Bicycle! Bicyle! I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride my bike!

I have decided to start riding my bike, rather than running - in hopes of saving my knees for future use. Although there is a great bike/walking trail along much of the bay, the rest of time comes the great question: street or sidewalk. I know how annoyed many people get when bicyclists are taking up any part of the street. But I also know how much it sucks to try and ride on sidewalks. I think the simple resolution is for bicyclists to use the street, but to be cautious and considerate of cars. This means don't block or slow traffic. 

Has anyone else noticed that one of the street lights on the way to the airport is pointless? There is no crosswalk or cross-traffic for the light to actually be of use. Thinking about it, there could only possibly be reasons for the light: either the coast guard facility might need access or if the harbor authority needed to block access from the airport. If someone knows the actual reason, please let me know. 

I have also noticed on my bike ride that certain bums remain in the same location. Whether its the middle of the day or the early evening, a few transients do not move. This got me to thinking about how boring it must be to be a bum. If you're not trying to panhandle or collect cans, you pretty much are just sitting around. Sure, San Diego is a great place with both the beach and the water to stare at, but it surely must get bored. I actually would enjoy it because I wold finally have time to read all the books that I wanted. I'll need to calculate exactly how much it would cost to be a transient for a year. Maybe $2/day?

Summer Sausage

I have always been a big fan of having the windows down. Even when I am driving a great distance on the freeway, I prefer to have the windows down. Apparently it's not fuel efficient to have the windows down if you are traveling over 50 mph, but I enjoy it nonetheless. It just feels good to be on the open road with the wind in my face. 

On Friday night we took a cab down the bar and it was critically necessary to have the windows down. It was Gil's big night (getting out of the Navy) and his friends had reserved a table at Side Bar. So the girls that were with us were all made up and I was actually worried they might protest having the windows down. Sometimes girls through such fits when they think their hair is going to get messed up. Fortunately, they all agreed that the windows should be down. The cab honestly smelled like the sweaty towel bin of a men's locker room. It reminded me of when Borat and his hairy, fat friend were naked on top of each other. Nasty. 

The Andrews Street entrance from Washington and India is a one way street. There are plenty of signs saying do not enter and one way, but this still seems to perplex people. My guess is that they don't realize that they simply have to go around the block to another street to exit the neighborhood. Knowing that they are not supposed to turn left on the street, many people take the risk and hurriedly rush down the hill. I've never seen an accident or anything, but I do wish that people were logical enough to realize that a simple trip around the block would accomplish the exact same thing. 

Trolley Affairs

I remember in one of my undergrad classes reading an article about how impersonal the public has become due to portable music devices. This specific article was about Walkmans, so it was old school. The premise was that when we have headphones on, we are less inclined to communicate with individuals and to really observe the world. There was the counter-argument that you can observe the world better if you are tuned out from the distractions and conversations surrounding you - while listening to music. 

I actually find having headphones on very liberating. Not only do I not have to respond to bums asking for money, but I also don't have to listen to the crazy ones on the trolley. Sure, I might miss some interesting comments or conversation, but the benefits outweigh the risks. 

Does anyone else ever wonder if they keep track of the miles on the trolleys? I wonder if they have an odometer on those beasts. If you think about it, the ones in San Diego go all the way from near El Cajon all the way down to San Ysidro - all day long. I wonder what the lifetime for a trolley is. Cars are normally good for 200-300,000. 

Another thing that I find very interesting is how the mail system works. If you think about it, the postal service reads the mail backwards: first the state and zip code, then street and street number, then any kind of apartment or unit. We fill out the address forwards and then they read it backwards - which is the logical way of doing it. Is this why addresses in other countries seem backwards to us? 

NBA Inside Stuff

First of all, I'm disappointed in Lebron James. What poor sportsmanship - not shaking the Magic's hands after the game. Furthermore, he said, "It's not being a poor sport or anything like that...If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them...It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake someone's hand." What a terrible statement to release. I like that he doesn't have big time agents like Scott Boras and that he is giving his friends a chance to succeed in his empire. I have much respect for Lebron for giving his long-time friends jobs as his agent and PR people, but that was perhaps evidence that they need to be more careful.  

They have been showing a T-Mobile commercial with Charles Barkley and Dr. J where the two are making a video game entitled, Old Timers. Supposedly it is a spoof because the game would feature playing as the old-timers when they are old. Ironically, there is a clip (that I could not find) of Sir Charles trying to show a basketball move under the hoop. When he goes up to make the shot, he maybe gets two inches off the ground. Hilarious. 

My most recent Youtube obsession is the keyboard cat. Where something awkward or bad happens, the cat comes along and 'plays him off.' Notably. one of these videos feature Sir Charles trying to hit a drive on a golf course. Again, hilarious.

SE7EN

So Tuesday morning was the big hoorah swearing-in. Although I had already been sworn in, I wanted to get a free breakfast from USD and get my federal court admission. USD held its breakfast at Currant, which is located at the Sophia Hotel (see pic below). It was a great breakfast as far as food and attendees. However, I noticed the realtively small number of actual bar-passers. In fact, of the 30 or 40 people that attended, only eight or nine actually were bar-passers (accompanied by a guest). This made me consider how excessive the breakfast was - at least for the large number of admin that attended. The speakers and basic admin would have been sufficient, yet everyone wanted to tag along for a free breakfast. Would you expect anything else from a school with too much money?


Speaking of excess, I have begun to have a problem with government employees. As I have rapidly drifted to the left side of the political spectrum, I am all for social reform. However, this doesn't mean we have to continue to employ incompetent or excessive individuals. The problem with the government scheme is that people get promoted merely by being employed for a certain length of time. There really is no merit-based promotion. In addition, I believe there are too many government employees. If you have one efficient and competent employee, that easily could replace two incompetent or ineffecient employees. Think of any time you see road construction - isn't someone always standing around doing nothing? Obviously this is a hard time to be cutting jobs, yet to really balance our budget these cuts should be made.


Why the hell is Honey, I Shrunk the Audience still the 3-D show at Disneyland? I mean, Captain EO was there for 11 years - and now HISTH has been there over 11 years. Does that make any rational sense? I will admit that HISTH is a fun ride, but once you've gone at it a single time - you know what to expect. On the other hand, although Michael Jackson is kind of a freak, Captain EO was absolutely awesome. Speaking of ride changes - shouldn't Star Tours get an update?

