London 2012! (French surrender)

London won the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Moscow, New York, and Madrid were eliminated first, bringing it down to London and Paris. Paris had been considered the favorite going into today, but London came out on top. I was sitting in EU Law at the time, in a classroom considered to be a wireless dead zone in the law school. However, the cheers from outside (Trafalgar Square, which has seemingly been ground zero for London's countdown) and jets flying overhead pretty much told the story.

I'm about to leave the law school and walk back to the dorms, so I'll be passing Trafalgar Square. This morning they had set up a stage and some giant television screens for people to watch the countdown and live announcement of the Olympic selection committee's decision. I'll post again when I get back to the dorms with an update on the craziness.

UPDATE: Trafalgar Square was packed with people. It may have been the first time I've seen the square with more people than pigeons. I couldn't really tell what was going on down on the main stage, but that's where everyone seemed to be looking. There's also a big "Thank You" banner over the stage. I had seen that this morning as I walked to class, and thought it was a little presumptuous to put that up before the decision was announced. Unless maybe the organizers knew something the rest of us did not?

Behind enemy lines

I feel obliged to make a quick post of my July 4th experience in here in the UK. Naturally, it's not a holiday here. And unlike the Canadians, I didn't hear anything about a party at the American embassy. Still, the US contingent of the summer law programme decided to throw a little bash.

It seems kind of strange to celebrate American independence in the country from which we broke away. It feels a bit like gloating, like visiting Japan on VJ day (though that would be worse, I think).

We had a small BBQ in the basement of the dorm, right next to the bar. (Yes, our dorm has a bar. It's the best thing about the place, really.) Everyone was invited, and some of the Australian students (and one of our professors) joined in the festivities. We dined on freshly grilled burgers and sausages, and I had a few pints of Guinness. Eventually the party headed out into the city. Initially the plan was to visit the Hard Rock Cafe, but the plan changed en route and we ended up at the All American Sports Cafe instead. I didn't stay out too late (8:30 am class and all), though some of the revelers partied until nearly 3 am.

It was definitely a different experience, a far departure from fireworks, sparklers, and American flag waving. But how many times does one get the chance to celebrate independence from behind enemy lines?

A touch of British history

Yesterday I got the chance to visit two of England's better known historical sites, the Roman Baths (in Bath -- creative naming, what can I say) and Stonehenge. The trip was arranged by the law school, and covered coach travel to the two destinations. Admission fees were extra, and ended up being more than the discount transportation (only 10 pounds to ride the bus; 12.50 pounds total for admission to the Roman Baths and Stonehenge). We also had a tour guide who pointed out a few sights leaving and returning to London. Her voice sounded a lot like Mrs. Doubtfire.

Bath is a nice town and very picturesque. I'd definitely consider it an example of what people imagine quaint European towns to look like. The architecture is stunning, from the Abbey to the buildings on the little side streets. There are also plenty of shops, cafes, gardens, and squares scattered throughout the little town, not to mention cool bridges spanning the Avon River. I didn't have lots of time to explore, though, because I spent a considerable amount of our time there visiting the Roman Baths. Bath is the home of a hot springs, which the Romans converted into a large bathhouse complex. There's an extensive audio tour that takes you through the many rooms as well as describing the site. In addition to the bathhouse, the Romans erected several temples dedicated to both Minerva (a Roman goddess) and Sulius (a local goddess of healing).

After Bath, we ventured out to Stonehenge, which sits in the Salisbury Plain. Some members of our group were less than thrilled, considering it to be a large pile of rocks. You can get a pretty good view of it from the road alongside Stonehenge, but there's a fence to separate the road from those who have paid admission. Admittedly, paying doesn't get you much closer, and they have Stonehenge itself roped off (so you can't really walk among the ruins), but you can walk all the way around it and admission includes an audio tour. All in all I thought it was pretty cool. Stonehenge has always captivated my interest, probably because so little is actually known about it. Even the audio tour didn't have much to add about how or why Stonehenge was built. Still, I found it awe inspiring to behold, and it's astonishing how the stones act as a calendar. It's also pretty amazing how much Stonehenge is in the middle of nowhere. The Salisbury Plain is pretty bleak and deserted (except for the tourists and sheep). There's Stonehenge... and nothing else for miles.

As always, I've dutifully documented my travels with a digital camera, so that you too can experience my British adventure. The latest round of pictures is up for your viewing pleasure.

Zebra crossings and Moosehead beer

Today I set out on a trek to visit Abbey Road, which features this crosswalk made famous by the Beatles.

Abbey Road is a bit of a hike from the parts of London I've been thus far. It's more or less nestled in a small suburban residential district northwest of the heart of the city.

It took me a little while to get there and find it, and it looks different than it does on the album. There were a few tourists there, snapping pictures like me. I even arranged a quid pro quo with another tourist who, like me, wanted a picture walking the crosswalk. This isn't quite as easy as it sounds -- Abbey Road is actually quite a busy little street. I imagine motorists must get sick of all the tourists who flock to the intersection just to walk back and forth across the road to get their picture taken in mimic of the Beatles album. Due to the traffic, it's pretty much impossible to duplicate the shot, which looks to have been taken from the middle of the street itself. Also, I wasn't wearing anything resembling the clothes sported by George, Paul, Ringo, and John. (And sorry, I'm definitely not going to cross the road barefoot.)

After this little excursion, I headed to the Canadian embassy which was throwing a bash in honor of Canada Day. Everyone (Canadian or not) was invited. In addition to free booze, there was cake and fudge and some live entertainment. I didn't stay for everything (especially since they ran out of beer), but I did see a comedy troupe perform a fifteen minute version of Romeo and Juliet. It was quite amusing.

You can see photographic evidence of today's excursions here.

That's all the sightseeing for today. Tomorrow I head off to Stonehenge and Bath, and I hope to have more pictures and stories to share on Sunday.

O'Connor Retires

Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court today. Many have predicted that she would retire soon, along with an ailing Chief Justice Rehnquist. O'Connor has been an important swing justice on the Court, so her replacement is bound to have a profound impact on the future of the country. The inside scoop (according to Brendan's sources) is that Bush intends to nominate Emilio Garza (a double domer) to fill the vacancy.

I'm not personally familiar with Mr. Garza's decisional history, but suffice to say his previous two appointments came from President Reagan and President Bush I. Combined with the fact that Bush II (aka Shrub) is known to favor Justices Scalia and Thomas, I'm troubled by the recent turn of events. (And I doubt there's much point in hoping for another Souter.) Rehnquist's retirement would have simply meant a switch from an old conservative justice for a younger conservative justice; the replacement of the swing justice will have a far geater impact on the Court and the country.

A day on the Thames

A few days ago, I joined a few classmates on a little excursion to see the Henley Regatta. It's essentially a crew competition on the Thames that lasts for several days. We went on Wednesday, the first day of the regatta.

