Greetings and welcome to The Un-Zone, the site for all things Un. Today's post is brought to you by the letter "F" and the irrational number "e."
I'm not feeling to well today. I have a cold. My eyes are red and my nose is runny. When I'm on cold medication, I act real funny. I'm sneezing and wheezing; thank God I don't have the flu. I'm very contagious and acting outrageous, so I'm going to stay away from you. OK...better stay off that cold medicine. That made very little sense. No officer, I'm not on any drugs.
I haven't been sick in quite a while, at least with a cold. It's been like, what, several years. I've rarely missed a day of school. And I get sick on a Friday. There goes my weekend of washing the laundry and watching television. That and potentially looking at a law school textbook. Oh well.
In other news, I'm signing up for NaNoWriMo(see previous entry) this weekend or next week on Monday. I'm coming up with a name for the online book site, where people can read what I am writing. I'll put up a link on this site so you can easily get there. Hell, I'll probably put up a link on my Facebook profile. Facebook is quite possibly, the greatest time-wasting site ever on the Internet.
That's all for now.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Monday, September 26, 2005
National Novel Writing Month
Recently, I've been telling those who will actually listen that I'm thinking about participating in National Novel Writing Month, a crazy deal where you write 50,000 words in 30 days. It starts on November 1 and ends on November 30. After much thought, I've decided to fully engage myself in this endeavor.
What possessed me to do such a crazy thing as I am a law school student and coincidentally, finals start in December? Well, I just feel like it and I've always wanted to do something like this. I'll have something resembling a novel at the end of the month. Most people think of writing one, but I'll have the satisfaction in knowing that I have made an actual effort.
What will I write about? A humorous story about a law school student(2L) in a fictional law school based upon the law school I attend at this moment. Those who read this blog and attend KU might recognize some of the in-jokes and might recognize the characteristics of certain characters belonging to people they know.
I'm also going to "publish" this online. Well, by "publish," I will create a new blog and post what I write on that blog during the month of November. This blog, during the month of November, will be more of an update blog than anything else. Like if I have written and posted anything. That way, you will be able to laugh at my attempt at writing an actual novella with an actual plot. Hopefully, you will find what I write about and not my sad attempt at writing funny. So I am insecure and I mock myself a lot.
I must be crazy to actually go on with this. Well, wish me luck as I get ready to register and write a freaking novel in November. That's all for now.
National Novel Writing Month
www.nanowrimo.org
What possessed me to do such a crazy thing as I am a law school student and coincidentally, finals start in December? Well, I just feel like it and I've always wanted to do something like this. I'll have something resembling a novel at the end of the month. Most people think of writing one, but I'll have the satisfaction in knowing that I have made an actual effort.
What will I write about? A humorous story about a law school student(2L) in a fictional law school based upon the law school I attend at this moment. Those who read this blog and attend KU might recognize some of the in-jokes and might recognize the characteristics of certain characters belonging to people they know.
I'm also going to "publish" this online. Well, by "publish," I will create a new blog and post what I write on that blog during the month of November. This blog, during the month of November, will be more of an update blog than anything else. Like if I have written and posted anything. That way, you will be able to laugh at my attempt at writing an actual novella with an actual plot. Hopefully, you will find what I write about and not my sad attempt at writing funny. So I am insecure and I mock myself a lot.
I must be crazy to actually go on with this. Well, wish me luck as I get ready to register and write a freaking novel in November. That's all for now.
National Novel Writing Month
www.nanowrimo.org
Friday, September 23, 2005
Forbes 400 and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Money, get away.
Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay.
Money, it’s a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I’ll buy me a football team.
-Pink Floyd, Money
Greetings and welcome back to the Un-Zone, offering the look inside the random mind of a KU Law School student who tends to be verbose with sentences and unrepentant of this supposed failing. For some reason, it's a bad thing to write long sentences. People supposedly have short attention spans. Anything over seven words...forget it. I don't care. I'll continue to write sentences that qualify as paragraphs by most standards.
Forbes Magazine came out with their annual list of the 400 Richest Americans. As usual, the top ten hasn't changed that much. Bill Gates is at the top and the Walton family of WalMart fame hold most of the Top Ten positions. There are many names that people will recognize like Donald Trump, Michael Dell of Dell Computers, Phil Knight of Nike, and the number one talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. The collective net worth of the nation's wealthiest climbed $125 billion, to $1.13 trillion. Think about that number. According to the CIA Factbook, the Gross Domestic Product of the US was $11.75 trillion. Their collective net worth is about 10% of the United States' GDP.
And what about Hurricane Katrina? What effects did this natural disaster have on the people who made it to this list? Let's see. Hmm...Micky Arison, head of Carnival Cruises, said the company might lose $24 million from earnings. He's worth $5.8 billion. Donald Newhouse is a media baron of Advance Publications, which counts New Orleans’ Times-Picayune among its broadsheets. He lost 75% of his readership in this paper due to Katrina. Don't be too sad. He has a net worth of $7.5 billion. Craig Neilsen of AmeriStar Casinos would have made it on the list with a net worth of $1 billion, but didn't due to Katrina. To make it on the list, you need to be worth $900 million. Because of the hurricane, his net worth is now only $825 million. Oprah Winfrey had two special episodes devoted to Katrina on location. She got access to the Superdome and showed the hellish conditions. Her friends like Chris Rock and Kelly Preston helped out in the relief effort. The shows were rating hits in the top ten media markets. Her net worth is $1.4 billion.
According to a Forbes article, the rich aren't getting richer than ordinary Americans. Apparently, even ordinary Americans are doing good. Millions own stocks. Real estate values are going up, so Americans have a larger percentage of their net worth in their house, much more than Bill Gates. That's going to make me feel better? Supposedly, wealth is being spread around. It just hasn't been spread to the lower class citizens living in abject poverty. Maybe it has, but it isn't getting to them very well. Geez, if I could only get $32 million for three months of work by tanking a company into oblivion. Enough said. And isn't it nice I can see what sort of houses the rich live in? What resorts they can go to. Or what cars they might buy in the near future.
And this is supposed to make me feel better? This is supposed to make "ordinary" Americans feel better. The message their sending?
Here it is: "Yeah, so these rich people can make googobs of money by screwing over companies and putting thousands out of work, but you've got a lot of money invested in your house, quite possibly the only asset of value you have. And it's hard work to figure out what car to buy and where to go to on vacation. And all those people on the Gulf Coast, we, the rich, feel your pain too. You lost every asset you have and possibly some of your family members. We lost millions and that hurt. But, we still have millions left over to donate to you so you can live a slightly better life than poverty."
What's unsaid is this: "We're going to use this tragedy to make millions or get better ratings. Oh, I'm still rich."
Time to end this screed. That's all for now.
http://www.forbes.com/home/lists/2005/09/19/400-richest-americans-2005-list_05rich400_land.html
Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay.
Money, it’s a gas.
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I’ll buy me a football team.
-Pink Floyd, Money
Greetings and welcome back to the Un-Zone, offering the look inside the random mind of a KU Law School student who tends to be verbose with sentences and unrepentant of this supposed failing. For some reason, it's a bad thing to write long sentences. People supposedly have short attention spans. Anything over seven words...forget it. I don't care. I'll continue to write sentences that qualify as paragraphs by most standards.
Forbes Magazine came out with their annual list of the 400 Richest Americans. As usual, the top ten hasn't changed that much. Bill Gates is at the top and the Walton family of WalMart fame hold most of the Top Ten positions. There are many names that people will recognize like Donald Trump, Michael Dell of Dell Computers, Phil Knight of Nike, and the number one talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. The collective net worth of the nation's wealthiest climbed $125 billion, to $1.13 trillion. Think about that number. According to the CIA Factbook, the Gross Domestic Product of the US was $11.75 trillion. Their collective net worth is about 10% of the United States' GDP.