A Long Sojourn

So I ran out of salad dressing and had to use one of the roomies' ranch dressing. Meanwhile I was drinking some of the wine that Brian so graciously gave me last weekend. When I went to take a drink from the wine glass though, memories of the eighth grade were resurrected. Not that I was drinking wine or had run out of salad dressing in the eighth grade, but that having greasy ranch lips makes your glass look nasty. Before our winter ball a group of my friends, along with our dates, went to a local winery for dinner. There we were served sparking apple cider in wine glasses. This is where I remember seeing my greasy ranch lip prints on the glass and thinking that I had done something wrong. I wasn't sure if my parents had failed to teach me some basic etiquette (particularly considering the only alcohol I saw my parents drinking was Miller Genuine Draft or Kahlua). 

Speaking of sparking apple cider. I specifically remember one new years (the one time of the year my parents generally go out socially), my sister and I made Rice-a-Roni and had a few bottles of sparking apple cider to drink. In fact, I drank two just by myself. That stuff is some tasty juice! Yet by the time my parents got home I was puking just short of the sink in my bedroom (my sister and I shared a bathroom but had our own sinks). I'm sure my mom thought I had been drinking alcohol for the first time in my life that night. 

And yes, I did save Pepsi Points one summer to buy a pair of Tevas, now known as mandals. They were actually pretty sweet, with a Pepsi logo on the back. If you're from the Pacific Northwest you understand the utility of such sandals, particularly in rivers. I also ordered a Pepsi beach chair (see above) and a CD case. I guess my family was REALLY into Pepsi that summer. 

Beer, Beans and Bums

I have really had some poor service in restaurants lately - and it's not my group that gets poor service - its just myself. At The Field on Wednesday the waitress forgot my drink not once, but twice. At Shakespeare's the waitress forgot my water not once, but twice - and the second time I saw her give it away to another table because she couldn't remember what table it went to. 

Tim O'Leary and I arrived at the pub at 6am - to get seats for the FA Cup final, which started at 7am. They couldn't even serve alcohol until 8am, so all the 'football' fans had to wait. Meanwhile the kitchen opened at 7am so we ordered breakfast. Keeping in line with my trying to order new things, I got the 'baked beans on toast,' which was just precisely that. They dumped an entire can of baked beans on two slices of toast - and it wasn't bad at all. Kind of like this man, who was sitting in a bathtub full of baked beans. 

On a similar note, I know that I keep track of all of the particularly notable 'downtown crazies.' However, I have begun to wonder and theorize why transients are so prevalent in the downtown sectors of cities. Is it because its mainly an industrial or business center and people aren't around at night? As in, people would mind if a bum was loitering around their suburban neighborhood. Personally I would want to be at the beach, where at least I could sleep in the sand and wake up on the beach. 

Another thing I want to add to my mission to the homeless population: headphones. I often notice some of them have some kind of boombox or speaker system. Not that I don't think it is awesome that they bump their music, but I think they would get more respect if they had some headphones. So far this means I need to start collecting and distributing headphones and sunscreen. 

The Northwest Passage

Well although I passed the bar exam (one of the biggest events in my life), I remained relatively sober and non-reckless - with my graduation looming the next morning. This was important because I think the last time I really embarrassed my family (whole drunk-diaper thing). If anyone was wondering what I did upon receipt of the degree, I did another jump kick. Nonetheless, I had a great weekend and was very happy that my family was in town. 

The Padres game lasted 16 innings on Saturday night, making that yet another extra-inning game that I have attended. I must be good luck for people wanting to get their money's worth and not wanting to be able to drink for most of the game. On Sunday night we patronized Pizza Bella in Old Town (the above image was in the image results - not sure what E.T. has to do with the pizza place). Anyways I enjoyed the restaurant and the food was good. We ordered the 'Sigma Chi' pizza. No, Eric, I did not ask why it was named that. It was a hybrid of a good and bad pizza - meat lovers w/ marinara base vs. primavera veggies w/ pesto base. I will go ahead and recommend trying it. 

Before my family left on Monday, I took them for a walk down the Embarcadero. I have been running along the 'baywalk' for a few months but have never really had the time to enjoy the scenery. I did notice the presence of a lot of rubbish/trash washed up on the shore and hope to arrange a embarcadero clean-up. Most notable of our walk was the gigantic statue of a sailor and, presumably, his wife dipping/kissing (see above). And FYI you could not see up her dress - it was all molded together. Most creepy was the Bob Hope tribute, where lifelike statues stood in the middle of a park square. 

From Russia With Love

Have you ever noticed those 'baby on board' signs? I have never understood exactly what their purpose was. Am I not supposed to not hit you as hard? Drive as crazy around you? Flip you off and yell vulgarities at you? Is your baby sleeping and I should turn down my music and not honk? I don't think any driver, reasonable or not, would change their driving habits when they suddenly see such a sign.


My new idea that I would like to get spread around is for everyone to 'retire' rather than 'quit.' I actually came up with this idea before Brett Favre has made a living off of it. No matter what age you are, you can retire. Who says retiring means having enough money to live for the rest of your life? Don't most retired people still make investments and still have income? All I'm saying is instead of quitting your next job, tell them you are retiring. You can always come out of retirement, just like this youngster.


Finally, I saw Star Trek last night - which was awesome. There were sad moments and funny moments and lots of action. The actors were great too. Although it is enjoyable for any denomination of trekkie, I suggest at least having an basic understanding of the main characters (Kirk, Spock, Bones, Ohura, Sulu, Checkov, and Scotty). As I left the theatre, I saw the trolley pulling up two blocks away. Not wanting to wait another 30 minutes, I did a full out spring to successfully catch it.

When I got off the Trolley at my stop, I saw an old man standing at the edge of the platform (mind you this was near midnight on a Monday night). He asked me, with a thick Russian accent (like Checkov's) where the Denny's was. Fortunately I knew that the weird Denny's 'China Camp' was just down the street (probably 1.5 miles away actually). Nonetheless I told him where it was, to which he further inquired, "is it near a strip club?" I answered in the affirmative, as I knew that Pure Platinum was on the way.

Great Expectations

See No Evil
On my bike ride back yesterday I rode past the Gator by the Bay at Spanish Landing. It actually looked like a lot of fun with cajun food and a ton of live music. Maybe I will go next year. However, the most interesting thing I saw was just a few blocks past the event. I saw a camouflaged bum doing the MC Hammer 'magic knees' dance. This is the closest video I could find.



Hear No Evil
Earlier in the day I had stopped at the Embarcadero to read my current book (Anthem by Ayn Rand). I stopped by a bench near a dock to enjoy the sun and any fly-overs from the Red Bull Air Race. Yet again, the most interesting thing that happened was the product of nearby passerby-ers. I noticed a couple that had suddenly stopped right in front of me. From the way the man was talking (and after looking at her ring finger), I knew they weren't married. The man had been talking about some fancy restaurant he always goes to. Meanwhile, they had walked directly behind where I was sitting and the conversation got weird. The man said something to the extent of the following: "Well the gentlemanly thing for me to do would be to walk you to your car and open your door. But your car is so far away. So you could get into my car and I would tie you up and ductape you." I'm sure he was trying to be funny, but with a complete stranger nearby, they are lucky I didn't call the police.