After class, we headed to Paddington (like the bear) Station to catch the train out of London. After switching trains in Twydon and about 45 minutes later, we were in the small and picturesque village of Henley. After making our way to the banks of the Thames, we stopped for a drink at one of the many bars lining the course. I had a Pimms, a mixed drink including Pimms gin liqueur, lemon-flavored soda water, and an assortment of orange (or lemon or lime) and cucumber slices. It was pretty good, especially considering that I'm not a big fan of gin. The drink didn't really even taste like alcohol at all. But maybe it was a bit watered down, as suggested by an Irishman we met at the regatta.

We walked up and down the Thames, stopping occasionally to peruse the small shops and bars along the river's edge. It's hard to actually watch any of the races; really, you only get to see a brief snippet of the race as the boats pass your point of view. And the finish line can only be viewed from the expensive seats. Which brings me to my next point. People get dressed up for this thing - big time. Think of the spectators at a polo match and you'll start to get an idea of what folks where to the regatta. Women were decked out in sundresses and funny hats (big bows, feathers, etc.) -- the kind you see at department stores and wonder who would actually buy them. Guys wore khakis, ties, and blazers. Some of the blazers were just your standard navy blue, frequently with the crest on the left breast (reminiscent of prep school uniforms). But some of the blazers had to be seen to be believed. Stripes and loud colors were commonplace.

The weather was beautiful (unlike the last few days, which have been the typical gray and rainy London days), and we had a great time. I have no idea which boats won (only that Harvard's team lost), but I was there more for the experience and atmosphere than anything else. Pictures here.

Pictures

They should be working now. I accidently linked to the editing page which only I'm allowed to access. Anyway, you can check out the gallery by clicking here or on the appropriate link on the sidebar.

Thanks to those of you who pointed out the error.

Day 2: Classes Begin

Well, today got off to a rocky start. I left the dorms later than I wanted, but with what I thought was still enough time to get to the 10am orientation at the law school. After yesterday's meanderings, I had plotted out a more direct route to walk to school. Unfortunately, I got turned around and quickly lost. I had to ride the Tube to get there and still ended up being late. Fortunately I didn't miss too much.

My first class started immediately after orientation. It's Public International Law, and looks to be an interesting course. Our professor is from Scotland and seems very excited about international law, which is a big plus. It also sounds like we'll be discussing very contemporary subjects. It's a relatively small class (roughly 20 students) comprised of American students (many from ND, but several from other U.S. law schools) and a large contingent of Aussies from ND's Australian campus.

Right after Public International Law I have European Union Law. This course is taught by Professor Moens (hailing from Belgium, but he teaches at the Australian campus), who came highly recommended from a now rising 3L who did the London Programme last summer. He seems quite entertaining, which is good since I also have him for International Business Law. The course is a little intimidating, as I don't know too much about the formation of the EU (such as, which countries joined when - something Prof. Moens seems to think is general knowledge). The course got off to a less than exciting start as we went through a number of treaties as background material (including a lot of accession treaties detailing which countries joined when). After we get through some of the background material though, I think this class will be pretty interesting.

This wrapped up my classes for the day, and it was time to buy some books. I actually got to the book store without incident (save a wrong turn that landed me in Knockturn Alley rather than Diagon Alley, and - um, nevermind). I purchased two large books for my PIL class and trekked home.

Day 1: Wandering London

Yesterday I took a meandering tour of the city. By meandering, I really mean that I wandered the streets of London with a digital camera and no map. Of course I looked at one before I left, but that was hardly enough to keep me on track.

A few words on the streets of London are in order. First off, very few streets travel in a straight line. The streets are oftentimes poorly marked. There are no street signs on posts like in the U.S.; instead, there are (sometimes) signs posted on the buildings at the intersection. The maps I looked at were not terribly detailed, and there are lots - and lots, and then some more - of little side streets and alleys. There are also lots of squares (many of which are circular in shape) and gardens that the streets jog around. The streets around these squares or gardens usually bear the name of said square/garden, but I haven't yet figured out an indication of direction. For example, my dorm is on Tavistock Square. There are four streets around Tavistock Square called Tavistock Square. And to add to the confusion, there's frequently another road that leads into the square that bears a similar name (near my dorm, it's Tavistock Place).

The main purpose of my outing was to scout out the location of ND's campus (just off of Trafalgar Square), which is about a mile and a half from the dorm in which I'm residing. I did eventually find it, but not after traipsing through Picadilly Circus, strolling though Chinatown, and passing Westminster Abbey. I also saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and the big Ferris Wheel (ok, the British Airways London Eye to be more specific).

After finding the innocuous building that houses ND's London facilities and finding out that it was locked up, I decided to catch a quick bite to eat and head back. Now since I didn't take a very direct route from the dorms, retracing my steps would be terribly inefficient and hard to remember. I headed off in the direction which I thought was about right, but I was a little off and ended up well east and a bit south of Tavistock Square. Since I'd been walking around for about four hours at this point and had a ways to go before I'd be back in the dorms, I acceded to the complaints of my feet and took the Tube back to within a few blocks of Tavistock Square.

You can find photographic highlights of my trek (in addition to some pictures of my living quarters) here. Be sure to read the captions for details.

Flight Details

Waiting in Chicago

Leavin', on a jet plane

Well, I'm currently sitting in Port Columbus awaiting the first leg of my journey across the pond. After a quick flight to Chicago (yes, I'm flying west to go east), I'll be on my way to London. Despite the ungodly hour, I'm pretty excited. I wasn't expecting free internet access here at the airport, but it looks like I've lucked out. If O'Hare offers the same wireless amenities I'll post a quick update during my layover.

I'm not exactly sure what it is, but there's something exciting about flying. While I'm not exactly a frequent flier, I've been on enough planes that one would expect the novelty to have worn off. But I still get a thrill out of walking through the airport, boarding the plane, and taking off.

And there's also the adventure of traveling to new and exotic locales. This will be my first trip to London, and I've been looking forward to visiting since discovering that Notre Dame has a study abroad program there. Of course I'll miss my friends and family, but I hope to keep in touch via email, postcards, and regular blog updates. If anyone has questions, suggestions, etc, feel free to email me or leave a comment. And if any of you would like a post card, email me your current address and I'll do my best to fulfill your requests.

Randomness

For your reading pleasure, a bunch on unrelated random thoughts of yours truly.

First off, the large lost post was my review of the new Star Wars movie, which I simply haven't felt inclined to retype. Derek and I are working on a joint review, based on some of our impressions over our most recent viewing (my second, his third) last week. Hopefully we'll have it up soon. I may also write up a shorter version of my original review to cover anything we may have glossed over (or edited out) of the joint review.

