Reaching to the Converted

Thoughts on a few films

2004-12-03T08:25:00.000-08:00

We watched "Pi: Faith in Chaos" last night. What a great movie. A film that is a real piece of art, such a rarity these days. It was just so beautifully made. I recommend that you see it if you ever get the chance. It was written and directed by the same guy as "Requiem for a dream" which I have not seen yet but its on its way from Netflix right now. A couple of people have told me it’s a very good film, a tough watch but well worth it. After seeing Pi, I have high hopes for it. This last weekend we had a somewhat mixed movie weekend. We watched 4 films and only made it through 2 of them. The films we made it through were "Love Actually" and "Shrek". Love Actually is a nice film. Funny and touching, I must admit I got a little cloudy eyed on a couple of occasions. Shrek was really good, the donkey cracks me up. The film we didn't make it through were "Before Sunrise" and "Coffee & Cigarettes". I was especially disappointed with Before Sunrise, I had wanted to see it for a while, it sounded like a nice idea for a film. 2 strangers meet on a train and spend a night together. Then in the sequel, "Before Sunset", they meet up again 10 years later. But it was shite. Over indulgent bullshit. The whole film revolves around two characters, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, which is fine unless they happen to be 2 of the most annoying people you have ever seen. We made it 30 minutes into the film and then had to make a choice, switch it off or risk one of us putting our foot through the TV screen in an attempt to wipe the smug look off Ethan Hawke's face. Coffee and Cigarettes was just pointless. This was Jenny's pick for the evening. Jenny has lost her film picking privileges for a couple of weeks. It is a collection of 11 short stories set in a coffee shop. It sounded good and had a really great ensemble cast. We both tend to like simple films. But simple is one thing, completely bloody pointless is another. We made it half way through the second story and turned it off. Up next in the queue are "Requiem for a dream", "Welcome to Sarajevo" and "Shaolin Soccer". We will see how they work out.

In unrelated news the goatee been shaved off already. I shaved off the moustache because it was driving me nuts, itches like crazy. I originally left the bottom part until Jenny informed me it made me look Amish, so then that had to go as well. I'm not sure it made me look Amish but I do think it made me look like a moron. Ahhhh well, I tried.

You have a little something on your face.

2004-11-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to grow a goatee. A proper one, not like the stupid little thing I had in college, wtf was I thinking. Trying is the operative word. Its going to take a while as I grow facial hair at the same pace as a 12 year old boy. I have a feeling the moustache part is not going to connect with the bit on the chin. So far response has been mixed.

"I hate it" Wife
"It doesn't look that bad" Wife's sister
"What are you trying to do there?" Friend
"It looks good" Colleague
"It makes you look older" Colleague

I don't think it is going to take as its only been a week and its already driving me nuts. It itches like crazy. I am also thinking of shaving my head again. I did it for charity last year and I actually quite liked it. Although this morning in Brueggers the bloke behind the counter said he "loved" my hair, wishes his was naturally that colour. Made me feel a little weird, I wasn't sure what to say. Errrr, thanks, you have beautiful eyes? For those of you who don't know me I am pretty much completely gray, with the exception of my sideburns and my pathetic excuse for a goatee. I don't mind being gray at such an early age, I started when I was around 14 and by my mid-late 20's it was pretty much all gray. The only thing that bothers me is that a people periodically ask me if I dye it this colour and that makes me feel like a bit of a prat.

Thanksgiving

2004-11-26T06:07:00.000-08:00

Well I hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving. Mine was nice. Went round to the in-laws for the day. Ate too much and watched American Football. Congratulations to Pitt for prevailing in the "Backyard brawl." Unfortunately I have to work today. Hardly anyone else is at work and none of my friends are working so I have nobody to talk to or email. Its going to be a long and boring day. My week of no classes has flown by and of course I haven't done anything. So now I have this weekend to prepare 2 weeks worth of homework and then it is the final big push before finals. I think I will do just fine but I am just a little nervous. What a long, boring, rambling post this is. I actually had to show ID when we went out this weekend. I haven't shown ID in a long time :) I think it was a sympathy "IDing". Everyone else who was in our group was in their mid-twenties so he probably didn't want to make me feel bad by singling me out as the old one:) One of my windscreen wipers broke last night. It doesn't move, so hopefully we wont get any rain until I get it fixed. That's one of the major problems of going to school at night, it is really difficult to take care of everyday things like this. Well I could babble on and on about inane everyday crap but I don't want to bore away the three people that actually read this site, so I will stop :) Have a nice weekend everyone. Shit, I sound like Tiny Tim.

Lists of 5

2004-11-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

Films
1, Goodfellas
2, American History X
3, Trainspotting
4, City of Gold
5, Fight Club

Songs
1, Must I paint you a picture - Billy Bragg
2, In your eyes - Peter Gabriel
3, The drugs don’t work - The Verve
4, I am the Ressurection - The Stone Roses
5, Waiting for the great leap forwards - Billy Bragg

Artists (Music)
1, Billy Bragg
2, Joe Strummer/The Clash
3, The Jam
4, Stone Roses
5, The Smiths

Albums
1, The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
2, Billy Bragg - Back to Basics
3, The Clash - Sandinista
4, The Jam - The Jam's Greatest Hits
5, Peter Gabriel - So

Books
1, Cry Freedom - Donald Woods
2, Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh
3, Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby
4, Animal Farm - George Orwell
5, The Diceman - Luke Rhinehart

Dead People for Dinner
1, Joe Strummer
2, Steve Biko
3, Einstein
4, My Wife's Grandfather (maternal)
5, My Mum