Do No Evil
On Friday night I caught a cab with Jordon and Mat. We found one right outside of Jordon's place, at 14th and Broadway. We told the driver that we were going to 10th and J. Yet when we got to 10th Street, the driver didn't turn. Mat pointed this out, to which the driver replied, "It's better to walk." We shrugged off this first error as a mistake. Yet when he passed 8th street (can only turn left on even streets) we began to get worried. Mat asked if the driver would take a dollar off the fare for the mistake, to which the driver replied, "You can't turn down 10th street." The driver turned right (the opposite direction from where we were going) on 7th street and stayed in the middle lane. Both Mat and Jordon told the driver that we needed to turn right and go down either 8th or 10th street. The driver remained in the middle lane with no turn signal or intention of turning right. At that moment we told him we are getting out and not paying - both of which we did.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

While waiting in the 90-minute line to get into Freds (Old Town) last night, I came up with a new idea and remembered an old idea of mine.

The first is a kind-of fool proof waiting line (queue for the Brits and Irish). Basically rather than using ropes or letting people form lines themselves, there will be shoulder-high barriers that people have to file into. This will prevent any kind of cutting or spot-in-line saving. I realized that there does have to be some escape for emergency, bathroom and give-up-on waiting situations. For a pertinent example of an emergency situation, see my Brussels, Belgium post about the entire line getting maced. To resolve this dilemma, I came up with an exit system. It will be like the exit system to certain parking lots, where they have the spikes that you can run over, but can't back over or enter in the opposite direction. The exits in my line system will be similar in that people can freely exit, but they cannot return.


The old idea that I remembered spawned off of a Vista article that I actually wrote during undergrad. In that article I told the story of my friend's purchasing a 1982 Ford Granada (pictured above - pretty sweet ass sweet!). For $100, my friend's older brother bought the beast. A racing stripe was painted down the middle, a 'sunroof' was cut out and the skull of a steer was put on the front of the vehicle. The best part though, was that the car would backfire whenever you stepped on the gas. We scared the crap out of people. Unfortunately the Granada died when a friend drove it into the mountains, where it now rests in peace.

As we all have learned to despise public safety and similar officers, in my high school it was no different. The idea that I came up with, I will so humbly admit, was ingenious (although it never was completed). My plan was to purchase a car for $100, much like the granada. I was going to drive the car into the head public safety officer's parking space, then remove the wheels and fill the car with sandbags. The goal was to make the car immobile, that is, untowable. I couldn't imagine the look on the head security officer's face and the effort it would have taken to get the car out of his spot. If only I was so bold!

I Like Turtles

From the very first time I smelled Old Spice Pure Sport, I knew I would use no other deodorant. It just smells amazing. Fortunately I have the armpit hair of a 12-year-old boy so I don't have to worry about anti-perspirant.  For shampoo, face wash, toothpaste, etc. - I always change it up. I am never satisfied with a single brand and product. However, I think Old Spice has done it again. The Old Spice body wash is pretty amazing - and I don't feel like a woman using some non-masculine product. For that matter, how was I tricked into using a luffa for an entire year before realizing I was breaking some man laws?

Normally I would add this character to the 'Downtown Crazies' section to the right, but I think I need more space to adequately describe this story. So a few days a week I run from my house, around the airport and then along the bay (about 4 or 5 miles). Normally on the PCH/Airport intersection  (across from the most expensive Shell station in town), there is a a man who sits on a stool and flags traffic to make it safer for pedestrians to cross. What is interesting about this man is that he is not commissioned by anyone to do it - he just does it. 

But yesterday there was another individual. As I was approaching him, he made a motion like he was throwing (imaginary) jacks (see picture above) into the intersection.  Either that or he was casting a spell upon all of the vehicles. He gave me enough room to run by, but he gave me a weird look. I was worried he would throw some 'jacks' at me. On my way back I could see him from a distance. This time his back was to the intersection, but his arm was straight out and his fist was clenched. I was worried he would either punch me or throw something at me. And I was right. As I ran by he made the throwing/casting motion directly in front of me. If I wasn't in the middle of a run I would perhaps have role-played with him. 

My household has now spent $55 on lighting for our Halfway to Halloween party. We have exchanged all of the lights in the house with either black or orange lights. Should be interesting to see what it looks like in the dark. We set up tiki torches all along the walkway and front yard. As for decorations, we were limited to what people had in their possession - as all the party stores did not have anything in stock (considering it is May). My only contribution was my George W. Bush mask that kind of looks like a jack-o-lantern. Either way, it should be a blast. 

Drink the Kool-Aid

If you are reading this and enjoy this blog, please become a follower (middle of the right column). I will excuse you for not commenting. If more people are enjoying this, I will try to post more often. Cheers.

Justice is Blind

Whenever I get a parking ticket or a speeding ticket or even a trolley ticket - I obviously become upset. But I am really upset because I think that I deserve it less than other people. I always see individuals talking or texting while driving. I always see people (excessively) speeding or not stopping at stop signs/lights. I even saw someone talk their way out of a trolley ticket. Am I not good enough at talking my way out of things or do I just have bad luck?

The trolley station is about three blocks west of my house, so I get to see a lot of traffic each day. In fact the I-5 South exit (Hancock Street)/Washington Street intersection is one of the worst lights ever - if any light were to make me go insane and run it, this is it. The next intersection, India/Washington, is probably one that has the most accidents I have ever seen. I would say at least once a week there is an accident here. The final intersection I have seen people make u-turns on a blatant red light while a cop was right behind them. Something about this three block stretch makes for good commentary.


A week or two ago, I had an amazing walk home. I always put on my iPod as I am walking home, so I can' t really hear what is going on. Nonetheless I still only cross when the white stick figure tells me to. As I was crossing the second intersection, the San Diego trolley (on wheels not the track) was blocking the far lane from seeing if anyone was crossing. When I passed in front of the trolley, a limo stormed into the crosswalk and nearly hit me. I walked up to the drivers door and raised my arms and yelled, "come on." I walked to the back of the limo and made this same gesture to the passenger in the limo.

At the next intersection, I fared no better. This time the car did not stop at all at the light and just turned right, nearly ending my life. Yet justice would be served this time, as a cop was sitting at the intersection and decided not to be lazy and pull the driver over. As the cop turned on his lights and pulled the car over, I raised my arms again and gave a loud cheer. Meanwhile everyone enjoying their espresso at Gelato Vero probably were wondering what the hell I was listening to on my iPod. I walked up the street to watch the officer citing the driver, with much joy inside.