It's been a few weeks since the end of 1L now, and it already feels so far away. As might be expected, my fellow NDLS bloggers haven't been posting as regularly. Of course, I'm a prime example of this. But in a law-school related vein, I've wanted to do a "Top 5 Things I Miss Since Starting Law School" for a while now (yeah, I stole the "top 5" idea from High Fidelity), and now that I'm on the other side of 1L, I think it's time. So here it is:

5. Daylight (mostly due to South Bend winters- I was usually at the law school before sunrise and didn't leave until long after sunset)
4. Pleasure reading (yeah, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and our ConLaw casebook don't count)
3. Sleep (natural night owl + 8am legal writing = little sleep)
2. Skating (I think I made it to the rink less than a dozen times all year- pretty sad)
1. Honor (okay, she's a person and not a thing- so maybe "Being with Honor" would be more accurate)

In the past couple of weeks, I've rectified some of these. But I'm still missing the top two. I plan to hit the rink later this week. And Honor's due back next week, so we'll get to see each other again real soon!

As I've been living more or less alone for the past few weeks (owing to the fact that my parents decided to take a 3 week Alaska/Western Canada excursion) and can only spend so much time on legal reading/writing/editing before going insane, I've watched a little bit of tv. And there's one thing that I find particularly disturbing: the number of commercials advertising online poker sites. Is this unique to Ohio? I know that there's been a move to allow casinos in the state, but that seems tangentially related at best. There are at least three different websites touting their online poker games, and every commercial break features at least one, frequently two, and occasionally all three of them. Another oddity is that they're all into alliteration (Party Poker, Pacific Poker, Paradise Poker). It's strange. And all in all, these commercials are just annoying- even more so than commercials are in general.

Alright, that's enough randomness for now. I apologize for the lack of a running theme to this post, but I wanted to jot down a few things to surprise the three or four of you who've been obsessively checking my blog and feeling great disappointment in the lack of new reading material. I'll try to make my next post a bit more cohesive.

Grrrr

Ok, I just lost a really lengthy post which I don't really feel like retyping right now. Look for a replacement sometime in the near future.

Teaser

Yeah, I know, it's been a while. I don't even have a very good excuse, since I've been done with law school for about two weeks now. I haven't been up to anything too exciting, with the exception of the premiere for the new Star Wars movie. It was a great experience, and I feel obligated to write a review - but it's something upon which I need a bit more time to reflect. For now, let me simply say that I greatly enjoyed the movie. I've already perused some other reviews of the movie, which seem to be mixed. Some loved it, others despise it, and all for a variety of reasons. Soon I'll throw my hat into the ring and give you my reasons for my reaction. I doubt the delay will have any real impact, as no one should be depending on my review in deciding whether to see the movie. Furthermore, as I expect my review will be laden with spoilers, this will give any readers who have not yet seen the movie to do so before I launch into my thoughts.

And I fully realize that there are members of my readership (if I still have one after so long an absence) that couldn't care less about Star Wars or my reaction to the latest installment. To you I apologize in advance, and simply pledge that I'll do my best to post a bit more regularly and on topics I hope you'll find more interesting.

Legal News: Ho Edition

Taking a page out of Brooke's book*, I present you with an amusing tidbit from the legal world. From an actual court opinion (Ct. of App. for the 7th Circuit):

n1The trial transcript quotes Ms. Hayden as saying Murphy called
her a snitch bitch “hoe.” A “hoe,” of course, is a tool used for
weeding and gardening. We think the court reporter, unfamiliar
with rap music (perhaps thankfully so), misunderstood Hayden’s
response. We have taken the liberty of changing “hoe” to “ho,” a staple of rap music vernacular as, for example, when Ludacris
raps “You doin’ ho activities with ho tendencies.”

(Full cite, for the super legal dorks: United States v. Murphy, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 7695)

For more on the word "Ho," click here. (I'm at the bottom.)

*Note to Brooke: Don't worry, I have no plans to make this a regular fixture here at Arguend-Ho. I just couldn't pass this one up.

Finally

Yes, finally a new post. Sorry about the long absence, but much studying had to be done for this semester's finals. But now...

That's right, I just finished my first year of law school!!
I'm 1/3 of the way through!
As Brooke's been exclaiming, "We're now 1/3 of a lawyer!" (not counting the bar exam)
And as the upperclassmen have been saying, "Congrats on getting through the rough year! (but wait 'til next year...)"

Anyway, I'll try to keep this blog a bit more up to date now that I no longer have a good excuse to ignore it. I'll probably throw up a few posts summing up my reflections on the first year and such. Oh, and since I'll be seeing Episode III soon, look for a review by yours truly in the upcoming weeks.

Indiana joins 20th century

Indiana will soon have daylight savings time. Hat tip to Brendan, who has a more detailed post about this historic development.

Snow?!

Just a quick post to note how utterly ridiculous the weather is here in the 'Bend. Snow? At the end of April? And it's sticking?? This is patently unacceptable, if you ask me.

Scheduling and such

Well, since everyone else seems to be posting their schedules, I figured I'd briefly follow suit and let my faithful readership know what classes I'll be taking this fall.

Business Associations
Evidence
Cyberlaw
Trial Advocacy Intensive
Moot Court Appellate

I'm pretty happy with that lineup, and as of right now I don't plan to change anything. But changes can be made all summer and up until the Add/Drop date next fall.

(Not so) Hot (Golf) Shots, Part Deux

After our round of golf on Saturday, everyone had such a great time that Derek reserved a tee time for Sunday morning. We had a foursome booked for 11 am. So Sunday morning started with me trying to wake Derek up. Anyone who knows Derek and his love of sleep will understand how difficult of a task this can be. Still, I managed and we were soon on our way.

Emily had emailed me to let me know that she wouldn't be accompanying us. Jaime had said something similar the night before, after The Princess Bride, but Derek thought he could persuade her to change her mind. She'd agreed to at least let us call her. But first we needed supplies - gas for Derek's car and chocolate for bribing. As we got back in the car, I called Jaime, who had decided not to go. Derek even tried to plead his case to her over the phone, but to no avail. He wanted to at least drive to the law school to give her the chocolate, but as we were already running late, we headed straight to the golf course.

We were close enough to being on time that we didn't get yelled at (unlike the day before). And since our party was now down to two, they paired us up with another twosome - two ND undergrads who were way out of our league. As for the golf... not so good. No one should be worried about me running off to join the pro tour. (Unless I actually go crazy and do so; in which case everyone should be very, very worried about how I'm going to survive.) It's really quite sad that I can probably chip farther than I can hit a ball with my driver off the tee. Still, we managed to get through the course in record time, and I posted a very good 18-hole score after playing 9 holes. Go ahead and think about that for a minute.

