no idea the air quality was so bad up here. That's not good for me considering I have asthma. The problem isn't so much in the area and county that I live in - it's in the Detroit area and some other area but overall the air just isn't so great. So, it looks like I will have to plan for a difficult and long winter here b/c cold air is bad for me and I will have the poor air quality on top of that. Maybe I"ll just walk around like Michael Jackson and wear a face mask all the time.

I Hate Hewlett Packard

2005-09-22T03:14:00.000-05:00

About 2 months ago my up (until that point awesome) lexmark printer just suddenly died on me so being short on funds I went to Wallyworld and bought a cheap HP printer. I bought HP b/c I've heard that the make good printers and that printers have been a bulk of their business. Anyway............After having it for a week or so I noticed it would not work if I tried to print anything using Word on my Mac. I thought it was just an installation problem and didn't worry about it. Well, now that I need to print stuff on a daily basis for school it's a big problem and it still won't print. But, I haven't had time to try and call HP tech support on that issue.
Today, I tried to print something off of my laptop. It printed part of the page and then had a paper jam. I cleared the jam - it wasn't anything major, but now it won't work at all. I'm ready to take the damn thing to the field across the parking lot and punt the damn thing as far as I can. That might even be worth the $50 bucks I paid for the piece of crap.

Strangely enough, right after buying this piece o' crap I tried hooking up the lexmark since the piece o' crap wouldn't print Word documents on my Mac. The damn thing worked, so I gave it to one of my friends figuring I had me a nice new printer. That printer is still working and I'm stuck with a brand new piece o' crap.

I also hate HP b/c when they bought Compaq, at the time I had stock in Compaq and it went into the toilet and I ended up selling it at a huge loss.

Time

2005-09-20T23:35:00.000-05:00

I wish we could add a few hours to each day because right now 24 hours isn't enough for me. This schedule is really draining me. I'm at the point that I'm too tired and wound up to relax and b/c I'm so fried when I have time to relax I don't even realize that I'm relaxing b/c I'm pretty much a zombie.

Here's what my weekly schedule looks like:
Monday - rise at around 9:30 or 10am. Shower, eat breakfast, walk River and study until around 4:45pm where I walk River again and leave for class. Return home at around 9pm and walk River then eat dinner and unwind until about 11pm. I study until about 4am.

Tuesday - rise at around 9:30 or 10am, same crap but this time I don't get home until around 9:30pm - same crap until...

Wednesday - same crap only I don't get home until around 10pm

Thursday - same crap but I get home at 9:30ish.

Fri - sleep until 11 if River will let me but this hasn't happened yet b/c I always have to be somewhere by 8am it seems. Laundry, clean the house, food shopping - where do I study here?

Saturday - Study

Sunday - Study

Rinse, lather, repeat

I would like to have a life really. It would be so nice to socialize outside of the law bldg. One thing I REALLY despise is when my mother says to me, "Well, this is what you wanted." Nooooooooooooo, I want to be a lawyer making the big money but I didn't sign up for this exhaustive crap.

Not only is it exhaustive but I'm back to living like a starving student due to shitty financial aid. I'm at the point where I"m going to set up a paypal link on this blog where people can donate to my law school fund. I am a for profit organization and I will gladly accept donations.

River and Tiggy keep me sane. They are so damn funny. If only I had a video camera I could easily win on the home video show with the things they do. Here they are taking a nap together. Tiggy looks like she weighs 500 lbs and she doesn't. She just looks like a tub of lard when she lays down. For those of you who don't know, Tiggy is the cat. I couldn't believe my eyes when I caught them laying down facing each other and no more than 3 feet from each other. They hate each other but are learning to tolerate each other. It only took 5 yrs!

One thing that's is taking a little getting used to is the weather here. I'm already wearing pants basically on a daily basis. Back in TN it's still in the high 80s, low 90s. It's been 8 yrs since I've worn pants before November.
I think I'm destined to live somewhere where I can wear shorts 365 days of the year. It just can't be anywhere Hurricane prone. Anyone have any ideas?

Please Don't Forget The Animals

2005-09-06T01:03:00.000-05:00

North Shore Animal League (Largest no-kill animal shelter in the U.S. They rescued River from a local shelter where she was about to be put to sleep): http://www.nsal.org

ASPCA: http://www.aspca.org/

Please don't forget the poor pets that were abandoned by the people who had to evacuate New Orleans and other devasted gulf coast cities/towns.

People at first were not allowed to take their pets with them when they were rescued and these animals now need to be rescued. Please make a donation to one of the following agencies working to help rescue these pets in need:

The Humane Society of the U.S.: http://www.hsus.org

American Veterinary Medical Foundation: http://www.avmf.org/html/index.asp

Noah's Wish: http://www.noahswish.org/

Law School Is Exhausting

2005-09-06T00:35:00.000-05:00

Ok, I knew it was going to be difficult but it was an abstract concept. Now that it is real I just need a really long nap. OMG, the reading is vicious and deceiving. You look at the syllabus and see that you only have to read 25 pages for the next class and think, "Oh, that's nothing." Well, surprise surprise...it'll take about 6 hours to read 25 pages and that's not because I've sudden become "special" and have the reading level of a 4 year old. It's because your not reading like you have never read before. You're dissecting and analyzing and then you have to brief ever case that you read within those 25 pages. There are also plenty of legal terms in there that you have never heard of before and you have to stop and look it up in your giant and heavy Black's Law dictionary.

I'm not even full time - I'm one class short of having the same class load as a full time 1L. I can't imagine having an additional class b/c I think I'd go crazy - and it's only been the first week of classes. It will get better as I get used to it but then it will get worse b/c the assignments will get more difficult as time goes on.

At least the professors are decent people. They don't conduct themselves like power wielding monsters like in the movie "The Paper Chase." They'll ask you a few questions and then go onto the next person - they don't continually grill one person until they're visibly sweating.

So far, I like it which of course is a good thing. What I don't like of course is how tiring it is and how I don't have time for anything. This is the first night that I am not working until about 3am. I'm done for the night. Since I had a 4 day weekend (no Friday classes), I had hoped to have all the work for the week done before tomorrow. Well, this is me we're talking about. I at least got everything done for tomorrow before having to go to class tomorrow night and I finished it at around midnight - that's an early night for me. I would have been done earlier but I was up until 5am working last night b/c I wanted to get to a certain point before going to bed. I only gave myself 5 hrs of sleep and at about 2pm I found myself practically sleeping face down in my torts book. So, it was nap time and what was supposed to be just an hour turned into almost two hours.

One thing I do not like is that it's a very lonely solitary existence so far. I have made a few acquaintances in class and I have made a friend, but even if I wanted to socialize there isn't any time. When I do have free time I just want to veg - either nap or just watch TV or a movie, and I also have a duty to my poor puppy who is constantly craving my attention and I haven't been able to give her the attention that she wants. Hopefully I'll get my studying schedule better coordinated and that will free up time for my fuzzy puppy.

I'm rather disappointed in a few friends of mine. A few of them have not called me since I made the big move to Michigan to see how the move went nor have they called me to see how law school is going. Last week was the first week of classes but the whole law school experience started a week earlier with orientation so these people have had plenty of time to call me. Usually I'm quite stubborn in these situations and I won't attempt to contact someone who I think should have contacted me. Well, I got restless and I reached out to some of them and they still have not tried to contact me.

I apologize for complaining but it just really makes me wonder who my real friends are.

24 LBS.

2005-08-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

I picked up my law books yesterday and they weigh a ton. Well, not exactsly a ton but 24 lbs. to be exact. Did I mention that I'm only taking 12 credits? The books ran me $550 dollars. Anyone who wishes to make a donation to my law school book fund please contact me - just kidding, but then again if you feel like donating who am I to stop you?

One of the books was $99. There's nothing special about it. Yes, it's a rather large book but it's not like it's made of gold leaf nor does a magic gnome pop out when you open to the book to summarize and explain the contents of the book. That would be kind of cool though.

River just stuck her head in the bag from Old Navy that I brough home yesterday to check to see that I wasn't holding out on food.

Tomorrow is orientation - finally I can get this damn show on the road. I wonder what my classmates will be like. I'm in the part-time program for now so I hope that doesn't mean that the majority of my classmates are working full time jobs b/c that's not going to help my lack of a social life so far since moving to humid as all hell Michigan.

I slept a full night last night - finally! They totally lied to me and everyone else who signed up to rent these apartments. There is only one a/c unit to cool the whole apt. and it's located in the living room. The master bedroom which is all the way in the back of the apt. does not get cooled at all. I had to go and buy a lighter blanket b/c I was waking up every night (despite having a ceiling fan, and two other fans on me) in a pool of sweat. Totally gross.

It's only aboutg 78 here today b/c it's all cloudy and pseudo rainy but it's so damn humid and sticky. I actually prefer TN's oven baking temps. I think the temp. is supposed to hit 100 there today.

Wireless and free?

2005-08-18T21:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally got my dsl service up and running. I was hesitant to do dsl over cable but it was so much cheaper and it's just a fast.

I must say, wireless with a laptop is awesome. Why the hell didn't I do this before. I now have two computers (G5 and this dell laptop) in a couple of days I will have another laptop - sigh, how ridiculous is that?

I'll most likely sell the newer laptop b/c it doesn't have a firewire port and it was free. But I have to wait until Jan. until I sell it b/c technically until then it's still the law school's property. Maybe I'll give it to my parents to use until then and maybe they'll buy it off of me - who knows. There computer situation is pathetic and they could use a new one.

The only annoying thing about this is so far, apparently I have to have my G5 on and connected ot the internet in order for the dell to have something to connect to. Otherwise it doesn't detect a wireless connection. I'm going to call sbc to check if there's a way around it b/c that's a bit annoying and a tremendous waste of electricity to have that monster running when I'm not even using it.

I didn't get anything done today. I still have to set up my study/den (quite a few boxes left to unpack) before orientation/classes start. I'm pretty much sick as a dog again b/c I didn't get any rest whatsoever when I came down with bronchitis and I was sleep deprived for 2 wks and was worked like slave having to pack everything practically by myself. I hope this friggin cough lets up again before orientation starts b/c I know I'll get stares if it doesn't.

Where am I?

2005-08-18T00:45:00.000-05:00

I've been in this new apartment and new town, city, state, region since last Thursday. Every time I wake up I don't know where I am despite being moved in and all of my belongings in place. I feel like I'm staying in someone else's house. Even River and Tiggy are uncomfortable. One isn't eating like she normally does and the other won't come out of the bedroom other than to attend to basic functions.

Hopefully it'll get better.

At least I still have the out in the boonies feel. When I took River for a walk yesterday morning we came across a snake slithering in our path. Not that I care for snakes but living next to the woods and a marsh is a lot better than urban life for me.