Machinations

There is some weird psychology in working/living on a higher floor than another. At my current job I work on the 18th floor and there are only five floors above me. For some reason, I feel confident when I push that 18 button while everyone else is below me. I end up holding my head high while they look down at the ground. Even if it is some accomplished attorney or professional, the mere fact that I am going to a higher floor than them means I am somehow cooler. How do I know this? Well I just had to go to the 7th floor instead and definitely felt less cool than those going above and beyond me.

Something that is really not cool is the Sci-Fi Channel remake of Jason and the Argonauts as well as their rendition of The Odyssey. First of all, the original 1963 Jason and the Argonauts was one of the greatest claymation movies EVER. Seriously seeing the bronze statues come to life and Jason fight the skeletons was awesome . Now the remake is just absolute crap. The CGI is OK but the acting is terrible. My complaint about The Odyssey is similar, but also includes that the movie does not follow the actual text.

I don't understand why women's bicycles have the lower, slanted bar and men's have the higher, horizontal bar between the seat and the handlebars. I suppose it would make sense in the olden days when women would be wearing a dress or skirt and had to side-saddle their way on. But nowadays women don't ride bikes with either of those on. And men, for obvious reasons, suffer at the height of the bar on their bikes. This should be switched.

I still posit my theory about the Pacific Beach/Mission Beach bicycle theft ring. So many people have had their bikes stolen and I refuse to believe it is just random thefts. Anyone who ever had their bike stolen would always be on the lookout for it in the near future. My theory is that there is some group that actually steals them or buys the stolen ones, then either puts them in hiding for a year before selling them or ships them to another place to sell. If it is the latter, that means the bicycle theft ring could be regional or even international.

Stranger in a Strange Land

There are a few things that really both me about online interaction:

When someone sends out an Evite, they can see if you have viewed the invitation. You can't hide it. So when you don't respond, it can often be insulting. When you don't respond after a week or two to determine your availability, it may hurt the sender/inviter. I know there probably is some time range that is appropriate for sending out an Evite, but sending it out too early should not be a bad thing. People are often busy and need to plan things that far in advance. So my rule here is to respond to the invitation within a week or two. This means starring the email in your inbox if you have to, to remind you to respond.

Another thing that bugs me is the 'maybe' category, simply because I don't like gray areas. I would guess that 9/10 maybes end up not coming to an event. Either do something or don't do something, don't be too cool to commit or not commit. Exceptions do apply.

People often talk about how annoying it is when an individual constantly updates their status on Facebook or Twitter. Although I have never used Twitter, I know how annoying it is when someone updates their Facebook status too often. At least Facebook has the option of 'Hiding' people. If I had to choose a rule it would be a once a day maximum. In fact, people should only update their status if something interesting or important happened to them. It might be easier to keep in touch and communicate with people this way, but most of your friends really don't care that you went to CPK for dinner.

Note: Although you can choose the 'Hide' option on actual Facebook, it doesn't apply to the Facebook application. So you may still be bombarded unless you remove the friend.

Finally, being a blogger and all, it sometimes is difficult to tell if people actually read my blog. The only way to really tell is if they leave comments. When people don't leave comments, it is discouraging. People often tell me that they enjoy my blog even though they never comment. I know I can probably get some visitor-tracker on my blog but I don't want to be Big Brother (even though I don't mind Big Brother). I don't want people to always leave comments (although I appreciate it), but if you leave one just every so often, it motivates me to continue writing.

Miss USA Pageant (Donald Trump's version of Miss America)

Here is a summary of the final five contestants' questions and answers. You decide who the winner should be.

North Carolina
Question: Should tax dollars be used to bail out corporations?
Answer: No, should be used to improve education and welfare.

Arizona
Question: Should the U.S. implement universal healthcare?
Answer. It's an issue of integrity. No matter where on the political spectrum you fall, it's an issue of integrity.

California
Question (asked by Perez Hilton): Should gay marriage be permitted?
Answer: I am proud to live in a country where people have a choice who to marry. I was raised to believe marriage is between a man and a woman, but I am glad people have a choice.

Utah
Question: Should America continue to help countries abroad when we are suffering at home?
Answer: Yes, because one of our founding characteristics was to help other countries.

Kentucky
Question: Would you speak up against domestic violence?
Answer: Yes.

Mixed Tape

As many of you know, breakfast is my favorite meal. Although I don't like eggs or cheese, I love pancakes, waffles and french toast. I also love cereal. In particular, my favorite cereals are Oh's, Cracklin' Oat Bran and Frosted Mini Wheats. If you have never tried Oh's or Cracklin' Oat Bran, I strongly recommend them. COB can run around $6 a box (which is rather small) but sometimes you can find it on sale for $4. Definetely worth it.

Something I have been doing lately is mixing my cereals. This originally occurred when I would use the end of a box of cereal and not have enough, so I would add some from another box. (By the way the end of many cereal boxes - the debris as I call it - is for sure the best part of the entire box.) Yet lately I have been intentionally mixing the cereal. Right now I have been mixing Life and Strawberry Frosted Mini Wheats. It is a nice little change to anyone's daily routine.

This seems like such a great idea. Mixing your favorites. Look at the mixed tape (now mixed CD). Before the iPod could be used in cars, the mixed tape/CD was the greatest thing. You didn't have to listen to that weird track between Motown Philly and I'll Make Love to You. You could just put all of your favorites on one tape/disc.


On the other end of the spectrum is mixing a whole batch of things. Examples include a Long Island Iced Tea/Tokyo tea and a graveyard/suicide/911 (nine-one-one). Different people called mixing all the sodas/pop different things. I personally grew up calling it a graveyard. Although suicide or 911 sounds unfamiliar to me, it means the same thing: you are so daring that you are mixing ALL of the sodas into one drink that you might DIE! The best part was, it actually didn't taste that bad.

Between graveyards/suicides and Halloween, I'm surprised most children's teeth have not completely dissolved. The miracle of the human body.

What Dreams May Come

The only good way to remember dreams is to write them down. Preferably soon after you first remember them. So with that I will recap what I recall from last night.

My first dream was about dying. In fact, maybe I actually did die and now this is the afterlife. Or maybe this is an separate reality. Heaven or hell was actually like Dante's Inferno, with many different levels. Each level was a colored ramp, pretty much the entire spectrum of the range. (I would guess I dreamed of ramps because I had just watched Fantasy Factory.) So each ramp represented a different level of heaven or hell. I think the more ramps you could go up the better of a person you were. The interesting thing was, whatever level you were on, you could fly down to lower levels. But you could not fly up.

My second dream was about animals. I was at some wild animal park that was open - where people could walk around and approach all of the animals. I remember one of my friends was attacked by a fox I think, and then another by a komodo dragon. Then the dragon came and bit me in the leg. I got him off and then ran away into an open room, where people were playing cards.