After that dreadful performance, we caught a quick bite at Subway before heading home. Derek chilled out on the couch to sleep/watch television. I did a little studying, then went about making dinner plans. No one was sure where to go or what they wanted to eat, so I made an executive decision to go to the Mishawaka Brewing Co. I made a reservation for 8, but in the end there were only 7 of us. Attending the evening's festivities were: Derek, me, Brooke, Lala, Meghan, Giancarlo, and Emily (we couldn't get a hold of Jaime). As the name implies, this restaurant makes its own beer. I had a raspberry wheat beer which was quite good, though next time I think I'll do what Giancarlo did and order the sampler - something like 8 different beers served in an equal number of small glasses. The food was good, the conversation was good, and an all-around good time was had by all. Derek did cause a little bit of a ruckus by slamming his hand down on the table repeatedly, causing the table to shake, the silverware to rattle, and Brooke and Emily to jump. Fortunately, Emily managed to prevail upon Derek to cut it out.

Next, Derek and I headed home where we watched Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. It was a thoroughly ridiculous movie, which one could probably anticipate based solely on the fact that the same director was responsible for Dude, Where's my Car? Still, it was funny. But I have no desire to eat at White Castle, so ultimately their marketing vehicle failed. Afterwards, we perused the DVD's many bonus features. Then Derek headed off to sleep (that boy does like to sleep), and I did a little studying before hitting the sack myself.

Monday morning saw me again trying to rouse Derek from his deep slumber so that he could make it back to the 'Nati in time for work. Fortunately, I didn't have ConLaw that morning (it was cancelled earlier that morning around 5 am - not everyone was as fortunate as me to read the email before heading to the law school). After a breakfast of pop tarts and OJ, Derek was on his way. All told, it was a fun and successful weekend. For Derek's recap, go here.

The Agony and the Ecstacy

The crowd cheers as Derek* misses a putt.

*not actually Derek.

Golf: a good walk spoiled

Golf can be very frustrating.

Weekend, Part I

My apologies for the recent lack of posts. As exams are fast approaching, I doubt there will be frequent blogging for a while. But I did want to post an update concerning the past weekend.

My good friend Derek came to visit this weekend (he'll be posting his own update soon). It's been a while since we've hung out, so I was glad to have the chance to reconnect. He arrived Friday night after work (he's currently working at Fidelity, soon to become a stock broker). Since it was still really nice out, we took an evening walk through campus. At this point I should mention that I am the last person who should ever give campus tours. As a law student, I'm really only familiar with a handful of buildings on campus. In addition to the law school (where I spend the better part of my life, it seems) and the obvious buildings (the main building (aka the one with the dome), the basillica, and the main library), I can point out the South Dining Hall and LaFortune (note that both of these buildings contain food) and Coleman-Morse (because they have free popcorn and soda), DeBartolo (where the undergraduate mock trial regionals is held), and the engineering building (which is next door to the law school). Anyway, after this essentially ineffective tour, we met up with Brooke who was studying at the law school. We got some dessert at Reckers, then headed back to my apartment. We chatted a bit, played a game of chess, then decided to call it a night.

The next day started with a rousing round of golf. Joining Derek and me were fellow 1Ls Jaime and Emily. As usual when dealing with either Derek or Jaime, we were running a little late. I caught some flak for this from the guy at the clubhouse when we showed up to play. At least I had reserved a tee time in advance; apparently the weekends get pretty busy at the ND golf course. We got off to a rocky start, and after finishing the first hole, the course attendant told us that we were holding things up and should simply play best ball (read: we were a disgrace to the game of golf). Instead, we just split into teams and played scramble. Derek and Emily were at a decided advantage, since Derek actually has a long game. Jaime did most of the heavy hitting for our team, though I conributed to the effort with some good putting. A few highlights: we made par on one hole, and I sank a 25 foot putt on another hole. Derek and Emily won the day, but a good time was had by all.

After finishing the front (and only) nine, it was time for some lunch. Derek had never been to Michigan, so we drove north in search of sustenance. We ended up in Niles, Michigan at the Golden Nugget Saloon. We had burgers all around and an interesting discussion on the nature of religion and Catholicism. Since it was mostly Derek talking with Jaime and Emily, I'll leave it to him to detail the salient points of the conversation. Lunch was capped off with dessert at Dairy Queen.

Next came a touch of studying and/or siesta. After a few hours, Derek and I ventured out again, this time to pick out some movies and dinner. Brooke and Jaime came over, and we watched The Princess Bride. Then it was off to bed, for Sunday would be another adventurous, action packed day. More on that in my next post.

Springtime for South Bend, and Notre Dame

We're finally getting some good weather here in the 'Bend (I'm even posting this while sitting outside - yes, they do let us out of the law school dungeon from time to time). It's sunny and bright, there's a nice breeze, and best of all, no snow. This isn't to say that I'd be surprised if winter raised its nasty head again. It is South Bend after all, which means the weather here's about as predictable as it is in Ohio. (Don't like the weather? Wait a minute.) In general, I'm usually not a big fan of spring, but it for now it comes as a welcome relief to the bitter winter weather.

Of course the nice weather outside only underscores how bad things are in the classrooms at the law school. It's been insufferably stuffy. Unbearably warm. Oppressively hot. It's hard to absorb the finer nuances of implied easements and FRCP 23 when you're melting into your chair. I'm not alone in this complaint - everyone I've talked to has lamented the inferno.

Part of the problem is that the heating system in the law school is out of control. Personally, I think that the heat build up in the library stacks has finally built up to the point that the heat is escaping to the rest of the law school. Thermodynamics at work. The problem could be remedied by giant blocks of ice that would serve as heat sinks, but the ensuing flooding would be... problematic.

A Farewell to (Bowling) Arms

Last night was the final night of the NDLS bowling league. ICBING wrapped up the season with a good performance. Here are the scores:

One Arm: 140, 110
8 lb: 62, 88
Nugatory en Fuego: 115, 125
Wrong Lane: 160, 121
Bowling InJury: 104, 81
Breaks 50, et al.: 93, 110

Nugatory also has a report here, and InJury posted some pics here.

Some additional highlights:

InJury successfully bowled backwards for the second half of the second game, picking up several spares. Wrong Lane also scored a personal best of 160 in the first game, which included four consecutive strikes. (Apparently this is known as a four-bagger, though I personally prefer Nugatory's term for it - 'buffalo.') We're pretty sure last night's scores didn't count towards the league standings (I use that term very loosely, since I don't think anyone knew what the standings were, or even if there were any, for most of the season), and I haven't seen the final result. But rumor has it that ICBING may have placed second...

It's been a lot of fun bowling with ICBING, and all of us are a bit sad that it's over. But there's always next year. InJury has suggested that we create a team named "Gutter Hos."

Crashed and Burned

That about sums up my oral argument tonight. More later if I feel up to it.