A Shout Out

2005-08-05T17:24:00.000-05:00

I'd like to welcome back my long lost friend Mimi. Mimi and I were roommates back when I last lived in NJ and she lives in the Boston, MA area last I knew. I haven't talked to her in a couple of yrs and I just got a reply to an email I sent her and she informed me that she's been reading this here blog!

I'd like to think I can blame Mimi for River liking to wrestle and play rough because Mimi always indulged River with the rough play but River was that way from the moment I got her. River couldn't wait to pounce on Mimi or to run off with one of Mimi's stuffed animals in her mouth.

Mimi, you'd better call me like you said you would and send me your contact info!

Progress?

2005-08-05T17:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it's T-5 days before the movers come to haul off my crap and how much do I have left to pack? A ton (literally) of stuff. They've estimated that my stuff weighs about 4 tons (not including me) and I think that I have packed up maybe almost half so does that mean I've lifted over 1.5 tons in the past week????

I would've had more accomplished by now but I unfortunately got a head cold last weekend which for me is bad b/c being asthmatic it turns into bronchitis which is never fun. I've been trying to get stuff accomplished all week but I've had chills, or my brain would feel like it was on fire everytime I bent down to put stuff in a box, or I'd get woozy. Stuff has gotten accomplished - I have no idea how, maybe while I was high from the narcotic cough syrup!

Poor baby dog River is at the vet's right now and I have to go check on her to see if she's ok to come home. She had a growth removed from her face today. It was funny looking and growing so the vet suggested removing it to be sure and I was down with that. When he called about an hour ago to tell me how she was doing I could hear her howling in the background but I asked him if it was indeed her howling in the background and he said I was right. Poor puppy is all loopy from drugs, kind of like me right now, and doesn't know where she is or why her face is numb, kind of like me!

I had to get new cellphone service because I had a local plan that wouldn't work in Michigan. I ordered a new phone a sony ericcson something or other. I can't wait to use it because it's a picture/video phone. I've always said I'd never get a picture phone because I thought it was stupid but now that the phone has it I can't wait to play with it.

I'm ticked off at my Mom right now. She's always had issues but she's completely off her rocker now. My parents are driving down to help me with the move because logistically transporting River and Tiggy in the same car, my small car for that matter, is not a good idea. They're also going to hang around and visit for a few days and help me unpack. My Dad is retired and my mother has a billion vacation days because she's been at the same company for 20 yrs. My Mom has been giving me grief about them staying on for an additional day because she claims she has all this work at her office to handle. Nevermind the fact that she was going to take 2 days off right after returning from helping me to go to California for an extended weekend for a party for my Dad's cousin (they're not going b/c airfare to Cali is outrageous right now.). Since they're not going I told her to stay on for 2 more days - all I could get out of her was one additional day. I find out today that she's took off from work today to help with whatever associated with some block party their block is having tomorrow. Umm, block party prep over helping her daughter.....what the hell did she need to do to prepare for a block party that she had to take off from work?......she purposely did not tell me she was taking off today (spoke to her last nite about how long she was staying) b/c she knew I'd get pissed.......,my brother thinks she's loosing her mind and has OCD concerning this stupid block party b/c she's been hounding him about it.

So, my Mom is a nut job which I already knew but her nuttiness is morphing into weirdo nuttiness. I don't' mind the visits but I'm damn happy I live far away!

Packing is a Bitch!

2005-07-27T00:52:00.000-05:00

I'd rather listen for hours on end to my mother complaining and my father's ridiculousness than to have to finish packing for this move. I spent almost all evening in my bedroom closet (huge walk-in closet) opening boxes and trying to get rid of stuff. The easiest and most efficient way to move is to not try to organize in any way - to just pack it where it's at. I don't have the luxury of being able to do that b/c I have to try to get rid of as much crap as possible so I can get the smallest storage space possible.

I wish I could avoid having to get a storage space all together but that's just plain impossible. I'm losing my outside storage closet, my laundry room/pantry and my bedroom closet isn't as big as the one I currently have. I wish I could just transport this apartment and the complex up to Michigan and continue living here.

I have so much more to do. I'm not done with the closet yet, I have to do the outside storage closet, the laundry room, coat closet, computer desk, etc etc. Any volunteers?

The Universe Is Messing With Me

2005-07-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

Why this is happening? I have no idea. Signs that this was going on really started to show a couple of weeks ago when an ATM gave me 4 hundred dollar bills instead of 4 twenty dollar bills. I so need the money and frankly who doesn't? But, I knew that I would be the one who would get caught. If it were anyone else (and it probably happened to other people who used this ATM earlier and didn't report it) they'll get away with it. So, I did the honest thing only b/c I didn't feel like getting arrested at some point in the future.

First it was money being thrown at me now it's law schools being dangled in front of me. I was accepted into Hofstra law yesterday. One of the Dean's there called me to let me know. Hofstra is not go be confused with Harvard but it is a good law school in the NYC metro area where I wanted to be since I didn't get into Vanderbilt.

Hofstra accepts me not in June or even 1st week of July but on July 21st! What the hell am I supposed to do with that? I've already signed a lease in Michigan. What a bunch of fuckwads.

2005-07-13T13:51:00.000-05:00

Rrrrrrr we going to have a winning football season?

R....S......

2005-07-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

Michigan State has teams that win. Their football hasn't been all that great as of late considering Rutgers beat them last year but they haven't had a billion losing seasons like Rutgers has and their men's basketball kicks ass.

I don't know if I can handle attending a University where the teams actually win. Will I feel guilty rooting for the Spartans while Rutgers most likely will continue to suck?

If you look at these logos it looks like a Sesame Street battle of the letters.

Moving Sucks

2005-07-12T00:22:00.000-05:00

I got a couple of estimates today on the move. It's going to cost a pretty penny.

Scratch this attempt at an entry. I'm not feeling too well (haven't been feeling well on and off for a week now) and I'm suddenly feeling extra shitty so I'm going to call it a nite and take the pooch out and hit the hay.

Imodium Rules

2005-07-10T02:02:00.000-05:00

After you've read the title of this entry I don't think I need to say anymore abou the subject other than if I didn't know any better I'd think someone was poisoning my food b/c this is the 2nd time this week I've had to turn to Imodium.

Anyway, I'm awake b/c I feel like complete garbage so I figured I'll tool around online (as if that'll make me feel better). I must've been really bored b/c I was checking out my blog counter and was looking at the time zones of my blog visitors and their partial IP addresses and was trying to figure out if I knew some of the visitors. I've had some rather out there (geographically speaking) such as France, Russia, Japan, Australia, and people from all over the US.

Instead of playing this guessing game I figured I'd try out a guestbook and hope that if you're reading this you'll sign the book and if I know you you'll let me know you stopped by. If I don't know you personally, well, you can say hi.

I don't feel like I'm making sense but if that's the case I'll blame it on my weak physical condition.

I need to feel better tomorrow b/c I have a lot of things to do around the house that aren't going to get done by themselves.

Oh G-d, I just realized I still haven't taken River out for her last walk of the day [groan]. Poor dog is still working off the anesthestic/sedative she got on Friday at the vets office. She was so wasted it was pathetic. I had to practically carry her up the stairs and she's 55 pounds so that wasn't easy. I had to block off the stairs so she wouldn't try to go down them and end up falling and breaking her neck.

River is cute when she isn't feeling well. She gets very mushy and wants to snuggle and there's nothing better than a snuggling puppy.

Moving

2005-07-09T15:10:00.000-05:00

Yep it's official, I'm moving to Michigan - woo hoo! I'm not really excited at all mainly b/c I'm not thrilled about the winters I will have to deal with. I really love the climate here in the mid-south and have enjoyed not having to wear anything more than a light jacket in the winter.

Other than that I look forward to it. I just wish I could fast forward though law school and get it over with so I can get back to making the real money. Of course that money won't be all that great for a while b/c I'll have over $100,000 in law school loan debt. Fun, fun, fun.

I have so much crap to do now it isn't funny. I have a few moving companies coming to give me estimates on Monday and I have to straighten up the chaos that my house has become before they arrive. The biggest headache is my bedroom closet. It's a gigantic walk-in closet that could be a small bedroom. It has become such a disorganized mess from my having to get to things buried in the back and never fixing it back up. It needs to be organized so the movers can make a proper estimate of all the crap that I have.

This move is going to cost me a pretty penny and unfortunately this time I won't have my employer footing the bill for the whole thing. It was great when I moved to Nashville. My company paid for movers to box up all my crap, store it while I was working in both Nashville and NJ for 4 months and then unload it when I finally had time to unpack and move in. They also paid to move my car. Those were the days.....flying 1st class twice a week on the company dime and living in hotels. It was quite an experience. Post 9/11 I don't see being able to do that again without going crazy from all the time and hassle it takes to go through airport security these days. I used to show up 20 mins. before my flight took off and I'd be ok. There's no way you could do that anymore.

Anyway, the hell of packing starts again. At least I think I'll be staying at my future home in Michigan for the full 3 yrs I'll be in law school. That'll be the longest I've stayed at one address in years. In the past 11 years I've had 8 different places that I called home (including my future home in Michigan). I'm so sick of moving but that's just how things have played out. You know you've moved enough when the moving specialist remembers you right off the bat.

I just hope that living in a new locale doesn't distract me from studying. I like to explore and I know I'll want to drive up to the great lakes and spend as much time up there as weather permits. I definately look forward to getting some fishing done while sitting on a boat somewhere on Lake Erie, Huron or Michigan and catch me a big one.

I wish there was a few more weeks in between now and orientation on 8/21. I wish I had time for another vacation b/c this summer was basically my last summer of fun before retirement. At least I went on one week long vacation (Hilton Head) and then went camping this past extended weekend and before that went on another short trip. I could use another week at the beach.

Contact

2005-06-24T00:26:00.000-05:00

DASH 8, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

When I was flying to NY my continental flight was mega delayed and I wasn't going to make my connection in Cleveland. So of course, the airline didn't inform me of this when I checked in. Instead they waited until I had done all of that and walked away then they paged me. The morons then informed me of the situation and took forever to get me on another flight - a USAir flight connecting out of Pittsburgh. I didn't care b/c I was still getting there albeit 2 hrs later. So I got up early for nothing and waited in line to check my bag for nothing.
Anyway, the flight to Pittsburgh was uneventful. After landing and waiting at the gate for my connecting flight I see the plane pull in. It was the same plane as in the pic but it looked like it had been through a war - it was beat to shit, the paint was peeling off it. Now take this into mind - I have no problem with flying. I've flown close to 200,000 miles but I make it a point to avoid turboprop propeler plane b/c they scare the crap out of me. Here I was faced with my flying nightmare scenario and the plane was so beat up and old looking it looked like Charles Lindburgh should could have been the pilot. I called a friend and told her that if I die to make sure my parents keep both the fuzzies that's how scared I was.