Hightlight of My Day

A five-minute cure for the Monday morning blues.

Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me

Now that I work downtown I have been taking the trolley to work, in order to avoid the hassle of parking (and paying). I find it very convenient to both my house and my new office building. Plus it feels kind of big-city cool taking public transportation to work. I planned on buying a month pass once April came around (and just did).  For the first week and a half, though, I bought round trip tickets daily, which are now $5. 

However, on March 31, I only had a $20 bill available. The most change the ticket machine gives is $5. In fact, the day before I couldn't get either of the machines to take any bills. Furthermore the debit/credit slots have never worked on the machines. I figured it would be OK to ride the trolley the four stops to my work. During the prior week and a half, I had not seen a single transit cop. Additionally, it was Caesar Chavez day, so most public employees had the day off. The ride down was fine. The ride back turned out to be my doom. 

I probably jinxed myself by discussing the probabilities of getting a citation on the ride home. I had personally suffered a trolley citation once before (as has my sister). The machine at my stop three years ago similarly was not accepting any bills. So I decided to take the trolley a few stops down to Old Town. Of course I was stopped two stops before Old Town. Those trolley cops don't care what your excuse is, their only job is to write tickets. They say that the judge is the one who listens to the excuses. 

So I fought the ticket instead of paying the $118. I took pictures, documenting the machines at the station. I printed the statutes and took them with me. (This was my fourth legal battle by the way - all victories.) Yet when I went to the court, it was an arraignment - that is, you have to either plead guilty or not guilty. After pleading not guilty, the court set up an actual hearing date. On that date some months later I showed up prepared again, only for the officer to not show up and the case to be dismissed. (This actually was fortunate because the judge pro tem was ridiculously good looking and I was rather nervous.) After that experience I told myself I never want to get a trolley citation again. 

Yet on March 31, I left work and actually didn't even have time to buy a ticket, as the trolley had just pulled up. Furthermore, I had the exact same change as before. So I boarded and kept an eye out for any sign of trolley cops. After the third stop, I felt relieved that my stop was next. Yet somehow I must have missed the two trolley cops that had boarded my car. I stood there and waited, as the trolley slowed to a painfully slow speed in between the two stops. It was like a movie. Accordingly, as the trolley pulled into my station, one of the officers tapped me on the shoulder and asked for my ticket. Busted. 

Pay It Forward

I imagine that everyone gets annoyed with forwarded emails from time to time. There are definitely individual members of each of our circles of family and friends that are the worst. These are my particular complaints:

1) Most forwarded emails in general. The utmost discretion should be exercised when forwarding emails. Emails probably should only be forwarded if they are ridiculously funny or are very moving. Also, emails should not be forwarded to 200 people. This makes it look completely impersonal.

2) The 'if you don't forward this on to ten friends you will (insert ridiculous claim here)' emails. The ridiculous claims usually include not finding your true love or having bad luck for a certain period of time. I recently heard the worst of all: that you will go to hell if you do not forward the email. How desperate are people? Really.

3) When you get added to an email chain that you don't want to be on, with regular reply-all-ers. This situation is crappy because you can't be a dick and ask to be removed. So you have to sit there are suffer through each and every response as a new message.

One of the most important things that I suggest when forwarding an email is making it seem like it is not forwarded. That means deleting all of the previous garbage that attaches to email chains - addresses and comments. This at least makes it look like it is your own find rather than something that has been passed along forever.

In other news, my cable input device on my TV no longer works. This means no cable (most importantly no DVR) and no Super Nintendo. Accordingly I will be in the market for a new TV. If you have any suggestions, recommendations or complaints I would appreciate it.

All For One, One For All

I'm probably going to get shit for writing this post, but this is something that has been on my mind for a long time. If I could live in any time period, it would definitely be the 1800s. I personally would love to be an explorer, discovering new lands. Another attractive feature of this era is the trading system. I like that someone would craft a good or provide a service in exchange for the same. Sure, there was also paper currency but for the most time transactions occurred on a trading system. The key to the system was that you were providing something - either a good or a service - to someone else. 

In our modern world, there are a few categories of income-earning that have completely abandoned from this system: real estate agents, online gamblers and stock traders. Arguments can be made that real estate agents and stock traders are

 indeed providing a service, but I question the necessity of such a service. Now when I say stock traders I am not talking about those involved with furthering individual's investments or public establishment of a corporation. I am talking about day-traders. These individuals are solely concerned with themselves, trying to earn money each day. They are not providing anything of value to the rest of society. 

As for real estate agents, I have always thought that middle-man jobs are completely pointless. I mean, if we follow this to its logical conclusion, soon enough there will be people out there to to towel me off out of the shower or put my shoes on for me. While these latter individuals are actually providing a service, real estate agents are merely listing your property - and then taking a percent of either the buyer or seller's money. I think this was perfectly highlighted on an episode of Friday Night Lights a few weeks ago when the Dillon boys turned a house and decided to sell it themselves rather than let the agent take 6%. Why should an agent be entitled to any significant amount of money for providing such a mediocre service? I understand that some agents provide reputation and widespread dissemination, but I still think they should not be entitled to any percentage of a real property sale. 

Finally, online gambling is perhaps the most selfish of them all. There is no argument that they are providing anything of value to society. You can't even say they are contributing to the economy, as most of the online sites are off-shore. I'm not talking about those individuals who occasionally play poker or make sports bets. I am talking about the people who do it for a living. They might be making great money, but what are they doing for the rest of society?  How is our society going to advance when people are sitting on the sidelines and not contributing?

Competition (Market not Sport)

The ideal of capitalism seems to make sense: work hard and you will prosper. I wish it was this simple. However, the system is not always fair. Some people work hard and they will never prosper. Other people do not work hard and they do prosper. Look at the executives at all the failing corporations out there - do they deserve the salary and bonuses that have been given to them? I'm not sure that having the government regulate such matters is the right answer, but when humans are inherently selfish and self-serving, one begins to lose faith in the individual - which means individuals running corporations. 

I noticed that Santana's has recently opened a new restaurant at the corner of West Mission Bay Drive and Mission Boulevard (where Jack in the Box used to be). It looks like they have upgraded the facilities and the parking lot dramatically. Most notably, the restaurant sits kitty corner (actually its across the street I just wanted to say kitty corner) from Roberto's (or Regret-o's as some of us call it). This inevitably will put Roberto's out of business, as Santana's is far superior. 