Easter and such

One of the perks of going to Notre Dame is getting a nice long weekend for Easter. We had a four-day weekend (Good Friday, weekend, Easter Monday). Some people got a somewhat longer break either my luck (the other Contracts section didn't hold class on Thursday) or by skipping out early. What made this mini-vacation interesting for me is I actually stayed on campus this time, instead of heading back to Ohio.

I did get some work accomplished, though not as much as I would have liked (but isn't that always the way?). In addition, I got to meet Brooke's boyfriend Craig and partake of lots of free food (courtesy of Brooke and Craig). The three-course Easter brunch was very good.

As it turns out, it's probably for the best that I didn't go anywhere - Depositions had a class today and I was up to perform.

Now for a little news in the world of blogs... Brooke is back from her hiatus and posting like crazy. Brendan's NCAA pools are going strong (and in which my picks performed fairly well - not bad considering my absolute lack of sports knowledge (just ask anyone who's played Trivial Pursuit with me)). Derek's experimenting with a new blog format, when he's not painting by number at work. Brad's not feeling the love over at his blog where no one's been commenting lately (so take some pity on the boy and leave him a few words). And last but not least, it seems my sister's jumping on the blog bandwagon.

Anyway, it's back to law school tomorrow. I only have one class - Contracts. It'll be a nice way to ease back into the week. But tomorrow night I have my oral argument for LegWri II/Moot Court. Look for a post late tomorrow night to see how things went.

Coming Attractions

Most people who know me know that I'm a pretty big fan of movie trailers. It's an additional incentive to get to the theater early to see a movie. (The other reason is to get a good seat, which could be its own argument/post.) Nowadays, it's no longer as big of a deal because modern technology has brought the movie trailer to the internets. I find Quicktime's site to be a good place to find and view trailers for upcoming movies.

Movie trailers can be a work of art, and often better than the movie itself. They frequently come in two types: the "teaser" and the traditional trailer. Teasers offer a frustratingly small glimpse of the upcoming movie. The new War of the Worlds teasers are a good example.

The traditional trailer tends to give a little more away. Hopefully, it doesn't give too much away; too frequently the trailer includes so much of the story that there's really little point in seeing the movie itself. Of course, there are some movies where you pretty much already know how it's going to end (Titanic and The Alamo come to mind), but you still don't want to give away all of the best scenes. This goes double for comedies; there are few things more annoying than going to see a movie and realizing that all of the best gags were in the trailer.

Trailers are often made before the movie has gone through its final edit, and sometimes it includes parts of scenes that don't actually make it into the movie. This can also be annoying sometimes. But now that movies are released on DVD with bonus features like deleted scenes, which may let you see some of that lost footage.

Based on my recent perusal of Quicktime's site, here are a few of my recommendations:

The newest trailer for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is pretty good. One thing that makes it particularly amusing is its meta-commentary on trailers themselves.

Sin City looks interesting. It has an interesting style to it, kind of a mix of black and white film noir and random splashes of color. I'm not quite convinced that the underlying storyline will be that great though. Though a certain level of narrative deficiency may be forgiven if the scene with Jessica Alba lives up to its potential...

There may be some promise in The Island, provided that it amounts to more than a Matrix rip off.

I'm also looking forward to Batman Begins, and of course Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (not hosted on Quicktime).

Now for a few movies that probably shouldn't have been made:

A remake of Herbie the Love Bug? How many Disney remakes will Lindsay Lohan star in?
Zathura? I don't think we really need Jumanji in space. (Seriously, right down to the board game.)

Ok, enough from me for now. Enjoy a few movie trailers; as they say in the trailer to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it'll help you plan out the next few months of your life.

Irish Bowling

It's Thursday night, and time for a special St. Patty's Day edition of ICBING bowling!

We were a bit shorthanded tonight with only 5 bowlers. (The other ConLaw section has its final on Monday.) We decided not to rotate through a phantom slot, and just kick back and enjoy. Things were very festive tonight. Most people were wearing green for the occasion, green beer flowed freely, and we were even serenaded by bagpipes. There was also a video camera floating around, though I'm not quite sure why. Non-internets rumors speculate that the bowling alley might have been filming a commercial.

Here were tonight's scores:

Wrong Lane: 115, 155
Bowling Injury: 80, 101
Breaks 50, et al.: 92, 88
One Arm Bandit: 127, 132
No Show*: 133, 118

* So named because despite being on the team roster from the beginning, No Show made his first appearance tonight

Some of the highlights:
Wrong Lane bowled a personal best of 155 which included a turkey. No Show dazzled all with his bowling prowess (where have you been all season?!). One Arm put in a very strong showing; the jury is out on whether having the use of both arms has benefitted his balance.
Since we only had five bowlers, we managed to fit in a third game that didn't count towards the standings. No Show experimented (unsuccessfully) with bowling between his legs. Bowling Injury demonstrated considerable talent at bowling backwards, racking up 19 pins in three frames and almost getting a spare.

Legal Neologism

The legal profession seems to encourage making up new words. Law students who have used Microsoft Word to take notes during class are frequently confronted with the following situation. You're typing away, trying to catch the most salient points of the daily Socratic dialogue when the evil red squiggly line pops up under half of the words. At first, you think you must have misspelled it. But no, you had it right. It matches the professorial scrawl on the board; it matches the printed text in the casebook.

Granted, some of the words used in law school might be expected to set off Word's spelling alarms. Some words/phrases are basically latin (res ipsa, parens patriae, etc.). Others are clearly terms of art that lawyer-types have adopted (tortfeasor, offeree, textualism). A few others at least look like words (consider, e.g, foreseeability).

Then there are the really fun ones: those that don't even look like words. These are words that clearly sprung from the mind of some lawyer or judge who either couldn't quite find the word s/he was looking for, or had some idea they wanted to convey but couldn't be bothered to consult a dictionary. Justiciability? Purposivism? Neglify?

Of course, other professions have been known to invent words as well. I hear that engineers have given us plenty of "-ize" gems, the most ridiculous of which is probably "requirementize." Still, I find it funny how many crazy words the legal profession has created. After getting through law school, maybe I can be a neologist too.

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated

Worry not, I am still alive. Currently, I'm on mid-semester break in Ohio. As my parents are still using dial-up, my internet access hasn't been all that great. I apologize for not posting much in the recent weeks, but my LegWri brief was eating up a lot of my time. You know how the saying goes, the Law is a jealous mistress and all that.

I had hoped to post some in-depth bowling coverage, but alas the scores are still back in South Bend. But here's a general recap of last Thursday:

Most of ICBING showed up, and our first game went pretty well. I bowled a 120, far above my average. 10 pin and Take a Knee also bowled well, raking in big numbers. Performance dropped off in the second game. Nevertheless, I triumphed over Bowling Injury, winning a new bet and restoring my good name. Bowling Injury now owes me a beer, and will be driving next week (on St. Patty's day, no less). Afterwards, several of us decided to get a jump on celebrating the end of the first half of the second semester. (It's hard to believe that we're now 25% of the way through law school!) There was drinking, dancing, and general craziness at the 'Backer. Then we stumbled home to our beds and a general state of unconscoiusness. That it was a good night was more or less confirmed by the next morning's hangover.