Not dead people for dinner
1, Billy Bragg
2, Alex Ferguson
3, Bill Clinton (Must remember to keep an eye on the wife)
4, Arsene Wnger (Just so we can get Fergie drunk and I can watch him beat the crap out of Arsene)
5, My Uncle Jim (as sound of a bloke as I am ever going to meet, plus he would help beat up Arsene)

Actors
1, Edward Norton (Best in American History X)
2, Ewan McGregor (Best in Trainspotting)
3, Anthony Hopkins (Best in Remains of the day)
4, Brad Pitt (Best in Fight Club)
5, Robert Di Niro (Best in everything)

Actresses
1, Judi Dench (Best in Chocolat)
2, Kate Winslet (Best in Eternal Sunshine)
3, Uma Thurman (Best in Pulp Fiction)
4, Juliette Binoche (Best in Unbearable Lightness)
5, Kate Beckinsale (Best in errrr actually she not very good but shes still on my list :))

Pet Peeves
1, People who don’t thank me when I open a door for them
2, People who don’t merge early enough in traffic
3, Late people
4, Mouthy religious types
5, Rosie O'Donnell

Things I miss from home
1, The Pubs
2, Family
3, Chocolate
4, The bread
5, Football

Places I would like to visit
1, Australia
2, China
3, New Zealand
4, Russia
5, Czech Republic

Weekends go by too fast.

2004-11-22T06:36:00.000-08:00

So another weekend goes by in a blur. I have class tonight and then I have a break until next Monday. The break will be nice although I really need to start studying for finals. The research exam was not bad at all. It is pass/fail so I think I should be ok. We went out Thursday to blow off a little steam after a rough week. It turned into quite a session. By the end of the night there were only 6 of us left when the final bar tab came and it ended up being $355. I think we got shafted but none of us were in a suitable condidion to really figure it out so we just paid it. I'm not sure its physically possible for one person to drink $120 worth of alcohol in a night. Needless to say, I was feeling a bit rough on Friday. Watched a couple of dvd's over the weekend. Bad Santa and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Bad Santa was funny. Eternal Sunshine was really good. I cant stand Jim Carey normally. I don’t go for the over the top crap he normally does but I thought he was really good in this. I cant believe its almost Christmas.

Poor old neglected blog :(

2004-11-18T07:40:00.000-08:00

I am ashamed to say I have been neglecting my blog. But why would it be any different to anything else in my life? The past few days have been tough. Lots of things due for school. Thank god we have the Thanksgiving break coming up. I haven't been doing much other than working and studying lately. I did however go out dancing on Friday night....ugh....I hate dancing. Tall skinny white boys shouldn't dance. Today is the culmination of a tough week.....Paper is due, we have a research exam and classes are over for the week. So tonight I am going out and I am going to have a few drinks, it will be nice to let off a little steam. I have spent the last few months wishing my life away one week at a time. This better be worth it or someone, I'm not sure who, is going to have to pay :)
Have a nice weekend.

Random tests

2004-11-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

I am 51% Feminine (maybe its my work environment)

Frued says my personality was most affected by events that occurred between the ages of 1 1/2 and 3 years old. Maybe hes right, I cant prove him wrong. Even if he is wrong I'm still impressed a dead guy can form an opinion on my personality.

As far as my religious beliefs I am best suited to be a Unitarian Universalist.

My destiny is to be a provider.

Don't flash me a fake smile!

2004-11-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

This link is to a survey where they show you 20 people smiling/laughing and you have to say if they are real or fake. I got 18/20 right. See how many you get :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml

Will I throw up?

2004-11-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

I just took two bites of a muffin before I realised it was a banana muffin. I havent had a banana in about 25 years as when I was a kid I was allergic and they made me violently ill. Am I still allergic, I guess time will tell.

In case anyone was wondering

2004-11-09T06:33:00.000-08:00

Our new temp wouldn't just "do a guy" just because he is good looking. He has to be interesting as well. Who utters a sentence like that loud enough for the whole office to hear?

Ink blot test.

2004-11-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

I am Driven by curiousity :)

This means you are full of questions about life, people, and the potential of your future. You spend more time than others envisioning the possibilities of your life — things that others are too afraid to consider.Your curiosity burns with an almost physical need to know and do more. It's only through new experiences that you feel a greater understanding of yourself or the world — which ultimately is the greatest way for you to feel satisfied. It is possible that the underlying reason for your drive towards curiosity is a deeply rooted fear of boredom. That means that you are probably more susceptible than others to feel like you're falling into a rut when life slows down into a comfortable routine. You need to make sure you have stimulation in your life — that makes you feel like you're innovating or being exposed to the ideas and experiences that truly inspire you. With such a strong orientation towards curiosity, you're also prone to a rebellious quality that shows up when you feel you are just going through the motions, and are unable to really influence the world around you. But interestingly enough, your drive towards novel experiences also indicates an openness others don't have, but wish they did. Unconsciously, your curiosity presses you to learn more, experience more, and get the most out of life.
Though your unconscious mind is driven most strongly by Curiosity, there is much more to who you are at your core.

I am an Idealist

2004-11-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

According to the BBC personality test I am an idealist

Idealists put time and energy into developing personal values that they use as a guide through life. They may seek fulfilment by helping others improve themselves and often want to make the world a better place. Idealists only share their inner values with people they respect.
Idealists enjoy discussions about a wide range of topics, particularly those that deal with the future. They are typically easy-going and flexible, but if their values are challenged they may refuse to compromise.
In situations where they can’t use their talents or are unappreciated, Idealists may have trouble expressing themselves and withdraw. Under extreme stress, Idealists may become very critical of others, or lose confidence in their own ability to cope.
Recognition for their work is important to Idealists; however, they are also good at spotting false praise.

