Category: Entries

It is a sad day across the land, as another noble soldier joins the ranks of the lost.

I’m not exactly sure when we got Sir Fredrick, i think i was 12 or 13. Sir Frederick was a noble german schnauzer.

Oh well. I would recount memories, but a friend once told me that the worst story to tell is the story that begins with the phrase “i remember” and includes none of the audience within the tale.

So take this moment of silence into heart and count yourselves lucky to know the young pup, old fart, and always the energetic misfit.

hmmm what do you think Continue reading “new gadgets for writing”

I hope it wasn’t the content. Because i’m coming at you again with dark disconcerting news. This time i’m going to focus on one issue at hand. This is our nations idea that speaking against the government is a “bad” thing. We have seen a growing progression toward the limitation of negative statements regarding our government as a whole, which interestingly enough has not spurned much response from our fellow citizens. Perhaps i’m wrong, perhaps the response is there just muted by our government. I will not judge… yet.

Exhibit A:
The first ruling i disagree with issued by the new supreme court.

Exhibit B:
Here is the actual opinions.

My personal favorite is the dissenting opinions drafted by Justice Stevens. My favorite line is this:

The notion that there is a categorical difference between speaking as a citizen and speaking in the course of one’s employment is quite wrong.

He is responding of course to this quote:

When a citizen enters government service, the citizen by necessity must accept certain limitations on his or her freedom. See, e.g., Waters v. Churchill, 511 U. S. 661, 671 (1994) (plurality opinion) (“[T]he government as employer indeed has far broader powers than does the government as sovereign”). Government employers, like private employers, need a significant degree of control over their employees’ words and actions; without it, there would be little chance for the efficient provision of public services. Cf. Connick, supra, at 143 (“[G]overnment offices could not function if every employment decision became a constitutional matter”). Public employees, moreover, often occupy trusted positions in society. When they speak out, they can express views that contravene governmental policies or impair the proper performance of governmental functions.

It expresses a notion by the assenting opinion regarding the fact that an individual can act in a sort of dualist notion, at one point the individual may act as a citizen of the state, and at another point he may act as an employee of the state that allows for a restriction to the rights granted by the consitution, i.e. freedom of speech.

My biggest concern regarding this whole excersise is a concern for the academic world. It is largely a part of the public government, and so one would hope they would still be afforded the rights granted previously.

Exhibit C:
When confronted regarding this issue:

Second, Justice Souter suggests today’s decision may have important ramifications for academic freedom, at least as a constitutional value. See post, at 12-13. There is some argument that expression related to academic scholarship or classroom instruction implicates additional constitutional interests that are not fully accounted for by this Court’s customary employee-speech jurisprudence. We need not, and for that reason do not, decide whether the analysis we conduct today would apply in the same manner to a case involving speech related to scholarship or teaching.

No real answer seems forthcoming, but worry not they have a whole set of old fart’s lifetimes to go before they run out of time for considering this idea.

Oh woe is me, now that big brother has come home.

I know, i promised more frequent updates, and if there is anyone paying attention to this little voice in the middle of cyber space, it can offer no explanation for the drought in publishing.

I will call it writer’s block, and move on.

I actually have something to write about now. Three news peices struck my interest over the course of the past days.

The first is a news piece about abortion, here is a quote:

‘Every rational person, no matter what his or her stance on the rights of the unborn child, has to agree that the ideal for any woman and the health of any nation is fewer, or better still no, abortions,’ a spokeswoman said.

She is absolutly correct, but she is also blind to the full context of the picture. Not to mention she is being horribly generalistic in her approach to summing up “rational people.” I love the idea that in her mind the abortions are the problem, and not large amount of unwanted pregnancies.

Humanity always surprieses me sometimes. I’m just wondering why. I usually don’t track personal activities of insanity like this, I like to believe that individuals can do strange things and the media often disseminates too many images of humanity doing the most odd things in the world. BUT this story struck me, because it just begs the question why. He seems successful, family and kids. Why kill the kids? Maybe they should have had the abortion pill available for him during her pregnancy?

Speaking of insufferable acts, you see one of the main reasons i’m struck with an urge to write is because of the news recently. God hates Bush, but it isn’t for the the deaths of an immense amount of individduals (website accuracte not yet determined), the destruction of America’s image to the world at large, sinking America farther into debt, or even the destruction of any barrier between church and state. No it is because America is showing good will toward homosexuals.

And so i leave you, with this in mind. No matter how much our society comits self-destruction, Modern science never ceases to surprise this little (perhaps i’m considered large) man from louisiana. Perhaps I could be a superhero now.

Your Linguistic Profile::

55% General American English

20% Yankee

15% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

0% Midwestern

new song rinse repeat…
the lyrics continue on the cold low down beat.
washing over me…

the end is never the end, merely a begining of a new thing.

Like a car, i am repaired, but in the process i’ve lost my soul.

monotony. rutt.

nevermind.

today was a bad day. that is the most clear understantement i can give.