And what about Hurricane Katrina? What effects did this natural disaster have on the people who made it to this list? Let's see. Hmm...Micky Arison, head of Carnival Cruises, said the company might lose $24 million from earnings. He's worth $5.8 billion. Donald Newhouse is a media baron of Advance Publications, which counts New Orleans’ Times-Picayune among its broadsheets. He lost 75% of his readership in this paper due to Katrina. Don't be too sad. He has a net worth of $7.5 billion. Craig Neilsen of AmeriStar Casinos would have made it on the list with a net worth of $1 billion, but didn't due to Katrina. To make it on the list, you need to be worth $900 million. Because of the hurricane, his net worth is now only $825 million. Oprah Winfrey had two special episodes devoted to Katrina on location. She got access to the Superdome and showed the hellish conditions. Her friends like Chris Rock and Kelly Preston helped out in the relief effort. The shows were rating hits in the top ten media markets. Her net worth is $1.4 billion.
According to a Forbes article, the rich aren't getting richer than ordinary Americans. Apparently, even ordinary Americans are doing good. Millions own stocks. Real estate values are going up, so Americans have a larger percentage of their net worth in their house, much more than Bill Gates. That's going to make me feel better? Supposedly, wealth is being spread around. It just hasn't been spread to the lower class citizens living in abject poverty. Maybe it has, but it isn't getting to them very well. Geez, if I could only get $32 million for three months of work by tanking a company into oblivion. Enough said. And isn't it nice I can see what sort of houses the rich live in? What resorts they can go to. Or what cars they might buy in the near future.
And this is supposed to make me feel better? This is supposed to make "ordinary" Americans feel better. The message their sending?
Here it is: "Yeah, so these rich people can make googobs of money by screwing over companies and putting thousands out of work, but you've got a lot of money invested in your house, quite possibly the only asset of value you have. And it's hard work to figure out what car to buy and where to go to on vacation. And all those people on the Gulf Coast, we, the rich, feel your pain too. You lost every asset you have and possibly some of your family members. We lost millions and that hurt. But, we still have millions left over to donate to you so you can live a slightly better life than poverty."
What's unsaid is this: "We're going to use this tragedy to make millions or get better ratings. Oh, I'm still rich."
Time to end this screed. That's all for now.
http://www.forbes.com/home/lists/2005/09/19/400-richest-americans-2005-list_05rich400_land.html
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Beware of Pressure Cookers
Greeting and welcome to the Un-Zone, a site where the abnormal is normal and conspiracy theories abound in their many forms. Just when you thought the world was safer, the brilliant minds in the federal government discovers another danger in a supposedly safe object. Beware, those evil terrorists might use this common object as a dangerous weapon. What is this potentially "dangerous" weapon? The pressure cooker.
The brilliant minds at the Department of Homeland Security like to think outside the box when it comes to protecting the USA. Which is why they formed a group called "Red Cell," a menagerie of creative minds including but not limited to academics, military, best-selling novelists, and pop musicians. One must wonder which pop musician/s are in "Red Cell." This "Red Cell" is not meant to be confused with the Pentagon's Red Cell, a group created by Richard Marcinko to test the security at military installations. Most of the original members of that group were from Seal Team Six, the Navy's counter-terrorist group in the vein of Germany's GSG9 and the US Army's Delta Force(SFOD-D) located at Fort Bragg. The DHS "Red Cell" can't compare to the Red Cell I've read about.
They've come up with various reports like "How Terrorist Might Exploit A Hurricane" or "Potential Terrorist Use of Emergency Vehicles to Circumvent Security Procedures." I can come up with many plausible theories on how a terrorist might exploit a hurricane and how terrorists could use emergency vehicles. And it won't cost millions of dollars. Hell, they've come up with those reasons in many a Hollywood blockbuster.
Back to pressure cookers. Apparently, one can make an improvised explosive device from pressure cookers. In fact, the terrorists in Nepal use this as their weapon of choice. Then again, as any police officer or bomb technician or soldier in Iraq will tell you, you can make an IED from anything. If you've got the resources and some ingenuity, you can make anything into a weapon. And it doesn't cost any money to figure that out. Look at the evening news.
Yup, now we can add another characteristic to the "persons of interest" list. This is stereotyypical and quite possibly racist, but it should apply well with the current "terrorist" picture people have with Al Qaeda being in the news as the terrorist group de jeur. Do you speak Arabic? Are you of Middle Eastern descent? Do you possess a pressure cooker?
Well, I'm going to keep my eyes open for anyone possessing a pressure cooker or something resembling one. With the recent hurricane devasting the Gulf Coast and another one that could make possible landfall, it's possible that no-good terrorists might take advantage of this situation. After all, one can't be too careful during these trying times.
That's all for now.
The Early Warning Blog
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/
The Potential Uses of Pressure Cookers
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/09/the_pressure_co.html
The brilliant minds at the Department of Homeland Security like to think outside the box when it comes to protecting the USA. Which is why they formed a group called "Red Cell," a menagerie of creative minds including but not limited to academics, military, best-selling novelists, and pop musicians. One must wonder which pop musician/s are in "Red Cell." This "Red Cell" is not meant to be confused with the Pentagon's Red Cell, a group created by Richard Marcinko to test the security at military installations. Most of the original members of that group were from Seal Team Six, the Navy's counter-terrorist group in the vein of Germany's GSG9 and the US Army's Delta Force(SFOD-D) located at Fort Bragg. The DHS "Red Cell" can't compare to the Red Cell I've read about.
They've come up with various reports like "How Terrorist Might Exploit A Hurricane" or "Potential Terrorist Use of Emergency Vehicles to Circumvent Security Procedures." I can come up with many plausible theories on how a terrorist might exploit a hurricane and how terrorists could use emergency vehicles. And it won't cost millions of dollars. Hell, they've come up with those reasons in many a Hollywood blockbuster.
Back to pressure cookers. Apparently, one can make an improvised explosive device from pressure cookers. In fact, the terrorists in Nepal use this as their weapon of choice. Then again, as any police officer or bomb technician or soldier in Iraq will tell you, you can make an IED from anything. If you've got the resources and some ingenuity, you can make anything into a weapon. And it doesn't cost any money to figure that out. Look at the evening news.
Yup, now we can add another characteristic to the "persons of interest" list. This is stereotyypical and quite possibly racist, but it should apply well with the current "terrorist" picture people have with Al Qaeda being in the news as the terrorist group de jeur. Do you speak Arabic? Are you of Middle Eastern descent? Do you possess a pressure cooker?
Well, I'm going to keep my eyes open for anyone possessing a pressure cooker or something resembling one. With the recent hurricane devasting the Gulf Coast and another one that could make possible landfall, it's possible that no-good terrorists might take advantage of this situation. After all, one can't be too careful during these trying times.
That's all for now.
The Early Warning Blog
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/
The Potential Uses of Pressure Cookers
http://blogs.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2005/09/the_pressure_co.html
Monday, September 19, 2005
A Couple Links...
Greetings and welcome back to the Un-Zone, the site where I am now in a link-posting rut. I guess that is better than randomly typing about nothing.
You know the phrase, "make a killing" when refering to the stock markets? According to researchers, the best stock market traders share the same mental profile as psychopaths. Imagine a broker with the cunning mind of Hannibal Lecter managing your portfolio. And he does this while drinking a nice Chianti. In the book, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter ate the census taker's liver with fava beans and a big Amarone. Just something I remembered.
Hopefully, big companies won't take this study to unsafe extremes and rationalize it with "It's good for the stockholders and the company." Then again, one could argue companies have done this before. I digress.
"Functional Psychopaths" Link
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-09-19T103604Z_01_KRA938084_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-TRADERS.XML
The following story is not meant to be taken in an offensive manner in any way. And with that in mind, consider the following question: Is it possible for the cover over an ice-cream cone to offend followers of a particular religion. Yes, if the lid happens to be designed to cover Burger King ice-cream cones in Great Britain. Why anyone would want to eat ice-cream from Burger King is beyond my comprehension. The person who discovered the "sacreligious" ice-cream cone cover said, "This is my jihad. How can you say it is a spinning swirl? If you spin it one way to the right you are offending Muslims."