Terrified I got on the plane and once the plane's engines started I thought my ears were going to explode. The engines were so loud and got even louder as the plane took off and climbed that my eyes started to water from the loudness. I'm sure that the noise going on then exceeded all federal standards for decibel levels without ear protection. It eventually evened out (the noise level) but I couldn't hear shit for hours.

That was the worst flying experience of my life and I will never ever fly a turboprop plane again no matter what. To top it off I actually got "ok buh-bye'd" by the snarky flight attendand. USAir SUX!!!!!!

What a craphole

2005-06-23T23:47:00.000-05:00

Well I went and scoped out Western New England and the town and the end result is I didn't like it at all. It was reminiscent of New Brunswick circa 1990s and that's not a good thing. Also, I was disappointed with the law school building itself. It gave off a very cheap/second rate aura. It kind of reminded me of the College of Staten Island's old Sunnyside campus - that's also not a good thing. I wasn't expecting Ivy colored buildings nor was I expecting Harvard but I certainly wasn't expecting it to reek of CSI aka Harvard by the highway.

I do have to also live in the town for 3 years and I wasn't pleased with that either. So the end result is unless Michigan State is a craphole I'm going to Michigan State.

A funny thing happened while I was attempting to scope out places to live in Western Mass. I called this one woman who had left her info on the duplex she had for rent with the law school. I called the woman 2 days before flying up there and made an appointment to see her duplex. The plan was that I was to call Shirley either Friday nite or Sat. morning to set up the time to see the duplex. Well, I called her Sat. morning and this is how the conversation went:

Shirley: Hello
Me: May I speak with Shirley please?
Shirley: This is Shirley
Me: Hi Shirley, this is Elisa we spoke the other nite about me coming to see the duplex you have for rent
Shirley: Hi Elisa, I don't have a duplex for rent
Me: What? I spoke with you the other nite
Shirley: I don't have a duplex for rent
Me: Is it rented out now?
Shirley: I never had anything for rent I don't know what you're talking about
Me: Click

I was about to say, "Shirley you can't be serious!" (I hope you know where that's from) but I stopped myself.

I know I had the right number and I recognized the old bags voice - she's apparently lost her freakin' mind. Nevermind the fact that the apparent address she had given me didn't seem to exist. That was certainly a sign of things to come!

Tomorrow nite I'm driving up to Michigan State. I'm driving half way and grabbing a hotel for the nite and then resume the driving early Sat. morning so I can look at some apts. Sat. afternoon. I'd normally do the ride all in one day but I can't leave until tomorrow nite so whatever.

I pray Michigan State and East Lansing/Lansing are nice. I have so many damn apts. to look at it's not funny - something like 26. I had to make up a spreadsheet so that I can write in all the amenities and info and then be able to compare them to each other so I can make a decision. Some include some utilities, some include none. Some have pools and gyms or one or the other, some have none and this little piggy cried wee wee weeeeee all the way home. Yes, I'm cracking up. I feel like I'm going blind from looking up all this crap online.

I feel really bad for the fuzzies. Back in the kennel River goes and poor Tiggy will be all by her lonesome again. After I get back I'm supposed to go camping for a few days but that might have to be canceled. I have so much to do. After I make my decision about where I'm going to school I have to apply for all the loans and before I do that I have to figure out my cost of living blah blah blah. I need a personal assistant I can't handle all this crap by myself, it's too much.

Up Up and Away...

2005-06-16T12:33:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow morning I'm flying up to NY and staying at my brother's house for a few days. On Saturday we're driving up to check out Western New England despite my feeling that I'm not going to attend WNEC. I want to see it before I make the final decision.

I'm flying to the airport that's about 10 mins. from his house which is cool but there's no direct flights. I'll have to change flights in Cleveland (groan). I hate that friggin' airport. It's been a while since I've had to go through there but all I remember is endless escalators and a lot of walking.

The real shitty thing about not having a direct flight is the giant waste of time it is. What would normally be just about a 2 hr. flight turns into an all day ordeal. My plane leaves Nashville at 8am and after switching planes I don't land in NY until 2pm. Let's not forget that I'll have to be at the airport really early so I can get through the long security lines and since I live about 40 mins. from the airport I'll probably have to leave here at about 6am. 6am - 2pm. Flying used to be so much easier. I just hope that my connecting flights are not late b/c that could lead to even more fun - sitting and waiting in the Cleveland airport.

One last complaint about flying....since 9/11 the airline I use no longer uses 737s and now uses these teeny (sp?) jets that are nosy and kinda cramped. I don't particularly care for them. It's like riding on a greyhound with wings.

I get back on Tuesday and then sometime next week I'm leaving for Michigan to check out Michigan State. I might as well go through with all the crap for that school b/c that's probably where I'm going but whatever. I should start shopping for sub-zero clothing.

Back to Reality

2005-06-13T12:20:00.000-05:00

I got back from my vacation yesterday morning. Despite my vacation being a week long it was too short. Next time I take a vacation it's going to be 2 weeks straight. I was just getting into the vacation groove and then it was time to leave.

I love Hilton Head and I'd definatey go back. My condo was right on the beach - just a walk across the small parking lot and the 500 foot path and you were there. The only downer of the whole beach experience was that I got burned in a small area on both shoulders. Apparently the sun tan lotion I had was not good anymore b/c using 15 on my shoulders which are the only place I'll burn always works. I even reapplied it to my shoulders often but nevertheless I got burned badly on both side straddling the bathing suit shoulder strap. It's the worst sun burn I ever gotten. Thank god I've never really experienced a bad sun burn before this b/c it sux. It hurt badly for 2 days and then it was ok but now that it's peeling it hurts again b/c the skin is raw. Hopefully I'll never get another burn of any kind again.

Since Hilton Head is not far from Savannah I ventured into Savannah a couple of times. Savannah is a great city. The architecture of all the homes is amazing and so much of it was preserved. I also got to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady and Sons. If you want to experience the most delicious southern food you'll ever eat go eat at her restaurant.

In the middle of the week we all ventured to Charleston, S.C. That was kind of a long annoying drive. For some reason there's no interstate or any type of route to Charleston that's more direct than the 2 lane country road through swap country that we had to take. It seemed like it took forever. Luckily we gassed up before we left and we didn't have to make any bathroom stops b/c the gas stations were very few and far between.

Charleston is another beautiful city with a lot of great preserved historical homes. I liked Charleston a bit more - I can't put my finger on why and I wished I could have spent more time there other than the one day. We ate at Hyman's Seafood restaurant. It you go to Charleston eat there - it's an institution and they have the best fresh seafood and it's inexpensive.

At nite we went to a Charleston Riverdogs baseball game. They're a single A ball minor league affilliate of the Yankees. It was fun - minor league ball parks are great for cheap ass concessions. It was thirsty thursdays nite - beer and more beer on the cheap and the hot dogs were only $1.50! I think the last time I bought a hot dog for a buck fifty at a ball park was when I was 7 yrs old. What are they like $5.00 now at Yankee stadium? Ridiculous!

Unfortunately just like the Yankees the Riverdogs lost but seats right over the dugout for only $8.00 was well worth it.

I think I want to try to go to a warm beach place over Christmas break this year. Hilton Head is out b/c it won't be all that warm there but south florida is sounding good. Thank god for my time share.

Redneck Fishing

2005-06-01T02:01:00.000-05:00

redneck_fishing_hole, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

I told my brother the other day that I went redneck fishing but it wasn't anything like this! I'm a sea dog - I like the ocean and fishing in salt water is my idea of fishing. I do like to fish though so I make do with the situation I have (living no where near the ocean.

Redneck fishing to me is what I did on Friday. I was fishing in a large pond with a small herd of dairy cows behind a fence behind me at about 50 feet from me. So many damn bugs I thought I was going to go insane. I was so gross from the heat, the bugs and the environment that it was 100 times worse than the gross factor from salt water fishing.

At least I caught something this time.

Vacation...

2005-06-01T01:22:00.000-05:00

is all I ever wanted. Vacation had to get away..... remember that song by the Go-Go's? It's in my head b/c I am excited to be going on vacation on Friday. Hilton Head here I come!

I wish I could spend the whole week distracted from all this law school crap but that's impossible. At least I'll be somewhat relaxed.

I am so excited to lounge on the beach, go deep sea fishing and to check out Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC.

I also plan to check out Paula Deen's (if you watch the food network you'd know who she is) restaurant in Savannah. She's the Queen of southern comfort food.

I just hope the weather is good. I saw the forecast through Monday on tv earlier and it seemed like it was all rain. I don't put much creedence in forecasts of more than 2 days out b/c they don't seem to be too accurate so I'm hoping and praying it's wrong.

I pray that I get a little color. I'm not looking for a George Hamilton tan but just a little color. I'm so pale it's ridiculous.

I wish I could take the little fuzzies with me b/c I miss them when I'm away for a week but my timeshare doesn't allow pets. At least I'll know they'll be in good hands. The kennel they'll be at is great and have personnnel on site 24-7 unlike most kennels. Tiggy will have a huge cat condo, and River will have an indoor/outdoor run which she loves b/c she loves being outside.

I just thought again about how the hell I'm going to transport River and Tiggy when I move. Tiggy's really the problem. How do you transport a cat for a car ride that's going to be at a minimum 11 hours? It's not like you can walk a cat and my car isn't big enough for a cage big enough to hold a small litter box.

Am I Always Going To Be Broke?

2005-06-01T01:02:00.000-05:00

Today I sat down and figured out all the financials for the two law schools I'm debating about. I'm on wait lists at so many law school that I would jump at the opportunity to go to (Rutgers, St. John's for example) but I have to start doing some kind of planning b/c I can't count on a seat opening up for me.

At option #1 where I was offered a more than half tuition scholarship, my approximate indebtness after law school would be $94,500.

Option #2, in the lovely and hot as hell Michigan, my approximate indebtness after law school would be $125,000.

It's not so cut and dry though. The scholarship in option #1 lowers my offering of federal student loans so I will have about $39,000 in private loans which will have higher interest rates. Option #2 will have about $22,000 in private loans b/c I will be eligible for more federal loans due to no scholarship.

Money isn't the only consideration. Option #1's bar passage rate isn't so hot while #2's is great.

This whole thing sux. I don't know how to decide. It'd be easy if I was accepted at a top 25 law school but both schools are very similar. I almost wish someone would just come forth and make the decision for me and that would be that.

It just occured to me that both schools are located in climates that I absolutely hate. Maybe I shouldn't have turned down the law school in southern California.

Due to my future massive indebtness I am accepting donations to my education fund. Please feel free to donate money to my fund and donate often!

