Merry Christmas!

As the angels brought tidings of great joy
on that first Christmas morning,
and as the shepherds joined the small family in the stable,
may this Christmas fill you with hope and
may you delight in the closeness of family
and the nearness of God.
My constant prayer for you is peace and joy this Christmas season

Grace and peace,
Teresa

The Sexual Revolution and other random stuff.

Suzanne Fields over at Townhall.com has an interesting article about Heidi Fleiss and some of the effects of the revolution.

There is a touching letter written by the father of one of our dead heroes over at The Mudville Gazette. A must read for those intent on thanking the brave soldiers who are willing to die so that we might live in a free nation.

I've been reading about this mass transit strike in NYC all morning (well, not really all morning), and Michelle Malkin (one of my favorite (and a very prolific) conservative bloggers (check out the link on the right side of the page)) has some words on the subject.

More lawyer stuff...

UPDATE
I realized this morning (Sunday morning 12/18/05) that this was my 100th post! So there it is. The 100th. WooHoo. I think I deserve a cake for this. Not really, 100 is probably just a blip on the screen. Hope everyone has a wonderful week!


"Your lawyer spends a considerable part of his life in doing distasteful things for disagreeable people who must be satisfied against an impossible time limit in which there are hourly interruptions from other disagreeable people who want to derail the train; and for his blood, sweat, and tears, he receives in the end a few unkind words to the effect that it might have been done better, and a protest at the size of the fee."
William L. Prossner

Now, doesn't that sound like a rewarding profession?????

Stick a fork in me...

I'm done!
Well, done for the next 3 weeks. But,woo hoo - I'm halfway through!
Finals are over for the semester, and I am thrilled!
Okay, though, a quick movie review.

Finding Neverland was a really, really good movie (if you've seen and liked Big Fish, you'd probably like it; well, even if you haven't, it's a good movie).

Shorter study break

I've been working most of the day (after church of course) with just a couple of fairly short breaks, so I thought, as I listen to Michael Buble's "Home" (he has a really good voice and I really like this song), that I would post a list. I'm not big on lists, but I ran across this one on someone else's blog and I thought maybe I'd try it out. We'll see how it goes. It actually started as 7 lists of 7, but I deleted two of her lists and added three of my own, so now it's 8 lists of 7 which probably messes up the whole 7 of 7 theme (is 49 a magic number?), but I like my lists better.

Seven things I hope to do before I die:
1. Go on another mission trip (or two or more...)
2. Go skydiving
3. Travel to Syria (maybe in conjunction with number one...)
4. Read "War and Peace" (maybe after I finish "The Brothers Karamozov" I can continue my Russian literature obsession)
5. See the Rolling Stones in concert (Actually, that's more before they die; or, if not the Rolling Stones, maybe some other classic rock band that is still around and still worth seeing live)
6. Serve on a jury (that will probably never happen - no one wants lawyers on their jury)
7. See a whale

Seven things I cannot do
1. Lie (I won't play poker with people because of this)
2. Drive straight to wherever I am going (I always seem to find the roundabout way there)
3. Drink a beer (ewwwwww - the smell is enough to make me sick - not that I've ever really tried, I guess)
4. Get into "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (I don't know how many times I've opened that book...)
5. Kill spiders (creepy little things...)
6. Watch scary movies with my eyes open
7. Enjoy getting somewhere late (sorry Nicole)

Seven things I say often:
1. "interesting"
2. "it was funny"
3. "rrrright"
4. "I'm just sayin'"
5. "I don't know what to tell you"
6. "It was just frustrating"
7. "You wuined our wole wacation" (Okay, I really don't say that often, but I had to throw it in there for Kevin ;))

Seven books or book series I love - what, only seven??!!??!!
1. The Bible
2. Lord of the Rings (including "The Hobbit" and "The Silmarillion") (Tolkien)
3. The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis)
4. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
5. Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky)
6. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Wrede) (what can I say, I like children's books :))
7. The Screwtape Letters (Lewis)

Seven movies I would watch over and over:
1. Fiddler on the Roof (what, you didn't think it'd be on here???)
2. Remember the Titans (speaking of, haven't watched it in awhile...)
3. Pirates of the Caribbean (and they're coming out with a sequel - oh boy!)
4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
5. Probably the Chronicles (if they come out with all of them - or just the first if that's all they end up doing)
6. Finding Nemo
7. Secondhand Lions

Seven songs I can't get enough of:
1. Michael Buble's "Home" (at least right now - I really like his voice)
2. Switchfoot - "The Blues"
3. David Crowder Band - "You are My Joy" and "Our Happy Home" (those are fun in the car with the bass and the volume turned wayyyyy up)
4. Lifehouse - "Come Back Down"
5. Bebo Norman - "Nothing without You"
6. "Do You Love Me" - from the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack
7. "Kiss the Girl" - from the Little Mermaid Soundtrack (I think that song is funny - there's a lobster or crab or something singing)

Seven words or phrases I wish I had the opportunity to use more often:
1. propinquity (means nearness, but sounds much cooler)
2. Occam's razor (means that the simpler of two options is probably correct)
3. Sword of Damocles (Greek mythology - Damocles spends eternity with a sword hanging by a thread above him)
4. geriatric (means old, but this sounds much nicer)
5. effectuate
6. "unusual need for unquestioning adherence"
7. stymie

Seven television shows I would watch if I had the time (I'm not sure I can think of seven)
1. Law and Order
2. Law and Order: SVU
3. The Cosby Show
4. Whose Line is it Anyway
5. The Daily Show with Jon Stuart
6. The Colbert Report
7. West Wing (ooo, looky there, I did think of 7!)

Okay, that's enough listing from me, it turned into a little longer break than I anticipated. I'm getting back to studying and then to sleep. Everyone have a good Monday!