Its actually very accurate.

I think I may have to close my office door

2004-11-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

We have a new temp at work. She has unfortunately been stationed at the cube right outside my office. I think maybe her body is so constructed that if she stops talking she dies, that can be the only reasonable excuse for the constant jabbering. She did 10 minutes the is morning on why she thinks that bill should not be short for William but in fact short for Billiam. As I typing this I am listening to how her cousin is the nicest creature but unfortunately married a troll. Apparently her cousin settled for this troll but at the time was a 26 year old virgin living in West Virginia so according to motormouth it is understandable. The cousin and troll I have now found out are building a modular home (spoken in a very disapproving tone) but it has a basement which for some reason shocks her and lessens the disapproval. Alright I'm done, this post could go on for ever and I would hazard a guess that my fingers would cramp up before she will shut up.

Now where did I put those invasion plans for Iran?

2004-11-03T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well the fat lady hasn't quite sung but she's warming up. I can't understand why so many people want 4 more years of what we have just had. I cant really articulate what else I want to say. I guess I'm just bitterly disappointed. I hope all my concerns and fears are unfounded and I am forced to eat my words at the end of his second term. I guess as long as gays don't get married and we all get a small tax refund we shouldn't really concern ourselves with anything else.

A weekend lost to worry!

2004-11-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

So here's how my weekend went. Friday night was a lot of fun. We went out for dinner and a movie with a friend of mine from school and his girlfriend. Then Saturday morning my weekend was ruined. I picked up a piece of registered mail from the post office and to my horror it was from my car loan company telling me I was seriously delinquent on my car loan. They went on to explain that they were demanding payment in full within 10 days or they would have to take further legal actions to recover the money I owe them. Now, even though I am up to date with my payments and always have been my last month payment was a few days late so I am thinking they are going to take my car. The letter was sent out the day after my payment was due. The bank was of course closed for the weekend so I couldn't speak to anyone until this morning. My wife kept telling me it was a mistake and everything would be ok but I was still a nervous wreck all weekend. I expected the car to be gone each morning when I woke up. So I called them this morning and it was all a mistake. Apparently the woman who sent it out is new and she has been making mistakes. So a weekend of needless worrying. I need to be more like my wife in some respects. Deep down I knew it had to be a mistake but I was still terrified all weekend.

Super Furry Squished Animals

2004-10-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a terrible day. I had a crash coming out of the parking lot at work. I pulled out blind because I couldn't see past the traffic and there was a car coming which smashed into my passenger side. Both cars are drivable and nobody was hurt so it could have been worse. Plus the women who I hit was very nice about it, considering that it was all my fault. If this wasn't bad enough I ran over a possum on the way home last night, and not just any old possum, a possum who was mourning his recently deceased buddy. I was driving up the road where I live, its a pretty dark road, I saw something in the middle of the road and as I got closer I realized it was a possum stood over his already squished buddy. I swerved left but he ran the same way and I hit him :( I just shouldn't have driven yesterday.

Lawyer joke

2004-10-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

There is a conference at a hotel and the room is packed. The keynote speaker takes the stage and opens up with the line "All lawyers are assholes". A man jumps up from a table at the back and shouts "I object to that comment". The speaker replies" well sir you must be a lawyer" and the guy replies "No, I'm an asshole."

John Peel is dead :(

2004-10-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know if people know him stateside but anyone who loves music owes him a debt of gratitude. I won't waffle on about what I think of him but if you want to read the tributes you will get a feel for what he was all about.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/alt/johnpeel/features/peel_tributes.shtml

Law School Update

2004-10-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Well I got my first grade at law school. It was for a paper in Legal Research and Writing and I pulled a B so I am quite happy. I think content wise it may have even been a B+ paper but my citing and sentence structure let me down a little bit. We should get our practice exam back this Wednesday. The other side already got theirs back and I think the highest grade was a D+. If I get a D+ I will be pleasantly surprised :).
I am experiencing a noticeable drop in motivation at the moment. I am finding increasingly more difficult to be disciplined and get the work done. I am too easily distracted. The first time I had cracked a book open since last Wednesday was Sunday afternoon, and even then I didn't get that much done. Granted it was a funny weekend with a lot of stuff to do that I don't normally have to do, but it is still very bad. When it comes down to it I don't have enough discipline and that's a problem. But I guess if I at least know what my problems are
then they should be that much easier to fix.

Sore losers

2004-10-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Arsenal at it again. Moaning and winging because they lost. Everything they achieve they take full credit for yet everytime they lose they blame someone else. You might be an amazing team when it comes to playing the game but you have no class. You lost, deal with it. Yes Rooney dove but I've seen Arsenal players do the same thing on many occasions, yes Pires I'm looking at you. Arsenal have one of the worst disciplinary records in the league in recent years and Man Utd on of the best. Yet to hear Arsenal speak you would think they were angels who everyone is out to get. Booofuckinghoo.

The Beautiful Game!

2004-10-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Well it was Arsenal v. Man Utd today. Arsenal were going for the 50th consecutive unbeaten game in the Premier League. WE stopped them :) 2-0 Man Utd!!! It was a cracking game, fiercely contested and evenly balanced. We went down to Pipers Pub to watch it, it was packed, a very good atmosphere. I really didn't expect to win, Arsenal have looked untouchable in the league for almost 18 months. So I'm in a fantastic mood today :) I doubt we will catch them in the league standings but I don't care, today was satisfaction enough :)
I havent been this up for a game since England v Portugal, thank god this one turned out a little better.

