my urban superiority complex: st. louis park is NOT minneapolis

after an inspiring conversation with a professor yesterday i believe i have solved my course conundrum for next year. why should i suffer through estates and trusts when: a) allegedly i've already learned some of the material in California Marital Property; b) the class is from 6:00-9:00pm - an ungodly time to be at school; c) the course will be taught for the bar exam; and d) it sounds ridiculously boring? at first, estates & trusts seemed like a great idea because it would be a class that entailed little work and would allow me to devote more time to intense classes like tax. now i've realized that i have only two semesters left in school. i'm going to take classes that actually interest me. hah! i can indulge my interests, get a JD, and (God willing) pass the bar.
hopefully, in line with this plan, i'll get into a new class on the suburbs. i have grown up as such an "urban" snob. although minneapolis is by no means a bustling (or unsegregated) metropolis, i took great pride in the fact that i grew up "in the city" instead of in a suburb. i still really value my childhood home because i had the benefit of living in a neighborhood with great public schools, very few chain & big box stores, and convenient public transportation. i still resent when people ask me where i'm from and when i reply "minneapolis," they say, "oh, i know someone from minneapolis. they live in [roseville, edina, st. cloud]. where exactly are you from?"
although i have this lingering superiority complex about being from a city - my thoughts have changed some in recent years. for one thing, i live in a suburb now. also, it's common knowledge that in minneapolis, and elsewhere, inner cities are rapidly gentrifying. renovated and refurbished lofts are cropping up everywhere. warehouse districts are hot. this trend is pushing poor folks out to the first and second ring suburbs and beyond. for some statistics on point check out this article. i want to learn more about how this has impacted voting, affordable housing, the environment, and service delivery. how have non-profits (especially legal non-profits outside of the bay area) responded to this shift in localized poverty? my hunch (and observation) is that direct service agencies have been slow to catch up.

OC outage outrage

for me (and probably many of us) it is always distressing to see GW on primetime television. either a national catastrophe has occured or the state of the union is interrupting perfectly good programming. (there are exceptions to this general rule: i was addicted to the presidential debates which were admittedly broadcast during primetime)

tonight, el presidente's face on my TV signified something new and horrible. our president held a press conference over the OC. i was dumbfounded. shaken to my core. all week i had been looking forward to the new episode. with nothing but the rules of impeachment and rehabilitation to inspire me during the day i needed some drama between some sandy and kirsten, some hot trey action...

even more distressing than the preemption of the show in the first place was the fact that it all seemed entirely unnececssary. first, gas prices aren't my thing. i don't drive. i can't drive. i should probably try to care more (and in reality, i do) but tonight i am bitter. [note to self -- i should also get my driver's license.] secondly, my roommate noted these words on the top left hand side of the TV screen during the presidential address: "LIVE - recorded earlier."

now what in the world does that mean? how is something "live" if it was in fact recorded earlier in the day? why, WHY, did stupid FOX have to show this tape during MY show?

enough - back to the books.

live!

Why is it that people who either never talk or typically ask insightful questions decide that review sessions are the perfect time to ask INANE questions? I suppose the empathetic answer is that these people are anxious but seriously, can we curb asking totally obvious questions? If the Professor gives you a handout about what the rules for the exam will be, read the freaking handout before asking if it means what it says. Oy!

cooptation

one of the problems with blogging is that if you deem to write about something other than yourself, such as current events, you have to move fast. if you don't post quickly you run the risk of being old news. with that duly noted i will write on a current event. because i don't feel like i have much time, this likely won't be all that thoughtful...

this past sunday was "Justice Sunday" for folks affiliated with Focus on the Family and Family Research Council. apparently it was also "Justice Sunday" for "people of faith" in the Heartland who are realizing that "actions in Washington have a direct impact on their lives." without getting into the deeply troubling notions of the campaign against filibustering and the misplaced concerns about judicial activism, let's stop with the words -- "Justice Sunday."