Forget studying!

Studying is for the birds. Preferably the ones that fly over my car. Not really - I really am studying sometimes this week/weekend. I just take frequent long breaks (nothing to lose one's health or mental state over - although, there are people out there who would say I've already lost the latter). So, took a couple of 'study breaks' this weekend to have some kind of fun!

Switchfoot, Lifehouse, Howie Day...




What an awesome concert!!!

Then,


NARNIA!! I wish I could walk through a wardrobe and end up in a different world (a world that has never heard of law school...). It was a great movie - stayed pretty close to the book (I love it when they do that).

Anyway, an all around great weekend with minimal school means that starting tomorrow, nose to the grindstone (I don't know exactly what that means and it sounds painful, but there it is nonetheless). I did get some studying done, though, so it's not all as bad as it sounds AND Monday's test is over my favorite subject, so it shouldn't be too bad. But, we shall see - tomorrow, I'll be studying about the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments all day, so if anyone wants to join me and hear me rant and rave about the breakdown of our criminal justice system, give me a call, people are always welcome!

Random pictures

I couldn't think of anything substantive to post about tonight, but I felt like posting something, so I thought I'd comment for a moment on finals and then post some random pictures. I am in the middle of finals - one down, four to go (but, two of those are take-home). Tomorrow is an evidence final - any volunteers to take it for me? Okay, now, on to random (and unfortunately, fairly old) pictures (and since I've figured out how, with captions!


Fun with Christmas tinsel! This is my former roommate Nicole (no, she's not 'former' because of this picture).



Kevin graduating (last spring of course) - doesn't he look educated?



Nicole's little sister. Sorry Becca, I think you have a few more years before you can get your own flat hat.

Okay, I'd post more, but I can't get them to work at the moment. So, keep watching for them while I avoid studying next week!

You have to be kidding me!

I found a new blog this morning during my 10 minute study break (amazing how much one can do in 10 minutes). Anyway, there's a very interesting article on it today about a campaign by atheists at the University of Texas to get students to trade in their Bibles (and other religious literature) for pornography, calling it 'smut for smut'. What an appalling thing to read!

Study Break!

I don't know how much of a 'study break' Saturday night was because I didn't get much studying done all day (kinda like right now!), but it was fun, nonetheless, and I want to call it a study break if only to make myself feel better about finals, so I'm going to. Saturday night, Omar and Thomas cooked some really good food for a bunch of fun people. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera quit on me after 4 photos, but those are fun, so here you go!

And, to my credit, I think I have finally figured out how to post pictures where I want them in the post so I can put captions underneath. How marvelous!



Here are Kevin and Thomas (cutting dessert, I think, but who knows what they're doing?)



Here are some of the group enjoying each other's company after dinner.


This is the same photo pretty much (only with the guys cut out, sorry guys), but the girls got upset that they weren't allowed a chance to pose, so I gave the people what they wanted. (although it looks like Andrea was posing in the earlier picture - she's the only one who was paying enough attention to know that someone had a camera, I guess)



And here are some of the rest of the group having fun with another camera. I really wish that my batteries hadn't given out.

File Extension?

Hmm...it's been awhile since I've posted anything. So, here's something rather random.
I was looking for something online, and apparently I typed in something that wasn't too helpful, and the first result was some quiz on bbspot.com: what file extension are you. So, I thought I'd post the results:


Which File Extension are You?

Also, just as a side note, go OU - well done this weekend!

Around the web in 1,824 seconds

Everyone stop for a second and figure out how many minutes that is because I am not going to tell you ;). Okay, now, on to our trip around the web for this evening:

Hold on to your children's diapers!
Phyllis Schlafly discusses the latest example of the government taking parental control out of the hands of the parent. No big surpise that this decision comes from a Ninth Circuit that has produced fruity decisions many times in the past.

Journalist writing about journalist!
Suzanne Fields (one of my fave columnists discovered this year) writes about Maureen Dowd (NY Times 'journalist'). I would link to an article written by Maureen that I read a few days ago (an excerpt from what I'm sure is a not very good book), but the NY Times website does not allow you to get older articles without paying a fee, so, sorry everyone. Ms. Dowd has a new book coming out titled, Are Men Necessary? As Suzanne graciously points out, the book leaves the readers with questions, not answers. Something tells me that they are, but that may be because I have read Genesis and Ephesians. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Judges don't have funny bones, a lawyer should know that!
Apparently some lawyer has been posting anonymous comments about judges (and justices) around the country. He has recently been 'outed' (remind anyone of the 'Plame affair'?) and is now a little nervous (I can't imagine why - what if he has to go before one of the judges he's written about?).

Holiday shopping already?
First, Thanksgiving is next week, why is everything Christmas already out? Second, msn.com has done what it does for every holiday (including, I think, galleryfurniture.com day), although this is only the first installment for Christmas. The perfect gift for a man. The perfect gift for a woman. I guess what irks me is that I've never found any of their 'perfect' lists to be helpful.

The internet may soon undergo an overhaul.
Apparently the group who has been quietly managing the world wide web is about to lose its lease on whatever one has a lease on to do that. So, the world leaders are meeting in Tunisia to discuss the fate of the global community. Should be interesting. The most intriguing part of the article is the fact that the countries most vocally opposed to the group managing the net being privatized and centered in the US are countries with histories of repression and censorship (although most of the rest of the world is also against it). Or maybe it's the fact that in Uzbekistan, the government changes the pages its citizns can view without the citizens ever being aware of it. The article also gives a quick and dirty summary of how some countries deal with their citizens being online. Who knows how this one will turn out.

A little celebrity news:
Death row vigils bore me.
Not really, but Snoop Dogg going to death row vigils does. First, why is this news, and second, what makes him think that this convict does not deserve the death penalty?

