Christian Lawyering



Every Spring, the entire law school attends an orientation where we hear from practicing attornies who are also Christians. They speak about issues they face rourtinely in the decidedly non-Christian field of practicing law. That is what i had to attend today. It was interesting, however. Usually, the speakers are dry and colorless, but today there was an alumni who spoke of adapting the rules of dealing with disputes in Matthew 18 to a secular setting. Ironically, i blogged about Matthew18 on the 20th, as I recall. He was a humorous fellow, which is most necessary when your specialty is alternative dispute resolution. One has to connect with all parties. I imagine he does that well.



Wegot a free lunch out of it. I would up sitting across from *ahem* She Who Shall Remain Nameless, when he suddenly dawned on me: she just doesn't have the luster that i thought she did. Why did that hit me now? Is it because i am reaching the end of my career as a student? It's interesting, too, that i am not as upset about it as I thought i would be. it's just a conclusion i eached, and that's the end of it. There are so many nicer girls out there. I think handing that concern over to God has worked for me. I knew in my heart of hearts it wouldn't work out, but I'm glad I came to that conclusion peacefully rather than having her stomp all over my feelings, as i know she eventually would have.



Now, for the operative question: what's next?

Hmmm...



I really have nothing to say right now, which is an event worth noting because of its rare occurence and significance. So, as a concession to the 21st Century, I've announced it on my blog. Isn't it wonderful that any idiot with a modem can blares out his inane thoughts to the world within seconds? if that isn't the greatest concept ever brought about by man, it'll do until a replacement comes along.

Motivation



Motivation as in, "I don't have any." Thank goodness the weekend is coming up. Even though my Saturday is largely shot because of the "Chrisian Lawyering" seminar that i have to attend, I am going to have to find some way to rejuvenate myself. Maybe by starting a new project. I should start writing something again. I've defintitely been bugged my some nahhing thoughts lately related to thathuge chip on my shoulder that I dare any and all comers to knock off. Perhaps those are words that belong on paper.

Those Who Don't Get It



S.C. CONGRESSMAN JIM CLYBURN: "We see the majority of the white people in this state and a bigger majority of the black people are against our escapades in Iraq." I don't know what state Congressman Clyburn is talking about, but it's not South Carolina.

Ponderings



First, why did I take Federal Courts? It has a reputation for being impossibly difficult that everyone is aware. That means it's a very small class, so the odds of gerring called on to publicallty anayze acase pretty much guarantees a weekly grilling. Plus, it's first thing in the morning, when it's coldest. Top that off with it being essentially another semester of Constitutiona law, and you have a deadly combo.



Second, why did i sign up for Civil PreTrial? I thought it would be a general class on pleadings, depositions, and the like. Instead, it is a Virginia specific procedure class. i have to trudge through tons of Virginia statutes in order to do the work. Ninety percent of what goes on there will be completely seless to this South Carolina boy.



Third, why am I still maintaining office hours at the journal when my role in the latest issue is already completed? Seems my time coud be spent more productively elsewhere. I'm wondering if these thoughts are student burnout?

The Left's Idea of Free Speech



Comedian Al Franken knocked down a Howard Dean heckler at a speech in New Hampshire, breaking his trademark thck glasses. Defending free speech by tackling a heckler? "I got down low and took his legs out," said Franken afterwards. "I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down." Indeed.

Kerry Forgoes the South



Kerry may be on a roll in New Hampshire, but he's wise to his chances down south. He told a Dartmouth College audience that "Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South. Al Gore proved he could have been president of the United States without winning one Southern state, including his own." Actually, he new Electoral College map actually give southern states even more clout, but Kerry is fundamentally correct. It is possible for a Democrat to lose every southern state and become president. Just ask President..uh...Bush.. OK, so no Democrat has ever done it, but since Kerry has no hope of carrying any southern state not starting with the letter "F," he is very smart to make this case to primary voters.



While we're on the subject, it looks like Kerry has had a few collagen injections lately, too. Have you noticed?

Snowflakes in January



You'll have to forgive the title, but I'm from South Carolina. Snow anytime is odd, much less in January. Regardless, there is about two inches of snow on the ground. The storm is heading north, so it's expected that the snow will turn to slush and start fading away sometime tomorrow. I wandered around the village roday with my camera and took some nice pictures of the white trees and buildings. it added a character to everything that this purgatory of a state usually doesn't have. in fact, it made Virginia...almost...tolerable. For about ten seconds. Then I remembered the Palmetto State. Yes, it was a close one, but much like this snow, it just wouldn't stick.