What does A-Rod bring?

2005-05-16T15:40:00.000-05:00

YAY, the Yankees are finally winning some games. They've got a nice winning streak going but I'm not too enthused b/c it hasn't been against teams that were a real challenge. Yeah a win is a win but when they get back to playing teams in the AL East like the Red Sox or the Orioles and actually beat them then maybe I'll have more hope for the end of the season's final results.

In all this winning and all the run scoring they've been doing I'm surprised at something the sportswriters in NYC haven't been covering. That is, the fact that A-Rod's bat has been pretty much silent during this whole winning streak. In the past two or three games A-Rod hasn't even gotten a hit. Not only that but it's still so young in the season and he's been a disaster at 3rd piling up something like 8 errors already and they've been quite costly errors - costing a few games.

What a waste of $25 million.

In Need of a Laugh

2005-05-14T01:20:00.000-05:00

KittenSurprise, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

As stressed out as I am when I came across this pic I actually laughed. How cute is that?

Red Alert

2005-05-13T14:30:00.000-05:00

I am seething right now. Nothing's new about the cause - law school application process. I was informed by Michigan State today that they never received my student aid report from the idiots at FAFSA (free application for student aid). It's really no surprise because it's a federal agency that processes this but the level of ineptitude still amazes me.

I had faxed over to the morons at FAFSA (3/29/05) a list of additional schools that student aid reports needed to be sent to along with their school codes. I received notification from FAFSA that this list was received. Well, the morons at FAFSA only processed half of the schools on that list. Those left out schools included every school that I haven't received an admissions decision from yet (and Michigan State which I may attend).

What I also find amazing is that the schools that didn't receive my financial aid report did not notify me. Other schools that were missing information from me contacted me. The missing and ultimately late financial aid reports could have possibly caused me to miss out on some cash.

Interesting thing I found out from Michigan State - if you can get a 3.6 gpa you could get a half scholarship for 2nd or 3rd yr. 3.8 and up - possibly a full ride for the year. That's certainly motivation to be super nerd!

Oh, I almost forgot another example of a bureaucratic moron. One of the schools I am still waiting to hear a decision from is St. John's University. I have tried to call them several times over the past few days to find out the status of my application and the evil automated system directs me to this voicemail box that is full no matter what time of day and has been full for days. I decided to try to navigate around the evil automated phone system there and looked up the phone numbers of the director of admissions, the associate director and the Dean of admissions. I tried calling them all and all I got were voicemails. I couldn't get a hold of a live person. I eventually left one of those people a message. What a bad way of doing business when a student or potential student can't get a live person on the phone.

Implode?

2005-05-13T00:23:00.000-05:00

Did you ever find yourself under so much stress that you felt like you were just going to implode? That's how I feel right now. This whole law school thing was supposed to be a great, happy, exciting thing. Well, it's not. It's now May 13th and I still do not know where I will be living and attending law school in less than 3 months from now.

Unfortunately, yesterday I found out for sure that I will be leaving Middle TN which has become my home. I didn't get into Vanderbilt law. I moved here in September 1998 and I thought I would hate it. I was just moving here basically to avoid having to look for another job b/c it was - relocate from NJ and work for the newly acquired subsidiary or be unemployed in NJ because the company was moving to Indiana and there was no job for you in Indiana (thank god!).

I had only started at that job 9 months before finding out I was facing unemployment. I did some research and found that moving to Nashville wouldn't be such a bad thing. Rent was cheap as all hell, my car insurance was cut in half, the apartments were developments with on site gyms, and they were huge, my office was a 6 min drive from my apt. I was home at 5:06pm from work. I had never been home that early from anything in my life - even high school. I had gone from commuting over an hour each way to 12 min. total each day. I actually went home for lunch some times. I hadn't done that since I was in elementary school b/c the school was right across the street.

I learned to like Nashville and the south. No traffic, it was quiet...laid back. In the almost 7 years that I have been here I haven't just acclimated, I've assimilated. I live right next to a dairy farm, I'll eat okra, turnip greens and even grits. I love the fact that it takes me less than 25 min. to get to Nashville b/c the speed limit on the interstates here is 70 and everyone really does 80-85. Rush hour is really just an hour. Winter, t hat is winter that I'm used to from NYC really is only about a month long then it's mid 40s for a bit and then it's spring like weather. By early May it's pushing 90.

Of course I miss my family and my friends from home but Nashville/Murfreesboro has become my home and I'll mad as all hell that I have to leave. The circumstances of my leaving seem so strange to me - to not have a destination yet. What disturbs me the most is my options so far aren't any that I like. It's either go to Michigan, or Western Massachusetts. I could go to California. I got into a few schools there but those were "Hail Mary" applications b/c I was so scared I wouldn't get into any law schools that I applied to just about everywhere. California from my experience is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

Since California is out of the picture unless I get into one of my NYC metro area options it's either Michigan or Western Massachusetts. Western Massachusetts has been a front runner b/c I was offered a huge merit scholarship (I know, you don't believe me but it's true) so $48,000 less in student loans would be sweet. It's like winning money. However, I have researched the area up and down. It doesn't look very hospitable to me - I can't find an apt. that will take River within an hours drive in every direction from the school. I would have to live in Conneticut and commute to the law school in Massachusetts. According to mapquest, I'd have at least a 45 min. commute each way. Not exactly what I wanted to be doing in law school. Plus, living so far away would make socialization difficult and socialization would be important since I don't know a damn person there.

So, is my sanity worth another $48,000 in loans? So far, it seems so. I wasn't even going to put a deposit down on Michigan but luckily I came to my senses and sent it in today just in time. Michigan offers a plethora of apt. complexes similar to what I am living in now, within 10 min. of the school, cheaper than any rents in CT. I do not know if I have received any money from Michigan but I will find out tomorrow b/c they are idiots and haven't told me anything yet. If I can some how finagle some cash out of Michigan that'd be sweet.

Everything would change if I got into one of the NYC metro area law schools but I'm not holding my breath at this rate b/c it is so late in the game and from my understanding if you hear back so late from a law school it's either a rejection or a wait list.

For now, I'm researching Michigan. I'm not thrilled about what I've learned about the weather there. According to this Lansing, MI website the maximum temperature there all year round is 82 degrees in July. I'm not talking avg. the max! The highest average tempertures are seen in July also, a whopping 70 degrees. Damn, I've gotten totally accustomed to the warm weather here. Cold ass weather like that is even worse than back in NYC. January's average temperature is 21 degrees there. I dunno, maybe I can spend part of my winter break with friends in Nashville so I can defrost. I'd like to say instead that maybe I could vacation somewhere warm during winter break but I'd need to have money for that.

Best case scenario now is that I either get into Seton Hall or Rutgers Newark calls. Everything else at this point is just a nightmare.

Feel Like a Kid Again

2005-05-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

It's like the mid 80s all over again. The NY Yankees suck because of Steinbrenner filling the team up with over the hill, overpriced hired "guns." The 80s new wave/British modern rock sound is all over the place. Soap operas are back on prime time (Desperate Housewives, the O.C.) and we have a republican idiot for President again.

Too bad I wasn't really traveling back in time because then I wouldn't have all these damn bills.

A-Rod = end of Yankee's winning ways

2005-05-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

The acquisition of A-Rod and his monster contract is not the only reason that the Yankees suck worse than the Bad News Bears in the beginning of the movie, but I think his acquisition is the main reason.

The Yankees payroll is something like $203 million - $25 million which is A-Rods. If the Yankees had signed someone else, anyone else who had an avg. bat and avg. glove they would've had the money to sign Beltran and keep Lieber. The Yankees didn't go for Beltran b/c they wanted the money for pitching and they didn't want to go the extra mile payroll wise for Lieber which has so far biten them in the ass.

A-Rod is no longer the best player in the game. People can argue that Miguel Tejada is or what'shisface for the Cardinals (pardon my brain fart). A-Rod's last time at greatness was about 3 yrs ago. His stats has gone down every year since. Yeah, he's still a great player, but not the best, and not worth 25 million. He doesnt' hit consistently in the clutch. Yeah, his stats are great but what they dont' show is that most times he gets all those great hits in games where it doesn't matter, when his team is losing by too much to overcome or when they're winning by too much that his contribution doesn't matter.

I think A-Rod has a no trade clause but I'm sure if Steinbrenner wanted him out he'd go. Use A-Rod as trade bait to get some younger and better pitching and get a center fielder with an arm and put Matsui back in left.

While they're at it.....get the lawyers to void Giambi's contract b/c obviously he's nothing w/o the 'roids or just release him b/c no team would want him or send him down to the minors. Yeah, they'd take a hit in the wallet by releasing him but he's doing nothing for them. Consider Giambi the cost of doing business. Also, dump Brown and/or send him down to the minors as well.

The Yankees have nothing, zero as trade bait in the farm system but A-Rod is plenty trade bait. They Yankees would more than likely have to pay at least half his salary - but once again consider it the cost of Steinbrenner wanting over priced Free-Agents on his team. Didn't Steinbrenner learn anything from teh 80s? That was the overpriced free agent era. The Yankees only started winning when a core of talent from their farm system came up with a hired hand here and there. Rivera, Posada, Jeter, Williams, Pettite. The hired hands then were hardly ever super super stars. They were good players who found greatness with the Yankees: O'Neill, Brosius, Tino. If they were superstars they get them kinda on the cheap and didn't sign them to ridiculous long term deals like Giambi. Then instead of repeating the formula Steinbrenner had to have immediately greatness to replace his great players who had found greatness with the Yankees and in the process trading away the farm literally.

I knew the acquistion of A-Rod was the final nail in the coffin but I was hoping to be proved wrong.

Bonds is Done

2005-05-04T15:11:00.000-05:00

I thought I wrote that Bonds was done into my blog when the transcripts of his grand jury testimony came out last year. I'm disappointed that I didn't make that entry but I did go on record with many people as saying so.

Bonds is done - a 3rd knee surgery since January on the same knee? Stick a fork in him. Even if he didn't have 3 surgeries on the same knee he still wouldn't be back. He'd have to be off the steroids, he would be a shell of his former self off of the 'roids just like Giambi. Bonds would never take the risk of embarassing himself like that and ending his career like that - he has too much of an ego.

The lack of steroids has shown Barry's true age. His knees have broken down just like McGuires did after too much of the 'roids. Now that he can't take the 'riods he doesn't have them to help with the quick healing..

Barry himself stated that he didn't know if he'd be back at all this season or at all if I recall correctly when it was first revealed that he had to have his 1st of 3 surgeries on that right knee. All the sportswriters were saying - Oh, Barry will be back. I knew he wouldn't. His injured knees had given him an out he was probably looking for. He had no idea he would subsequently need 2 additional surgeries on that knee when he made those statements.