I think I prefer Oprah's list (and I almost cried when she put a couple of my favorite books on her list).
50 Cent has some new books. I don't know if he's actually going to write them himself or if he'll get a ghostwriter like Hillary Clinton did or if other people are going to be writing books and he's just going to put them on his list.

And a little bit of sports news:
Congrats to OsU for beating a highly ranked Texas Tech team. Hope OU can follow that performance.

OU has crept into the BCS standings. Granted, at #25, but still, we're on the list!

K-State loses their coach!
Bill Snyder has announced that he will resign at the end of this season. That's really too bad, I liked him.

Long awaited answer...

Okay, so I promised to post the Mad Lib stories if I got any responses. I got two, so here we go:

Nicole's
On Tuesday, William was driving down the street in Toronto. William saw a Misal restaurant and decided to stomp for lunch. William stopped the Maybach and got out. William walked into Misal and saw Jessica. Jessica waved at William and exercised. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a water buffalo jumped out of the kitchen and drank. William screamed and Jessica yelled Holy Crap! Then the water buffalo ran out the front door of Misal. He then investigated all the way to the city zoo and locked himself back in his cage. William bought with relief and Jessica sailed and went home. William and Jessica never spoke to each other again.

Megan's:
On Monday, Ryan Cameron Dexter was driving down the street in Oklahoma City. Ryan saw a Furr's Cafeteria and decided to dance for lunch. Ryan stopped the Pinto and got out. Ryan walked into Furr's and saw Megan Joann Ford. Megan waved at Ryan and shuffled. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a kitten jumped out of the kitchen and fluttered. Ryan screamed and Megan yelled What the Crap? Then the kitten ran out the front door of restaurant name. He then teetered all the way to the city zoo and locked himself back in his cage. Ryan moved with relief and Megan skipped and went home. Ryan and Megan never spoke to each other again.

Whew, that's a lot more work than I gave it credit for. Oh well, it's a fun exercise :).

Mad Libs

I think people have stopped reading my blog, but I don't really care. I got this really fun idea a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn't had time to mess with it since then. However, I thought that I'd try it out tonight. Here's the dealio: I need some help coming up with a story, a very short story. I don't know if anyone remembers the old mad lib exercises where one would do this, but I thought it might be fun to try one. Here's what I need:
1. day of the week
2. proper name
3. name of a city
4. name of a restaurant
5. action verb
6. name of a car
7. proper name
8. action verb
9. animal
10. action verb
11. exclamation
12. action verb
13. action verb
14. action verb

If I get any responses, I will post the story(ies) later this week :).

How many...

How many law students does it take to find the the OBA (Oklahoma Bar Association) Conference in downtown OKC?

4 and a policeman (who actually said he didn't know of a hotel called the Sheraton, did we actually mean the Hilton?). No, my dear serviceman, we meant the Sheraton. Why oh why are there so many one-way and dead end streets in downtown OKC? And why oh why don't I know my way around down there better? Both questions racing through my mind as I tried to carry on a conversation with my passenger and remember at the same time exactly where the Sheraton was and where one could park near it (we finally called someone else - the 4th law student - for exact directions). Boo on navigation without a map. This actually may deserve its own top 10 list, so here it is,
The top ten signs that you are a lost law student (we weren't lost, by the way, we knew exactly where we were; we just weren't sure how to get where we wanted to be):

10. you wish you were out in practice so you could be thinking about a client and billing the client for the time that you are spending getting somewhere
9. you actually become concerned that you have not read for your classes next week
8. you start thinking about ways you can get out of a parking ticket if you just leave the car and start walking
7. you stop a police officer to ask for directions, and are disappointed when he doesn't ask to search your car
6. you drive around looking for signs of the conference you are trying to attend, knowing that an organization of lawyers such as the OBA would certainly have signs about a block or two away to lower their liability in case something happens
5. you waste the gas driving around the block because you know there is a closer parking garage so you don't have to walk as far in your heels and business suit
4. you waste the gas driving around the block because you know that there has to be a cheaper parking garage because you spent your last couple of dollars on lunch
3. when you stop the police officer for directions, you consider asking him if he's ever effected a 4th Amendment violative search
2. you are so engaged in a conversation about the 11th Amendment that you miss your turn twice
and the number one sign that you might be a lost law student:
you are so busy looking for where you need to be that you have stopped thinking of people you could sue

Okay, not as good of a list as the last, but still fairly true. And, the first line in the post really is the question that my friend asked the person we called for directions (I have to give credit where it is due!). I thought it was so funny I actually asked if I could use it (wouldn't want to run afoul of any copyright laws :)).

My first top ten list!

Ten signs that you are an ill law student:
10. You accidentally snap at a professor when he refuses to call on you
9. No one can hear the Evidence professor over your coughing, and that is the only reason you decide to get cough drops.
8. You consider taking a nap in Constitutional Law even though you actually are prepared for class.
7. You consider skipping class to take a nap, not because you have not read for class
6. You cannot hear the Constitutional Law professor when he approaches you after class to thank you for correcting him in class
5. Your cousin takes credit for the correction spoken about in number 6
4. You actually play spider solitaire in class because your brain cannot force you to pay attention
3. You can't complain about a class because you can't stop coughing long enough to get out the words: "I hate that class"
2. You threaten to cough on someone who forgets to bring you medication
And the number
1. sign that you are an ill law student: you feel lousy, but you cannot think of anyone to sue over it!

I admit that some of those actually characterize a well law student (numbers 7 and 4, specifically).

Alito it is!