"Burger King Ice-cream Cone Cover"
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1951292005
There's a day for everything. You have Valentine's Day, Arbor Day, Christmas, the list goes on and on. Well, there's an International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And it is today. So use some pirate lingo like "pieces of eight," "Arrr" and "matey" in your conversations. One must wonder when is the International Act Like a Ninja Day, as we all know that pirates and ninjas are enemies.
"Talk Like a Pirate Day"
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/buzz.html
That's all for now.
You know the phrase, "make a killing" when refering to the stock markets? According to researchers, the best stock market traders share the same mental profile as psychopaths. Imagine a broker with the cunning mind of Hannibal Lecter managing your portfolio. And he does this while drinking a nice Chianti. In the book, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal Lecter ate the census taker's liver with fava beans and a big Amarone. Just something I remembered.
Hopefully, big companies won't take this study to unsafe extremes and rationalize it with "It's good for the stockholders and the company." Then again, one could argue companies have done this before. I digress.
"Functional Psychopaths" Link
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2005-09-19T103604Z_01_KRA938084_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-TRADERS.XML
The following story is not meant to be taken in an offensive manner in any way. And with that in mind, consider the following question: Is it possible for the cover over an ice-cream cone to offend followers of a particular religion. Yes, if the lid happens to be designed to cover Burger King ice-cream cones in Great Britain. Why anyone would want to eat ice-cream from Burger King is beyond my comprehension. The person who discovered the "sacreligious" ice-cream cone cover said, "This is my jihad. How can you say it is a spinning swirl? If you spin it one way to the right you are offending Muslims."
"Burger King Ice-cream Cone Cover"
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1951292005
There's a day for everything. You have Valentine's Day, Arbor Day, Christmas, the list goes on and on. Well, there's an International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And it is today. So use some pirate lingo like "pieces of eight," "Arrr" and "matey" in your conversations. One must wonder when is the International Act Like a Ninja Day, as we all know that pirates and ninjas are enemies.
"Talk Like a Pirate Day"
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/buzz.html
That's all for now.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
The Beer 101 Course
Greetings and welcome back to The Un-Zone, where the insane are running the asylum. An interesting thing of note, if you question your sanity, odds are, you are not crazy. Those who are crazy never question their own sanity. I don't question my sanity. You decide.
Some of my first posts on this blog involved alcohol and law school. To reiterate, every law school event will feature alcohol in its many forms. No matter the event, whether it is for charity, fund raising, academic recognition, there will be alcohol involved in some way. When a law school student, alcohol will form a large part of your social life and will infect your mind. You will think about alcohol every waking moment and every unawake moment in your life. This might explain why some lawyers develop drinking problems later in life. This also explains the need for Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility courses, as the alcohol messes up with rational thinking processes. In all reality, one can sum up all the rules into the following: "Don't screw your clients legally or physically." Pretty self-explanatory.
Apparently, there is an actual course being taught at UC Davis called "Introduction to Beer and Brewing." Obviously, this will be a very popular course. There is also an upper-level course where students actually design and brew their own beer. In addition, there are beer tastings, but people must spit the beer down the drain. People actually cry when this happens. Not too surprising is that the professor teaching the course is an Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor. I wouldn't be too surprised if more people started attending UC Davis in the near future just to take this class.
That's all for now.
The Beer 101 Interview
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/18/CMGM9DDN351.DTL
Some of my first posts on this blog involved alcohol and law school. To reiterate, every law school event will feature alcohol in its many forms. No matter the event, whether it is for charity, fund raising, academic recognition, there will be alcohol involved in some way. When a law school student, alcohol will form a large part of your social life and will infect your mind. You will think about alcohol every waking moment and every unawake moment in your life. This might explain why some lawyers develop drinking problems later in life. This also explains the need for Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility courses, as the alcohol messes up with rational thinking processes. In all reality, one can sum up all the rules into the following: "Don't screw your clients legally or physically." Pretty self-explanatory.
Apparently, there is an actual course being taught at UC Davis called "Introduction to Beer and Brewing." Obviously, this will be a very popular course. There is also an upper-level course where students actually design and brew their own beer. In addition, there are beer tastings, but people must spit the beer down the drain. People actually cry when this happens. Not too surprising is that the professor teaching the course is an Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor. I wouldn't be too surprised if more people started attending UC Davis in the near future just to take this class.
That's all for now.
The Beer 101 Interview
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/18/CMGM9DDN351.DTL
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Glass Installation
Greetings and welcome to The Un-Zone, home of all things relating to Un. It's the only site where you can find out what thoughts are swimming in the whirlpool of my mind and what's happening in my non-existant, dead-on-arrival social life. I'm now one of the newest blogs listed at Tony's Kansas City, an excellent website hosted by one of the fine writers at The Pitch. That was an obviously blatant plug. Yes, Tony of Tony's Kansas City, I should go out more often. Then again, you stick out like the proverbial sore thumb at law school social functions like TGIT if they're held at bars and you don't drink alcohol. Now that's something rarer than an ill-cooked steak at one of KC's finer steakhouses. An actual law school student that doesn't drink. Comment on that, Mr. KC Strip.
Well, today's post is about the glass installation going on at KU Law. It's part of their continuing remodelling project. I'm not a big fan of the Extreme Law School Makeover. When I walk in the informal commons, I think I'm walking into the lobby of a modern art museum. You've got one section that looks like a modern take of a mall food court with tables and chairs combining ersatz-woodlike material and steel painted to look like wrought iron. The main area consists of wood cubes functioning as tables and leather chairs oddly shaped like cubes. Think earth-tones. The only good thing about the remodel job is that the chairs don't fall apart when you breathe on them. However, if you're a fan of furniture inspired by quite possibly bald Scandinavians with a pechant for ergonomic, utilitarian, and minimalist design, then this is your place. I digress.
Well, yesterday and today, the construction crew installed in new glass panes for the redesigned stairway to the second floor. I think it wasn't money well spent, as it's akin to putting the facade of the Acropolis, replete with columns and carvings, on the front of your everyday McDonalds. No amount of glass is going to make ugly look any better. At least the old design fit in with the traditional "concrete dungheap shaped like a box" desgin of most law schools around the nation, with KU Law as no exception.
In order to do this, they had to block off the entrance to the informal commons. You couldn't use the first floor doors to enter the law school. In order to enter, you had to go up to the second floor (the main entrance) and walk down a different flight of stairs located by the mailboxes. Another thing about the design of the law school. The stairwells are illogically designed. Certain stairwells give you access to certain places. You have to pick the right one or you might end up facing a locked door. Go figure. And they did the installation during the busy part of the traditional law school day, the lunch hour.
One would have thought they could have done this during the weekend, when very few students go to the law school, unless of course, one is in Law Review. The installation of glass panels on an ugly staircase can wait until the weekend. They NEED to get the plate glass installed NOW, but the problems with the heating and cooling system...well...that can wait. The daily temperature in Green Hall kinda reflects the ranking of the law school in certain magazines. Two years ago, it was in the mid sixties; last year, it was getting close to triple digits. This year, who knows what it will be? Supposedly, they've got it under control, but come winter...I think the beast will turn out to be untamed.
Well, they need to install in more panels of the stairway, but at least I have access out this building. I can't wait till I'm a 3L. That's all for now.
Well, today's post is about the glass installation going on at KU Law. It's part of their continuing remodelling project. I'm not a big fan of the Extreme Law School Makeover. When I walk in the informal commons, I think I'm walking into the lobby of a modern art museum. You've got one section that looks like a modern take of a mall food court with tables and chairs combining ersatz-woodlike material and steel painted to look like wrought iron. The main area consists of wood cubes functioning as tables and leather chairs oddly shaped like cubes. Think earth-tones. The only good thing about the remodel job is that the chairs don't fall apart when you breathe on them. However, if you're a fan of furniture inspired by quite possibly bald Scandinavians with a pechant for ergonomic, utilitarian, and minimalist design, then this is your place. I digress.