The LegWri brief is now finished (or perhaps more appropriately, abandonned). After putting a few finishing touches on it, I handed it in Friday afternoon. Despite the delays caused by this and Pres. Shrub's visit to ND, I made the trek back to Ohio and arrived late Friday night.

Since then, I've been relaxing, catching up with Honor, and doing a little reading. Honor had her last choir concert on Saturday night. It was a very good concert. OSU Men's Glee opened, and I enjoyed all of the performances.

On Sunday night I reconnected with an old friend from high school. Matt's just finished getting his Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), and is now back in Chillicothe to conduct his job search. He doesn't plan to get a job here, just live at home to cut costs while hunting for a job.

That's pretty much all that's been happening lately. I'll try to post a little more frequently now that the brief's behind me. But updates may still be a bit slow while I'm in Ohio and using dial-up.

Bowling Recap coming soon

I apologize to any and all readers who were looking forward to a recap of last week's bowling escapades. I'll post a full update soon.

But, at the prodding of Bowling Injury I feel compelled to mention that I lost a bet on Thursday. For the second game, Bowling Injury and I made a friendly wager - loser buys the winner a beer. Although I started to come back strong at the end, Bowling Injury bowled a better game.

Congratulations, Bowling Injury. Your free beer is well deserved.

100 Things

1. Alex's favorite pizza toppings are ham and pineapple.
2. Alex wishes he had more photos of friends and family.
3. Alex used to play piano and clarinet but now can hardly read music.
4. Alex wants to pick up playing an instrument again.
5. Alex admires punctuality and sometimes gets annoyed at people who aren't; this goes double for himself.
6. Alex is a hopeless romantic.
7. Alex thinks of himself as a cautious optimist. And sometimes not all that cautious.
8. Alex played the lead role in his first grade play.
9. Alex thinks intelligence is very sexy.
10. Alex's favorite ballroom dance is the Tango.
11. Alex writes poetry but lets very few people read it.
12. Alex's favorite book is Jurassic Park.
13. Alex was originally an aerospace engineering major.
14. Sometimes Alex wishes he had stayed in engineering.
15. Alex took fencing in undergrad.
16. Alex has been to skating camp, science camp, and chess camp.
17. Alex likes the name Ivan but would never be so cruel to his children.
18. Alex hopes to someday see Australia. And New Zealand. And Australia.
19. Alex predicts that only one reader got the last joke.
20. It took Alex six tries to pass Novice Freestyle.
21. Alex likes broadway musicals. His favorite is probably Jekyll and Hyde.
22. Alex enjoys reading Shakespeare.
23. Alex really doesn't like hospitals, even though his father is a doctor.
24. Alex thinks it would be cool to have a wedding on a beach or in a castle, but doubts it will
happen.
25. Alex is pretty good at word games.
26. Alex was elected vice president of his eighth grade class; he chalks it up to being the new
kid and giving out candy.
27. Alex founded a chess club in high school.
28. Alex likes sushi.
29. Alex likes venus fly traps, but has trouble keeping them alive.
30. Alex has tried internet dating.
31. Alex paces when he's nervous.
32. Alex comes up with some of his best ideas while walking.
33. Alex can easily distinguish diet cola from regular cola by taste.
34. Alex thinks his wardrobe needs an overhaul.
35. Alex likes receiving post cards.
36. Alex doesn't like the word "normal."
37. Alex really likes inside jokes.
38. Alex has played euchre on the steps of Verseilles.
39. Alex is a big fan of movie trailers.
40. Alex has almost a compulsive desire for people to like him.
41. Alex has only let three people call him Al.
42. Alex has had two near-death experiences (as in almost died, not the white light and the
tunnel thing).
43. Alex origingally wanted to be a detective when he grew up.
44. When people forget Alex's name, they most frequently call him Mark or Eric.
45. Alex considered joining the air force.
46. Alex enjoys philosophical discussions.
47. Alex has never broken a bone (knock on wood).
48. Alex doubts it is possible for anyone to completely know and understand him.
49. Alex predicts his mid-life crisis will involve learning to sail.
50. Alex collects alligator knick knacks.
51. Alex has choreographed a group number for an ice show.
52. Alex wishes he was better at keeping in touch with his friends. Better yet, he wishes they
kept in better touch with him.
53. Alex finds thuderstorms to be relaxing.
54. Alex doesn't get motion sickness.
55. Alex was on a speech team in seventh grade.
56. Alex likes listening to classical music, especially Paganini's violin concertos.
57. Alex enjoys being snarky from time to time.
58. Alex has twice waited in a line outside a theater, overnight, for Star Wars tickets. He had
different company each time.
59. Alex knows that the top letter on the eye chart is an "E," but not because he can see it
without correction.
60. Alex comes in two shades: pale white and lobster red (depending on sunscreen use).
61. Alex's Chinese vocabulary is limited to "yes," "no," "corn," and "Happy New Year."
62. Alex wishes he knew more about Chinese culture and his heritage.
63. When engaged in introspection, Alex prefers to sit quietly and alone in the dark.
64. Alex wants to prove that nice guys don't have to finish last.
65. Alex often talks to himself when he's alone.
66. When Alex hears a piece of music, he often imagines how he would skate to it.
67. Alex was once the only guy living in a house with six women.
68. Alex worries that he's not as smart as he thinks he is.
69. Alex would rather be the de facto leader than the elected/appointed position.
70. Alex can yawn without opening his mouth.
71. Alex is against the death penalty.
72. More than anything else, Alex hates being falsely accused.
73. Alex is a sucker for free food.
74. Alex thinks the hardest thing about meeting a bunch of people is remembering their names.
75. Alex doesn't like making "to do" lists.
76. Alex is a night owl.
77. Alex likes the fortunes inside fortune cookies.
78. Alex dislikes people who try to push their beliefs on him.
79. Alex has never successfully kept a journal.
80. Alex likes being asked for advice, though he sometimes doubts that he's qualified to give it.
81. Alex wishes he knew French better.
82. Alex isn't afraid of heights; Alex is afraid of falling from heights.
83. When Alex was younger, he had an imaginary friend. It was an elephant named Charlie.
84. Alex's favorite magazine is Discover.
85. Alex doesn't really feel that he's "from" anywhere in particular.
86. Alex likes to bowl, shoot pool, and play golf, but isn't good at any of them.
87. Alex has never used illegal drugs.
88. Alex has lost or broken more pairs of sunglasses than he can remember.
89. Alex used to be a cub scout.
90. Alex thinks that someday he'll write a book.
91. Alex has only gotten drunk alone once.
92. Alex considers himself one of the most creative people he knows.
93. Alex once constructed a fully operational model ballista.
94. When ordering dessert, Alex first considers all options that involve chocolate.
95. Alex really likes walking along a beach at night.
96. Alex checks his email compulsively.
97. Alex is a fan of British comedy - especially Monty Python and Douglas Adams.
98. The first time Alex drank, he spent time rehearsing saying the alphabet backwards.
99. Alex believes discretion is the better part of valor.
100. Alex echoes the sentiment that creating this list is a difficult task.