So, Miers does the President a favor by withdrawing her nomination. Thus begins the rehabilitation of the presidency. No one knows if it will be successful, and to be truthful, not everyone believes that rehabilitation is necessary - we must stand behind the man we elected, after all. However, Bush seems to have been alienating his base - the people who elected him, so maybe rehabilitation is appropriate, if not necessary.
I have to laugh at the fatuous (I knew I'd use it somewhere along the line since the challenge, and I think this is a particularly appropriate usage) hopes of the Democrats. Chuck Shumer was already on television this morning stating how he was so 'surprised and disappointed' that the President appointed a justice who will 'divide the nation' instead of 'uniting the nation.' I understand that Miers seemed rather like one of those justices, since she was recommended by Harry Reid and seemed (although, she never made it to the confirmation hearings, so we may never know for sure) to be like another O'Connor who seemed to decide a case based on the way the wind was blowing over China on a given weekend. Alito seems to be very qualified and capable of holding his own - I am really looking forward to the confirmation hearings.
A little background for those of you who may not have looked him up yet: he has been on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals since 1990. Appointed by Bush Sr., he was confirmed unanimously by the Senate. Let me repeat that: unanimously. Not only was he confirmed unanimously, but apparently, many of the Senators also made very, very approving, flattering comments about his impartiality and his ability to interpret the Constitution and how he would be the type of jurist the Americans deserve. Another very intersting tidbit - the Third Circuit is the Court through which Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 510 U.S. 1309 (1994), the case that affirmed the principle adopted by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1971), came. Judge Alito wrote the dissent in that case at the Third Circuit, his dissent was cited and quoted by Rhenquist's dissent at the Supreme Court level.
The Democrats are already discussing filibustering.
Let the confirmation games begin!

Miers...

So Miers threw in the towel. I don't know if this is for the best, and I suppose we'll have to wait and see who President Bush appoints next. It makes me wonder why? Was it the fact that she didn't seem to have the requisite number of votes? Was it the fact that her name was being smeared all over the news by both the right and the left? Who knows. The one thing I hope now is that President Bush appoints a good conservative justice!

Childhood 'Dreams'...

When I was younger, much younger, I wanted to be a veterinarian....I wanted to be a dancer....I wanted to be a singer....I wanted to be a basketball player.....I wanted at some point to be a policewoman....
Then I decided I wanted to be a lawyer.....go to school in Austin, TX.....live for the rest of my life in New York or Florida in a one bedroom apartment.....
So the lawyer part I haven't given up on, but:
I'm a bit squeamish, no anatomy for me...
I have two left feet...
I only sing in big groups...
The two left feet again...
I don't really know what happened to the police gig idea...
I became a Sooner - I now dislike anything to do with burnt orange...
Crime...
hurricanes...
I don't like to live alone...

Life happens in strange ways sometimes. I noticed something about those, though. Many of them have to do with being the center of attention (call me a sanguine ;)). I just thought it was very interesting how God has changed my dreams and my life as I've given more and more of it over. Now I dream of changing the world, of bringing justice to those less fortunate - here or somewhere else in the world. I'm excited to see whether/how God will change those dreams (I realize that they are much more abstract than a dream to be a famous singer). I don't know what will happen in the future, but what I do know and take great comfort in is that if 'my' dreams are not in God's will, as long as I place my hand in His, He will change them and make me perfectly content to be where He puts me.
What were your childhood dreams? And what are you doing now? And, perhaps the more important question - can you see how God changed your dreams?

Eternity...

I was going to write and send a very complaining email this evening. The person I was going to send this to did not know that he/she was going to receive such an email, but if he/she had known, he/she would be pleased that he/she did not receive such an email. Names have been excluded just in case I decide to send this email later (you never know). I decided not to send the email because I have a Matthew West song stuck in my head.
"I'm holding all of my life
up to the light
the light of eternity
I know what I should let go
I see what matters most
in the light of eternity
I want You to see me shine
in the light of eternity"
That's the chorus (i.e. what I have stuck in my head). What does that have to do with an email? I'm glad you asked ;). I realized as I was about halfway through the email that in the light of eternity (see, see, the lyrics...), what I was about to spend a good part of half an hour composing doesn't matter. I think the song is actually speaking of something more important than an email - probably about how we spend our lives. However, I also think that it has applicability to more than just how we spend our lives in a big way - namely, to how we spend our time and, more appropriate in my email situation, our attitudes. My attitude was one that was not glorifying to God. My attitude was not one that I would like to have for eternity, so why would I even want to have that attitude for 5 minutes (much less the half hour I would have spent on the email)? I think I'd much rather spend my time using my attitude to glorify God. So, I've decided to get rid of my complaining attitude and replace it with one that is much more cheerful (at least on the issue I was going to write about). So, I have been once again exhorted (this time by lyrics in a song) to examine the aspects of my life (the song does say, "all of my life") in the light of eternity, not in the light of the moment or in the light of this world (now there's a scary thought).
"Rejoice in the Lord, I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil. 4:4

Moose? Mousse?

I saw this 'suggested search' on msn.com and had to laugh: "News: Moose collisions". So, I clicked on it and these are some of the stories that came up:

"Landing in Alaska? Fear moose collisions no more!"

"Airport gets anti-moose mat"

and the best headline?

"Oh deer, traffic getting hazardous" - really about a moose-car collision.

However, if you search on google for "mousse collisions", you get mostly French translation sites. How funny is that?

Okay, you've had your moose for the day.... or is that mousse?????

A story about the US tax system

"Understanding Tax Cuts"
by David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D

Sometimes politicians, journalists, and the liberal left exclaim: "It's just a tax cut for the rick!" and it is just accepted to be fact.
But what does that really mean?
Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, I hope the following will help. Please read it carefully.
Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay out taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20." Dinner for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal.
So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paide $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
EAch of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man He pointed to the tenth man, "but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most bnefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

Poetry redux

So, last night was by far the worst of the semester so far. I absolutely could not sleep. So, I got up and journaled for awhile and wrote some poetry. The last suggestion I received for poetic inspiration was the sunset, so that's what I wrote about.
Only one imagination is big enough to think up the beauty of a sunset.
My pitiful attempts fall far short of describing it adequately.