Well, yesterday and today, the construction crew installed in new glass panes for the redesigned stairway to the second floor. I think it wasn't money well spent, as it's akin to putting the facade of the Acropolis, replete with columns and carvings, on the front of your everyday McDonalds. No amount of glass is going to make ugly look any better. At least the old design fit in with the traditional "concrete dungheap shaped like a box" desgin of most law schools around the nation, with KU Law as no exception.
In order to do this, they had to block off the entrance to the informal commons. You couldn't use the first floor doors to enter the law school. In order to enter, you had to go up to the second floor (the main entrance) and walk down a different flight of stairs located by the mailboxes. Another thing about the design of the law school. The stairwells are illogically designed. Certain stairwells give you access to certain places. You have to pick the right one or you might end up facing a locked door. Go figure. And they did the installation during the busy part of the traditional law school day, the lunch hour.
One would have thought they could have done this during the weekend, when very few students go to the law school, unless of course, one is in Law Review. The installation of glass panels on an ugly staircase can wait until the weekend. They NEED to get the plate glass installed NOW, but the problems with the heating and cooling system...well...that can wait. The daily temperature in Green Hall kinda reflects the ranking of the law school in certain magazines. Two years ago, it was in the mid sixties; last year, it was getting close to triple digits. This year, who knows what it will be? Supposedly, they've got it under control, but come winter...I think the beast will turn out to be untamed.
Well, they need to install in more panels of the stairway, but at least I have access out this building. I can't wait till I'm a 3L. That's all for now.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Murphy's Love Laws
Say, I ain't got nobody, and nobody cares for me!
That's why I'm sad and lonely,
Won't somebody come and take a chance with me?
-Cab Calloway, "I Ain't Got Nobody"
Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, the official site to all things Un. You get 100% of the government's recommended daily allowance of Un and other nutritious elements in just one simple visit. Not enough people are getting their Un. Visiting this site: it's a good thing. OK, I've probably violated some copyright law there. Then again, that phrase is probably a household name by now. Any copyright lawyers out there? I could check on Lexis-Nexis, but I'm too lazy to log on and do actual research.
You know Murphy's Law? Pretty much, it goes as follows: "If anything can go wrong, it will." There are many variants of this law, but the idea is the same. Bad stuff happens at unopportune times. I'm a big suscriber to Murphy's Law and I apply it to most aspects of my life. I might be a bit pessimistical, well, maybe quite pessimistical or just apathetic and this a consequence. Then again, people say Murphy was an optimist and life is much worse than we think it to be.
So why am I prating on this subject? I found a website about Murphy's Law and the many applications in other aspects of life. Things like police, technology, politics, and love. I was interested in the Murphy's Laws of Love as I don't seem to have any semblance of what people call a "relationship." Those who randomly stumble onto this blog may wonder on my peculiar use of "people" and putting things in quotes as if I'm sort of alien who is fascinated by this subject. I am.
I found them to be amusing and a large number of them to be applicable in my own situation. Well, I've culled out a few of them and have given a short explanation on why they are applicable. Yes, I am going to make a fool out of myself or make you say, "I've been through that before!"
1. You'll think of a great line to say to someone the moment after your chance is gone.
We've all been through this before. You meet a guy/girl you like and you can't think of anything to say to them except "Hello" and a cheesy pickup line. Odds are, you didn't make a love connection and got the groove on. Or you got too scared to say "Hello" and you hid in a corner and thought of things you would have said to them. At least things that wouldn't mark you as a stalker, serial killer or total idiot. And when your opportunity to sweep 'em off their feet fades away, you come up with a great line to say. I've been through that too many times. I don't get past the "get out of the corner" stage most times. And if I do, I can't really say anything. No, I literally can't say anything. For some reason, I express myself better with the written word than the spoken word. It's too bad I can't write down what I want to say. It's pitiful.
2. Brains x Beauty x Availability = Constant. This constant is always zero.
I have to partially agree with this. Not totally, but partially. It's possible to find someone who has a nice combination of all three. People I know have accomplished this feat. Then again, it's "THEY" found somone and not "ME." There's the difference. I've had many occasions where I've found someone I've actually liked and discovered that they were seeing someone else. On the rare occasion that they were single, I never got the nerve to tell them. Which leads to Law #3...
3. Availability is a function of time. The minute you get interested is the minute they find someone else.
Maybe this should be reworded differently. It should read, "The moment you want to tell them that you're interested in them is the minute they find someone else." It's possible to be interested in them, but at the same time, you haven't told them that you are interested in them. Which might be related to the following: "The amount of love someone feels for you is inversely proportional to how much you love them." Which might explain the " I don't want a guy who is a total jerk" or "I've been f***ed over by a guy" syndrome that certain women get. These syndromes can be explained as follows...
Guy likes a girl but girl has little interest in them. She reconsiders such proposition. She accepts having a relationship with guy who likes her but she does not have much liking for him. Things fall apart and she leaves the unhappy relationship emotionally and physically screwed. This leads to bitter hatred of guy and quite possibly, wary of men. This includes those who are actually nice most of the times and those, well, who are scum most of the times. The number of guys who are actually nice most of the times is larger(I hope. If not, well...) than those who are scum and are wondering what's up with women.
I don't consider myself to be one of the "total jerk" guys and I don't think I've f***ed a girl emotionally. I'm absolutely positive(110% sure) I haven't f***ed a girl physically. Considering that I haven't had that much experience in having an actual relationship with a female might be a good factor in why I haven't done such things to females. Well, that was a nice digression...for the last law.
4. The ABC rule: If A is attracted to B, and you are attracted to C, A has a better chance with B than you do with C. B and C are often the same person.
This happens quite often. I generally lose out for many reasons. See previous three rules. One could also add in the following as well. The nicer someone is, the farther away she is from you. If you think a girl is beautiful, her boyfriend will always be there to confirm it. Being told that someone doesn't want to date you because you're such a good friend, is like being told that you didn't get the job because you're overqualified. The best women are always taken--or crazy. Then again, I don't a little crazy. The woman with 93 cats in their house...well...not that crazy.
I hope you have what I have written. It's time to go back to being single. That's all for now.
Murphy's Law Site
www.murphys-laws.com
That's why I'm sad and lonely,
Won't somebody come and take a chance with me?
-Cab Calloway, "I Ain't Got Nobody"
Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, the official site to all things Un. You get 100% of the government's recommended daily allowance of Un and other nutritious elements in just one simple visit. Not enough people are getting their Un. Visiting this site: it's a good thing. OK, I've probably violated some copyright law there. Then again, that phrase is probably a household name by now. Any copyright lawyers out there? I could check on Lexis-Nexis, but I'm too lazy to log on and do actual research.
You know Murphy's Law? Pretty much, it goes as follows: "If anything can go wrong, it will." There are many variants of this law, but the idea is the same. Bad stuff happens at unopportune times. I'm a big suscriber to Murphy's Law and I apply it to most aspects of my life. I might be a bit pessimistical, well, maybe quite pessimistical or just apathetic and this a consequence. Then again, people say Murphy was an optimist and life is much worse than we think it to be.
So why am I prating on this subject? I found a website about Murphy's Law and the many applications in other aspects of life. Things like police, technology, politics, and love. I was interested in the Murphy's Laws of Love as I don't seem to have any semblance of what people call a "relationship." Those who randomly stumble onto this blog may wonder on my peculiar use of "people" and putting things in quotes as if I'm sort of alien who is fascinated by this subject. I am.