China and legal experience.

2004-10-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of exciting developments in relation to law school.
Firstly, I am thinking of doing a study abroad program through the law school next year. I would get to spend 3 weeks in Beijing taking classes in various aspects of Chinese law. I have already approved it with my boss to get the time off so now all I need to do is come up with the money. There are loan programs apparently so it shouldn't be a problem. If I hope to go into international law upon graduation then doing things like this would surely be beneficial.
Secondly, I found out yesterday that the Foundation I work for is getting its own legal counsel on staff rather than farming everything out to local firms. I spoke to my boss and we are going to try and work out some arrangement where part of my work week will be helping our legal counsel and part would be my current position. This would be fantastic, to actually get some proper hands on experience would be perfect. It's funny how things just work out sometimes, it's like someone is watching out for you.

Strange Judge.

2004-10-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

From the opinion Cordas v. Peerless Transportation Co.

"The chauffeur in reluctant aquiesence proceeded about fifteen feet, when his hair, like unto
the quills of the fretful porcupine, was made to stand on end by the hue and cry of the man despoiled, accompanied by a clamorous concourse of the law-abiding who paced him as he ran."

"If the philosophic Horatio and the martial companions of his watch were "distilled almost to jelly with the act of fear" when they beheld "in the dead vast and middle of the night" the disembodied spirit of Hamlet's father stalk majestically by "with a countenance more in sorrow than in anger" was not the chauffeur, though unacquainted with the example of these eminent men at arms more amply justified in his fearsome reactions when he was more palpably confronted by a thing of flesh and blood bearing in its hand an engine of destruction which depended for its lethal purpose upon the quiver of a hair?"

Translation the cab driver was scared when the guy pulled a gun on him. The whole opinion is like this, it's bizarre and quite amusing :)

An alternative hypothesis to an earlier post

2004-10-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention that the fact that women are so hung up on appearance may very well be the fault of men. The theory is as such. Men are obsessed with the physical appearance of women and judge them predominantly on it therefore in turn women knowing that men see the world this way become obsessed with there own appearance, possibly as the result of some inherent biological tendency to secure the best mate possible (I added that bit). I suppose it makes sense. So it appears that women are not shallow, it is actually the men who are shallow and their behavior causes women to act in a way that appears shallow until the underlying cause is reviewed. I apologize. Men are pigs, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Slow to heal

2004-10-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

My knee still isn't right. It was supposed to be fixed up but lately it has been hurting again. Back at the end of June I dislocated it while playing football (that's football that is actually played with your feet). I planted my left foot and went up high with my right to flick the ball over someone them pivoted to run. Unfortunately my left foot didn't move (stupid fake turf) and all my weight shifted so something had to give and it was my knee. Apparently your knee joint is actually the weakest part of your body and it only takes 5 pounds of pressure to force it out. Well, I went down like someone had shot me and when I looked down at my leg my knee cap was completely on the side of my leg. I will be honest I was not brave at all, I was screaming like a girl. Luckily while we were waiting for the ambulance someone tried to move me to make me more comfortable and the kneecap just popped right back in. Luckily, I didn't snap any ligaments but I stretched them out pretty badly and bruised the underneath of my kneecap. I went to a sports specialist and then to rehab for about 2 months at which time I was declared fit again. But now I will have to go back to the specialist with it hurting again. I had planned on starting playing again either this week or next week but that would just be plain stupid as long as there is obviously something still wrong with it. I really miss playing. Hopefully I can get it fixed up soon.

I suppose I should say something about law school

2004-10-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

That's the supposed purpose for all this rubbish I post after all. Well it's going ok. As you know I think I bombed the practice exam, but so does everyone else. I haven't received my first graded paper back yet, should hopefully have it Thursday. Class last night was a blur. I am thoroughly confused by Federal subject matter jurisdiction. I think I am going to ultimately do ok. Everyone else around me seems to have the same problems and issues and like one of our professor's says, most people who get into law school graduate from law school. I feel my enthusiasm waning, but I think that is normal and I still find the subject matter interesting. Once I get my practice exam back I am hoping I will have a much firmer handle on what is expected of me. I keep telling myself that if it was easy and fun all the time everyone would be doing it.

I am a minority at work!

2004-10-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

The place where I work has roughly 30 employees and 29 of them are women. That leaves me as the only man in the department. We need to hire some males. My office is pretty close to the main area where people congregate and chat. If I have to listen to one more conversation about the friggin Real Sale at the Limited I am going to scream. I know this sounds stereotypical, but it is true. All women seem to talk about is clothes and hair and appearance in general. Just once I would like to hear some people around here talking about cars or sports or something else I understand a little. Are women really this one dimensional? I know people say that men are the shallower of the sexes, but working here, I seriously doubt it.

Wtf happened to good manners?

2004-10-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

I just held a door open for three ladies and they waltzed through without so much as a thank you or a smile. It made me mad as hell, I wish I was the kind of person who could say something to people like that. Good manners are becoming a thing of the past, that was one of main things my parents drilled into me as a kid, good manners cost nothing. If I see them again I should let the door go in their face, but I know I wouldn't be able to. Blah!