The sun whispers to me as it leaves the sky:
God willing, I’ll be back in the morning
The bright oranges speak of glory to come:
God willing, tomorrow will be as glorious
The subdued pinks murmur praise:
God willing, we will grace the sky again
The fiery reds shout in exaltation:
God willing, we will always reflect His face
I sing back into the quickly disappearing blue:
God willing, I too.


a blue sky laced with pink ribbons
the fingers of a setting sun
they reach out to grasp, to extend daylight a
little longer
but there is nothing to hold on to and slowly they fade
one final gasp of bright oranges and reds and pinks fills the sky
before the glowing orb takes
the final plunge and disappears


The water nibbles at the sun as it slowly sinks
Until nothing is left
Just the stars and the moon
Points of light in an endless sky

Okay, so it's not the best poetry I've ever written, but what does one expect at midnight?

Musings on Rocky, Coulter, and Miers

I admit, I enjoy the Rocky movies - all five of them (although, I do not advise watching all five of them in a row). However, there comes a point where it gets a little excessive. Sylvester Stallone is 60 years old. And they're going to make a 6th Rocky movie????? Ummm....okay....I will not see it in the theatre (I didn't see any of the others in the theatre, of course, I was only 9 when the last one came out and I wasn't even born when the first came out). I may see it when it comes out on video, but I rather doubt it. Each successive Rocky movie was worse than the previous (the first, obviously, in my opinion, was the best), and I can only imagine what a 6th will be like.

Ann Coulter is offensive. I knew this before, and I don't care for her because of this, but she has personally offended me. Here's the paragraph:
"The average LSAT score at SMU Law School is 155. The average LSAT at Harvard is 170. That's a difference of approximately 1 1/2 standard deviations, a differential IQ experts routinely refer to as "big-ass" or "humongous." Whatever else you think of them, the average Harvard Law School student is very smart. I gather I have just committed a hate crime by saying so."
Now, the issue of Miers to the side, Coulter seems to suggest with this comment that the average person who attends a law schools with lower average LSAT scores is less intelligent than the average graduate from a law school with higher average LSAT scores. She is wrong and I am offended by her suggestion. Some persons choose to go to a school because of other reasons than the school is a top-5 law school. One reason perhaps is that those schools are incredibly expensive to attend. Many law students do not want to spend their short lives after law school working at a heart attack producing rate to pay off loans. Many students want to get out of law school and enjoy the rest of their lives doing a job that they enjoy, not one that makes them unpleasant to be around and makes them want to pull all their hair out. I realize that Coulter's article is directed at Miers' qualifications, and I admit that the fact that she graduated from SMU does not make me want to scream appoint her to the SCOTUS; however, the belief inherent in Coulter's article does make me want to scream confirm her to the SCOTUS so that we can undermine the idea that only Harvard/Yale graduates are worthy of any respect.

On the Miers issue, Peggy Noonan has an interesting article about it. I think I actually agree with her.
Here's the other side of her argument, though, to be fair.

More on Miers: Cal Thomas also has an article on Miers (who doesn't at this point?) - his editorial article is about her faith. He makes several good points about the use of her faith by her supporters (which at this point seem to be only the Bush family and a few faithful - just pointing out what seems to be the case!).

Reflections on the weekend

So, I haven't had a very good weekend - my tires get ripped off and we lose the football game. However, I have some positive thoughts from the weekend. I thought I'd share.
"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20 - this is the verse from the sermon this morning.
The second result of the spirit filled life is thankfulness toward the Father - a thankfulness that flows out of a full heart.
Give thanks for everything. Here's the twist that hit me this morning: not only for the good things (although those are included), not only for the things I wanted or needed (although those are included as well), but for everything. Let me say that again: for EVERYTHING. So, that includes things that I don't want to have happen.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28
"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job 1:21.
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor...O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Psalm 8:3-6, 9.

I really had things put in perspective this morning during the service. Ronnie talked about how we gripe and complain, revealing our prideful carnal natures because it reveals our belief that we deserve more than we have been given. It shows how we disbelieve the truths about God - especially the truth that God provides everything that we need: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Not to mention the fact that what we deserve is hell (as Ronnie succinctly put it). So, I was thinking about it - obviously I should be thankful that, in the griefs and pains in life (that are not to be trivialized, they really do hurt), that infinitely small speck of hell is the only part of hell I will ever have to experience. If that thought doesn't make your heart overflow with thankfulness to the Father, and you are a Christian, we need to check for a pulse :).

At any rate, the weekend is over, school is back in session tomorrow for three days (woo hoo!), so this week should be great! Hope everyone else has as good of a week as I hope to (although, I guess I ought to start my outlines this week - blech).

Oh, I have one more fun story (well, fun in hindsight): I took my car in to get the tires aligned (unfortunately, something I found out this weekend is that tire places do not deliver, so we had to go get the tires and bring them back and put them on the car) yesterday morning. So, they took care of my car, and I went into the tire place to pay, and they told me that one of the trailing arms was bent, preventing them from aligning one of the tires (apparently when the kind thieves left my car up on someone else's rims, they bent it (if you look at the picture on my earlier post of just the tire, you can see the bent trailing arm - I'm assuming everyone out there knows what that is - I had no idea until yesterday)). The guy helping me (not the same guy as Friday, so he didn't know why I had bought new tires) told me all this, and I asked in a rather small voice how much it was going to cost. When he told me, I guess the magnitude of what happened hit me, and I almost started crying. Well, the poor guy got this look on his face that said: "Oh my goodness, there's a girl in the store who is about to lose it, what am I going to do?" At the time, it wasn't that funny, but in retrospect, it was really hilarious. Here I am, thinking about my tires and cost and everything, and this poor guy is trying to help me. I felt really sorry for him. Okay, that's all I've got - have a great Monday!