I found them to be amusing and a large number of them to be applicable in my own situation. Well, I've culled out a few of them and have given a short explanation on why they are applicable. Yes, I am going to make a fool out of myself or make you say, "I've been through that before!"
1. You'll think of a great line to say to someone the moment after your chance is gone.
We've all been through this before. You meet a guy/girl you like and you can't think of anything to say to them except "Hello" and a cheesy pickup line. Odds are, you didn't make a love connection and got the groove on. Or you got too scared to say "Hello" and you hid in a corner and thought of things you would have said to them. At least things that wouldn't mark you as a stalker, serial killer or total idiot. And when your opportunity to sweep 'em off their feet fades away, you come up with a great line to say. I've been through that too many times. I don't get past the "get out of the corner" stage most times. And if I do, I can't really say anything. No, I literally can't say anything. For some reason, I express myself better with the written word than the spoken word. It's too bad I can't write down what I want to say. It's pitiful.
2. Brains x Beauty x Availability = Constant. This constant is always zero.
I have to partially agree with this. Not totally, but partially. It's possible to find someone who has a nice combination of all three. People I know have accomplished this feat. Then again, it's "THEY" found somone and not "ME." There's the difference. I've had many occasions where I've found someone I've actually liked and discovered that they were seeing someone else. On the rare occasion that they were single, I never got the nerve to tell them. Which leads to Law #3...
3. Availability is a function of time. The minute you get interested is the minute they find someone else.
Maybe this should be reworded differently. It should read, "The moment you want to tell them that you're interested in them is the minute they find someone else." It's possible to be interested in them, but at the same time, you haven't told them that you are interested in them. Which might be related to the following: "The amount of love someone feels for you is inversely proportional to how much you love them." Which might explain the " I don't want a guy who is a total jerk" or "I've been f***ed over by a guy" syndrome that certain women get. These syndromes can be explained as follows...
Guy likes a girl but girl has little interest in them. She reconsiders such proposition. She accepts having a relationship with guy who likes her but she does not have much liking for him. Things fall apart and she leaves the unhappy relationship emotionally and physically screwed. This leads to bitter hatred of guy and quite possibly, wary of men. This includes those who are actually nice most of the times and those, well, who are scum most of the times. The number of guys who are actually nice most of the times is larger(I hope. If not, well...) than those who are scum and are wondering what's up with women.
I don't consider myself to be one of the "total jerk" guys and I don't think I've f***ed a girl emotionally. I'm absolutely positive(110% sure) I haven't f***ed a girl physically. Considering that I haven't had that much experience in having an actual relationship with a female might be a good factor in why I haven't done such things to females. Well, that was a nice digression...for the last law.
4. The ABC rule: If A is attracted to B, and you are attracted to C, A has a better chance with B than you do with C. B and C are often the same person.
This happens quite often. I generally lose out for many reasons. See previous three rules. One could also add in the following as well. The nicer someone is, the farther away she is from you. If you think a girl is beautiful, her boyfriend will always be there to confirm it. Being told that someone doesn't want to date you because you're such a good friend, is like being told that you didn't get the job because you're overqualified. The best women are always taken--or crazy. Then again, I don't a little crazy. The woman with 93 cats in their house...well...not that crazy.
I hope you have what I have written. It's time to go back to being single. That's all for now.
Murphy's Law Site
www.murphys-laws.com
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Random Poetry...Part Two
Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, where I put the Un in "unusual" and "unstable." Just when you thought it was safe to wander in this corner of the Internet...this website comes along. The insane have taken over the asylum.
I don’t know what’s going on in my mind some days. For some reason, I’m on a one-track mind with my creativity. I’m going on a poetry writing spree right now. The poetry, if you can call it such—I call it more like creative dabbling on paper—is focusing on relationships and love, two topics I know very little on. The poetry I write right now take on the form of song lyrics. In all likelihood, I won’t be winning any Grammies for song lyrics. Well, maybe I do know something about these two topics. I seem to be becoming an expert on NOT having a relationship and not being in love. That and wanting to get into a relationship with someone but being too afraid to ask that person out and when I get the guts to do so, they’re seeing someone else and I’ve lost my chance. All those lost chances I let slip through my hands. I guess we all have those experiences in our lives. So in that respect, I can write about those particular things. Or I just think I do.
While I was an English major, I heard this piece of advice: write about your own personal experiences and what you have in your own personal knowledge. This is the best source for inspiration and material to write about. Write about those things that all people can relate to: love and hate, life and death. Not everyone will know about particle physics, but everyone will know about love, as everyone has experienced it at least once in his or her own life.
The topics of this poem—embracing the past too hard, not living life in the present, hate, building up emotional walls—are ones that I seem to have much experience on. I don’t forget that easily. I don’t forgive that easily either. You get me mad, you better hope I don’t bear a grudge, ‘cause there will be hell to pay…a lot of hell to pay. You say, “Live and let die.” I like the song sung by The Wings. It’s quite catchy. However, let’s say that phrase is not a phrase that I use a lot in my vocabulary.
Well, I hope you enjoy this poem.
Comfort at Night
When you firmly embrace the past
It weighs you down like a lead cocoon.
Or like a vicious, torturing Iron Maiden
The sharp spikes and barbs tear into your flesh,
Bleeding drop by drop, humanity from you,
Bleeding drop by drop, emotions from you.
It leaves you with a nearly empty shell
Unable to find joy in living in the present.
You can’t find comfort with others
And you spend your nights screaming.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
When you firmly embrace the past
You build up imposing, thick walls
That block out everything that hurt you.
They block out the pain that life brings
But they also prevent love from coming in.
You hate the feeling of vulnerability
And you don’t want to trust others.
The paradox of love requires having trust
And being at your most vulnerable
In order to experience it at its best.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
You can remove yourself from the vise
And free yourself from what holds you back.
The lullaby that puts you to sleep at night
Doesn’t have to be past nightmares or hate.
You can fill your life with love.
You can fill your life with joy.
You can fully embrace the present.
You can dream about a better future.
It can be a gentle caress from the one you love.
You just have to let go of the past.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
That's all for now.
I don’t know what’s going on in my mind some days. For some reason, I’m on a one-track mind with my creativity. I’m going on a poetry writing spree right now. The poetry, if you can call it such—I call it more like creative dabbling on paper—is focusing on relationships and love, two topics I know very little on. The poetry I write right now take on the form of song lyrics. In all likelihood, I won’t be winning any Grammies for song lyrics. Well, maybe I do know something about these two topics. I seem to be becoming an expert on NOT having a relationship and not being in love. That and wanting to get into a relationship with someone but being too afraid to ask that person out and when I get the guts to do so, they’re seeing someone else and I’ve lost my chance. All those lost chances I let slip through my hands. I guess we all have those experiences in our lives. So in that respect, I can write about those particular things. Or I just think I do.
While I was an English major, I heard this piece of advice: write about your own personal experiences and what you have in your own personal knowledge. This is the best source for inspiration and material to write about. Write about those things that all people can relate to: love and hate, life and death. Not everyone will know about particle physics, but everyone will know about love, as everyone has experienced it at least once in his or her own life.
The topics of this poem—embracing the past too hard, not living life in the present, hate, building up emotional walls—are ones that I seem to have much experience on. I don’t forget that easily. I don’t forgive that easily either. You get me mad, you better hope I don’t bear a grudge, ‘cause there will be hell to pay…a lot of hell to pay. You say, “Live and let die.” I like the song sung by The Wings. It’s quite catchy. However, let’s say that phrase is not a phrase that I use a lot in my vocabulary.
Well, I hope you enjoy this poem.
Comfort at Night
When you firmly embrace the past
It weighs you down like a lead cocoon.
Or like a vicious, torturing Iron Maiden
The sharp spikes and barbs tear into your flesh,
Bleeding drop by drop, humanity from you,
Bleeding drop by drop, emotions from you.
It leaves you with a nearly empty shell
Unable to find joy in living in the present.