The knee surgery gave Barry an out, he just didn't realize the excuse would turn out to be reality.

Babe Ruth's record and Hank Aaron's record are safe from steriod infused jerk.

HERE LIZARD LIZARD LIZARD.....

2005-05-01T03:42:00.000-05:00

gila monster, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Starting June 1st a new diabetes drug called Byetta is going on the market. This drug is derived from the saliva of a Gila Monster.

Ok, that's great and all but could someone please explain something to me? How the hell did these medical research scientistS find out that the saliva of a poisonous lizard could help with diabetes? Who got the bright idea of messing around with poisonous lizard spit to help with diabetes? How does that idea even come about?

Does this mean there are going to be job openings for people to collect poisonous lizard spit? Where do I sign up?

Sexy Bitch!

2005-05-01T02:59:00.000-05:00

man in speedo, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Yummy....man boobs, mullet, ugly tattoos, beer gut, neon green speedo - what more could you ask for?

Speedo Ban Lifted

2005-05-01T02:42:00.000-05:00

Cape May, N.J. has just lifted a 30 year-old ban on men over the age of 12 wearing speedos on the beach. They've also done away with a ban on men being shirtless on the beach front promenade.

These bans haven't been enforced in quite some time but c'mon....this isn't something that should be done away with, it should be enforced!

Anyone who has been to the beach, any beach that is, knows that the only men that wear speedos and/ or go shirtless off the beach are the only ones who should not! No one really wants to see nasty, old, and/or overweight men wearing their banana hammocks. EEEEEWWWWWWW!!!!!

These bans should not be repealed. I think that every beach should write that ban into their books.
Also, who really wants to see the old fat man or the guy with carpet on his chest AND his back walking on the promenade or boardwalk shirtless? They're the only guys who seem to go shirtless.

Talkin' 'Bout the Weather

2005-04-29T22:29:00.000-05:00

I hate living in Tennessee when it comes to thunderstorms. In all the years I've lived here it's very rare to get just a regular thunderstorm like I'm used to from living in the Northeast. The majority of storms all seem to be severe and after experiencing a tornado - any severe thunderstorm weather freaks me out and River too.

Poor dog...since she can sense the weather so much more than we can I can tell without hearing a weather report if severe weather is coming b/c she gets very anxious and clings to my side. If a weather alert goes out and I have to put her harness on her ( in order to be able to grab her quickly if need be) she really gets all panicky. Tiggy on the other hand - completely oblivious unless there's a warning out and I have to stick her in her cat carrier so I know w here she is if I need to grab her and River and go in the downstairs closet.

Life is certainly much different here in that respect. The meteorologists back in the northeast can't compare to the ones down here. I actually should call them weather people b/c I don't think they could do half of what the meteorologists do down here on a daily basis with all the crazy weather. Sam Champion from wabc in NY comes to mind - what an idiot, he's just there for eye candy which is fine b/c it's not like you get a threat of tornados often in NYC. I'll take the homely looking meteorologist down here who'll pin point exactly which streets a possible tornado is headed for.

Tonight's one of those possible bad nights. All the bad weather seems to be passing north of here. One thing I truly can't stand is having to walk River when there's a bad storm.

If only she'd learn to use the toilet.

Crazy Work

2005-04-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

In a few years I'm hopefully going to pass whatever state bar exam I need to take and I'll be a practicing lawyer. One thing for sure is I do not want to be the type of lawyer my brother is. My bro is a federal prosecutor. First of all, I have no interest in criminal law whatsoever. I want to work in entertainment law. Secondly, my bro was still in his office last night at midnight preparing for a trial he has that started today.

In my prior career in labor management/human resources I found myself still working in the office at 1:30am at times due to whatever problem came up and it drove me absolutely crazy. This job was by no means 9-5 and I wasn't being properly compensated for the insane hours and travel that I had to do.

I do realize being a lawyer is not going to be 9-5 but in due time I'll be properly compensated for it. Also, I highly doubt I will find myself working at midnight in the office as often as my brother does (this happens before every trial) because if I can avoid the inside of a court room I will be one happy camper.

Another big difference is I will more than likely enjoy what I am doing which was not the case when I was working in labor mgmt.

The True Idiot

2005-04-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

The Red Sox call themselves the idiots - well I think Curt Shilling is the true idiot. He pitched in last year's post season with such a severe tendon injury in his ankle that he had to have a surgical procedure before each game he pitched in order to pitch - against all medical advice. Yes of course you want to be a part of the post season but if it's going to possibly jeapordize your career you just don't do it. Shilling wanted to be a martyr, he wanted all the cameras on him - he's a known camera and media hog.

Shilling already had a world series ring with the Diamondbacks - the risk just wasn't necessary and went against all reason.

Now idiot Shilling is on the disabled list because of a severe bone bruise to that same surgically repaired ankle. The bruise was so bad that it's sad that if he had continued to pitch Shilling would've broken the bone. Shilling and the Red Sox insist the bone bruise isn't related to the ankle injury - DUH! Of course it is. He didn't get hit in the ankle or fall on it on anything.

Shilling's era is 7.14 - yeah he's been real effective. When he eventually comes back off the DL I hope the idiot continues to be just as effective.

KC Ain't What It Used To Be

2005-04-26T23:35:00.000-05:00

Remember when George Brett played for the KC Royals? The hemorroids....the pine tar bat? I can remember way back when, when the KC Royals used to be a good team. This was back in the late 70s, early 80s when George Brett was playing 3rd for them.

Fast forward to the present.....KC is the worst team in baseball and has been horrible for quite some time. It's only 20 games into the season for them and they are 11 games out of 1st place already! They are 5-15. What a shame to see a team be so bad. I feel bad for the fans of KC and Pirate fans, and Brewer fans, D-Ray fans....fans of all sucky teams whose owners just make horrible decisions. It is possible to field a competitive team without having a $200 million dollar payroll - look at the Minnesota Twins.

Would You Like Some Flesh Chunks With Your Water?

2005-04-26T23:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know the title sounds total gross but I just read an article that totally grossed me out that dealt with that. It seems that in Carroll, Iowa they have found "mysterious chunks of flesh that are clogging the city's water lines." EEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!!

That's enough to get me to drink and bathe in bottled water for life if I lived in Carroll, Iowa. City officials say that drinking water wasn't affected and that it's safe to drink. I'm sorry, if I lived there I wouldn't believe that crap for two seconds.

Wasn't there a CSI episode where they found a decomposing body in the sewars clogging up things?

CSI:Iowa

Grrrrrrr - right wing morons

2005-04-24T00:14:00.000-05:00

I love my Uncle to death but he is a right wing, Rush Limbaugh parroting moron. Now, don't get the wrong impression - I am not a democratic, nor am I any kind of liberal. I am also not a republican - I think both parties are idiots. However, unlike my Uncle, I keep myself educated of what going on in both sides politically and I make my own opinions from that. My Uncle derives all of his information from basically three sources - Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly. When your only source of information is from politically driven blowhard hacks and you don't gather enough info from all sides and/or from somewhat objective news sources......and you also just parrot what the hacks spew...... and you don't have an opinion derived from any kind of independent thought - you're just a parrot........SHUT UP!

If you live in my Uncle's world, high oil prices are just a conspiracy by OPEC. OPEC being almost at capacity, the demand for light crude which is crude oil that our gas if made from has gone up something like 40% since last year due to China guzzling up gas like there's no tomorrow, and let's not forget, the simple economic laws of supply and demand, oil futures market influence on prices today, etc. etc etc. - it's all just a conspiracy - uh huh.

Then there's the issue of illegal immigration being so out of control.....our borders being like swiss cheese, blah blah. According to my Uncle - that's the democrats problem, uhh - which party is and has been in control for the past few yrs? You can't blame the democrats for this and that when your President, the Senate and the House are Republican run. Off the top of my head I don't know the numbers but I recall Pres. Bush promising something like 2000 new border patrol agents for the Mexican border for this year and only delivered about 10% of that. Aren't we supposed to be fighting Al Qaida and making our country safe? Yet we're in Iraq creating more and more terrorists there everyday and doing nothing about our borders.

Forget objective, independent thought - I'm going get all my information from a drug addicted hypocrite and take his word for the gospel.

Poor Nomar

2005-04-21T13:12:00.000-05:00

nomar, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

OUCH!

2005-04-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

This is part of a recent AP article:

Garciaparra out 2-to-3 months

By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Chicago Cubs shortstop Nomar Garciaparra will be sidelined at least two-to-three months because of a torn left groin.

Garciaparra was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, one day after he got hurt while leaving the batter's box during a game against St. Louis. Cubs trainer Mark O'Neal said the muscle pulled away from the bone.

The Cubs, doctors and Garciaparra will decide in the next 10 days whether an operation is needed.

"The surgery is really going to be determined by is it something that Nomar wants to do," O'Neal said. "We're trying to make a determination of what would be the most predictable outcome."

If Garciaparra opts for surgery, O'Neal said the procedure should be done fairly soon so the muscle heals properly.

All I have to say after I read that is - "Damn!" Muscle pulled away from the bone - yikes! That has to be friggin painful. Nomar, get well soon.

ZZZZzzz

2005-04-21T10:26:00.000-05:00

I'm so tired and I want to take a nap but I can't. I'm waiting for the exterminator to show up. I don't have any major trouble with creepy crawlies but since it's warmed up I'm seeing a lot of spiders and I HATE SPIDERS. Thankfully the complex sends the exterminator around at no charge.

I went for a sleep test last night. What a bizarro experience. The technician applied all of these sensors to my head, face, chest and legs and I had all sorts of wires extending from all of those sensors. I also had two straps going across my body. Not only that, but the sensors on my face and head were attached with airplane model glue!

It took me forever to fall asleep with all that crap attached to me. It was also a little creepy to know that I was being videotaped while I was sleeping. I had to be there at 7pm but they didn't expect me to fall asleep at that time - whew. I attempted to fall asleep at 11pm but I tossed and turned for over an hour at least. I woke up a bajillion (that's my official number) times during the night and sleeping on my side was next to impossible b/c all of the wires would kind of pull. When the tech woke me up at a little after 6am I wanted to die b/c I had hardly slept. According to the tech though I slept enough for them to get enough info that they needed. I'll find out the results in a little over a week.

If I had any trouble waking up that was solved by the technician having to use rubbing alcohol to get the airplane glue off of my hair, scalp and face.

It's amazing though - my crap insurance doesn't cover prescription drugs that aren't generic but this sleep test which runs about $1600.00 is covered 100% - go figure

Where will I go?

2005-04-19T17:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I was wrong about acceptance letters not coming in a regular sized business envelope. I got another acceptance (whoopee) from a law school in southern California.

