I'm happy because...

1. my civ pro class ends on Tuesday next week. Teaching by terrorism should be outlawed. In all fairness though, this is the best taught class out of all of them.
2. my online purchase from Victoria's Secret arrived two days after ordering. Talk about superfast shipping. Turns out they're based in Columbus. Who knew?!
3. I got a $10 bath and body works gift card by mail yesterday after taking a random survey sent to my inbox.
4. I skipped class today for the first time. The Torts prof is really nice but she is rather boring. I just couldn't see myself listening to her drone on and on for 1hr. Naughty! Naughty!
5. my gas bill this month was $30. I was waiting for a monster bill because my heat is always running but was pleasantly surprised. Knock on wood?

Final Stretch

Back to school after Thanksgiving break. The only constructive thing I did was get my resume done. Ventured out to one of the malls on Friday and didn't even get out of my car because I couldn't find a parking spot. So I went home, got on the web, and ordered everything I wanted to buy online.

It's back to seriousness now. There's very little time left to prepare for exams which are in a couple of weeks. Outlines (nutshell of course materials) need to get done & mastered. Since I don't have Contracts anymore, that should free up time to get started on those. Here's my exam schedule:

Criminal Law 12/15
Civil Procedure 12/18
Torts 12/21

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nothingness

Last week, PILF (public interest...) told us that we could pay off our professors not to call on us today, the day after the Contracts exam. How this works: you pay $2 per any class you don't want to get called on and get your name on a list that is given to the prof. The money is for a good cause (children's charity). So I paid off Civ Pro. Today, 1st class is civ pro & prof tells us he has the list so if he calls on you, just say you've paid and he'll move on.

So a few people got called on, "I've paid," they said. The other cheap students who didn't fork out the money got center stage. Then he asked a question that no one had a clue & after a few "NO!" "NO!" "NO's!", I got called on to answer the question.....so in a split second I wonder should I say I'm on the list or should I hazard a guess? I hazarded a guess and I was right!

At the end of class, the prof is sorta glancing at the list and he says, "I don't think people got their money's worth. I'll let the people who're on the list, off again tomorrow." I knew he had a heart somewhere....deep...deep down in the abyss. But tomorrow, if he calls on me, "I paid" will be yelled out really loud. I had my little moment of glory and that's enough.

Today was the school's Thanksgiving lunch. We had to pay $3 or bring 3 canned goods to be donated to the homeless. It was really nice - turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, mac & cheese, tons of desserts, fruits, salads, drinks, etc.

Rented 2 movies to watch over the weekend. Mission Impossible 3 and Wedding Crashers. I went to blockbuster & out of the new releases, I had only watched 2! The last one I saw was Derailed at my sister's house last month. I was going to rent Me, You & Dupree also but I figured 2 movies with Owen Wilson is a little much. Not to worry though, I'll get caught up over christmas break.

Scientology I Do's

TomKat wedding nuptials were today.

One To Go!

The Ohio State Buckeyes beat Michigan Wolverines 42-39! Great game & just as expected, the cream of the crop rose to the top. When I first moved here, didn't think I would get into the frenzy of college football, but dammit, it's contagious. If you're not a football fan, it'll get shoved down your throat until you surrender. I mean, yesterday I went to Kroger and all the cakes they had baked had a buckeye football or helmet at the center. Ridiculous but I love it!

BCS Championship game: January 8th, 2007 Glendale, Arizona.

Opponent: Doesn't matter....an ass whoopin' awaits!

Believe The Hype

The big game is tomorrow, and the hype is ridiculous out here. The Michigan team arrived today in two buses escorted by Michigan police, lights flashing, the whole nine. The press is also here, satellite trucks galore. University of Michigan advised their students travelling to Columbus on how to stay safe:

-leave their Michigan plated cars at home

-avoid wearing Michigan logo'd apparel and keep a low profile

-avoid High Street where all the bars are located

-Michigan police will also be here to make sure their citizens remain safe

I didn't realize how much people here hate Michigan but they really do. Dumpsters around the campus are being emptied and hosed down by the Fire Dept. because fans like setting them on fire. Even those driving blue cars (Michigan colors) are advised to keep them away from campus tomorrow because Buckeye fans might light them up to celebrate their win.

Go Bucks. Prediction 34-17 Buckeyes.

"If I Did It"

Is the title of O. J. Simpson's new book coming out in two weeks. He shows how he would have killed his ex-wife & her boyfriend were he the one who had actually dunnit. He'll be on Fox Nov. 27 and 29 talking about it. I think he did it, so I'll be tuning in to find out how it all went down. Johnnie has got to be rolling over in his grave.