I talked to Mike today. He is going through the BARBRI barreview course. He has to learn and memorize the nuances of two sets of law: the general principles of the multistate and the quirks of North Carolina law. They aren't always the same. He said he wouldn't wish this on his worse enemy. We used to say the same thing about law school. I haven't changed my mind about that, either. The study of law should be incorporated into our judicial system as a punishment.



JUDGE: I sentence you to three years at the Regent University School of Law.



PRISONER: Oh, please your honor! Have mercy!



JUDGE: And if I see you here again, you're getting an LL M in Corporate Taxation.



PRISONER: *uncontrollable sobbing*

Bugs Bunny v. the Axis Powers



World War II in Cartoons: Now where else are you going to see Bugs Bunny battle the Japanese and Donald Duck take on Hilter? Only here at Caviar for the Mind, my friends.

One Good Thing About Snow



My class is cancelled tomorrow, so I can sleep late.

There Snow Business Like Show Business



There is a light but steady snow flurry falling outside. A litttle while ago, i was stuck ot in it near the grocery store. i was slowly but surely fumbing my way to the car as it really started to come down. I must have looked like a newborn dawn trying out my legs for the first time. Now, as I've said before, Virginians can't drive, and when the weather is bad, they are even worse. For some reason, to them, snow means, "Go faster." I'm glad I made it home before the real looney drivers took to the streets. I expect to hear about 10 or so accidents on the radio tomorrow morning.

Quite a Good Day



First, I received my replacement sweater from LL Bean this morning. Longtime readers (assuming there is such an animal) will recall my original sweater was soiled in my accident a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly painless to replace it. My face, of course, was not as painless. Nevertheless, the scars have faded to two virtually unnoticeable lines--one on my forehead and another across the bridge of my nose. Even the lump on my head is dissapating. My black eyes faded days ago. Thirdly (hmm..I've screwed up the numbering already. Oh, well.) my eyes have cleared up enough that I can drive. Finally, and the best news, my bar exam application is ready to mail off on Monday. Thus, in oneday, virtually everything I've had weighing onmy mind has turned out well.



Now, rather than tempt fate, i'm going to settle back and watch my new DVD of Freddy v. Jason.

Warning



Beware of space monkeys who fling Dark Matter.

Targeted



I was on the hot seat for the first time in Federal Courts today. It's not exactly a fun and glorious experience. I also discovered a general unenthusiasm for this semester among several friends. I'm glad it's not just me. This feeling of, "just get me the heck out of here" is, in eality, an epidemic. Yes, this semester can't end fast enogh to suit me or anybody else.

Devotion



Here is the devotional Scripture reading i am going to present for my Civil PreTiral class tonight:



If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it

before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the

saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the

world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not com-

petent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will

judge angels? How much more the things of this life!



Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint

as judges even men of little account in the church! I say

this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among

you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But

instead, one brother goes to law against another - and this

in front of unbelievers!



The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you

have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be

wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you your-

selves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your broth-

ers.



1 Corinthians 6:1-8



If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault,

just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have

won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or

two others along; so that every matter may be established

by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to

listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to lis-

ten even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or

a tax collector.



I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be

bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be

loosed in heaven.



Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about

anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father

in heaven. For where two or three come together in my

name, there am I with them.



Matthew 18:15-20

Iowa Caucuses



I certainly didn't expect Kerry to pull this one out. I had all ideas that Dean, who has campaigned in Iowa for two years, to win. it looks like Dean's blunt nature is hurting him in the polls. I was hoping for Dean, as I think he would be the easiest nominee for Bush to beat in November. Now it looks like there might be a two horse race, not between Kerry and Dean, but Kerry and Edwards. It's going to be fascinating to see New Hampshire when Clark gets thrown into the mix as well. What do you want to bet that Dean will run as an independant candidate if he doesn't get the nomination?

Where Liberal Rhetoric Comes From



George W. Bush Conspriacy Generator: Remember to read the disclaimer before using, my liberal amigos.

Weekender



It's been cold and rainy this weekend. That has given me a good excuse to become a recluse and see if I can't speed u the healing process. I've spent this time reading a few novels. i've also worked on my home page some. A few days ago, I got a nastygram from Geocitiessaying it would be deleted if i didn't update in the next thirty days. Looks like they are trying to get rid of stagnant pages. Funnt, since even those have the awgul pop up ads on them regardless. Nevertheless, i've added a few touches here and there and will probably keep doing so for a while. As usual, y sleep pattern is awkward, and i wind up staying up at all hours. it's been nice to sit back in my easy chair and hear nothing but the refrigerator hum.