I wasn't really impressed with the acceptance letter - there was no information about financial aid with it or anything really. Also, no offer of money to go there.

I still have many to hear from but so far it looks like I'm going to MA.

WTF?

2005-04-18T13:47:00.000-05:00

I'm so shocked I don't even know what to think. I was just browsing through the website of my hometown rag, I mean newspaper (The Staten Island Advance) and I came across an article that reported how my in my old neighborhood, lawns had been littered with anti-semitic pamphlets.

"The two-sided two-page pamphlets featured an illustration of a man with a large nose and the body of a snake decorated with Stars of David and text that denigrated "The Jew."

The second side targeted gay marriage, and the other page gave information about joining the Kentucky-based Ku Klux Klan offshoot that sponsored the hate-filled messages."

It immediately made me think of this time in elementary school during the winter when this neighborhood asshole pushed me down, spit on my head (thank god for winter hats) and called me a dirty kike. For some reason, I don't know why, I never told my parents.

Anyway, aside from that lone asswipe, my old neighborhood (parents still live there) is not known for being anti-semitic. Anti everything else probably, but not ant-semitic. There's no Klan in my neighborhood - it's totally ridiculous. They need to find the assholes who made up the pamplets and distributed them and put them in Rikers. Then, announce that they're associated with the Klan and let the non-white gangs take care of them.

Drive Ins

2005-04-16T13:14:00.000-05:00

One cool thing about living in the South is that there is an abundance of drive in movie theaters. Before I moved down here I think I had only been to a drive in twice - once as a little kid and then in high school - to a drive-in in NJ that closed not long after.

There aren't any drive-ins in the NYC/NJ metro area anymore. It's a shame because since regular movie theaters are ridiculously expensive, drive-ins are the way to go. Sure, you don't get the good movie theater sound system but for about $5.00 admission for seeing a double feature, how can you beat that? Plus, the concessions are very inexpensive compared to regular theaters ($1.00 for a small popcorn at a theater near here) and they offer more than just popcorn and candy - pizza, hamburgers, hotdogs, etc - all relatively inexpensive.

Aside from the cheap outing, in most instances I prefer going to a drive-in. You can talk if you want without anyone shusshing you, and if you've got a sunroof or are sitting in a chair outside your car while wearing headphones, you can watch the movies under the stars. Can't beat that.

Have you seen me?

2005-04-13T23:55:00.000-05:00

These law schools are driving me nuts. Yeah, it's great that I got a great scholarship offer from one but I can't make a decision until I've heard back from every place that I've applied. It's mid-April what are these schools waiting for?
GRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I hate checking the mail everyday and not receiving anything other than my copy of the Wall Street Journal, bills (double GRRRRRR) and those annoying fliers - "Have you seen me?"

They need to go back to milk cartons instead of the plastic jugs and put the missing people/kids on the milk cartons b/c no one looks at those fliers in the mail. At least someone will look at the milk carton over their breaksfast.

How many ways can we humiliate our pets?

2005-04-11T23:40:00.000-05:00

dog in raincoat, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

And I thought I've humiliated my dog Poor dog!

baby gorilla

2005-04-11T23:31:00.000-05:00

baby gorilla, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Aww, look at the baby gorilla. Magilla gorilla, gorilla for sale!

Heeeeeeere Kitty Kitty Kitty

2005-04-11T23:12:00.000-05:00

black-and-white-cat, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

The kitty that was trapped in the apt. next door that I let out has decided that I'm it's new buddy. The little kitty kinda looks like the cat in the picture but it's a lot younger and cuter.

The kitty ( don't know whether it's a he or a she I think it might be a she) sleeps underneath my window and spends the majority of the day hanging out on my front patio.

I wish I could take the cat in but one more pet would be one too many.

The kitty is so friendly. It tried to sit in my lap the other day. My own damn cat won't even do that.

Klaus Von Volkswagen

2005-04-10T23:19:00.000-05:00

klaus, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Cars.....so necessary if you don't live in Manhattan. Extremely necessary if you live in TN.

Klaus Von Volkswagen is my mode of transportation. Since the Nazis at my apt. complex took away all access to the hose hookups outside our buildings and I can't wash Klaus for free, Klaus has gotten filthy.

Car washes are expensive and since Klaus is silver I let him get a little too dirty. I found this stuff on the internet - waterless car washing stuff and I used it today. I've used a product like this before and it worked great. This product in particular worked awesome and for a fairly decent sized bottle it was only $6.50. I barely used 1/6 of the bottle so it's so worth it. I'll definately order more of it.

I chose silver as the color of my car b/c before I had black and a dark navy like color and they showed every ounce of dirt and I figured silver would hide blemishes better. My silver car has so many friggin' scratches and dents it's unbelievable. I bought some touch up paint and this is gonna be a hell of a project.

When you pay about $20,000 for something, lifetime paint touch up should be included in the deal.

cat poop

2005-04-09T23:33:00.000-05:00

cat poop, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

No that is not a picture of a kitty litter cake. As far as I know that is a pic of real cat poop. The reason for the pic of cat poop is as follows....

This morning I was walking River and noticed a kitten in the window of the apt. next door. I was kind of confused on seeing this kitten in the window because I was certain it was the same stray black and white patched kitten that likes to hang out around my front patio.

When I got back to my apt. I called the apt. office and asked if someone had moved into that apt. I was told no and that no one was set to move in until 5/1. I informed the woman on the other end that she had a feline tenant and that the kitten had probably been stuck in there since early Thursday (I noticed the door open a bit Thurs. nite but thought maybe someone had moved in and left it to go to their car or something. Maintenance must've left the door open earlier in the day and the cat went in seeking shelter from the pouring rain we had all day). Woman on the other end of the phone told me she'd go and let the cat out. That was at 11:30am.

6:30 pm, I go to walk River again and as I walk past the apt., black and white kitty is still in the window. I couldn't believe that stupid uncaring bitch didn't let the damn kitten out of that apt! I brought River back to the house and went over to see if the door was unlocked. Thank god it was and I let the kitten out. The kitten was so glad to see me, meowing away. Poor thing had no food or water for two days.

I got her some food and water and she was on her merry way. If I hadn't let her out she would've been there until Monday at the earliest b/c the apt. offices are closed on Sunday.

Thank god the kitten was in the window so knew that she was still in there.

Monday I am going to go to the apt. offices and tell the mgr. off. I hope that kitten shit and peed all over that apt. with it's newly installed carpeting. If I see her when I go to walk River later maybe I'll let her in there for the nite, leave the faucet on and let her back out tomorrow. Let her crap and pee some more!

Meowoof!

2005-04-09T01:35:00.000-05:00

catdog, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

My cat acts like a dog and my dog acts like a cat. I went out tonight and was gone for about 7 or 8 hours. When I got home and was getting out of the car Tiggy (cat) was in the bedroom window (it was open) and was pacing back and forth in the window and meowing at me. When I first heard the meowing I was confused b/c it sounded like Tiggy but I couldn't see her in the window at first. Only until I saw her dark tail against the white mini-blinds did I realize it was her. She's never meowed at me from the window like that before.

As soon as I got in the house Tiggy was at the bottom of the stairs purring and rubbing all against my ankles. If I'm gone for more than a few hours she'll run down the flight of stairs and greet me like a dog.

River (dog) on the other hand, if she didn't have to be crated would not run down the stairs to greet me. When I go out and don't crate her, upon my return I'll find her standing at the bottom of the stairs when I open up the front door and once she realizes it's me she'll give me a look like, "oh it's just you" and she'll walk away.

Not only is Tiggy the dog like greeter she prefers dog food to her cat food (both are dry kibble). The dog food is gumball sizes compared to her little kitty kibble but she manages to chomp it down every chance she manages to sneak into the kitchen and starts gobbling up River's food until I hear her. Tiggy also loves milk bones and can eat a whole one on her own.

River doesn't have a preference for cat food - she'll eat anything. But she does have the independent air about her like a cat and if someone walks past the house, she doesn't bark at them. River will stare at them through the window. If Tiggy could bark she'd probably bark!

Meowoof!

The Blind Leading the Blind

2005-04-07T23:34:00.000-05:00

I just found out that a friend of mine who shall remain anonymous finally went to the optometrist recently after driving around for way too long with questionable vision. Turns out, she needed trifocals!!! She's only in her early 30s. I've never heard of anyone that young needing trifocals. I thought I had vision problems. At least I don't have to use the senior center presciption.

Anybody who thinks talk is cheap should get some legal advice. - Franklin P. Jones

2005-04-07T23:32:00.000-05:00

Well, the wait has begun. Actually, it started over a week ago when I got my first acceptance. Nothing was in today's mail, sigh, this waiting is killing me. Some of the law schools that I applied to had an application dealine of March 1st and I haven't heard of any of those yet - very annoying. The law school that I was accepted to had a dealine of March 15th. What the hell is taking so long? It's really annoying to pretty much know you're going to have to move in about 4 months but you have no idea where you are moving.

I really hate the thought of moving but it's really out of my control. I've been living here in Nashville/Murfreesboro since the fall of 1998. I have spent more time here on my own (meaning having my own place since moving out of my parents house) than living in NJ where I first lived post parents. It's weird but this area feels more like home to me than anywhere else. NYC doesn't really feel like home to me because once I started attending Rutgers in 1989, New Brunswick, NJ became my home 9 months out of the year. I also spent the majority of winter and summer breaks in NJ because that's where all my friends from school lived. So until the fall of 1998 New Brunswick was pretty much my home after I got my own place in 1995. I'm so far removed from that time wise that NJ doesn't feel like home to me either anymore, it's just a warm memory.

The chances of my getting into Vandy are slim to none. This whole thing just really sux. I love living right next to a dairy farm and being able to see fields of cotton and corn when they're in season and being able to see and hear the cows. I love being able to actually see the starts at night while I'm out walking River because there's almost zero light pollution. Don't get me wrong I"m not in the boonies, I'm 25 minutes outside of Nashville and there's a large mall and a starbucks only 4 miles away. I just think it totally sux that I've made myself all comfortable and actually like where I'm at that I have to move - all of the possible locations are pretty much undesireable because they're not here.

Newt or Michael?

2005-04-07T00:14:00.001-05:00

Newt or Michael?, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

For all of you who have the pleasure/displeasure of knowing my brother, he bears a startling resemblance to Newt Gingrich. Poor bastard (my brother that is).
Anyway, Michael if you are reading this - send me back my CD collection you bastard! My brother apparently is like the neighbor who borrows something and it ends up in their garage as their newly acquired property and you never see it again. I sent basically my entire CD collection to him so he could do whatever he wanted to with it (wink, wink). That was back in February. HELLOOOOOO, it's April! Not only has he taken advantage of my kindness, the mofo hasn't returned my phone calls or responded to my recent emails. I know he's not avoiding me on purpose - he's a busy guy but c'mon. If he doesn't send me my CDs back soon I'm gonna post a picture of him on here right beside good ol' Newt so everyone can see how much of a Republican nutjob he looks like.