LOTR Marathon

Back in December, Brad issued a Lord of the Rings challenge. He and Niki watched all three of the LOTR movies back-to-back-to-back in one day. He then issued a challenge for others to do likewise. I'd always wanted to do something like that, but had never gotten around to it. I don't own the LOTR movies on DVD and I missed the "Trilogy Tuesday" promotion that theaters had back when The Return of the King came out. But today I got the chance to do it, thanks to Brendan who hosted the event.

Our LOTR marathon was a bit more hard core, however. Brendan held a viewing of the extended versions of each movie, thereby adding several more scenes and a bunch of extra time. For that reason, I wasn't able to meet one of the "requirements" - I don't think it's even possible to watch all of them in 11 hours. We did it in a little under 13 hours. All other conditions were met, though - we watched the whole trilogy, it was done in one sitting (taking such breaks as necessary for food and bathroom), and witnesses were present. In fact many people came and went (I think we had at least ten people at one point), but Brendan and I watched them all. Patrick and Dmytro also watched the vast majority of the saga, and were there to the bitter end.

Yes, I'm a big dork. But it was a lot of fun.

Coming Attractions

Looking back on the last few posts, I realize that I've not been writing on much except bowling. For that I apologize, especially to my non-NDLS readership, who probably couldn't care less about the weekly scores and such.

I just wanted to let everyone know that some more substantive posts shall be forthcoming. In particular, look for a "100 things about Alex list" similar to those made by Lisa, Jenni, Derek, and Welter. Originally, I wasn't going to compile such a list. However, I have been requested to do so and post it for the enjoyment of my readers. It's a lot harder than it may sound, but also a really interesting project. I hope to finish up the list and post it sometime this weekend.

That's all for now, but stay tuned - there's more to come.

Bowling Recap

Here's a very brief recap of last night's bowling exploits.
ICBING was running on a skeleton crew: we only had five bowlers. We rotated people into the sixth spot so that we'd have a full complement against over, more fully staffed teams.
Here's what the scores looked like:

Wrong Lane: 95, 104
Take a Knee: 130, 94
Nugatory En Fuego: 122, 100
Bowling InJury: 107, 86
Breaks 50 (and sometimes 100, her average is about 70, compared to a princess, "&", attractive nuisance): 83, 58

Ghost Person: 123, 88

It was Take a Knee's birthday, and he was showered with gifts ranging from store bought cookies to a bowling pin (the kind you wear, not the kind you knock down) to shamrock wristbands to a green plastic St. Patty's Day hat. Take a Knee also wore some very fashionable socks that had a bowling ball and pins on it - and if you folded it down, it sported the word "BOWLING."

Take a Knee also had the quote of the night, while talking to Breaks 50 (et al):
"If you don't break 50, then the terrorists win... Sleeper cells are pulling for a 48, if you know what I mean."

Although much fun was had by all, we look forward to having the full team together again for next week.

P.S. The naming committee (see last post) has been overruled, and bowlers will be known by their former names. Well, except for Breaks 50, who simply adds a few names to her already extensive list each week.

UPDATE: Pictures of the team now available here, courtesy of Bowling Injury!

New bowling names...

Apparently, the old nicknames weren't good enough, probably because they didn't rise to the proper level of law geekiness. A self-appointed naming committee set out to rectify this oversight, however, and I've been asked to post their results:

Alex: Tresspass to real property
Emily: Strict Liability
Chris M.: Contributory negligence
Chris N.: Res Ipsa
Brooke: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
Jaime: Attractive nuisance
Christine: Proximate cause
Stephen: Assumption of the risk
Blake: Assault
Kelsi: Battery

Yes, we're big dorks. But I'm only the messenger this time around.

ICBING update

Thursday night - time for a bowling update.

After last week's stellar performance, there was bound to be a slight slump. ICBING still did pretty well, though. The team decided to change a few things tonight. First was the roster. Our roster changes on a weekly basis. Tonight we actuallly bowled 8 bowlers for both games, and dropped the two lowest scores. Next, names. Instead of putting our real names into the computer, we entered our nicknames. More on the effect of this below in the highlight reel. Finally, Wrong Lane and Breaks 50 (aka "I want to change my name every week or more often but Alex doesn't seem to like the idea") decided to experiment with the effect of beer on their bowling skills. The jury's still out on that - I think further testing will be required.

And now for the score recap:

Wrong Lane: 83, 115
Take a Knee: 109, 153
9 pin (aka 10 pin, aka Turkey - see below): 106, 124
En Fuego (fka On Fire): 119, 96
8lb (fka 7lb): 57, 112
The Edge (fka Pinky): 166, 131
Breaks 50 (aka so many other names...): 121, 69
Newbie: 94, 98

Highlight reel:

The big story of the night was some name switching for 9 pin. The name had become something of a curse, resulting in 4 straight open frames (of nine pins, naturally) to start off the game. To break the curse, the team decided to change the name to 10 pin, which immediately resulted in a spare. Bolstered by this effect, the team rechristened him Turkey. Unfortunately, this didn't pan out quite as expected.

Take a Knee and Breaks 50 had another friendly wager for a week's worth of bragging rights. Take a Knee had to beat Breaks 50's score (for the evening - both games combined) by thirty pins. Breaks 50 jumped out to a commanding lead, bowling a personal best of 121 and led Take a Knee by 12 pins going into the second game. But Take a Knee came back strong. A turkey in the tenth frame clinched it, giving Take a Knee another week of heckling rights.

Wrong Lane didn't bowl in the wrong lane tonight, but the other team did during his turn (effectively bowling for him); maybe the SBA will stop sending emails that lead to such confusion.

"I never could get the hang of Thursdays..."

First off, 50 points to the first person to identify the source of the quote in this post's title.*

Anyway, today was a pretty rough day. But looking back on it, I've been rather lucky that things weren't much worse.

It started off when I woke up later than intended. I woke up a few minutes before 8am, when my LegWri class starts. We were giving sample oral arguments in the courtroom today and receiving evaluations from a Shakespearean actor. After a mad rush to get ready, I hopped into my car and drove to the law school (instead of walking, as I usually do). I parked at the circle in front of the law school (technically a No Parking zone) and made it just in time.
My partner was supposed to present today, but didn't make it in today due to a family emergency. Luckily, I didn't have to give the argument in his place.