i am blown away by the fact that these judicial activists are claiming "justice" as their own. on a larger scale i am outraged by how a certain right-wing faction of Christians have laid claim to my faith. my faith which i hope is not so essentializing, which i hope humanizes and helps me to see God in others, and that tends to favor non-interference with the State. what's harder about all of this, on a personal level, is that in one-on-one conversations i am more hesitant than ever to bring up the fact that I'm a Christian. it's as though (at least in Berkeley) i'm hiding a dark secret.

on that depressing note, i'll add another. i think i lost my watch. this is also distressing though not as much as the Religious Right.

and the award for...

worst "you're on hold" music ever goes to...

alameda county department of child support services. No, you couldn't just play elevator music, you had to add the world's cheesiest lyrics. Why did you make me wait to speak to an operator for so unbearably long??

study break

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com! Please note that in one part of this quiz I erroneously used the name "Emily" to refer to myself. I got the link to the site where you can create these quizzes from Emily S and used a few of her questions as starting points for my own. For purposes of this quiz, consider Emily to be one of my (many) aliases.

ligers, and panples, and porn-viruses oh my!

a few things:
1. see infra comment from my sis at previous post regarding the link i sent her from reputable (?) news source (ABC) proving that the liger actually exists. Now, although I didn't believe the Liger actually existed when I saw Napoleon Dynamite, I never would have believed that the "Tigon" (when the mother instead of the dad is the ligon) was also real. Despite the awesomeness of the Liger and Tigon, the Wholphin was even more astounding.
2. I really don't want this piece of web-space to devolve into postings solely devoted to my favorite TV shows. However, that desire won't stop me from referring to the OC tonight. A-mazing episode. Zach is the reincarnation of Oliver, minus the mental illness and guns. [I almost said minus the violence but we all remember when he punched Seth earlier this season...] Kirsten is emulating her son in her self-absorbtion and ridiculous crushes. I understand that she is probably still hurting from Sandy's dalliance with his old flame Rebecca, but please - Carter? He is incredibly lame and his silly nose moves every time he talks. I could go on but I'd rather end with this astute observation from my future roomie - "Zach aka Prince Humperdink."
3. Almost every day I thank God for my Macintosh. [I would say every day but for the fateful afternoon in Contracts last Spring when my screen went all Matrix on me right before finals. Turned out the "logic board" was cracked. My computer took a quick jaunt down to Virginia and came back days later clean as a whistle and working perfectly. I guess that's another good reason to love Apple.] Oh, i-book, why are you so good to me? I bring this up not just because Panther comes out in 8 days but because one of my PC using friends has a porn-virus infesting her computer. She as much as turns it on and some seriously disturbing images infiltrate her screen. This doesn't make much sense to me. Admittedly, I haven't seen the images, but I don't know why this type of spyware or virus or whatever seemed like a good idea. What revenue would hackers get from such a device? What's the motive behind this?
4. Finally, I thought I was done with the OC but I'm not. You've got to love a show that helps you "review" for Professional Responsibility and Evidence all in one little episode. Sandy acted as a negotiator, an advisor, and of course, a key player in a sting operation. Trey's statement to the police appeared to be an admission, and probably a declaration against interest. Finals HHere I come.

i am not a hipster and i miss home

Certain blog servers allow you to post what hot tunes you happen to be listening to while you blog. That feature fails to impress me. Although I appreciate knowing what sort of mood my fellow bloggers happen to be in, it seems like a shameless way to display hipness. Since I tend to post when I am fully exhausted I am typically listening to one of two things as of late: Evan Dando or Caedmons Call. In anticipation of "Lila Sings to Jesus" I have also been partaking of some Donnie McClurkin. Now that we have that out of the way, none of you will ever have to hear about my unremarkable musical taste again. (Who am I kidding, I can make no promises but... I can guarantee that you will not have frequent updates. This is because I care. And probably because I am bashful about my unhipness.)