Happy Birthday :)

2004-10-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my wife :) http://www.fotolog.net/jahva/?photo_id=938722
I know you will get mad that I posted a picture but at least my fingers obscure half your face :)
Here's one more http://www.fotolog.net/jahva/?photo_id=37412

A good movie run

2004-10-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Went to see Garden State on Friday night (http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/gardenstate/). It is a very good film. Zach Braff the bloke out of scrubs wrote, directed and starred in it, he is one of those people you can't help like, I envy people like that. He did a fantastic job on all fronts. A simple movie based on a simple premise but very entertaining and funny and moving at the same time. Braff's chemistry with Natalie Portman was great and they made a likeable and believable couple. I must admit after seeing this film I have a little bit of a crush on Ms. Portman, its more to do with the character she plays than the actual actor. So if you get a chance, go and see it, I doubt you will be disappointed. I predict great things to come for Zach Braff. Someone, somewhere must have a lot of faith in him to pony up the money for this project when he is a relatively unknown actor/director/writer. I did notice in the credits that Danny Devito was one of the producers. Also attempted to watch Donnie Darko on DVD but it wouldn't play, kind of scratched up. If anyone who reads this has seen it let me know what you think because it is showing at the Harris soon and I am unsure if it is worthy of paying $6 to see at the theatre.

It must be the sugar or something.

2004-10-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

In a moment of clarity brought on by swigging too much cold coke and freezing my brain I remembered why I took my notebook out of my back pack the other day. It had my notes from the SBA meeting in it and I had to type them up for so I took the notebook out. Wow, from now on when I cant remember things I will know that a huge gulp of cold coke does the trick.

Have a great weekend everyone!

2004-10-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm off to drink beer because beer is good for the soul.

If you don't understand the question....

2004-10-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

...you cant answer the bloody thing. I blew my practice exam. I knew my stuff I just didn't understand the question and also ran out of time about half way through my answer. I will be surprised if I get anything above a D. At least it doesn't count towards the final grade but now I am scared about the mid-terms. So much of law school is how you perform on a handful of days throughout the year. People have their on and their off days and if your off days happen to coincide with the exams then you are screwed. Maybe I should have considered the fact that I can't write worth shit when I considered law school. It's going to be a long 4 years!

Sod off Glazier.

2004-10-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

So Malcolm Glazier, the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wants to buy my beloved Manchester United. Well, my message to him is that he can't bloody have it. Yes it may be a business, and a big one at that, but it is far more for millions of people just like me. We don't want some rich foreigner (especially an American, don’t get me wrong I love Americans I just don’t want one owning my footy team, you wouldn't want me running the Steelers would you?) buying it and turning it into his own little plaything. He can and will be blocked, small holders still account for up to 18% of the Man Utd stock and they are banding together to stop the takeover. The fans stopped Sky a few years ago and they will stop Glazier. So, sod off and stick to a sports teams on your own side of the Atlantic. And just understand one thing, even if you are successful you will never own it, it always has and always will be the property of the fans.
Funny line from a BBC article talking about the fan's response, "Staff at Glazer's PR firm Brunswick have also had to deal with offensive emails as well as taxis, pizzas and a large skip they did not order."

Senile at 31.

2004-10-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in class when I went to get my notebook for torts out of my bookbag I was horrified to find it wasn't there. I checked the car, the library, with no joy. So I had to tell the professor that I couldn't participate in class because I had no notes or case briefs. He was actually very nice about it. But the more worrisome thing was that I could very well have lost everything I had for torts for this semester. In fact I was convinced I had lost the notebook. I could remember putting it in my bookbag the night before, and indeed a friend I was studying with confirmed I took it with me when I left the library. I could not, and still cannot, remember going into my bookbag for any reason between leaving the library and class the next day. Well, I get into work this morning and there is the notebook sitting on the bookshelf in my office. How could I take something out of my bag and not recall it at all? I must be losing it. You would think at the very least it would jog my memory when I saw it on the bookshelf. If I cant remember what I do on a day to day basis what chance do I have of spitting out the definition of intent on a torts exam?

First indications

2004-10-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well today is the practice exam in school. I could do without it, my heads not on straight. I also get my first graded paper back today. I am quietly confident about it, but then again I have never been very good at guessing how I did on papers. It seems that as a general rule the more work I put in, the worse I do. I definitely work best under some kind of pressure. I am super tired today, I just feel drained and washed out. The routine of work, class, work, class etc is wearing thin. But at least I get to go out for a few beers tonight, relax just for a little while. The difficult thing is putting everything you have to do, everything that worries and stresses you, out of your head just for an evening so that you can fully rest and relax. All work and no play makes Richard a dull boy.

Not exactly convincing

2004-10-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Well another win for England. 1-0 over Azerbasomethingorother. Not exactly convincing but a win is a win. We are now in pretty good shape to qualify for the World Cup. I am cautiously optomistic about the next world cup, we have a fairly young team and if they are managed well we might just gel at the perfect time. It is one of my top things I want to see before I die....England lifting the World Cup. I have a pact with a buddy of mine to get tatoos no matter how old we are if it happens. So if England win the the World Cup in 2054 you can have a little chuckle because somewhere there will be two 80 year olds walking into a tatoo parlour :)

Madchester!