A newly found habit. I will attempt to blog at least once a week, and sunday will be my upload date. If you expect me to give you a time, then you asking for more then i can give.

I wish i could blame my lack of blogging on lack of interesting activities, but i really must blame my lack of blogging on having too many interesting activities in which leaving very little room to actually document my life. Which was one of the reasons of having this blog. The other was to clarify ideas. I enjoy the later more then the former.

SO what have i been up to, you might ask. my answer is as follows formatted in bullet style for your viewing pleasure and idealic cohesion.

Work
– Well it is official. The seven cases that went to trial a long time back, settled before the first plaintiff spoke. Our client was exceptionally pleased. And the partners who handled the case were pleased with my work. So i was given more cases going to trial.
– Our most senior legal assistant (paralegal) resigned three weeks from last friday, and had his last day a week from last friday. I was given all of his cases that were with LIRR, who was our client in the above mentioned bulletin.
– Another para resigned on the same days respectively, giving me some of her LIRR work, primarily IME billing. Inane work, time absorptive.
– Girlbean started around two weeks ago and i’m pleased to say she doesn’t hate her job yet. Since she has started, i have enjoyed eating lunch and talking about interesting non-tv-related items, and even psuedo-intellectual items as well. Also it is interesting hearing her interpretations of the work place.

Personal Life
– Two weeks ago we went to Niagara falls. It was awesome. Best vacation i’ve ever had to date. Well let’s be honest, it is the only vacation i’ve had where i was an adult able to make up my mind where i wanted to go. (Scratch that, i guess going to bloomington, i had freedom to choose, but very little money also.)
– last night i saw two movies that i enjoyed.
First: The City of God: It was an exceptionally beautiful film. The editing was excellent. The cinematography was gritty and realistic. The angles were gorgeous. The story was vivid and real, due to it being based on a true story. The city is exceptionally fucked up, like a city with the pretense of God should be. Overall: I highly reccomend viewing this once. It is like Hotel Rowanda, in that you have to see it at least once to truly understand life in all it’s facets.
Second: Thank you for Smoking: Cute, slightly witty. Not as witty as the trailer makes it out to be. There are some strange lines in the movie that irk me. I hate the use of rhetoric to bypass truth, but then again i knew i’d hate that part of movie. His use of rhetoric was exceptionally well planned and executed. The editing was very sharp. The story was a bit awkward. He never really questioned the moral judgements he made on a day to day basis, and there certainly wasn’t a character change over time. It could be interpreted as an ironic movie, and perhaps it was. There just were too many truthes to make the irony stark. Overall: Not a big reccomendation, but it certainly was a “pleasant and enjoyable” movie if that suits your mood.

-okay enough typing. That feeling is coming back.. the feeling that forces me to abandon so many entries as drafts. It is the feeling of a lack of progression.

LSAT update: I’m studying, its june 12th. I’m scared.

Today begins, and all the surprises are in wait. Let the goodtimes begin. I love you Mary.

Also happy psuedo anniversery.

Best 2 years of my life…

Here is for more to come.

BY the way. I will be incommunicado for the next four days as i’m fleeing the country, in the same vein as many vietnam vets. I’m going to Canada. WOO HOOO!

Instructions: Go to Wikipedia, type in your birthday, but not the year, and select three events, births, and deaths that share that day with you.

Events.. does it just have to be three?! I CHOOSE FOUR! One is of a personal note. So much shit happened on my little bitty day.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-EVENTS!-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1939 – New York City’s La Guardia Airport opens. -> This is a nice personal point. I used this airport a lot. I’m glad it opened on my b-day. Used to fly in and out of this place on a regular basis. Long distance relationships. LGA has a soft spot in my heart.

1942 – Manhattan Project: A team led by Enrico Fermi initiate the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. -> Arguably the birth of the most destructive device in the world. Can’t beat that.. And no it wasn’t ME! MWHAHAHAHAHA!!! or was it. .. …

1954 – Red Scare: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to condemn Joseph McCarthy for “conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.” -> The United States Senate wakes up after allowing one of the most dishonorable actions in american History. Hey this is a good thing.

2001 – Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. -> Perhaps the end of corporate greed and malicious activities?! One can only hope.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-BIRTHS-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
OH NO THIS REALLY BITES!
ALL THE BIRTHS SUCK!…………………………………………………………

EVEN SATAN HERSELF WAS BORN ON MY DAY! BRITNEY SPEARS! ONE YEAR AFTER I WAS BORN!

I must scrub myself now. Cleanse myself of my hated day.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-DEATHS-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Had some famous deaths on my date.

1814 – Marquis de Sade, French writer (b. 1740)

1859 – John Brown, American abolitionist (hanged) (b. 1800)

And finally, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but it is true.

It came as a shock to everyone, i know.

On december 2nd 1957, Harrison Ford died.

Yes , yes we all know. He was a great actor. Who could forget his most memorable films and works? He made movies seem more special. We will miss him.