Snooping around online today while I should have been studying I came across two blogs of some pals from Mpls (see links to Mr. $elb and Berge Dynamite). It was so wonderful to get a brief glimpse into the daily lives of folks I miss. Reading their posts made me miss home. I am nostalgic for lakes, for melting snow (note: definitely NOT snow itself), and for the comfort of a neighborhood that I saw change for 17 years. The only perceptible change I have observed in Berkeley over the past year and a half is the advent of more and more Bubble Tea Chains. I think, after close and scientific survey studies, that Q-Cup really is the best. Something about their tapioca is sweeter than the other places.

Speaking of food, awhile ago jdm wrote about his penchant for oatmeal with... cheese. I love cheese. Make no mistake about it, I adore cheese. However, I cannot support eating cheese with just anything. Oatmeal is among the substances that I think should stay far from the fromage. However, in an effort to seem less judgmental I will share one of my new and odd favorite snacks: peach-applesauce with whipped cream. It is so so good. Try it. If you cannot track down chi chi organic peach & applesauce probably any applesauce will do.

downers

1. I was all psyched today because I finally became a Lexis Nexis "Elite Member." Then I read this. Glad I don't have stock in their company... or any stock at all for that matter...
2. My picks for America's Next Top Model have definitely gone to pot. I have no hope of winning the pool. Crazy Tyra went ahead and eliminated 2 of my top 5 tonight. Go UPN for not using Taye Diggs for another "acting" episode and for actually conceiving of a "surprise" ending.

Last night I was sad about my sorry lack of conjuctions on this blog. Just as I was wallowing in pity, I thought of a book Un Gunk (Richard) bought long ago. Although it is annoying to lack conjunctions, it is hard (no difficult, trying, impossibl...) to blog without making an input from a spot on my laptop b/w (cop-out) W and R. This author has a book (!!) without that wily and ubiquitous symbol. Most amazingly, a translator took what was first in Francais and put it into Anglais! Look at this link for additional appraisal and analysis.

trade-offs

If blogging has done one thing for me in the past few inaugural weeks it has made me less prone to spend my late evenings reflecting on stuff. I realize that is sort of a nonsensical remark given that what I am writing here is ostensibly reflective (and apostrophe-free). However, I find that when I blog I spend most of my time trying to think of something funny or witty to say. Most of the time I fail. Rarely, if ever, do I end up talking about things that bother me on a deep level or share with the blogosphere any little joys in my life.

On that note, I will share a joyful soundbite. In my externship (silly law school word for internship) I had been having a difficult time working with a client. I felt our communication was stifled. I knew that there was little openness between us. Recently, I reread some of my earlier notes pertaining to the case and had a pretty eye opening reaction to how much this particular client was facing in life. Just a ton of obstacles and a lot of barriers. I think at the root of it, this was a humbling moment. It was exactly what I needed. This shift in my perspective is working to change me. Perhaps in that process it will also transform the relationship. I had thought about humility and lawyering before, but had not been able to put it into practice. Hopefully I can integrate it into other aspects of my life too.

If only I could integrate productivity into my life I would be set!

ah transience.

[Disclaimer: Sorry for the lack of apostrophes in this post. You may notice a distinct lack of conjuctions. Lately when I try to write on blogger.com the server will not let me post what I have written. In an effort to avoid that frustration, I am writing on word and then pasting into blogger.]

I briefly considered making this into a top 10 list since I received a request to include more of those on my blog. Since this top 10 list would have enumerated things I hate doing, I figured I could stand to complain about only one or two things instead of whining about ten. On the other hand, this will go into significantly more detail than a mere top ten list and for that, I apologize.