You can’t find comfort with others
And you spend your nights screaming.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
When you firmly embrace the past
You build up imposing, thick walls
That block out everything that hurt you.
They block out the pain that life brings
But they also prevent love from coming in.
You hate the feeling of vulnerability
And you don’t want to trust others.
The paradox of love requires having trust
And being at your most vulnerable
In order to experience it at its best.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
You can remove yourself from the vise
And free yourself from what holds you back.
The lullaby that puts you to sleep at night
Doesn’t have to be past nightmares or hate.
You can fill your life with love.
You can fill your life with joy.
You can fully embrace the present.
You can dream about a better future.
It can be a gentle caress from the one you love.
You just have to let go of the past.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
What gives you comfort at night?
What puts you to rest when you sleep?
When the past nightmares fade away
And nothing is left to silence your mind
All you have left as a lullaby
Is the burning hate in your heart.
That's all for now.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
New Students from New Orleans
Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, the site where I post random things that float inside my head at any given time. Most of the times, I think what I'm thinking isn't what most people are thinking at any given time. I guess I'm just like that.
Several law school students from Tulane and Loyola have arrived here at the University of Kansas School of Law. Lawrence is nothing like New Orleans. Then again, most cities aren't like New Orleans. Even in Lawrence, which is more liberal in its tendencies than most places in the state of Kansas, doesn't have the same lassiez les bon temps rouler spirit than New Orleans is well known for. The closest city in spirit to New Orleans could be Las Vegas, but it's of a different type. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it.
I'm guessing that the new students will not be automatically reading this blog any time soon, but I found the following to be a fun exercise at least. A sort of guide to get them acquainted with the place I currently call home. Then again, they might be Kansans who decided to go to law school in New Orleans and they really don't need this.
Lawrence is called Larryville by the locals. It's quite Midwestern in its nature. Nothing like "The Big Easy." Then again, it could be worse.
WEATHER
It gets extremely hot and humid in Lawrence during the summer. So does New Orleans. We don't suffer from hurricanes, but we do have tornadoes, hail, and torrential rains. Sometimes the occasional flood. If you don't like cold weather, Kansas is not an ideal place during the winter. It can get cold. You might get a foot of snow, several inches of ice, sleet, freezing rain, and God knows what else tossed in. And they probably won't cancel school any time soon. It's extremely rare for KU to cancel school due to winter weather.
FOOD
Nothing like the New Orleans food culture. However, one can find a wide variety of food pickings. You've got more refined dining, Latin American, Greek, and other ethnic places in Lawrence. Or you could go with the standard college fare of pizza and fast food. If that's not enough, you could go to Kansas City and explore what places are there.
DRINK
What would law school be without alcohol? Lawrence doesn't have Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, or a legendary establishment like Pat O'Brian. But one can find many places to get drunk at.
I don't drink alcohol. I don't have a nightlife. So I had to rely on information gleaned from those who do, which is many people at law school. One could always go to a TGIT place listed on the numerous flyers posted in the law school. These places include The Yacht Club, Free State, Henry's, Quinton's, and a host of other bars and nightclubs. Most are conveniently located near downtown Lawrence. Here, you can find places to drink, places to eat, and places to buy stuff like books, clothes, and most of life's essentials.
NIGHTLIFE
Again, I don't have a nightlife or a social life for that matter. There are many locales in Lawrence where one can drop it like its hot, shake their tail feather, and get the groove on the dancefloor. Be sure to ask one of the many friendly law school students where they like to party on the weekend. The traditional KU law school weekend starts on Thursday night, as most students rarely have more than one class on Friday. Or you could go to KC and visit Westport.
STUFF TO DO ON CAMPUS
Despite what people might say, there are many things to do at KU. One could visit the Spenser Museum of Art which holds one of the finest university art collections. I've been there many times. There are numerous on campus events happening on any given day. On a nice day without classes, one could have a picnic by Potter Lake. I haven't done that yet as I haven't found anyone to do this activity with. There's bowling at the Jaybowl located at the Kansas Union. Or one could see a performance at the Lied Center. During the winter, if it snows and you are in Lawrence, one can go sledding down a hill on campus. Ask locals for the best spots or one can follow residence hall dwellers carrying dining hall trays on a snowy day.
And basketball. This is KU, home of the Jayhawks. Basketball, like football at Notre Dame, approaches the level of organized religion. From the month of November to April, basketball is king in Lawrence. To get a better perspective, James Naismith the inventor of basketball was the first KU basketball coach. He's buried in Lawrence. Allen Field House, where home games are playes, is named after Forrest "Phog" Allen. It is a legendary court like the Pavillion at UCLA or grudgingly, Cameron at Duke. Despite what people say about Kryzewski-ville at Duke, nothing beats Allen Field House. It's got history AND tradition. If you get the opportunity to do so, see one game at Allen and you'll understand the mystique and aura of the place. Wave the wheat, sing the alma mater, and do the "Rock Chalk" chant, the greatest college cheer ever. And after the game, you can go out to a bar and get drunk with hundreds, if not thousands of other Jayhawk fans.
I hope that this has been informative in some way. Even if it hasn't proven to be that, I hope this has been entertaining in some way. If it was neither, well, I hope you have a better understanding of Lawrence, this place I call home. Lawrence is a great place to live in. The people are friendly, open, and all around nice. Well, at least the people I know. Welcome to Lawrence and KU. I hope your stay, whether for a semester, a year, or even longer, is a pleasant one.
That's all for now.
Several law school students from Tulane and Loyola have arrived here at the University of Kansas School of Law. Lawrence is nothing like New Orleans. Then again, most cities aren't like New Orleans. Even in Lawrence, which is more liberal in its tendencies than most places in the state of Kansas, doesn't have the same lassiez les bon temps rouler spirit than New Orleans is well known for. The closest city in spirit to New Orleans could be Las Vegas, but it's of a different type. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it.
I'm guessing that the new students will not be automatically reading this blog any time soon, but I found the following to be a fun exercise at least. A sort of guide to get them acquainted with the place I currently call home. Then again, they might be Kansans who decided to go to law school in New Orleans and they really don't need this.
An Unofficial Guide to Lawrence
NICKNAMELawrence is called Larryville by the locals. It's quite Midwestern in its nature. Nothing like "The Big Easy." Then again, it could be worse.
WEATHER
It gets extremely hot and humid in Lawrence during the summer. So does New Orleans. We don't suffer from hurricanes, but we do have tornadoes, hail, and torrential rains. Sometimes the occasional flood. If you don't like cold weather, Kansas is not an ideal place during the winter. It can get cold. You might get a foot of snow, several inches of ice, sleet, freezing rain, and God knows what else tossed in. And they probably won't cancel school any time soon. It's extremely rare for KU to cancel school due to winter weather.
FOOD
Nothing like the New Orleans food culture. However, one can find a wide variety of food pickings. You've got more refined dining, Latin American, Greek, and other ethnic places in Lawrence. Or you could go with the standard college fare of pizza and fast food. If that's not enough, you could go to Kansas City and explore what places are there.
DRINK
What would law school be without alcohol? Lawrence doesn't have Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, or a legendary establishment like Pat O'Brian. But one can find many places to get drunk at.
I don't drink alcohol. I don't have a nightlife. So I had to rely on information gleaned from those who do, which is many people at law school. One could always go to a TGIT place listed on the numerous flyers posted in the law school. These places include The Yacht Club, Free State, Henry's, Quinton's, and a host of other bars and nightclubs. Most are conveniently located near downtown Lawrence. Here, you can find places to drink, places to eat, and places to buy stuff like books, clothes, and most of life's essentials.
NIGHTLIFE
Again, I don't have a nightlife or a social life for that matter. There are many locales in Lawrence where one can drop it like its hot, shake their tail feather, and get the groove on the dancefloor. Be sure to ask one of the many friendly law school students where they like to party on the weekend. The traditional KU law school weekend starts on Thursday night, as most students rarely have more than one class on Friday. Or you could go to KC and visit Westport.