Fixed!

Well...a few dollars and a few hours later, my car is healthy again. It's a bit upset with me because I promised that I would wash it this afternoon, but I didn't have time, so I promised it that I would wash it in the morning. So, this story is one for the books. My wheels and tires and everything were gone when I went out to my car this morning (as mentioned in the earlier post). So, my cousin Court and his roommate came down to help me go get new tires and put them on my car (the tires and wheels you see in the earlier picture). And I am soooo thankful for their help - I certainly could not have done it myself (although Nicole and I might have been able to, I'm glad we didn't have to find out). So, they came down to Norman, and we went out to Dean's (Court's roommate) truck to go get new tires, and the truck wouldn't start. So, we went and ordered the tires. Then we decided to go to Quizno's for lunch - Quizno's was closed. So we went to Taco Bell instead. Then we went back and tried to start the truck again - no luck. So, we drove to the city to get Court's vehicle while Dean stayed in Norman and called a tow truck and had his truck taken in to get fixed. So, we finally get back, the tire place calls and tells me that my tires are ready. So, we go get the tires, come back to the apartment to put the tires on the car. Get to putting the tires on the car (and figuring out the jack that came with the car was kinda difficult, but that's another story - well, I guess it's part of this story, but I'm not going to go into that here), and realize that we didn't have the allen wrench we needed - we hadn't returned from the tire place with it - they still had it. So, for the third time, while the guys put the rest of the tires on the car, Nicole and I went to the tire store to get the allen wrench. When we got back, the guys were finished with the tires and were merely retightening the lugnuts. So, we took it for a little spin and it felt fine. I'll wash it tomorrow and take it in to have them align the tires or whatever they do with those things when they put new ones. Yay for new tires (except for the cost and the wear on me from putting them on and the distress from realizing they'd been stolen in the first place!). Yay for new tires when you need new tires!

My poor car...

This is the sight that greeted my eyes this morning. Yes, to confirm your belief - this is my car. I was awakened this morning by my roommate asking me where I had parked (keep in mind that I was planning to go to work this morning, and my roommate leaves for work just before I get out of bed). So, I told her, and she said, I was afraid of that. Teresa, they've stolen your tires. So, my first response was...what? A bit disoriented, I put my contacts in and went outside to my car to take my first look at my poor vehicle (what did it ever do to these people?). They took everything: the tires, the wheels (the rims that the car is jacked up on are not mine, they took mine), and the lugnuts - they didn't even have the decency to leave those! Although, they didn't take anything from inside the car - that's a blessing (not that there was really anything to take, I guess). So, this morning I've already talked to the police, the apartment manager, and three tire retailers. This is turning into one expensive semester! To say the least, I haven't made it into work (don't know if I will today). I am so blessed with friends, though, they're all willing to help (the ones who aren't at work, the ones who are at work are all very sympathetic, wishing they could help). I'm very thankful for that! And I've been reminded of Philippians 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
So, I got to thinking this morning - it could be worse! I could be in New Orleans and the entire car could be under water. They could have taken the entire car. I could not have had a car for them to take in the first place. Amazing how you can put something like this into perspective (don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy about it happening, and the thieves had better hope they never get caught - not that it's likely - they didn't leave prints and what are the odds that the police will get them with no leads? :)).
I'm also watching my all-time favorite movie, "Fiddler on the Roof" - that always cheers me up (that's why I put it in).
I guess the upshot of this entire experience is that I've got one more experience to write about and to stick in my repertoire of memories and fun stories (well, it'll be fun once I get over the shock). I'm still in shock, but I am already missing my rims - I really liked them. Plus, I had those really nice, really expensive low-profile tires on it (can't afford to put those back on - and I wouldn't want to just so someone can steal them again!). So, the car won't look quite as nice after I get the new tires on, but it'll look much nicer than in the picture above!!!!!
The moral? I don't have one - check back later.

What's Next? People paying to use a torture chamber?

I came across this story about a rather remarkable restaurant in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Across the road from Tuol Sleng (the school turned prison during the Khmer Rouge reign of terror from 1975-79), a couple of aspiring restauranteurs have attempted to re-create the atmosphere of the Khmer Rouge with their theme restaurant. I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure that I would pay to sit at a restaurant where waiters and waitresses walk through with the black pajamas that were rampant during Pol Pot's rule of the country. Not to mention the fact that the menu strikes me as a bit odd - rice-water and leaves? Not to mention that the $6 price tag for a meal is a bit high for the country. Although, I suppose for foreigners wanting to learn about the history of the country, it might not be so bad. I don't expect to partake of it any time soon, though!

Awakened at the End of September!