My face is healing, and my eye is clearing up. Are things improving, or am I being set up for the kill? Time will tell.

Coverage



This may be an odd thing to complain about and an even odder time to mention it, but Marvel's new policy of having pin up artwork on all their covers is annoying. Now you can't catch a hint at what the story inside is actually about. With the induxtry in decline like it is, you'd think the company would want to encourage impulse purchases with an exciting cover. I'm not sure who is in charge of marketing at Marvel, but he certainly missed the boat on this concept.

In Stitches



The stitches came out today. There won't be any visible scarring because of the quick and careful work that was done on them. Much of the swelling still remains and I'm still doing a killer raccoon impression with my eyes, but things are moving along nicely. I thought about postinga few pictures, but this isn't something I ever want to remember once it's all said and done. Once my black eyes fade, i'll have t rescedule with the eye doctor and see if I can't improve on this "fog" without surgery. Like i've said before, 2004 is not shaping up to be a better year than 2003. At least not yet, anyway.

New Discovery



For the record, cold, biting wind against a bruised face hurts really, really badly. I can remember if I've said ately how much i dislike Virgnia, so let me remind you all: I dislike Virginia. One nice thing did happen today. One of the janitor's who helped me with my injury called to check up on me. That was a very nice thing to do, particularly considering that hehas already gone above and beyond the call of duty to help me in the first place.

Ouch



I don't have a patch of skin on my face that is its normal color. It looks like someone has beaten me with a tire iron. i've thought about putting a picture up here just for the record, but I'm not so sure i want to remember these days once they are gone. There's no sense in leaving a road marker down memory lane about this little affair. The good news is that my vision is steadily claring up. it didn't do so in time to save my face, but i guess you can't have it all. i'm still debating over whether I'll go back to class tomorrow. it depends on how much I can hide with bandages.

Further Elaboration



After crashing for nearly fourteen hours, I can now assess the damage with a relatively clear head. Some of it is more acute than others. Once i put my feet on the floor, I immediately felt the jarring aftershocks. Mt neck and shoulders ache—especially my right one. I have some nice bruises up and down my arms and a huge one on my knee where I went down.



To elaborate, I stumbled over a theshold covered by carpet in our student union building. I tried for a few seconds to regain my balance, but I knew it wasn’t possible. For that split moment I knew I couldn’t save myself, I knew I was going to hit the wall. I certainly did. Face first, in fact. I was dazed, but I can remember saying my nose was broken. There were two members of the maintenance staff nearby. One grabbed me from behind to keep me from falling over, as both my head and nose were gushing blood. Someone, I don’t even know who, called 911.



Much of this was a blur, but I do recall hearing prayers, one even in Hebrew. I remember it running through my mind how interesting it is to be at Regent. I can’t hink of any other school where that would happen. It’s funny the things that go through your mind while you are spitting blood into a cup.



Well, I got the whole nine yards—ambulance ride, cat scan, six hour emergency room wait while alternating an ice pack between my head and nose. I had a three inches hematoma (bleeding under the skin) to go along with the stitches on my nose. The blood didn’t seem to phase too many. Even the janitors kept cleaning up around me without slowing down in their conversation. I assume they’ve seen much worse in their time.



I, however, have not. I have a swollen gash across my forehead, another across the bridge of my nose, and what appears to be a nice chunk out of my septum, but i can’t tell exactly how bad until it scabs over. Everthing, from hairline to neck, is a nice shade of either blue or purple, with a few bits f green just to add some variety.



The university administration has freaked. Even while I was on the floor bleeding and the paramedics were trying to keep mre from going into shock, the head administrator came down and was interrogating me as to whether I thought they might be at fault. Even Pat Robertson gave me a call to personally apologize. I’m thinking that Monday Morning is going to be a really interesting time.



I am an emotional wreck at all this. Last year was terrible, and this year isn’t shaping up to be any better I’m an emotional wreck over the scarring of my nose. It’s up in the air, but there might be plastic surgery in my future. There is no telling where this will all wind up, but one things is for certain: even when you think you’ve lost everything ,fate finds a way to take even more.

