So long and thanks for... the prosthetic tail

Check this out. Surely the dolphin will express her thanks with a surprisingly sophisticated double backward somersault through a hoop whilst whistling the Star-Spangled Banner.

And now, just for fun:

Arrr, it be ITLAPD

Avast me hearties! Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Get ye out the jolly roger and run up the rigging. What say ye? Ye be wantin' to pillage me grog? I be disinclined to acquiesce to your request. (Means 'NO.')

I be doin' me part to help all ye on this fine holiday. Here be a good website describin' the origins of ITLAPD.

Needs ye help learnin' how to talk like a pirate? Check ye out this instructional video. It be a fine piece of work. But remember, they're more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules.


Nay, Jim Lad. Ye got to stretch out yer 'arrr.'

Arrr, a happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day to all ye salty sea dogs and saucy wenches. May today be a day of calm seas and smooth sailin'.


Yarrr, it be a good day to be a pirate.

Ouch

Michigan trounced Notre Dame, 47-21.
It was an ugly, painful game. Let us never speak of it again.

In other news, Ohio State cruised to another victory against Cincinnati, 37-7. At least one of my teams did something right today. GO BUCKS!

The play's the thing

Last night, Brooke, Alina, and I went to see Hamlet as performed by the Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS). It was a terrific show. The entire play is performed by a cast of five actors who each play many different parts. Characters are generally distinguished from each other by a slight change in costume - usually the addition of a hat or scarf. Occassionally this leads to some interesting and entertaining scenes where one actor is playing multiple roles in the same scene. By far the funniest example of this was the actor who played both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (who always appear onstage together), though a scene featuring Queen Gertrude talking to a scarf representing Ophelia was also amusing. (Although the humor level would increase even more if the programs had contained inserts stating: "In tonight's performance, the part of Ophelia will be played by a white silk scarf.")

There's no scenery and, aside from the small changes in wardrobe, almost no props. Although I have no problem with minimalism, it'd have been nice to have a skull for the graveyard scene and foils for the fencing match at the end of the play. (Incidently, the use of different colored gloves in place of foils was a clever touch.) But the acting was very good. I probably wouldn't recommend this production for anyone looking to see Hamlet for the first time; the minimalism combined with Shakespeare's dialogue might make it difficult for some to follow. But anyone who's already familiar with the play would appreciate and enjoy this rendition. On a related note, I also highly recommend Kenneth Branagh's movie adaptation to anyone who enjoys good plays and good movies.

Bradley comes to South Bend

This past weekend, my friend Brad came to visit. Brad's currently relaxing after finishing law school and sitting for the Ohio bar, so he had a little free time to drive to South Bend and take in the sights.


Bradley is less than impressed with his South Bend accommodations.

On Friday afternoon we played some golf on the Notre Dame 9-hole course.


Bradley hits a nice shot out of the bunker.

Saturday was a day of football. We kicked things off with Brooke's "Tailgate Without a Tailgate"(TM) cookout. After some food and beer, we headed to the stadium to watch Notre Dame crush Penn State, 41-7. Then it was back to Brooke's for pizza and the Ohio State-Texas game. This hotly anticipated game had been preceded with a week's worth of good-natured smack talk between Brooke and me. Best of the week:

Setting: Law school lounge, approximately 9:45am. Brooke has just walked up to our table.

Me: So Brooke, how do you like your steaks cooked?
Brooke: (pause) Um, medium rare. Why?
Me: Well, I figured there'll be plenty of beef to go around after the Buckeyes slaughter the Longhorns this weekend!
Onlookers: Oh, snap!

In spite of this buildup, the banter during the game was a bit anti-climactic. We were all pretty tired at this point and it was all we could do to muster the appropriate cheers for good plays by our respective teams. When it was all over, Brad and I were psyched that OSU prevailed.

Before Brad took off on Sunday, we went out for breakfast at the American Pancake House. The food was great, and I have to go back if for no other reason than to pick up the placemat with an ad for the ultimate miracle concoction, an all-natural panacea for all that ails ya. I'd tell you more about it, but I can't remember what it's called. (You know, because I didn't get a placemat and therefore have to go back.)

All in all, it was a fun weekend and it was good to see Brad again. If you're interested in planning an exciting destination vacation to exotic South Bend, contact your travel agent. And once s/he finishes laughing at you, send me an email.

(NOTE: It probably goes without saying, but the pictures posted above are not actually of Brad, but are instead actors in dramatic reenactments of actual-ish events.)

Back to Blogging

Okay, sorry about the ridiculously long and completely unannounced blogging hiatus.

My bad. Mea culpa. Je suis désolé. Lo siento. Es tut mir leid. Mi dispiace. Förlåt. Zhen bao qian. (etc....)



As I understand it, the half-dozen people who actually read this were moderately concerned about my well-being and were terribly inconvenienced by having to find something else to read on the internets. To those of you who are such die-hard fans that you kept visiting this site day after day hoping for a new post and were repeatedly disappointed, I offer my most sincere apologies. To those who stopped by occasionally and quickly left when confronted with the same old post, I'm sorry. To those of you who have stopped reading altogether... well, you're not reading this anyway, but I apologize nonetheless. I'll redouble my efforts and promise never to take such a long break without warning again.

I wish that I could say that there was a good reason for the long lapse in posting, but honestly I've got nothing. I didn't join the merchant marines or head off to Africa to participate in doctors without borders. I haven't been sailing the seven seas researching banana sea slugs. I didn't move halfway across the world to teach English to impoverished children. I haven't been studying for the bar, ranching it up in New Mexico, or trekking the Himalayas in search of enlightenment. However, if a touch of self-delusion would help you cope, feel free to let your imagination have free reign with one of the above flights of fancy or one of your own devising (which you could always post in the comments).