Well, it's the end of September, so everyone who was waiting for the end of September to wake up (Green Day :)) can wake up!
So, I decided to write some thoughts at the end of the month. Here's the list:
1. Wednesday, or maybe Sunday night (or maybe even last Saturday morning), I was hit by a wave of nostalgia. I started thinking about childhood and the crazy things that my siblings and I did and about high school (as fun as it was, I really wouldn't want to do it again - college, maybe, high school, never). Anyway, I started thinking about how that time in my life really shaped how I am today. Although, I rather think I prefer to be on this side of it looking back than going through it again (don't mishear me, I really enjoy the experiences when they happen, but sometimes it's better to be looking back at them). And then I started thinking about how great I have it and how much God has blessed me. I have two parents who are just full of sense (now, at least, when I was in high school, they didn't make much sense to me - I must be getting old), two siblings who are unbelievably talented and intelligent and who are just a joy to be around (I haven't seen either of them in awhile, so that might have something to do with my warm feelings!), friends who support me and without whom I would definitely not be in the place I am (although, they're probably getting really tired of watching Law and Order with me!), and a wonderful church family. And, to top all that off, God has allowed me the privilege of dating a terrific, honorable guy who not only puts up with all my whining about law school, he puts up with the fact that I've gone off the deep end when it comes to the law. There are not enough hours in the day to relate all I've been blessed with, I've just named a few - a few of my treasures (Matt. 6:19-21).
2. I promised Court that I would use the word 'palpable' in one of my next posts. I fully intended to use it in last night's, but I completely forgot! So, here we go (and don't worry, there will be a way to use it that doesn't just give the word and a sentence using the word :)). Last night, I taught some people how to flowchart legal ideas. The rampant fear in the law school emanating from the 1L class is palpable. Ahh, I remember that year (how could I forget? It was only last year!). The late night studying, the cram sessions with my study group, the absolutely terrifying finals that loomed over me like Hurricane Rita loomed over Houston (of course, Hurricane Rita didn't hit Houston and finals hit me like a ton of bricks, so I'm not sure of the aptness of the analogy), the dread as we waited for grades to come out (although, that was a couple of weeks into the second semester - let me tell you, it would not be easy to quietly withdraw from law school after first semester grades come out - it's too late in the second semester). Ahhhh, how well do I remember last September. Of course, now it's easy to idealize, I'm sure it was worse than what I've described ;).
3. So, we're 6 weeks into the semester and I've got three complaints: 1. I haven't started my outlines yet. Now, this may not seem like such a bad thing, but since I've got other stuff going on this semester, I had planned to start a little early this year. Oh well, maybe next week. 2. I still don't understand a. what's going on in one of my classes and b. how this class is going to help me in the long run. I understand why I have to take it, but I don't understand how it will be helpful. 3. I'm taking the MPRE in November and I'm a bit scared of it (the same sort of palpable fear that is emanating from the 1L class!)
4. The new Law and Order season has begun! Many of you out there will not care. Many of you out there will think I'm a big nerd. Many of you will be right ;). (notice that I use the word 'you' in a very general, all-the-world sense rather than just directing this at the people who read my posts.) But, regardless of the many, I soldier on in the new season! What I like about Law and Order is that the longer I am in law school, the more flaws I see in it. I like to think of a good Tuesday or Wednesday night watching L&O (as it is affectionately called) as an issue-spotting exercise. The questions that come up? Can the police do that (many times yes, but I am a big fan of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments, call me a civil libertarian)? Is that the real way a trial is conducted? Oh the fun! (of course, I also like the story lines and seeing what happens, and, of course, the 'Jack McCoy moments' (for the older crowd, these are analogous to 'Perry Mason moments').) All you law students know what I'm talkin' 'bout!
5. Work - first of all, this is the type of stuff I could do my entire life - I really like the law - it's always changing and yet never changing. Quite the paradox, wouldn't you say? Allow me to explain. The courts, regardless of your judicial philosophy, do make the common law. And this, my friends, is not a bad thing. So, in one sense, it is changing as judges decide cases and controversies (U.S. Constitution, Article III). On the other hand, from time immemorial, people have always had some system of dispute resolution (the fact that we in America have chosen the adversarial, legal profession route is merely a result of our social contract theory, etc.). So, we've always kinda had some sort of law, and it's always kinda made sense to us (us being the people using it - although, I'd bet that the law in this country doesn't make sense to a lot of people). And speaking of the law, one of my professors mentioned the other day the difference between statutes drafted by lawyers and statutes drafted by legislators (I know, I know, many of them are lawyers - but most of them don't practice!). Take a look at the UCC for example, place it beside a contemporary piece of legislation and see if you can't figure out which is superior (the UCC, by the way, is only law because the Legislature says it is, so don't go saying that lawyers make law too!)! The second thing I love about this profession is that I'm always learning something. Last week, I had no idea what one would have to plead for a bailment claim (oddly enough, I did know what bailment was - thank you Professor Oldfather!), now, I feel like somewhat of an expert! I love that! Not to mention the fact that if you are going to use something in a case (for ex. some scientific evidence), you have to know it like the back of your hand (speaking of, have you talked to the back of your hand lately? If not, you might not know it as well as you think you do) because you are going to have to know what questions to ask! (plus, if the other side is calling one of these witnesses, you are going to have to know what to ask on cross!).
6. Church - I am really missing iMPACT on Monday nights (not that it's church). I really enjoyed getting together with a bunch of people for fellowship and prayer. Only 10 or so more weeks! I am also really enjoying Ronnie's messages on Ephesians. (of course, I've been enjoying them for over a year now, so I'm not really sure that this should go with the 'end of September' theme - not that there's really much of a flow in this post anyway!)
7. This blog - I have really enjoyed posting on this puppy this year (even though I only started in June). So, I suppose I should thank Kevin for throwing me off his and forcing me to find my own forum. I'm not so sure that everyone has always enjoyed reading it, but that's not the point, is it? (if it is, someone tell me so I can revamp how I'm doing this)
8. Grammar - (and words in general) - how great is the English language? Granted, it would be better if we were all at least bi-lingual, but I really like the English language. So many fun words out there to use and to define (like 'palpable' - what a great word!).
9. It's getting dark earlier - I don't really classify this as a good or a bad thing - it just is. I like the evenings, since it's getting cooler, so I guess it's a good thing. I don't get up early enough to watch the sun rise, so I guess watching the sun set is just as enjoyable. Maybe more so, but I haven't gotten around to writing any poetry about it yet.
and, finally, 10. You - the reader! It's the end of September, and if you've stayed with this post this long, I commend you and ask that you have your head examined ;). Once again, I have rambled on and on and you have put up with it and read the insanity (unless you just scrolled down to the bottom to see how long this post was - shame on you!). Everyone have a great weekend!