STUFF TO DO ON CAMPUS
Despite what people might say, there are many things to do at KU. One could visit the Spenser Museum of Art which holds one of the finest university art collections. I've been there many times. There are numerous on campus events happening on any given day. On a nice day without classes, one could have a picnic by Potter Lake. I haven't done that yet as I haven't found anyone to do this activity with. There's bowling at the Jaybowl located at the Kansas Union. Or one could see a performance at the Lied Center. During the winter, if it snows and you are in Lawrence, one can go sledding down a hill on campus. Ask locals for the best spots or one can follow residence hall dwellers carrying dining hall trays on a snowy day.
And basketball. This is KU, home of the Jayhawks. Basketball, like football at Notre Dame, approaches the level of organized religion. From the month of November to April, basketball is king in Lawrence. To get a better perspective, James Naismith the inventor of basketball was the first KU basketball coach. He's buried in Lawrence. Allen Field House, where home games are playes, is named after Forrest "Phog" Allen. It is a legendary court like the Pavillion at UCLA or grudgingly, Cameron at Duke. Despite what people say about Kryzewski-ville at Duke, nothing beats Allen Field House. It's got history AND tradition. If you get the opportunity to do so, see one game at Allen and you'll understand the mystique and aura of the place. Wave the wheat, sing the alma mater, and do the "Rock Chalk" chant, the greatest college cheer ever. And after the game, you can go out to a bar and get drunk with hundreds, if not thousands of other Jayhawk fans.
I hope that this has been informative in some way. Even if it hasn't proven to be that, I hope this has been entertaining in some way. If it was neither, well, I hope you have a better understanding of Lawrence, this place I call home. Lawrence is a great place to live in. The people are friendly, open, and all around nice. Well, at least the people I know. Welcome to Lawrence and KU. I hope your stay, whether for a semester, a year, or even longer, is a pleasant one.
That's all for now.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Random Poetry
Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, the official site to all things Un, jsut without the indoctrination ceremonies and fees of most cults. It's the second day of a three-day weekend. I'm going to be sorely disappointed when this is over.
There seems to be a sad lack of comments on this blog for some reason. I know people read this blog as they tell me they do, but for some reason, they don't put in comments. I know that you're not required to post comments, but I would like to see them once in a while. You know who you are...
Every so often, I write poetry. Most of my earlier stuff generally involved the strange nature of my mind. Stuff like the joys of anarchy, anti-social behavior, and other stuff of that nature. Recently, for some reason, most of the poetry, if you can call it that, seems to be focusing on the lack of any sort of love life. Given that I have very little success in the relationship department, I find it quite amusing if not ironic.
And so, the latest offering from the poetry department. It has a nice rhythm to it, I guess. It could make for a nifty song. OK, so I'm not going to win a Grammy for my efforts. A lot of improvement. I guess writing about love is much better than the Apocalypse. Without further ado, "Only In My Mind." Enjoy.
Only In My Mind
As I was walking by
You caught my eye
Sitting in a chair
Fingers running through your hair
You were dressed to kill
And I felt a thrill
Just watching you
Doing what you do
You’re the only girl I see
I think about you being close to me
And it drives me crazy
This is only a fantasy
It’s only in my mind
It’s only in my mind
I can’t breathe; I can’t talk
I can’t speak; I can’t walk
You’ve cast on me some magic spell
What it is—I can’t tell
I’ve got a one-track mind
Other thoughts—I can’t find
I don’t know what to do
All my thoughts come back to you
You’re the only girl I see
I think about you being close to me
And it drives me crazy
This is only a fantasy
It’s only in my mind
It’s only in my mind
No matter what I do
I can only think of you
You’re the only girl I see
I think about you being close to me
And it drives me crazy
This is only a fantasy
It’s only in my mind
It’s only in my mind
You’re only in my mind
And not in my arms
I hope you have enjoyed this. Please leave some comments, good or bad. That's all for now.
There seems to be a sad lack of comments on this blog for some reason. I know people read this blog as they tell me they do, but for some reason, they don't put in comments. I know that you're not required to post comments, but I would like to see them once in a while. You know who you are...
Every so often, I write poetry. Most of my earlier stuff generally involved the strange nature of my mind. Stuff like the joys of anarchy, anti-social behavior, and other stuff of that nature. Recently, for some reason, most of the poetry, if you can call it that, seems to be focusing on the lack of any sort of love life. Given that I have very little success in the relationship department, I find it quite amusing if not ironic.
And so, the latest offering from the poetry department. It has a nice rhythm to it, I guess. It could make for a nifty song. OK, so I'm not going to win a Grammy for my efforts. A lot of improvement. I guess writing about love is much better than the Apocalypse. Without further ado, "Only In My Mind." Enjoy.
Only In My Mind
As I was walking by
You caught my eye
Sitting in a chair
Fingers running through your hair
You were dressed to kill
And I felt a thrill
Just watching you
Doing what you do
You’re the only girl I see
I think about you being close to me
And it drives me crazy
This is only a fantasy
It’s only in my mind
It’s only in my mind
I can’t breathe; I can’t talk
I can’t speak; I can’t walk
You’ve cast on me some magic spell
What it is—I can’t tell
I’ve got a one-track mind
Other thoughts—I can’t find
I don’t know what to do
All my thoughts come back to you
You’re the only girl I see
I think about you being close to me
And it drives me crazy
This is only a fantasy
It’s only in my mind
It’s only in my mind
No matter what I do
I can only think of you
You’re the only girl I see
I think about you being close to me
And it drives me crazy
This is only a fantasy
It’s only in my mind
It’s only in my mind
You’re only in my mind
And not in my arms
I hope you have enjoyed this. Please leave some comments, good or bad. That's all for now.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
We Are Family...
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
-Proverbs 18:24
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
-Mark 3:33
Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, a look at the inner demons and random thoughts that live in the highly unstable mind of the writer. It's possible the same demons dwell in the minds of others, but most people are afraid to admit this fact. They're the same demons, but we give them various forms and names. We live in a demon-haunted world, but we never recognize the demons exist. Do I know my inner demons? I know some of them, but I don't know all of them. They are Legion, for they are many. Who knows what other things live inside my head? I don't know and I'm sure no one else knows.
Before I get to the topic of this post, a little explanation...
When I started writing in this blog, a large number of the early posts focused on what I thought were my inner demons, the things that shaped who I am: insecurity, loneliness, having your home converted to an industrial park, etc. The rest of the posts were about topics like law school, alcohol, things I found to be sexy. After a while, I made the decision to write about more upbeat topics, to focus less on the depressing stories. If I did write about such topics, I would try to put some kind of humorous spin on it, which is very hard to do when you have the particular mindset that I seem to possess.
As you can see, if you have read the entries in this blog, I've written on an eclectic range of topics. The weapons one can build from office supplies, the numerous uses of duct tape, and cannibalism. And so it seemed that I would not write about depressing stuff or events that normally don't happen with most people, but seem to occur to me. Well, it's time for another one of these stories. Hopefully, it will be one of the last ones. And now back to the regularly scheduled post...
I know a girl at law school and her name is Megan. For some reason, I know a lot of girls named Megan. I was talking to her after Estates and Trusts one day and I asked her about her plans for this Labor Day weekend. I've been preoccupied with the weekend, ever since Monday morning. This is a rare first for me. In general, I don't hope for it to be Friday until Thursday. Some weeks, it might occur on Wednesday after a lousy or busy week. Last week, she visited her grandparents. This week, it's her parents.
Which bring me in a roundabout way to the topic of this blog, family. For most people, a family is not limited to brothers, sisters, a mother and a father. There are other people that people include like aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. I haven't listed relatives like step-siblings, once and twice removed, and other numerous designations that people have come up with. This list should be sufficient for you to understand my point. Well, I've simplified my biological family tree by a significant amount. My family? Me, my sister, and my parents. That's it. No aunts, no cousins, nothing. In Estates and Trusts terms, I've cut off most of my collaterals. I've pruned off most of the family tree in one fell swoop. Let me explain...