2004-10-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

"I love Manchester, I love the decaying warehouses, I love the railway arches, I love the abundant cheap drugs"

I watched 24 Hour Party People last night. It’s a film about the music scene in Manchester from 1976-1992. For those of you who don't know Manchester was the place for music for most of the 80's, Joy Division (later New Order), The Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, 808 State, James, Inspiral Carpets, and more all came out of the Manchester in a relatively short period of time. At the forefront of the Manchester scene was Tony Wilson, his club The Hacienda and his record label Factory Records. The film chronicles the 16 years as it relates to Tony Wilson. Steve Coogan (I am Alan Partridge) plays Wilson and does a cracking job. I would like to say I was part of the Manchester scene when I was growing up but I wasn't. I love the music and today a quick look at my cd collection will show the effect that growing up in Manchester had on my tastes but I never went to raves or submersed myself in the culture that went with the music. The film is worth seeing for the soundtrack alone and I thoroughly recommend it. Of course I am probably biased but I think it does a really good job of chronicling what happened in Manchester in the 80's and the ebb and flow of trends in the music industry, drug culture and life in general. To be honest I always thought Tony Wilson was a bit of a prick but after seeing the film you can see he had an honest passion for music that far outweighed his desire for money and power. It made me feel homesick, Manchester is a great city and watching this film made me realize that I do miss it.

An embarrassing (and gross) story about work

2004-10-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have a really bad pen chewing habit. I leave a trail of half eaten writing utensils wherever I go. Well, if you chew a pen for a really long time spit builds up in the tube of the pen. I didn't know this and found out the hard way. My boss comes into my office and we were going over some papers together, in an attempt to emphasize a point I flick my pen and a huge amount of liquid splatters all over the paper we are looking at. I was mortified, there was an awkward pause and my boss took a couple of tiny steps away from me but was luckily gracious enough to never actually say anything about it. So now when I am talking with people at work I make sure to put my pen down first. Flicking spittle on your boss and his papers is rarely the way to a life of raises and promotions.

My "7 UP"

2004-10-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

At age 7 - I wanted to do whatever it was my Dad did, even though I didn't know what it was he was actually doing.

At age 14 - I wanted to be a vet. Not smart enough :)

At age 21 - I just wanted to find my feet after losing my way somewhat.

At age 28 - The only thing I knew was that I didn't want to be an accountant.

At age 35 - Who knows? Hopefully, happily practicing law somewhere :)

7 UP

2004-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was looking through the NetFlix catalogue and came across an interesting set of documentaries. The first is called "7 UP" and involves interviewing a bunch of 7 year old kids in England about life and their ambitions. Then every 7 years a new documentary is made with the same children to see where life has taken them. The last installment was in 1998 and was 42 UP. They sound fascinating, I have added them to my queue and when I have seen them I will post what I think of them. I first thought how amazing it would be to have your life documented like that but then when I saw the trailer for the last one I changed my mind. It seemed noone had fulfilled their ambitions and one guy in particular was just stumbling through life. There was one bloke in particular, Neil, at 7 he wanted to be an astronaut, at 14 a coach driver, at 21 just someone of importance and at 28 he said "I can thing of plenty of things I want to do but the real question is what am I going to do". It is so sad to see his ambitions and hope slowly slipping away with the passing of time. It's sad how few of us actually accomplish the goals we dream about as children and young adults and I think that being part of a documentary like this would just be like getting a confirmation of your failures and unfulfilled dreams every 7 years.

It's brass monkeys outside!

2004-10-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

Very cold this morning, should have worn long sleeves. That being said, autumn is my favourite time of the year. Nice cold evenings and mornings then warming up to the high 60's, low 70's in the afternoon......puuuuuurfect, as the cockney's would say.
Class was tolerable last night. I still havent been called on in contracts so it must be coming. I swear there have been a couple of people he has called on twice already. For the first time in weeks I had a Monday night where I didnt need to prepare for Tuesday's class. I was going to use it to get ahead a little but I went for a couple of beers with a classmate instead. I consider it therapy. The practice exams are Thursday, I am taking contracts. We only take one each and the class is split 50/50 between torts and contracts. I am not really worried, they dont count towards your final grade and I am curious to see how well I am picking this stuff up. Trick is, no matter what the grade, to take it in my stride. Don't think I'm the next Johnny Cochran if I get an A and dont think I'm retarded if I get a D or F. So thats the plan, use it as a learning experience. Of course, as usual I am probably full of shit, best of intentions and all that crap, so I will be shaking and jibbering in a corner when I get an F. Have a good day everyone. Oh, I saw a bumper sticker this morning that made me smile "DOG IS MY COPILOT".

Interesting Site.

2004-10-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.foundmagazine.com/ Offers an interesting view into little snipits of anonymous people's thoughts.

Sleepy, sickly and grumpy.

2004-10-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well I am in a foul mood today. I just snapped at someone at work which isn't good, but I apologized straight away. I also feel like crap. I went out for "one or two beers" on Saturday after studying and it turned into a bit of a session. So consequently I was ill on Sunday and couldn't eat much all day. Now I feel weak and sickly because I haven't eaten enough. This added to the fact I got to bed too late Saturday night and spent half of Sunday sleeping meaning I couldn't sleep very well last night has put me in a foul mood. I don't know why I bother drinking anymore, every time I drink more than a few it knocks me on my arse for a while and its just not worth it. The last thing I need now is a three hour class in Contracts. So basically I am feeling sorry for myself, so on the count of three everyone give me a big "awwwwwwwwwh".

Angry Little Man

2004-10-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

I found out on Saturday that I am apparently a lot more stressed than I thought. I was driving home from school at about 1.00pm when a guy flipped me off for no reason. I was driving behind him for a couple of miles and I wasn't right up his arse or anything, he signaled to turn left into a shopping center so I moved right to go around him and as I did the passenger held his arm out of the window and extended his middle finger.
Well, I am normally on a pretty even keel but when I saw the finger I just lost it, it was like something just broke in my head. I slammed on my brakes and starting screaming at the guy but he kept driving. I was already past the turn at this point so I drove down to the next entrance and tried for 5 minutes to find this bastard. I am not a violent person but if I would have found him I honestly think I would have knocked him out or got knocked out myself trying.
Prior to law school I don't think I would have reacted like this. Thank god I couldn't find the bloke. Once I had calmed down I could see how ridiculous my behavior had been but at the time I lost all capacity for logical thought.