I think Santana's gained in popularity, beyond word of mouth, was through The Real World: San Diego. They used to always go to Santana's and would rave about it on the show. By the way, two things I also noticed about Santana's: First, I remember that I heard how impossible it was to eat an entire California burrito - yet I don't remember not finishing an entire burrito. Maybe I am a beast. Second, I remember that California burritos were $3.75, whereas now they are $5. That is almost a quarter a year increase. However, as competition dictates, they can charge that much when they are the best in the biz. 

If you have extra time this week, I suggest watching the 60 Minutes episode from last night. You can watch it online at cbs.com. The first part regarding President Obama is interesting enough, but the second part about the true story behind the movie The Soloist is worth watching. 

You're Either with Me or Against Me

Tim has just raised a good point. As a USD graduate, at no point can you route for Gonzaga. While there may be a desire to cheer for other WCC or Pac-10 teams in the NCAA tournament, there is a line that cannot be crossed. I mean, our cheer is "U-S-D, Gonzaga Sucks." Classy? Of course not. Catchy? For sure. 

Apparently the rationale was to increase media coverage and attention to the WCC. Although this may on its face seem like it would help USD, it ultimately hurts it. You see, the better that Gonzaga does in the tournament means the more attention Gonzaga will get. In addition, by being in the spotlight as a quality basketball program, they will increase their recruiting base. Not only over a broader area, but also to better players. Ultimately this means that Gonzaga's basketball program will become even better. 

In a conference where the second place team was nationally ranked most of the season and had single digits losses yet still didn't make the tournament, winning the WCC tournament is the best option for USD. Accordingly, at no point should a USD fan route for Gonzaga. 

On similar grounds I think that individuals should never cheer for their archrival. This occurs in a few different situations. First of all, if two teams you dislike are playing each other, you don't have to route for the team you dislike less. You can simply not take a side or even better not even watch the match. This would occur for me if the Dodgers faced the Yankees in the World Series, which would be just terrible. Secondly, it bothers me when people make bets on teams they dislike. Sure, it might be a good bet if the line/odds are good, but people need to be loyal to their favorite teams. Being a fan means not compromising your loyalty even if it would produce a financial gain. 

Spider-Man

I am not a big fan of spiders, but I can tolerate daddy long legs. I figure that they have a job to do in taking care of other insects, and they are not as creepy looking as other spiders. Yet, I am beginning to grow less compassionate for them. 

Sometimes either inside or outside our house I will notice ants. I also often notice either daddy long legs or the remnants of their presence (i.e. spider-webs). Now, if the spider had been doing its job, there should be no other inspects invading our house. Accordingly, I have decided to terminate his employment. 

The most common area that I see the spiders are in my shower. I always think of that monk-spider commercial where the monk spares the spider rather than killing it. I think of how I should be compassionate and let them live. Then I remember how they are failing at the one task I want them to do - kill the ants. Fortunately the shower head in my shower is removable so I can hose them down the drain. I say to myself, 'survival of the fittest.'

Every time I see a new spider, I think of whether this is an epic movie in the world of spiders. The spiders sending their strongest and bravest to try and survive the monster with the removable shower head. Sometimes the spiders are quite big. However, the ones that fight the hardest are the smallest. I wish that I didn't have to flush them out, but they need to be doing their job to keep their employment. 

The Psychology of Labor

Often on the trails of the Grand Canyon I would pass by animal droppings and wondered what creatures people were riding around. Finally, I noticed a horse/donkey looking animal coming up the trail. I stopped near an opening to allow the animal to pass and asked the tour guide what it was. I think he appreciated me standing to the side at an opening, so that we wouldn't have to s queeze on the narrow trail. 

The guide stated that the animal was a mule, which is a hybrid of a male donkey and a female horse. He added that if you use a female donkey and a male horse you get a hinny, which apparently is less effective. The reason why mules are used on narrow trails is that they can see all four of their feet, whereas horses apparently can only see two of theirs. Donkeys can see all four of theirs too but are too ornery to carry people along the trails. Most notably, because horses have 64 chromosomes and donkeys have 62, mules have 63 chromosomes. This means that mules cannot reproduce. However, the guide told me that this doesn't stop them from trying. 

Similarly, I have noticed that customer service has improved in recent months. While studying for the bar exam I rarely went out to eat, save Starbucks. On my road trip and over the past week I have noticed how much better customer service has become. When the economy was good, people probably didn't like their job and didn't care about keeping it. They could always get another. However, now that the economy and job market are so bad, customer service has improved. Even where someone has a job that they hate, they know that they have to keep it, as there are so few jobs out there. 

The Odyssey/Ulysses (Conclusion)

After leaving the Grand Canyon I headed down to Phoenix to see the soon-to-be bride and groom. Northern Arizona continued to surprise me as it reminded me of the central Oregon high desert. A few times on the scenic routes I had seen dogs wandering in the highways. In fact, in Zion I almost hit a deer. Finally, on the drive from Phoenix back to San Diego I saw a dead dog, which was a terrible sight to see. 

On Thursday we went to a Giants-A's spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium. I had never been to a spring training game before but I really loved it. Although none of the better players were playing, the game seemed much more pure. It was less about flashy lights and fancy stadiums and more about the game. Although my beloved Giants (from my childhood) lost, I had a great time. On Friday we got to play best-ball foursomes at Longbow, which was an absolute blast. Although my team didn't win, I still had a great time. 

The wedding itself was amazing and I am glad I got to see and meet so many people. As the first half of my trip was a solo journey, the second half was filled with friends. The final trip numbers were 1440 miles covered in 4 states (and 1 sovereign nation), over a period of 24 hours of driving. My car now needs a bath and an air freshener. 

The Odyssey/Ulysses (Days 2&3)

I decided to take control of my road trip and try to make it to Zion National Park in Utah. I originally had planned to go to Zion but the logistics of where to stay at night were troublesome. So I changed my plan to just go down to the Grand Canyon and spend two days there, until I decided to take the risk. 

Although I am very glad that I went to Zion, the hotel situation did turn o

ut to be troublesome. Zion was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors. Fortunately the park bus is not in service during the winter, so I got to drive my car quickly to the different sites and trailheads. After spending 4-5 hours in the park, my Garmin device had plotted a route through south-eastern Utah that was probably the quickest. Yet I wisely decided to take the scenic route through the northern Arizona area. The drive was beautiful, reminding me of central Oregon with snow in the high desert. 

As nightfall came I found myself searching for a city to spend the night in. The only city that I could find was Tuba City, Arizona, which was about an hour from the Grand Canyon. I spotted a Quality Inn sign but wanted to keep looking so that I would not suffer monopoly prices. I found a local inn but after closer inspection I didn't want to end up on The Hills Have Eyes 3. So I drove down the unpaved city streets and ended up at the Quality Inn (which did have monopoly prices). My dinner options did not fare any better: Taco Bell or McDonalds. Inside the hotel I noticed a flag I had never seen before: the Navajo Nation. Alongside it was a picture of their President. It turns out that Tuba City was on the Navajo Reservation. 