After LegWri, my partner and I were supposed to meet with our LegWri prof to discuss the case. Since I had some questions that I wanted to ask, I decided I'd meet with her one-on-one.
But first, I have to move my car. I drive over to the bookstore parking lot (the sign here says Maximum 2 Hours Parking) and then rush back to the law school to make the 9am appointment.

When I get there, my prof isn't to be found. She does finally show up, half an hour late. The meeting was mildly helpful. I basically presented some of my questions and got responses amounting to "That's an interesting question" or "Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that." She did agree to check with one of the legal research professors in the law library to try and answer some of my concerns, which she emailed me with later today. (Have I mentioned that my LegWri prof is an English/Creative Writing professor who knows very little about law?)

By the time the meeting wraps up, I realize it's five after ten and my Contracts class has already started. Fortunately, if there was one class to which I had to show up late, I would pick Contracts. I peered in the doorway looking for an empty seat. Rougeau sees me and waves me in. I scramble down the steps and spot an open seat: front row, on the aisle. At least I don't have to crawl over people to get to a seat.

Ethics follows immediately after Contracts. That class is pretty boring and it's always a struggle to stay awake. All in all, the class passes without incident.

Now I figure I'd better go move my car (again). It's now 11:45 (for those of you keeping score at home, my car has been parked in the 2 hour lot for about 2.5 hours). I'm hoping I don't have a ticket plastered to my windshield. Not that it'd be a huge deal if I did - apparently the first "ticket" is only a warning. Once again fortune seemed to smile on me as there was neither a ticket nor a warning on my car.

I drive home, then walk back to the law school to do some work and grab my stuff. From there on out my day settled down considerably.


*Much like Whose Line is it Anyway? the points don't matter. But you still get bragging rights if you answer correctly. And who knows - maybe if someone accumulates enough points there might be some prize like a case of beer. For the sake of argument, let's throw out an arbitrary sum. Say, a million.

Weekend

This past weekend was pretty good - as Derek might say, "one for the books."

First off, I got to judge the regional undergraduate mock trial competition this weekend. I judged rounds 1 and 3, the morning rounds on Saturday and Sunday respectively. It felt a little weird being on the other side of things this time around. I can still vividly remember being in some of the same rooms competing just a few years ago. Also, I got to preside over both trials in addition to scoring. My co-judge in each round was an attorney, and technically they were supposed to act as the presiding judge. But they both asked if I would preside instead and I wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to be in charge. On the whole, the teams I saw did pretty well. I heard some horror stories from other judges though - teams on notes, running out of time, whispering objections across the courtroom, not knowing objections... but my trials went smoothly. It was a good experience, but it made me miss mock trial a bit. Still, it was a nice reminder of one of the reasons I decided to go to law school in the first place.

The next big event of the weekend was Emily's dinner party. Her fiancé Keith had come to visit, and we finally got to meet him. It was a great evening filled with great food and great conversation. Everyone brought something to the dinner. Not being a gourmet chef myself, I brought chocolate-covered strawberries (which were "ginormous", according to Brooke). They seemed to be a big hit. Keith's a great guy and he and Emily seem perfect for each other. I'm sure they'll be deliriously happy together for years and years to come (regardless of whether Emily deserts us for San Fran or Keith finds a job in Chicago).

Then of course there was the Superbowl. I watched the game with a few friends in Fischer, a rather low-key event. We pilfered some food from the community center's party (I figure, we paid the same activity fee as everyone else, so we're entitled to the food even if we don't eat it at their party).

All in all, it was a really good weekend.

Ugh

Longest, most painful game of Trivial Pursuit ever. And that's including the drinking Trivial Pursuit debacle of '01.

That's all.

Life in the Fast Lane

Well, it's Thursday night, which means it's time for another Bowling Update!

Lane assignments changed tonight so that we could face a different team (standings are calculated on a win/loss/tie system). Our team name (I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter!)got a bit butchered, appearing as "r can't believe it's not g" and "r can't believe it's not gutte." I pointed this out to the staff and hopefully it will be corrected for next week.

Tonight's performance was a marked improvement from last week. For starters, everyone broke 100 in the night's first game. Even better, we found out that they set handicaps based on last week, so our score should look all the more impressive. A brief rundown of tonight's performances:

r can't believe it's not g(utte)
Wrong Lane: 114, 134
Take a Knee: 113, 129
9-pin: 144, 109
On Fire: 158, 147
One-arm bandit: 104
Breaks 50 (f/k/a Secret Agent): 106, 97
Bowling Injury: 97

And now some color commentary:

Wrong Lane put in an impressive showing, breaking the all-important 100 barrier in both games. A spare-spare-strike combo in the last two frames of the second game landed a personal best of 134. Wrong Lane continued to live up to the name tonight, once again bowling on the... wrong lane.

Take a Knee put up solid numbers tonight, again breaking 100 in both games. Though not up to the same average score from last week, Take a Knee won a bet by beating Break 50's second score by more than 30 points.

9-pin had considerable success in the first game, causing our team to rethink the nickname. There were some errant gutterballs in the second game, but 9-pin continues to be a strong leader on the team. 9-pin has bowled four consecutive 100+ games.

On Fire more than lived up to the name by posting ICBING's top score for both games and by being one of the team's most enthusiastic cheerleaders. On Fire was closing frames left and right with strikes and spares. In addition, On Fire bowled three consecutive strikes during the first game to get the elusive and much sought after turkey.

One-arm bandit bowled the first game, and rounded out the impressive team showing of six 100+ scores. While pleased with the team's considerably better performance, One-arm bandit probably wishes it had come a week sooner when there was a bet with the opposing team.

One of the great Cinderella stories of season is Breaks 50. The team may have to consider a different name for this bowler (again) after tonight's showing. But we might keep it for irony's sake if this hot streak continues. Hopefully the 40+ point improvement from last week will ease the pain of losing a bet to Take a Knee (see above). Nevertheless, Breaks 50 gave Take a Knee a moment's pause by throwing a strike to open the tenth frame.

Bowling Injury took over for One-arm bandit and served as "relief bowler" for the second game. After last week's double gutterball incident, some may have been concerned. But that concern would have been unfounded, as Bowling Injury hit the gates running with two spares. Although unable to maintain such an impressive pace, there were no repeats of the double gutterball and Bowling Injury came oh-so-close to the 100 mark.

RotS Pics (***Spoiler Alert***)

Just a quick "I am a Star Wars dork" post.
Courtesy of IrishLaw (my opposite if you will; a ND undergrad now attending OSU law school) comes a batch of pictures from the upcoming Star Wars movie extravaganza, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Some very cool pics. You can see them here, but as might be expected, spoilers abound.