Watching movies takes no effort

2004-10-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

I find myself watching more movies since I started law school. I am so tired that when I do have free time I don't feel like doing anything that requires more effort than putting a DVD in the machine and pressing play. I saw "City of God" last night. Absolutely brilliant!! It's a Brazilian movie about growing up in the area of Cidade de Deus in Rio. Its one of the most dangerous parts of Rio and the main character takes us through his the story from childhood to becoming a young man. Its a tough movie to watch but beautiful made and gritty without being gory. I thoroughly recommend it to everyone.
Also went to see "Uncovered, The War in Iraq" at the Harris last night after work. Also very good. Well made and seemed a lot more credible than Michael Moore's movie. Moore's movie was basically giving Liberals (of which I count myself as one) their daily fix of outrage. It was never going to change anyone's mind. I think Uncovered has the potential to actually make people think rather than just affirming one person's beliefs one way or another. Republican or Democrat, go and see it if you get the chance.

Well done lads!

2004-10-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well England beat Wales in World Cup qualifying today. Beckham scored a blinder apparently, its about time he actually did something useful. I missed the game because I am an idiot, I thought it was a 7.30pm kick off over there making it 2.30pm over here but it was 3.oopm over there and 10.00am over here. Ahhh well it doesnt matter as long as they got the result. Well done Eire as well, getting a very respectable point against France. And finally a mention for the lowly Faroe Islands who managed to get a point against Cyprus, a great result when you consider the fact that they only have about 48,000 residents. Blood, guts and a lot of heart will get you a long way in most things.

Who can come up with the best bullshit?

2004-10-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

So, its round 2 of the debates this evening. Apparently, they have the potential to be a deciding factor in this race with it being so close. I don't get it. If you are basing your vote on who performs best in a debate that is so regimented and sterile then you are probably missing the point. I know cynicism is a huge cop-out but it is hard not to feel that way when you have 2 candidates like we have in this election. I can't actually vote, not being a citizen, but if I could I would be voting for Kerry. Not because I think he is the right man for the job (how sad is that?) but because I disagree with almost everything Bush has done over the last 4 years. Kerry tries to pass himself off as a man of the people, someone who is in touch with what the average person needs. What a load of bollocks, anyone who has been in Washington that long has no idea what the average person needs. At least Bush in many ways smacks you right in the face with his preferential treatment afforded to the rich and the big corporations. I'm just pretty disgusted with the whole thing. I doubt, in my lifetime, there will ever be a Presidential candidate that will even come close to representing what I believe in, and that is just down right depressing. And I don't think it is that my beliefs are that out of whack with the rest of the country. If I was a fascist or a communist I could understand it, but I'm not, I just want a government that truly has the greater good of the population at the center of its policies.

The weeks over!

2004-10-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

Well I made it through the week. I didn't have to skip any classes and I am quite happy with my paper. I'm beat but in a good mood because I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Its funny, I look forward to thursday more than friday these days. Friday, even though I have to go to work, feels like a holiday because I dont have to worry about class for one day. By the time saturday gets here I am already worrying about next weeks classes, so Friday is my one day a week to relax and forget about things. I just hope I get a least a C on this paper, I'm going to be demoralised if I get a failing grade because I actually outlined, drafted and redrafted like you are supposed to, so if the paper still stinks I could be in trouble. I don't mind gettting a bad grade if I know I did a half arse job but to fail when you actually try is difficult to swallow. The main thing that scares me about law school is that it is so hard to guage how well you are doing. In Undergrad you get constant feedback about how well you are doing and can react accordingly, but in law school it seems like by the time you would know that you are having problems it would be too late to rectify them. To be honest I am not looking to do that well, obviously the better I do the happier I will be, but if I can get through with a C and pass the bar I will be happy, anything on top of that will be a bonus. I guess Im like that in most things that deal with me personally, think the worst and be pleasantly surprised when things turn our better. In general I am more of a glass half full kind of bloke except when it comes to personal performance.

Blasts from the past

2004-10-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a site called friends reunited. Its a site back home where you can reestablish contacts with people you have known over the years, through school, university, work, etc. Its really very interesting to see what has happened to people and where there life has taken them. The most surprising thing Is the amount of people that have left England. I have friends who now live in Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Holland. I wonder if this says something about England. Don't get me wrong, I love England and it will always be my home and where my ultimate loyalty lies no matter how long I stay here. It's the place I was raised, its where I learned my values and where my personality was shaped. I will always be English, nothing can ever change that. But that being said I'm not sure I would want to live there anymore. I love going back but I think that is more to do with the fact that I love my family and miss them rather than actual enjoyment of the country itself. There are some things I miss, the pubs, the football, the people and their outlook on life but on the whole I think it is better over here.

A disturbing thought

2004-10-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Going back to the earlier post about hitting that Irish guy. He bought me that drink and at the time I remember thinking that it was big for a shot of Jamesons and that it tasted strange. Add that to the fact that he wanted me to down it while he was there and that I felt like someone hit me with a brick the next day and I start to worry. What better way to get back at someone who hit you in the face than acting nice about it and then giving someone a dodgy drink. How someone would make the drink "dodgy" doesn't really bear thinking about. So as a general rule, if you're English, never accept a drink off an Irish guy you just hit in the face. Maybe I'm being paranoid but it all adds up to me.