My hotel room was quite interesting, as I think it was a handicap room. The only problem was that it was on the second floor and there was no elevator in the building. The next morning I awoke to a cow outside my window. I looked out and saw a random cow grazing in the center courtyard of the hotel. And with that, I was on my way to seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time!

Although staying in Tuba City was not all that I had hoped it would be, it did give me the opportunity to drive into the park from the east. The western-route along the south rim was not very crowded, as most tourists just head to the main visitor center. The Grand Canyon was pretty much what I expected it to be, which was amazing. No matter how big or deep you think it is, it is mind boggling how huge it is. 

I decided to hike the South Kaibab trail, which runs along a ridge rather than switch-backing down the canyon. I hiked down maybe 1500 feet (about 1/3 of the canyon) and back up to the top in around 4 hours. Hiking down the ride game me the opportunity to see both east and west, rather than being bound by the switchbacks. If I had more time in the park I probably would hike all the way down, camp for the night, then cross the river to the north rim. But for now I am most happy with my solo journey. 

The Odyssey/Ulysses (Day 1)

Most disappointed I was when Borders had only 5 of the 20 books on my list. Nonetheless I thought it would be appropriate for my road trip to read The Odyssey and Ulysses. My other purchases included Slaughterhouse-Five, Catch 22 and the Brothers Karamozov. What do these all have in common? Yes, they are somehow related to Lost which means for the first time my book purchases are entirely fiction.

I left San Diego around 6 AM and encountered little traffic on the way to Vegas. I checked into my $25/night reservation at the Excalibur (or Sexcalibur as it has somehow become nicknamed). To my surprise I was handed a book of coupons to use for my stay, including two $5 drink tickets and two $5 game tickets. Thus, my stay was pretty much free. 

As I walked down the strip I began noticing an abnormal amount of Nascar T-shirts. I soon discovered that Nascar had been in town for a race the day before.  Accordingly, the cheap hotels were busy while the ritzy ones were empty. My plan was to check out the new Wynn and Venetian hotels, Encore and Palazzo respectively, before heading over to Trump. I was impressed with both Encore and Palazzo, but was not impressed with Trump. First of all its location is terrible - off the strip and right across from Fashion Show Mall. By the way the new convention center in the center of the strip is a behemoth. Secondly, I couldn't see much of Trump because I was not a guest. Maybe they are trying to keep out the ruffians but that is unlike all other Vegas hotels. 

While at the Venetian I walked past the wax museum, which had two wax celebrities outside looking to attract the mob. The first was Richard Petty, which was fitting for the Nascar crowd. The other was Nick Cage. I guess I didn't know the white trash were such a big fan of his.

Finally, I decided to hit up the buffet at Excalibur before my long week began. My plan was to eat fruit, meat and dessert - to maximize getting my money's worth. A couple approached my table while I was eating and, presumably, felt bad for my lonely self. They had extra tickets to a magic show at Luxor which they graciously offered, so I attended the kind-of open-mic night version of a magic show. Most of the magicians had one or two tricks, which were fairly impressive. A good start to the trip. 

There's No Place Like Home (Part 2 & 3)

I checked out the venue for the bar exam a few days before. I actually was pretty nervous checking out the site. Plus I hated seeing that you could see the Riverwalk golf course from the exam room. 

On the day of the exam I pulled into the parking lot to see an Ace Parking attendant. I pulled out my admission ticket in hopes that there would be no cost. But I was wrong. It was going to be $16/day or $48 for the entire 3 days. So I used my wits (which apparently everyone else did not) and parked just another block down at Fashion Valley Mall. On the first day I parked in the long-term transit area (for buses and trolley) and on the last two days I parked under the trolley, which was connected to the convention center by a walkway. This is also where I ate my home-made lunch each day: pb&j (or honey), pretzels, chunky chips ahoy and a vitamin water (focus). 

The examination procedures themselves are pretty formal. We had to do fingerprinting and ID check-ins and out each day. When you went to the bathroom you had to take your ID badge and your admission ticket. The distribution and collection procedures for the different parts of the test were also pretty formal. For all of the old-age proctors that put on this administration, I thought they did a fine job. That is, they weren't unbearably slow for old-timers. 

I actually finished the MBE and the performance test portions of the exam a few minutes early. The essays I was always running right up to the bell. I only felt completely rushed once, but always had time to go to the bathroom. In fact, I think I went to the bathroom two times each three-hour session. Maybe it was the three bags of tea, maybe it was the nerves. 

Once the exam was over I wasn't completely relieved. Probably because I had been in robot mode for 53 days. But once I had a few beers in me I loosened up. I went out with my roommate to PB to his former employ - Moondoggies. Now maybe because it was a Thursday night or maybe because I hadn't been out in two months it seemed strange. Obviously the bar crowd is getting younger and I am getting older. But there is something that I noticed: guys with pierced ears. Not just a single ear pierced, but both. Specifically with 'diamonds.' I put diamonds in quotes because in all likelihood they are not actually diamonds. Did I miss this memo? I mean, I would guess that 2/3 or 3/4 guys had both of their ears pierced with 'diamonds.' I was later talking to a couple of my friends and they said that they actually discussed getting their ears pierced. Can I get added to this email list?

There's No Place Like Home (Part 1)

50 days of preparation. 

3 days of testing. 

Pass or fail? Well, I won't find out for a couple of months. 

Here's a look at the numbers:

Time: 456 hours of studying. Every day I would study from around 8 AM to 7PM. The bar review class was held at the Scottish Rite center which was a very peculiar place. Kind of like a frat house for old people. After the class ended I would study at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law Library and walk home for lunch. It was a nice break and was good to get a couple mile walk in the middle of the day. 

Exam Preparation: 2,146 MBE questions, 144 essay questions, 7 performance tests. I heard estimates of trying to do 50 MBE questions and outline 2 essays each day. However, I found that very difficult to achieve (although I nearly met it). Out of those 144 essays I probably outlined 3/4 and actually wrote out the other third. I actually feared the performance test the most but for some reason both of the ones on the actual exam were very easy (at least I hope they were)

Supplies: 145 bags of tea, 53 multi-vitamins, 12 americanos and 10 cans of skoal. My firm had given me a $25 gift card, which I used to buy the americanos. However, I stuck to tea for the most part, as it doesn't make my heart race. I used to be a big coffee drinker but now I think I'm going to stick to tea. My favorite black tea brand is PG Tips, which is the #1 brand in England (according to the box). I like their tea bags because all you do is drop them in. The pyramid bag is designed so that you don't have to dip the bag with the string. 