I Knew It, Part II



Scratch that last post. This motning I tripped over a loose bit of carpet in our student center and went face first into the wall. Instead of eye surgery, i now have a concussion, nearly broken nose, and a dozen or so stitches to worry about instead. There's a really nice three inhes hematoma across my forehead and a nicely colorful jaw in various shades of black and purple. Yes, 2004 is shaping up really well so far.

I Knew It!



Tempt fate and look what happens: I may need eye surgery. Just in time for my last semester of school. Not to mention the bar exam. Grr...

Back to the Millstone



Today is my last day of holiday break. Tomorrow, I have Federal Courts at 8:25. That's right, once more, I have to get up at the crack of dawn in order to take a class I don't really want. Hopefully, it will turn out as well as Business Associations did, and all the whining i'm going to do about the class will be all for naught. But, back to my pointless...uh...point, I've spennt the day scurrying about on errands and am about to settle back with a Harlan Ellison novel my sister gave me for Christmas. Oppotunities to sit quietly and read are going to be few and far between in the foreseeable future. I've got to take advantage of such things whenever I can slide them in.

A Rose by Any Other Name



Now that Pete Rose has admitted he gambled while manger of the Reds, will he be allowed back into baseball? Considering OJ Simpson is still in the Football Hall of Fame, I don't see any argument why Rose shouldn't be in Cooperstown. But what Rose really wants is to manage in the majorsagain, and that's not going to happen. He's still a gambler, as he is a regular in Vegas and at off track betting elsewhere. There's too great a chance he'll go right back to betting on--or worse, against, whatever team he's managing. if Rose gets reinstated into the business side of baseball, i'll eat my Atlanta Braves hat.

Freeze Frame



After flirting with 70 degree weather yesterday, its back to being vold and windy today. Knowwing Virginia, it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. If you can't hear my teeth chattering with your connection speed, I assure you they are. While we are on the subject of things that give you cold chills, I just spent 300+ dollars on my textbooks for this semester. Let me reiterate that this is my *last* semester. Ever. In my entire life. Finally, I have reached the point where I will never sit inside a classroom again. I have also decided, just for good measure, that I am going to put "I do not appeal federal cases" on all my representation agreements, in order to ensue I never set foot in the Dominion State again.



(FYI: Both South Carolina and Virginia are in the same federal circuit. If one wishes to appeal a federal case tha was tried in South Carolina, in must be heard in the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.)



(FYI, Part Deux: Interesting that this place is the Dominion State. I recall the alien race from Deep Space Nine called the Dominion. Xenophobic and militaristic, they attempted to destroy everyone one they could not control. Heck, I'm of the opinion that the Virginia Tourism Board should put that in their brochures. Watch out for the Jem Ha'Dar foot soldiers.)



.

Exam Grades



You will recall I previously whined about the difficulty of my Health Care Law and Business Associations exams. Health Care shocked me, but Business Associations seemed to have done me in. Well, I don't know how I managed it, but I got one of the highest grades in both classes. I am one ecstatic (not to mention relieved) camper.

Postings?



Oh, yeah. Content. On my blog. Gotcha. It's forthcoming. In the meantime, here's the top twenty show runs on Broadway and how many performances each had.



Cats (7485 performances)

Les Misérables (6680, closed 5/18/03)

The Phantom of the Opera (6650, still running)

A Chorus Line (6137)

Oh! Calcutta! - revival (5959)

Miss Saigon (4097)

Beauty and the Beast (3971, still running)

42nd Street (3486)

Grease (3388)

Fiddler on the Roof (3242)

Life With Father (3224)

Rent (3191, still running)

Tobacco Road (3182)

Chicago - revival (2976, still running)

Hello, Dolly! (2844)

My Fair Lady (2717)

The Lion King (2598, still running)

Cabaret - revival (2378, closed 1/4/04)

Annie (2377)

Man of La Mancha (2328)

So Far, So Good



We are now over thirteen hours into 2004 and nothing has gone wrong yet. Am I pressing my luck by posting this? Probably. Tempt me not, Fate.



The South Carolina Legislative session resumes Monday after the holiday break. My sister asked if I had any requests, as the Senator gets a laundry list over Christmas, and Denise is the one who filters them out. I requested a passing bar exam, a job with a six figure salary (plus benefits), and Reese Witherspoon. All impossible, according to her.



Au contraire.



If SC Rep. Creips can pass a resolution requesting the Dixie Chicks, I can ask for Reese Witherspoon. That's our republic in action.