F*** the University of TN and All Things Orange

2005-04-06T23:09:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything since January. Tsk, tsk, tsk, on my part. Well anyway, here's my rant....

Like the title says, "F*** the University of TN and All Things Orange" How dare those motherfu***** not admit me to their law school. Damn it! It would have been so damn perfect. I wouldn't have had to move far and the cheap ass tuition. I should have known it was too good to be true. As soon as I pulled that envelope out of my mailbox this afternoon and saw that it was from UT I knew it was a rejection letter since I unfortunately saw too many of those last year. Thankfully I know what a law school acceptance package looks like and it doesn't come in a regular sized business envelope.
In a strange way though I'm kinda glad that I didn't get into UT. Who the hell in their right mind would want to spend 3 years in Knoxville, TN?????? I have always hated all UT teams and living their would've been total hell with everyone wearing orange on game day, the stupid car flags, the endless T-shirts, license plates...I think I would've gone postal.

For those of you who don't know....I have found out that there is indeed a supreme being of some sort that apparently got sick and tired of me praying for me to get into any law school. That is, any of the law schools that I applied to. It also helps that I applied to quite a few law schools (that's putting it mildly) to stack the odds in my favor - but I did get in somewhere and it is accredited by the American Bar Association. Not only that, they've offered me a $16,000 merit scholarship renewable every year to make my life even better! Not only was I shocked to simply get in somewhere but to get a merit scholarship for that kinda dough? This kind of brought back flashbacks to my high school days, back when I was a nerd and got offered money to attend schools. Then there came Rutgers University and my career there academically was on par with our current President. So, I guess my stint at MTSU wasn't a waste and finding my inner geek again did help. All I have to say is - WHEW!!!!! What a freakin' sigh of relief. I got in somewhere and it's not a law school out of a store front next to a bodega. Yeah, I got my first rejection of this year but I have plenty of schools to hear back from.

I have a feeling I might have been accepted to the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific in Cali. Didn't get an acceptance letter yet but I found out from one of their financial aide people who had contacted me b/c they needed further info from me that they only assign student ID numbers to applicants who have been admitted and lo and behold I have a student ID #. I really don't want to go all the way out there though. It's slightly better than where I was accepted but both places have their pluses and minuses. There are other Cali law schools that I applied to but attending a Cali law school was only if I hadn't been accepted somewhere east of the Mississippi. Moving to Cali would be a logistical nightmare with River and Tiggy and very expensive. Sacramento where McGeorge school of law is, is relatively affordable but all of the other locations are muy expensivo.

My chances of being accepted to Vanderbilt law are slim to none but if I don't get in there, I'll have to move somewhere and that kinda sux. I've been here for so long that it's home now. I love the NYC/NJ Metro area but really only b/c that's where my "peeps" are. Otherwise I hate it - so expensive to live and the commuting and all that crap sucks the life out of you. So far though I'm moving to New England which I guess wouldn't be so bad. It's not far from my real home but I loathe the thought of having to learn a whole new place again. I had to learn NJ - when I finally mastered that I moved here. Now that I know Middle, TN and all things barefoot and toothless I will have to move again.

Long Time No See

2005-01-11T00:12:00.000-05:00

Well well well....it took me long enough to post a new entry. I was away on "vacation" - I put that in quotes b/c I was up back in NYC staying at my parent's house so how much of a vacation is that really? I didn't get to post anything while there b/c their computer and internet connection are the slowest things possible.

I got back on Sat. night and I'm just kinda numb - don't really know why. I guess it could be the shock that spending a month at my parent's house didn't result in them ending up in body bags.

I still haven't unpacked. I have to reorganize my whole house so unpacking will just add to the confusion. I'll just continue to live out of suitcases.

It was weird stepping back into my apt. because after being away from it for a month it didn't smell like my apt. You know, every place has a distinct smell to it. It had this kind of generic smell not recognizable to me. I guess it smells like home again but I"m not really sure. It could be that nothing feels like home to me because I know in a few months I'll end up having to move to somewhere else for law school. It would be nice to be able to feel like some place is home again.

Your goose is cooked

2004-12-09T18:43:00.000-05:00

holiday cat, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Yeah, I haven't written in a while, deal with it! I've finally managed to convince my Mom to prepare something different for the holidays. We're going to have roasted goose! I'm excited b/c I've always wanted to have a kind of Dickensian xmas, a wealthy Dickensian xmas that is. I know we're going to roast the goose but I have to do some more research on the stuffing and side dishes. It has to be authentic. I hope my Dad likes it but he'll probably find some way to complain about it.

I leave on Saturday morning for NYC. I'm a little apprehensive about the whole airport experience with Tiggy. At the security checkpoint I have to take her out of her carry bag and walk through the metal detector holding her. I'm always worried about her freaking out and jumping out of my grasp. She's always been good about it the two times I have had to go through this with her but you never know.

How is everyone doing with their xmas shopping? I have so much shopping left to do. I picked up a few things and sent them home with my parents. It doesn't make much sense to buy too much down here b/c there is sales tax on everything and that sales tax is 9.75%!!!!! The only good thing is the stores and malls are no where near as crowded as they are back in NY/NJ. I'm hoping to do a lot more shopping online but next Wednesday my Mom and and I will be hitting the stores for more torture. On black friday I stood in line at one store for over a half hour before I reached the register. Hopefully that won't be repeated.

I don't know what to get my Mom for xmas and she is absolutely no help. I wish I could just get her a clue b/c lord knows she needs it. Anyone have any ideas?

Giant Head, Giant Ego

2004-12-04T02:53:00.000-05:00

bonds9, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Look at how big his head is compared to the pics from the 90s. The damn hat is hanging on for dear life.

Super Barry

2004-12-04T02:52:00.000-05:00

bonds7, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Look at how huge his arm is and how solid his trunk is. Most people don't get that solid with age and all of the sudden. I saw pictures of him from 1997 that were comparable to 1992 but in 1998 he looked totally different and super human looking.

Bonds 1992

2004-12-04T02:50:00.001-05:00

bonds1, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Still normal sized

Little Barry Bonds

2004-12-04T02:50:00.000-05:00

bonds3, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

You've all heard about all the steroid crap going on. I'd thought I'd post pictures of Barry Bonds from the early 90s before he became gargantuan Barry b/c of the steroids. This is from 1991

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2004-12-01T01:24:00.000-05:00

blizzard, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

I was just telling someone who has never experienced a decent snowfall about the blizzard of '96. For all of you readers from the northeast you can remember that.
I walked with Shannon, Freddy, April, and Chuck, in the middle of the blizzard about a half mile or so to Davidson's liquors just to get beer. What an adventure that was. You couldn't see very far in front of you and the wind was nasty. It's an experience I'll never forget. I'll also never forget Shannon being evil and pushing me backwards into the 3 feet of snow. I was like a turtle on its back and I couldn't get up. Evil Shannon just stood there and laughed his evil laugh. I wanted to kill him.

Aside from that the blizzard was great. I got out of work for 3 days straight. When you're no longer a kid in grade school snow is only welcome if it gets you out of work. Down here in ridiculous TN people get out of work because it has rained hard. What a joke! I hope we get a significant snowfall while I'm visiting NYC. It would be nice to make a snow angel again.

Everybody is Kung Fu Fighting...

2004-11-30T21:32:00.000-05:00

karatechimp, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

I'm excited....I just found the next hollywood action hero. Not only is he talented but he's cute and fuzzy. He is... Karate Chimp. I figure if hollywood can continue to give Ben Affleck and Vin Diesel multi-million dollar paychecks (Daredevil & The Chronicles of Riddick for ex.) for the lame ass turkey movies they are in they can give a chimp a few bananas and make an amusing Karate Chimp movie. I'd rather plunk down my $8.00 (still only $8.00 down here) on that before I'd ever pay to see a Ben Affleck or Vin Diesel turkey.

Rain drops keep fallin' on my head

2004-11-30T15:22:00.000-05:00

rain, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Good lord, if it doesn't stop raining soon I'm going to start building an ark. It has rained so much here in the past week everything is flooded. I need my little red Snoopy boots that I had as a kid. You know the ones that went over your shoes? I'm kinda glad I don't have to walk River in this.

Raid Kills Bugs Dead

2004-11-29T16:39:00.000-05:00

Raid, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Did you ever have people in your life that slowly but surely morphed into something that you wanted to grab a can of Raid and start spraying them with it while you yelled, "Die already?" Well maybe not, that example is a little extreme but I'm sure everyone has had someone in their life that has turned not into a butterfly but into some type of annoying pest.

I'm quite used to people I know morphing into complete sociopaths. That I can deal with but a needy, naggish, drama queen to the nth degree? I'm clueless. Hell, maybe I will break out the can of Raid.

Puppy Love

2004-11-28T23:53:00.000-05:00

I survived my parent's brief visit. I dunno how I did it but it's over with thank god. The hard part was when they came over early Saturday morning to take River with them. They started their typical crap and were yelling at each other. River got all scared, ran into my room, jumped up on my bed and didn't want to go with them. I can't really blame her! There's a reason I moved out of their house as soon as was humanly possible and it's no accident that I'm over 900 miles away. Poor River will have to put up with them for 2 wks until I arrive. Then it'll be a battle for me to not kill them when I arrive. I'm staying up there for almost a month. I must be a glutton for punishment or I must have a subconscious desire to do hard time in prison. It wouldn't be so bad if my Dad wasn't retired but since he is he'll be around all the time to annoy the living crap out of me as much as possible.

Call me Scrooge but I'm starting to hate Christmas. I have really come to despise shopping at this time of the year. Yeah, I try to do most of my shopping online but I always seem to end up hitting the malls at some point. I hate the crowds. I hate driving around for over 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot. I hate the fact that every store keeps their thermostats at 80 degrees. Finally, I hate spending money that I don't really have. I loved shopping when I wasn't hurting for money but now I just hate it. Bah Humbug!

Happy Turkey Day

2004-11-25T04:26:00.000-05:00

turkey, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

Aaah, Thanksgiving - holiday of all holidays. The American salute to eating and falling asleep in front of the tv watching football.

I love Thanksgiving. It was always the only big holiday that my mother had constant direct control over the food because Thanksgiving was always at our house. I have fond memories of Thankgivings at our old house in Brooklyn. We were the only ones in our family to not live in an apartment at that time so Thanksgiving and Christmas was always at our house. There were so many people in the house back then. It seems as the years went on despite the family getting larger due to new cousins arriving, the amount of people slowly dwindled.