The Risks of Empowerment

Maybe some of you can relate to this. Anytime my grandmother checks her email, I receive a minimum of eight forwarded "jokes". Old age tales, inappropriate and politically incorrect pictures of overweight or elderly people, monologues filled with anti-Obama rhetoric, etc. If my inbox contains 10+ forwards, I end up feeling a little miffed for having to waste time deleting emails. Where as, if I only receive one or two, I may actually look at them. Today, I received four emails (code yellow), so I opened one, entitled "Spelling is Important", which contained the picture above. I got a laugh out of this email, not as much because of the "print-o" referring to loose women, but more at the thought of my grandmother finding this to be humorous enough to pass it along. Ultimately, I do not mind having to delete the periodic barrage of forwards, as long as I occasionally stumble upong a laugh, and as long as Grandma doesn't up and decide to get on Facebook.

Ethics

A commercial started off with some chefs at an 'Italian' or 'Tuscan' looking culinary institute. At first I thought it was for the Olive Garden. Yet the commercial turned out to be for Fancy Feast, a brand of cat food. Why the hell would a cat deserve a meal prepared by an Italian or Tuscan trained chef? For that matter, why is wet pet food even tolerated? I'm pretty sure dry pet food is perfectly nutritious. 

I went to mass on Sunday night to try to give my mind an hour of peace. And it worked. I didn't think about the bar exam the entire time. However, I did consider the ethics of charitable giving. Not that giving to charities is bad, but claiming those contributions for tax-related deductions. If you claim those contributions, doesn't that nullify the purpose of giving? Giving to charity should be about giving up your hard earned income. You are giving with the purpose of providing for the less fortunate, not so that you can get a break on your taxes. 

I've also been thinking about torture. This summer in Dublin I took a course in international human rights. For a few classes we discussed torture and under what circumstances it should be permitted. This season on 24 has Jack before a Senate committee for his supposed violations of U.S. torture policy. Now much time has been wasted about what exactly constitutes torture (waterboarding, shabeh-chair, etc.), but what Jack does is no doubt torture. An argument that has been successfully made, at least by the Israeli Supreme Court (and recognized by the European Court of Human Rights), is that torture should be permitted only when the victim has information necessary to stop an imminent terrorist attack on a mass of people. I'm not sure why Jack doesn't make this argument, as it seems all of the situations he is in directed at preventing a terrorist attack. 

Soap on a Rope

I've noticed that my skin is pretty dry. I was wondering why, because I have been drinking plenty of fluids. So I went to WebMD. 

Apparently showers and soap can actually make your skin dry. Hot water washes off the lipids that keep your skin moisturized. Soap can do the same. Accordingly, we shouldn't take hot showers - only lukewarm. Furthermore, soap should only be used on hands, feet, underarms and groin - the areas that get dirty or sweaty. 

Interesting, eh?

It's Trendy to Like Politics

All the celebrities are doing it. In addition to a minimum of one million "average Joe" tourists descending upon D.C. for inauguration, there are TONS of celebs coming to town. It is out of control. While I was never filled with "Obamania", all the fanfare and hype has really turned me into an inauguration grinch. ( I am intrigued by the concept of the Huffington Post's party). I will, however, accept this excuse to drink copious amount of alcohol and enjoy a four-day weekend. Speaking of the weekend, my eighteen year-old sister is descending upon D.C. as I type this. Do any of the chad-mini readers have thoughts on what you do with a <21?

DVR

I try to end my studying my 8 or 9, but sometimes it goes longer. Nonetheless, I have been DVRing shows nightly so that I have something to watch to take my mind off of things. Here is my list of shows, but I would appreciate any other recommendations. 

Monday - 24

Tuesday - Nip/Tuck

Wednesday - LOST (Woo Hoo!)

Thursday - The Office/30 Rock

Friday - Friday Night Lights

Weak-end?

It is hard to tell that it is the weekend when you still have class and numerous hours of studying to do. Nonetheless, I still managed to get in a movie and watch the Chargers game. My only comment about the game was that the ball really did not bounce the Chargers way - like when it bounces off a player's helmet on a punt. 

I went to see The Spirit with my roommate because it was playing at a convenient time (not too late for me and early enough for him to still be able to go out). The movie was very entertaining and filled with beautiful women. It was not quite as cartoony as Sin City, so it was a little more realistic. I had no prior knowledge about the graphic novel, but the movie fills you in well enough. There were actually some humorous moments, which made it enjoyable. And of course, there was the mandatory Samuel L. Jackson screaming lines. My only complaint were the two individuals sitting behind me, who, to my presumption were high. They were laughing in the previews at horror/scary movies and at moments in the film that were not funny whatsoever. 

I have been studying in the Thomas Jefferson law library, to avoid any student distractions at USD as well as having to pay for another semester's parking permit. I did overhear though, that alumni can get parking passes for free. I'm not sure why I didn't pursue that before my three years post-undergraduation. Of interesting note at the TJ law library is the presumably transient individuals using the legal materials. I understand that the library is open to the public and a warm place, but I'm not sure of the nature of proceedings that they are working on. That is, whether they are working on something legitimate or whether they are disillusioned about their project. Nonetheless, my cable lock for my computer reassures any preconceived notions I might have. 

More Often Than Not

Well it certainly has been a busy week and a half. But probably not too busy to skip the blog altogether, like I have done. 

I drove out to Phoenix for New Years and had a glorious time with the Maller/Isbell clan. Free golf and meals was a very nice treat to tack on to the incredibly inexpensive drive out there. For some reason my car was getting 40mpg, and on the way back I was only halfway done with my tank and already at 300 miles.

As soon as I got home I decided to shave the disgusting mustache (beard) I had grown over the past two weeks. I'm sure Kristin's parents as well as their friends didn't approve of my hobo/transient/vagrant/bum look, and I regret not shaving it before the trip. Once they got to know me though, they soon understood my character. 

The Garmin I got for Christmas was a wonderful companion and statistician for the trip, and I am now truly grateful for owning it. Also, props to Arizona for having a 75mph speed limit! Radi-cool!

I always thought that when people referred to the 'Mexicans' standing outside Home Depot, that it was just a joke. However, when I stopped by to get a garage door remote, I did indeed notice probably 50-60 'Mexicans' waiting for work on both sides of the street. Perhaps because the contracting industry is slow, along with the economy, but there seemed to be a great amount of them just waiting around. And this was mid-day. 

Monday marked the beginning of a seven week affair with the bar review course. So far I have been pretty impressed with how they can pack a semester's worth of material into four hours. The program that they have us doing after class is quite demanding, but I know that they are the best in the biz and if I stick to their plan, I will pass. Six to eight hours outside of class means 10-12 hours a day of preparing for the bar. This is going to be a long seven weeks.