Considering skipping again

2004-10-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

For the second day in a row I am considering skipping class. This week is almost impossible. I have tried to get the work done for tonight's class but I have just run out of time. Starting to feel a little discouraged by the whole thing. The way its shaping up I will probably be pulling an all nighter on Wednesday night. Haven't had to do that in a while :) I expected a lot of work coming in, and on the weeks when we have nothing due in legal writing it is very manageable but on the weeks when we have papers due it becomes almost impossible. The choice I have to make now is would I rather go to class and run the risk of being embarrassed when I am unprepared or ditch it knowing I could be missing something important. Game time decision I think.

Who needs sleep anyway?

2004-10-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Decided not to skip class. I would feel bad and knowing my luck miss something crucial. So its going to be late nights every night this week. I am tired pretty much all the time anyway so how much worse could it really get? I just have to try and start eating properly again, a snickers and a bag of chips for a meal isn't going to cut it. I also have to at least cut back, if not stop altogether, smoking. For the first time in my life I think I am close to, if not over, a pack a day and that's no good. Its been 13 years since I started now and I am starting to feel the effects. When I eventually start playing football again I am going to be horribly out of shape. I miss playing but at the same time I am scared to start in case my knee dislocates again, but I guess I have to get over that at some stage. It isn't so much the fear of the pain, even though it was excruciating, but the fear of not ever being able to play again if it happens a second time. Its weird that the very thing that is stopping me from playing now is the fear of not being able to play ever again. 31 is too young to have to stop doing something you love to do. The problem is that once you dislocate your knee it is much more likely that it will happen again, it forms a groove or something that allows it to slip out. Oh well, I'll stop rambling now.

It's a slippery (that's slippy in the 'burgh) slope

2004-10-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm......for the first time since I started I am considering ditching one class to prepare for another (can't be good news). I spent most of the weekend doing my paper for Thursday so I haven't done a thing for this week's classes. Contracts is tonight and I don't think it will really hurt me to miss it and I could use that time to prepare for procedure on Tuesday night. I haven't made my mind up yet. The weekend was good, got most of my paper done and found some time to go to the movies, go out for dinner and watch a couple of dvds. I recommend "Goodbye Lenin", very good movie. Not what I expected, for some reason I thought it was a comedy when I ordered it, it had some funny moments but it wasn't a comedy. The new documentary on The Ramones was very good, very depressing but well made and an interesting perspective on the band and the crap that went on with them. Super size me was stupid. Of course your health will suffer if you eat McDonalds everyday for 30 days, it doesn't take Einstein to figure that one out. We went for Indian food after the movie on Friday. I used to love Indian food but since we went back home in the summer and had Indian there it has ruined it for me here. I don't understand why but Indian food in America is shite compared to in England.

Punching an Irishman

2004-10-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

In an Irish bar last night I was talking and throwing my arms around gesticulating as I commonly do when I accidently smacked some Irish bloke in the nose while he was walking past. He stopped and stared at me, and for a split second I thought he was going to want to fight me but all he wanted to do was hug the crap out of me. Somehow he reasoned that because I hit him the face we were now mates and later in the evening he came over for more hugs and to give me a shot of Jamesons. Nice bloke. You have to love the Irish!!
Heres a link to the band he plays in, http://www.thewildgeeseband.com/index.php, the least I can do is give him a plug.

Law school so far

2004-10-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I am 5 or so weeks into law school and for the most part it is going well. Taking contracts,torts,legal process and legal writing. The subject matter is interesting, my biggest fear was that I would drop all this money and a month later I would realise I hated the law, luckily that hasnt happened as yet. Its a tonne of work and I basically have no life anymore. I feel bad for my wife as she doesnt get the benefit of going to school but shoulders a lot of the hastle that comes along with it. One of the most pleasantly surprising aspects of law school so far is the other people in the class. I really expected it to very competitive and to be honest I thought there might be a lot of idiots (not really the right word but I cant think how else to put it) in the class. But everyone, well almost everyone, theres are always exceptions that prove the rule, is really nice. We all help each other out and we are becoming a pretty tight bunch after only a few weeks together. There is only 26 of us left now so I think with being such a small bunch helps. Maybe as time goes on people will become more competitive and less cooperative, but I dont think that will happen.

Introduction

2004-10-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hello. Welcome. Not sure what format this blog will take yet. Just started law school at night so maybe I will use it to document that....how fascinating I can hear you say. Well maybe it wont be that interesting but at least it will be a place where I can blow off a little steam and clear some of the clutter that builds up in my brain. I need all the storage space I can find right now.

So a little bit about me. I am 31 years old, dont feel it, dont act it, but thats what by birth certificate says. I am originally from England but I have been living in the states for 10 years now. Came here to go to school and never went home. I had ever intention of going home until I met my wife and the rest is history. I am a Financial Analyst by trade but I hate it, which is fine because I am actually doing something about getting out of it by going to law school. My only regret is it took me so long to actually get off my arse and make the break. I used to work for Federated Investors until July last year when I quit because I just couldnt stomach it anymore. It sounds cheesy but I want to make a difference with what I do and the only difference I made at Federated was helping people with too much money make even more. I was lucky enough to find a job at the foundation where at least what I am doing is for the greater good but its still not enough. So I decided to go to law school, upon graduation I would ideally like work in public interest law but I am a realist and understand that with the debt I will be carrying I will have to do something else at first to pay it off. But hopefully, I will eventually get to do what I actually want to do.
Thats enough. Have a good day.