So, by my calculations I have moved about nine times in the last six years. This is getting really really old. To rub salt in my wounds, various friends of mine in far off Midwestern lands are buying houses while I scrounge to collect on security deposits. Although I am disenchanted with my latest search for summer housing, I have benefited from the distraction of Craigslist once again. In case you have never checked out the various subsections on the Craigslist website I encourage you to explore the strictly platonic section. There are some disturbing, intriguing, and all around weird things getting posted there. It is a cross section of some strictly sad and lonely posts and some serious searching for community. I have nothing more profound to say than that. I simply cannot stop reading. Oh, and if you are looking to cheat (?) on your spouse or get high in San Ramon, look no further. Feel free to share other gems.

breaking news

1. berkeley students use stanford's libraries by mereley presenting UCB ID.
2. stanford student seen walking through campus on sunny saturday afternoon loudly singing seal's "a kiss from a rose."
3. world's BEST phone message left by afh for jdm regarding lack of cell phone capabilities
4. dirtina has enticing sublet offer for summer
5. dirtina, known for her ability to procrastinate on saturdays, ekes out a couple solid hours of productive hearsay review

mario

no, i'm not talking about "saved by the bell" although i could if pressed. instead, i'm reflecting both on how much my civ pro teacher resembled mario and how i never ever learned how to play any video games. the only exception is "burger time." ah how i long for the days in helly's basement when my biggest enemies were eggs and pickles... to this day i can sing all the tunes from super mario brothers but would be at a total loss if i were asked to play the game. this lack of confidence in playing has cost me a lot. namely, i'm typing here, tired and somewhat inebrieated while others rock out to FIFA...

i may confine my future children to watching exclusively PBS but never (ever) will i withhold from them sega, nintendo, or PS2.

dance

dance

revolution

i'm not better than you, i just act like i am

This entire week, I have been one day ahead of myself. My days have been so consumed with pesky administrative tasks and running from one thing to another that I've honestly gone to bed, for instance, on Tuesday, fully thinking that I would wake up to Thursday and all of its ensuing responsibilities.

As I write this though, I regret it. Far too often people (myself included) bemoan the predicaments they've deliberately gotten themselves into. The way I see it, people respond to this in one of two ways. [Disclaimer: I'm talking specifically about law students here because those are the folks I'm surrounded by on a daily basis.]
1. Talk about how much they study or how hard they're working in order to make you [the listener] feel guilty about how they aren't doing nearly enough work.
2. Talk about how much they DON'T study and how they're busy doing a million other things so you [the listener] feel guilty about how you occasionally have to time to study or (gasp) relax.
I want to be more conscious of this tendency in myself and shy completely away from trying to put myself in a subjectively superior position in respect to others. Hence, I ask any readers who catch me exhibiting this attitude to call me out.

And, on a lighter note - my bets for ANTM are already awash despite the fact that I only ranked my finalists today. I had suspected that the judges would finally get a clue and eliminate the whiny and wrestle-y Michelle. Unfortunately, they made the awful decision to eliminate Lluvy - the endearing, strangely beautiful, janitor from Modesto. On that hometown note, I am bummed that Rebecca is from Minnesota - she gives the whole state a prissy, and Girl Scouty vibe...

yogurt: you are my obsession

on our walk home from "a$$tronomicos" the other day jdm and i began to ponder a life without fancy and delicious yogurt. if i were ever to move to a place without Wallaby, or God forbid, without Brown Cow yogurt, my quality of life would seriously decline. in anticipation (and fear) of such a dismal day, jdm and i wrote a protest song. this goes to the tune of "A Mighty Fortress is our God" and could be sung outside a major grocery store along with other picketing Brown Cow aficionados:

A mighty yogurt is Brown Cow
Its flavors never fail us
So healthy, sweet, and wholesome
None other's as delicious

But Yoplait's all that's here
Brown Cow's not to be found
We won't settle for less
We'll seek it without rest
On earth is not its equal

Needless to say, it's been quite a weekend.

for the benefit of m. roop.

these are (evidently) the top 5 songs i want to hear when i am drunk and totally exhausted.

1. jadakiss - why
2. usher - nice and slow
3. james - laid
4. de la soul - me, myself, and i
5. aimee mann - deathly

also, i totally wanted to write about schiavo yesterday but now i feel that i am foreclosed. perhaps i'll work on that tomorrow. for now, i'm sorry and sad to hear of her death. that's all.