Summer Plans

What to do for the summer is now becoming center stage. For starters, if you're an out-of-state student, you must spend your summer in Ohio so as to get in-state tuition. Tuition is cut in half so it's a sacrifice worth making. Here's what I'm sorta thinking about doing:

1. Get a job at a firm (very difficult as a 1L). I'm hoping to get out about 50 resumes & cover letters by Dec. 1. Ambitious? Nope, people send out 200 resumes and don't even get 1 call-back. It's an exercise in futility.
2. Summer in Oxford. Take 2 classes for about 6 weeks in England. Should be lots of fun, easy grades, traveling, etc. Nice but pricey.
3. Become a research assistant for one of the professors. Pay is minimal but looks nice on your resume & you can work from home.
4. Judicial externship working under an Ohio state, federal, or supreme court judge. I don't know if they pay, but I don't plan on working for free. Damn skippy.
5. Just kick back the whole summer. What the heck......I need a break!

What's annoying me this week: Contracts exam is Monday but other professors don't give a hoot. Workload is still as much if not more because they're running out of time as the semester comes to a close and tons of material still has to be covered. So I don't crack open a Contracts book till the end of the week. And don't forget the Michigan game is this weekend and has to be watched and of course the after-party to celebrate the beatdown they'll get. Priorities....priorities....sigh.

Sheesh

I have a problem with red eyes so today I went to the College of Optometry to get them checked out. My 'doctor' was a student graduating next year who was really nice and knowledgeable. So anyway, after a thorough exam, he finally tells me:

"...and so your tears aren't generating any oils which has made your lower lid's lining wear out making the bacteria that live there more active & this is has caused your cornea to.......so I really have to go discuss this with the Dr. to figure out a cause of action."

So when he left, I'm thinking, "my God, this can only mean surgery, I'm picturing my eyeball sitting out on the operating table with someone working on it...."

In comes my 'doctor' with the real Dr. (oh no, it's even worse than I thought) The real doctor examines my eyes....AGAIN....and then says, "well, just like you were told, you do have...blah...blah...blah...so here's what we're going to do: I want you to take a hot compress twice a day and put it on your closed eyelids, put these drops in your eyes once a day, and drink more water..."

Talk about anti-climatic. I have dry eyes!

Beat Michigan Week!

Ohhh.....We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan,

the whole state of Michigan,

the whole state of Michigan,

We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan,

We're from O-hi-O

O-H-I-O

Computer Woes

Last week, my desktop was unable to connect to the internet, & after calling TWC, the technician told me it was probably hacked into and someone erased something necessary to get on the web. So anyway, the technician came out today & I'm back in business.

I have McAfee on my desktop so I wanted to install Trend Micro PC-cillin. So I uninstall McAfee, and when I try to download Trend Micro, it tells me I need to install the latest Microsoft update first before installation. This is great except for one minor detail, my version of Windows XP isn't genuine (don't ask) so updates are not an option since Microsoft only allows authentic operating systems to get updates.

Now I have uninstalled McAfee (threw out the installation CD a while back) & cannot install Trend Micro! What's a girl to do? I can't surf the web without antivirus software so I'm screwed.....or so I thought. I remembered that you could get free antivirus software from AVG & luckily it doesn't care about my bootleg XP so I was able to install it successfully. So now I'm officially protected....as much as you can be protected with free software. It has good reviews though and it beats having nothing. So that was my little computer adventure.

I had my first study group experience today for Contracts review (exam on the 20th). I think study groups can be helpful but only to a point. It helps to hear what other people think about issues, but for me, I could have gotten a whole lot more done on my own. To each one his own.

Go Bucks! Trounced Northwestern 54-10. Between us & the BCS championship game....Michigan!!

Gerald Levert died today after a heart attack. He was 40.

Should Clinton or Obama Run in '08?

No and No! I say Obama should wait at least until 2012. The challenge that faces the next administration will be cleaning up Bush's mess in Iraq. That job should be left to some of the hardknocks out there like Hillary or McCain or Giuliani or Kerry or Gore (we can hope), or whoever who's fixing to run.

It's not that I think he can't do it, I just think the business of Iraq should be over and done with before he runs, so that people will not judge him on some mess that was created by W. I think too that his inexperience in Washington will be used against him by his opponents if he runs in '08 and undecided Americans (these are the only people that really matter) will buy into that. He has no 'baggage' that we know of, so his sticking point is his inexperience.

So, as much as we want a breathe of fresh air in Washington, Sen. Obama, sit it out for a few more years. Your time is coming.

As for Hillary, she shouldn't run ever, she's too divisive! You either love her or hate her (I think she rocks), there's no in between. Her rhetoric is great for the Democratic base but that's about it. She's not going to be recruiting any undecided voters to her corner. Also, she has too much baggage. Whatever she did (or didn't do for that matter) during the Clinton administration will be scrutinized under a microscope and it's not going to be good. Whoever who'll be running against her on the GOP ticket will win. I can almost guarantee it (and it's not because she's a woman) just based on her past and present political ideologies. Way I see it, if Hillary or Obama run in '08, the Republican challenger will win.