Put simply, I haven't been on good terms with my "family" since the summer of 1993, the year of the Midwest floods and the year when my grandmother on my father's side died. I just don't want anything to do with them. They don't exist for all intents and purposes. One would expect a death would bring the family together, but not MY "family". But first, an explanation on what caused such problems to occur.
As Pink Floyd sang, "Money, so they say. Is the root of evil today." Money. The cause of so many problems in the world. Not religion, not race, but money. Who has what. Who gets what. Let's just say that my father's relatives owed us money and they didn't want to pay it back. They used every trick in the book. They lied and cheated. They put her in the mental institution. Of course, they never admitted to doing it, but my mom found out who put her there. They put the "value" in "family values," but in monetary terms. Doesn't that make you all warm and fuzzy inside?
Just like the levees that burst during the floods, all hell broke loose when my grandmother died. That's when my father's family--my aunts and uncles, supposed family--said they didn't want us there. They didn't want to see us again, particularly my mother. My father, he's OK, just as long as he gives more money. That and stopping my mother from suing them in court. That should explain everything.
After that, who would want to have them as family in any sense of the word? Being the good Christian people that they are(one of my uncles is an ordained minister), they did their version of "forgiveness." They would "invite" us to family reunions, but they sent the invitation a week after the event occured. Then they would call asking why we weren't there. Or they might send flowers as a sign of "forgiveness". The flowers came from someone's funeral. Ain't that a great way of showing forgiveness? I was going to forgive them for what they did, but after those events...you guess.
I'm beyond forgiveness. I'm not giving it to them. I don't want have anything to do with them. Not after what my supposed "family" did.
Read the quotes up at the top of this blog. Jesus was refering to the family of spiritual believers. Proverbs refers to biologically unrealted people who act more like family than biological family. I've cut myself off of the extended biological family. These quotes have relevance.I'm confident that my immediate family--mother, father, and sister--will never abandon me or ditch me when things get bad. They'll stick with me for life. Yeah, sometimes they drive me crazy, but it's their way of showing that they care. What about the people I know, those that I consider to be friends? In most cases, I consider them to be family, more than I do my own relatives.
Who's family according to me? Someone who honestly cares about you. Someone who you can talk to about your day or the things that are bothering you. Someone to share good times with. Someone who will treat you with respect. Someone who actually gives a damn. Someone you can trust. Wow. That almost sounds like a good friend or maybe a significant other. In a way, family should be like your best friend.
Well, I think I've ranted long enough. I didn't mean for this post to be a "Look at my crappy life" post or a rap artist bio. For some reason, rap stars seem to have lousy family relationships. I'm not going down that route any time soon. And you definitely will not hear me say "Fo' shizzle" in regular conversations.
That's all for now.
-Proverbs 18:24
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
-Mark 3:33
Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, a look at the inner demons and random thoughts that live in the highly unstable mind of the writer. It's possible the same demons dwell in the minds of others, but most people are afraid to admit this fact. They're the same demons, but we give them various forms and names. We live in a demon-haunted world, but we never recognize the demons exist. Do I know my inner demons? I know some of them, but I don't know all of them. They are Legion, for they are many. Who knows what other things live inside my head? I don't know and I'm sure no one else knows.
Before I get to the topic of this post, a little explanation...
When I started writing in this blog, a large number of the early posts focused on what I thought were my inner demons, the things that shaped who I am: insecurity, loneliness, having your home converted to an industrial park, etc. The rest of the posts were about topics like law school, alcohol, things I found to be sexy. After a while, I made the decision to write about more upbeat topics, to focus less on the depressing stories. If I did write about such topics, I would try to put some kind of humorous spin on it, which is very hard to do when you have the particular mindset that I seem to possess.
As you can see, if you have read the entries in this blog, I've written on an eclectic range of topics. The weapons one can build from office supplies, the numerous uses of duct tape, and cannibalism. And so it seemed that I would not write about depressing stuff or events that normally don't happen with most people, but seem to occur to me. Well, it's time for another one of these stories. Hopefully, it will be one of the last ones. And now back to the regularly scheduled post...
I know a girl at law school and her name is Megan. For some reason, I know a lot of girls named Megan. I was talking to her after Estates and Trusts one day and I asked her about her plans for this Labor Day weekend. I've been preoccupied with the weekend, ever since Monday morning. This is a rare first for me. In general, I don't hope for it to be Friday until Thursday. Some weeks, it might occur on Wednesday after a lousy or busy week. Last week, she visited her grandparents. This week, it's her parents.
Which bring me in a roundabout way to the topic of this blog, family. For most people, a family is not limited to brothers, sisters, a mother and a father. There are other people that people include like aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. I haven't listed relatives like step-siblings, once and twice removed, and other numerous designations that people have come up with. This list should be sufficient for you to understand my point. Well, I've simplified my biological family tree by a significant amount. My family? Me, my sister, and my parents. That's it. No aunts, no cousins, nothing. In Estates and Trusts terms, I've cut off most of my collaterals. I've pruned off most of the family tree in one fell swoop. Let me explain...
Put simply, I haven't been on good terms with my "family" since the summer of 1993, the year of the Midwest floods and the year when my grandmother on my father's side died. I just don't want anything to do with them. They don't exist for all intents and purposes. One would expect a death would bring the family together, but not MY "family". But first, an explanation on what caused such problems to occur.
As Pink Floyd sang, "Money, so they say. Is the root of evil today." Money. The cause of so many problems in the world. Not religion, not race, but money. Who has what. Who gets what. Let's just say that my father's relatives owed us money and they didn't want to pay it back. They used every trick in the book. They lied and cheated. They put her in the mental institution. Of course, they never admitted to doing it, but my mom found out who put her there. They put the "value" in "family values," but in monetary terms. Doesn't that make you all warm and fuzzy inside?
Just like the levees that burst during the floods, all hell broke loose when my grandmother died. That's when my father's family--my aunts and uncles, supposed family--said they didn't want us there. They didn't want to see us again, particularly my mother. My father, he's OK, just as long as he gives more money. That and stopping my mother from suing them in court. That should explain everything.
After that, who would want to have them as family in any sense of the word? Being the good Christian people that they are(one of my uncles is an ordained minister), they did their version of "forgiveness." They would "invite" us to family reunions, but they sent the invitation a week after the event occured. Then they would call asking why we weren't there. Or they might send flowers as a sign of "forgiveness". The flowers came from someone's funeral. Ain't that a great way of showing forgiveness? I was going to forgive them for what they did, but after those events...you guess.
I'm beyond forgiveness. I'm not giving it to them. I don't want have anything to do with them. Not after what my supposed "family" did.
Read the quotes up at the top of this blog. Jesus was refering to the family of spiritual believers. Proverbs refers to biologically unrealted people who act more like family than biological family. I've cut myself off of the extended biological family. These quotes have relevance.I'm confident that my immediate family--mother, father, and sister--will never abandon me or ditch me when things get bad. They'll stick with me for life. Yeah, sometimes they drive me crazy, but it's their way of showing that they care. What about the people I know, those that I consider to be friends? In most cases, I consider them to be family, more than I do my own relatives.
Who's family according to me? Someone who honestly cares about you. Someone who you can talk to about your day or the things that are bothering you. Someone to share good times with. Someone who will treat you with respect. Someone who actually gives a damn. Someone you can trust. Wow. That almost sounds like a good friend or maybe a significant other. In a way, family should be like your best friend.
Well, I think I've ranted long enough. I didn't mean for this post to be a "Look at my crappy life" post or a rap artist bio. For some reason, rap stars seem to have lousy family relationships. I'm not going down that route any time soon. And you definitely will not hear me say "Fo' shizzle" in regular conversations.
That's all for now.
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