Thanksgiving always meant awesome food - you know all the usual foods but my absolute favorite that eventually disappeared off the menu was freshly made giant ravioli and my Mom's sauce. Yeah - ravoli and Thankgiving? I didn't argue because it was damn good.

I used to get up to watch the Macy's Day Parade. I was totally enamoured with that parade. In High School I actually got to march in the Parade with the All-City H.S. Marching Band. Our song for the cameras was Michael Jackson's "The way you make me feel" - gee what a holiday song! What an experience that was.
After being in the parade twice I stopped watching it on tv but now that I'm becoming an old fart and getting nostalgic I like to watch the parade again. Weird thing is I've never been a spectator for the parade. When I was still living back in NYC every year my Dad would ask?, "Who's up for going to see the parade tomorrow?" He never had any takers - we were too lazy and didn't want to stand out in the cold. I used to love the Underdog balloon and hated when Santa showed up in the end because that meant that the parade was over. Damn central time zone. I'll have to be up at 8am if I want to watch the parade. It's not looking good for me to catch it from the beginning.

Kitty Litter Cake

2004-11-23T20:17:00.000-05:00

kitty litter cake, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

I was looking up Turduckens, ya know, the chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey things, and I came across this rather odd recipe. It's a cake made inside a brand new litter box and the cake apparently resembles cat litter that has been used as per the picture. I don't know who would want to eat this. I think it's pretty funny but not very appetizing. Here's the link to the recipe Kitty Litter Cake should you want to make this.

Rutgers Sucks!

2004-11-22T00:52:00.000-05:00

I was going to make the title of this entry "Rutgers Football Sucks" but for those of us who have had the misfortune of attending Rutgers you'd know that a more general "Rutgers Sucks" is just more appropriate.

I was of course just referring to the football team. They're 4-6 now and they just lost to Navy 54-21. For all those fools out there who got all excited when they were 3-1 - I laugh in your general direction and at your stupidity for buying into the pipe dream that Rutgers football could accomplish anything but another pathetic losing season.

Before I wrote this entry I googled the term "Rutgers Sucks" to see if there was a website dedicated to that. I was positive that such a web site would exist but it apparently doesn't but there were quite a few web sites that did have the term "Rutgers sucks" in them. Maybe I'll take it upon myself to create a "Rutgers Sucks" website. It's about time someone did.

Fishing for Trouble

2004-11-21T19:17:00.000-05:00

I just read this article on the NY Daily News' website. Jack's Pond where all this craziness went down is where I used to go fishing with my ol' buddy Darlene when we were kids. Bamboo poles and dough as bait. Half the time we'd lose our bait and hooks to the nasty giant turtle that lived in the pond. We'd hardly ever catch anything. Not much has changed for me as far as fresh water fishing goes, sigh.

Radio Sucks! (Free radio that is)

2004-11-21T17:57:00.000-05:00

I was just glancing at the Billboard charts and after looking at the current singles chart I was just left sitting here shaking my head is disbelief. It wasn't disbelief due to shock but just disbelief as to how the top singles just suck so bad. The singles chart is so chock full of hip-hop it's ridiculous. I like hip-hop (rather I used to like it come to think of it) but it has gotten to the point where I'd say 95% of it is pure throw away crap. I can hear a song once and if I don't hear it again I'm actually happy. Hardly anything in that genre lately sticks in my head like a good song should. How the hell is hip-hop still dominating the charts and air waves? You can't say it's because of lack of good music because there is good music out there. However, you really have to search long and hard for any alternative to hip-hop because it is just everywhere. Enough already! I wish I could access the singles charts from 5,10, and 15 yrs ago to compare but Billboard only lists the album charts from those time periods. The album charts don't really mirror the singles charts which right there shows quite a discrepancy with radio.

Yeah there are other radio stations to listen to aside from top 40 but there aren't any where I live. It's either 2 million country stations, 1 million christian music stations (I can't believe people actually listen to that), 3 or 4 top 40 stations, same amount of hip-hop/r&b stations, one rock station that plays mostly really hard edged stuff which gets tiring after a while, and one station that plays a mix of all different types of music. That would be Lightning 100.1 in Nashville. If it wasn't for this station I think I'd go insane.

I wish I could use a service like Yahoo's Launchcast but (sigh) it's not available for MAC OSX - fuckers! I'd love to get something like SIRIUS radio but I not sure I'm up for paying for radio yet.

When I was a kid I used to watch MTV and sometimes come across a new artist or band that I liked from seeing their video. What the hell happened to MTV? Don't they realize that the "M" stands for music?

Back when I was in HS my brother and I used to watch this video station that was on VHF. Our neighborhood still didn't have cable hooked up yet so we didn't have MTV. That station (I wish I could remember the name) was the best. They showed nothing but what would become known as "alternative" music videos. I discovered so many bands and artists through that station because you'd never find them on radio. Any one out there know the name of that tv station?

The Whole iPod Thing

2004-11-19T19:22:00.000-05:00

I don't know what got me thinking about iPods today. It would be nice to have one but alas, no cash for that at the moment. If I had an iPod I wouldn't be participating in downloading music from the internet. If I were to do that I would do it legally through the iTunes store because not infringing on someone's copyright is important to me. However, I won't download music from the internet because of it's inferior sound quality. I'm not a total audiophile snob but being a schooled audio engineer - sound quality is important to me. You lose quite a bit of audio information in the compression to either mp3 or AAC formats. If you're using an iPod and listening to the original CD aiff format for example, with a decent set of headphones the sound quality would be pretty decent. Unfortunately the majority of the general public I think doesn't realize that the are basically being duped. That is, the people that are legally downloading music. I think most people aren't really aware that when they download from a place like the iTunes store they aren't getting the same sound quality that they would get if they went out and purchased the CD. Most people are probably using mp3 or AAC formats and listening to them through the cheap earbuds that they iPod comes with. This may be a bit of an overstatement but unless you're listening to the original CD file format on the iPod with good headphones it's like you're listening to an 8-track tape. So in the mean time, I'll keep buying CDs and listening to them on my system I have at home with my Grados.

Freakin' Idiots

2004-11-19T04:54:00.000-05:00

I just came across this hilarious site. I saw it a few wks ago on the news but didn't pick up the url then. Check it out: Sorry Everybody

Those Were the Days

2004-11-19T01:42:00.000-05:00

Damn it Tara! Talking about the good ol' days of Curtis H.S. has me wondering what happened to the people I used to hang out with: Steve Merryman of course, Jerry Rahelich, Danielle Ruth, Cristy Kokell, Alexandra (Trinh) Pham, Ellen Fleming, Rassan Salandy just to name a few. I lost touch with almost all of these people not long after going off to good ol' Rutgers University. I hope life has treated them all well. I don't even know if there was a reunion of my class year but only Steve, Jerry, Danielle and Rassan were in my class year. Shane is the only other friend from H.S. aside from Tara that I have remained in touch with.

Then of course there's all the foreign exchange students my family and I hosted, Marie Laure, Sandrine, Christina, and Yuki. Poor Yuki I think she died in the Kobe earthquake. The rest of them - who knows.

sit and spin

2004-11-18T23:45:00.000-05:00

sit and spin, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

bigwheel

2004-11-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

bigwheel, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

The big wheel I never got to enjoy sniff sniff.

Baby Tiggy

2004-11-18T20:44:00.000-05:00

Baby Tiggy, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

This is my other fuzzy baby - Tigger aka Tiggy aka Chicken. She's unfortunately not the little baby cat anymore - she's quite big now. I think she's about 14 lbs.

Super River

2004-11-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

Super River, originally uploaded by LykosAlpha.

This is one of my fuzzy babies.

Presents, presents, presents, toys, toys, toys

2004-11-18T17:50:00.000-05:00

Okay people - my birthday is coming up and so is xmas. My wish list Crack open those wallets are start buying. I'm just kidding. Please feel free to buy me something if the inspiration hits you! I'll never turn away a gift! I'd like a pony and a puppy and a sailboat and a winning lottery ticket and my own castle with a moat and a big wheel.....

Remember big wheels? They were the bomb. I had a brand new one and when we had a block party this big kid came over and punched me in the eye and stole my big wheel. I was only 4 or 5. My dumb ass parents never got me another one. Man was I pissed! They should make big wheels for adults. How funny would that be?

Another great toy from that era was sit and spin. What a novel idea. A toy that a kid could spin themselves silly so they can puke up their lunch. Was I the only demented child who would spin around and around until I dropped to the floor? I used to spin on my knee doing that. Good lord I can't imagine trying to do that now. My old lady knees would probably crumble into dust if I tried to do that.

One toy that I thought was totally retarded was that giant worm on wheels that kids would ride. What the hell was that? I wanted to wack it with a bat.

Do kids even play outside anymore? Or do they just sit infront of the tv watching barney, dora, elmo, spongebob and/or playing their gameboys and playstation. I was hardly ever inside as a kid. If I was inside it was b/c I had to practice the dreaded accordion for at least an hour and a half a day. Child abuse!

A Switch

2004-11-18T17:44:00.000-05:00

Well this was going to be my own private blog but I decided to delete all the stuff not for public viewing and make it public. I'll make another one for myself later on. So here it is read my crap and weep!

All Hail The Beef

2004-11-18T05:18:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe it when I saw this on the news. Hardees is rolling out a glutton's dream. Their new "Monster Burger" is 2/3 lb. of angus beef ( two 1/3-pound slabs of Angus beef, four strips of bacon, three slices of American cheese and some mayonnaise -- all on a buttered, toasted, sesame seed bun.) Here's all the stats on this burger:

Calories: 1301.49
Calories from fat: 864.4
Total Fat: 96.04
Saturated Fat: 40.16
Cholesterol: 205.77
Sodium: 2110.64
Carbs: 51.34
Protein: 55.04

Remember the "Where's the Beef?" Wendy's commercials? You certainly don't have to worry about where the beef is on this burger. It's about 4 burgers in one!
That's just absolutely amazing. It makes me think of that Monty Python movie (can't think of which one it is) where the totally obese guy eats and eats and eats and then eventually explodes. It's practically a whole day's worth of calories. I don't know why but for some reason I'm intrigued by this jumbo burger and feel like I need to see if I can eat it. Maybe I'll give it a whirl. I think I'll wait until after Thanksgiving. I'm trying to shed some lbs.

Super Kitty Stink

2004-11-18T04:39:00.000-05:00

I never thought I'd sit down and write about poop but here I am doing it! My cat, G-d bless the measley 12 lbs. of her, has created the biggest poop stink I think I've ever come across. I just recently cleaned out the litter box so the smell isn't because of lack of care. She is just a giant crap stink machine. I walked into the bathroom where her litter box is and had to immediately pull my shirt up over my noise it was so toxic. I can't believe how an animal so small could produce such a large stink.