So, because one of them will run and will win the Democratic primary, just hope the GOP ticket doesn't have someone too radical. How about Rudy Giuliani? I like him because he's considered a moderate conservative, most importantly, he's pro-choice. That's why he'd never win the Republican primary. A Giuliani & Clinton showdown would be like the 2000 New York Senate race that never was. He pulled out of the race after being diagnosed with cancer. As for McCain, well, I don't care for him, he's overrated. He blasted Obama a few months ago, so eat shit and die! Do I sound bitter?

Strengths Profile

I took a strengths-finder profile (series of timed questions where you pick an answer that best fits you) in preparation for resume writing. These are snipets of my strengths:

Maximizer - Excellence is your measure; this might mean that others see you as discriminating; you see talent and stregths in others sometimes before they do; you don't want to spend your life bemoaning what you lack; consider coaching your intramural team or volunteer to be a Big brother or Big Sister.

Harmony - You look for areas of agreement; you can't quite believe how much time is wasted by people trying to impose their views on others; wouldn't we all be more productive if we kept our opinions in check and instead looked for consensus and support?; sometimes your deep desire to "keep the peace" leads you to stay silent when you disagree with someone; recognize that sharing your feelings can lead to a win-win solution for yourself as well as others.

Deliberative - You are careful; you are vigilant; you are a private person; you know that the world is an unpredictable place; everything may seem in order, but beneath the surface you sense the many risks; rather than denying these risks, you draw each one out into the open. then each risk can be identified, assessed, and ultimately reduced; thus, you are a fairly serious person who approaches life with a certain reserve.

Individualization - Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person; you are impatient with generalizations or "types" because you don't want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person; be a mentor, you will pinpoint people's unique qualities and encourage them to follow their own paths.

Analytical - You do not necessarily want to destroy other people's ideas, but you do insist that their theories be sound; you see yourself as objective and dispassionate; you are at your best when you have well-researched sources of information and data to support your logic; you take the time to identify credible sources you can rely on; you determine the most helpful books, web sites, or other sources that can serve as references.

I thought it was fairly accurate. The school had us take it, otherwise I wouldn't put myself through a 40-minute questionnaire. Now, how all this translates to my resume is the million dollar question.

Hollywood Minute

- Ed Bradley of CBS '60 Minutes' died today of leukemia.
- Chris Rock and his wife have separated.
- If you don't watch House, you've got to start. I'm even tempted to say it's better than 24.
- Britney and Fed-ex reportedly had a pre-nup (she filed for divorce). Just give him some $$$ Brit, that way he can stop putting out albums that only sell 6000 copies.

Texas Size Whoopin'

Election news keeps getting better:

1) Dems are going to take control of the Senate (Virginia is the only hang up now). The Democratic candidate is ahead by about 4,000 votes so a recount is likely. Electronic 'hanging chad' vaguely comes to mind......

2) Donald Rumsfeld resigned today.

Can this news get any better? Yes, Bush could resign, no wait, that would put Dick at the helm....never mind.

Let me digress, one of the girls in my small section (class of 35 students) has quit! I haven't seen her all this week so I asked one of her buddies and she told me she quit, law school just wasn't for her. It's really surprising coz she was always involved in class discussions and seemed to know what she was talking about.

Election Day

11pm Update: Democrats are projected to take control of the House of Representatives! Come January, Nancy Pelosi will be the new Speaker of the House. Sweet!

GUILTY!

Sadaam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging today. The appeal is automatic and if the sentence is upheld, execution will be carried out in 30 days. It's idiotic to think this will make Iraq any safer but let's not get into that.

Conspiracy theorists are already saying Bush manipulated the timing of the verdict to coincide with Tuesday's mid-term elections.

Don't fret, it's only 806 days, 12 hours, 38 minutes till he's gone!

Internet Explorer 7

Just downloaded it and it's alright. I like the tabbing feature where you can have tabs of different web pages that you want to view without having to open a new page. I wanted to start using Firefox (better browser than IE) but I haven't gotten around to it yet. One of these fine days, time permitting.

Agenda for today: finish up my Torts paper which is due Monday morning. Also, start studying for the Contracts exam which is in a couple of weeks. Where did the semester go?

Steve Bridges

the best political impersonator out there (evidenced by above pictures), was on Larry King Live. 'Arnold', 'Bush' and 'Clinton' were interviewed. Here are a few snipets:

Larry: Do you have aspirations to national politics?
Arnold: Absolutely. I'm an immigrant and there are laws preventing me from running for president. But I would be honored to accept a nomination for Governor of the United States of America.

Larry: But you're against gays marrying, aren't you?
Bush: No, I'm all for it. I think a gay man ought to be able to marry any woman he wants....

Larry: What about the border crisis with Mexico?
Bush: Larry, I don't think it's a crisis. We have a -- we have a lot of folks sneaking across the border in order to find a better way of life. And upon seeing our gas prices they're sneaking back. It's a win-win.

It was a hysterical show. Catch it on rerun if you can. By the way, when Larry asked him what he'd do if Hillary became the next president, he said, "I'll be Bill."