In the news...

Okay, so this may be a litte bit of a rant, but what else have I ever written? :)
First - I have been against the project of putting a dome on the Oklahoma Capitol building since it was started. The argument I've always run into is: "it's being done with private donations." Fine, I've got little problem with that (although, I still think that they could use that money in better ways). But, I found out on the news last night that there is still $5 million to pay, and guess who is putting up that cabbage? You and Me - that's right, the taxpayers are paying the last $5 million on a dome paid for by private donations. I'm a bit upset by this, if you couldn't tell.
Then, I was driving to work yesterday, listening to talk radio (I've really got to stop listening to it, it just makes me mad). Jerry Doyle was on and he said that the best thing that could happen for this country would be that Tom DeLay gets tried, convicted, and led to jail in handcuffs on national television. Now, if DeLay is guilty, I've got no problem with that - arrest him and throw him in the slammer (I'm not going to line up to defend him, I don't know any of the details). But, can we have a trial first? Something in my head tells me that there's something in the Constitution that covers this situation. Ahh, yes, here it is, the sneaky 6th Amendment: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury..." (emphasis mine). In other words, an indictment is not carte blanche to throw someone in jail. An indictment (by a Democrat prosecutor, just to throw in the party classification, and keep in mind that the prosecutor has lots of control over a grand jury because he/she is the only one presenting evidence) is not evidence of guilt, nor is it a verdict of guilty. So, let's just hold onto our ponies for a few minutes, okay?
The other thing that bothers me about this DeLay thing is the prosecutor's apparent willingness to have the press make a movie about the investigation before DeLay has been brought to
trial, much less convicted! Okay, that was one of my huge problems with the O.J. Simpson trial - it was all on television and the judge was playing to the cameras the entire time.

In other news:
The Senate confirmed Roberts as your 17th Chief Justice this morning by a vote of 78-22. Here's my theory about the 22 nay votes. They were made for one of several reasons:
1. Barbara Boxer's reasoning: I don't know enough about his views on abortion (definition: the killing of unborn children), so obviously he is pro-life and I cannot vote for him.
2. Harry Reid's reasoning: I need, as the leader of the Democratic Party (at least in the Legislature, Howard Dean has unfortunately not disappeared yet - although, we haven't heard much from him lately - did he comment on Katrina?), to send a message to the Republican Party that we will filibuster if they allow someone more conservative to come through.
3. Hillary Clinton's reasoning: I'm running for president in a couple of years, I need the support of my party, Harry Reid is voting no, I'm having a bad hair day today (when is she not? I can't really say that - that's an ad hominem attack - I apologize), and my pantyhose has a run in it, obviously I cannot vote yea on this.
4. Mary Kay Letourneau's reasoning: he's not young enough. (I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself, I thought of it and had to write it).
and 5. Justice Souter's reasoning: He's competition and I may not be able to steal his house (see Kelo v. Connecticutt).

Okay, that's your fun stuff for today (although, more may follow), enjoy!

Gandhi

Well, I never really thought I'd write a post on Mahatma Gandhi, and I'm really not going to do so here. But, I did find a very interesting article on the move "Gandhi." And, so I thought, in the interest of allowing people to educate themselves and feeding the insatiable historian in myself, I would post this article. The article contains many things that I never knew about the man (not that I ever knew much), and many comments on the movie. It's kinda long, so if you're not at all interested in knowing about Gandhi or how historically inaccurate the movie is, don't bother. However, if you are interested, I think this is at least a good place to start.

I'm ba-ack!

Preliminary note: the title of this post is not to be read in an Arnold Schwartzenegger voice.
Another preliminary note: Justin, it's been longer since you've posted on yours than it has been since I have, so shush on your complaints (and I don't want to hear any whining about you trying to post but being unable to) .

Okay, preliminary notes finished, let me explain the title: I have made it through the wall, pushed it over or gone over it or something and have started freaking out about the fact that I don't have all the reading for next week finished already! (and it's only Wednesday....although, Monday night I could have sworn yesterday was going to be Thursday :)). What can I say, lately I've had the attention span of a 5-year old!

On to some interesting thoughts from today (and perhaps from yesterday, I can't promise none of those will creep in):
First, DeLay has been indicted. Not a huge shocker in my opinion, but still something that will have huge repercussions on Capitol Hill and for President Bush's agenda. Of course, that all remains to be seen.
Okay, caught up on current events, we turn our eyes to some things I thought it might be interesting to discuss. I had a realization this morning while I was listening to KOMA that made me rethink my bias against contemporary singers. (Don't worry, my bias against American Idol is still there and healthy.) I started thinking about the fact that I like all these older singers who didn't necessarily write their own songs and who didn't play instruments. Here's what I came up with for a distinction, however: they had talent. So, I came to the conclusion that there are some in every time frame who are going to be worth listening to regardless of their ability to play an instrument or write his/her own songs just because he/she has talent. On the other hand, there will always be some who are not worth listening to because they can't write their own songs, can't play instruments, and face it, they just don't have any talent. (the question then arises, why do there seem to be more of them now than in times past? Or is that just me remembering a 'golden-era' of good music that never really existed?)

Okay, that's enough of that. Here's the realization from this morning's criminal procedure class: as I get further into this legal education, I see more of the flaws of the system. A couple of months ago, I wrote about the fact that our legal system had a tendency to attempt to imitate the Almighty's perfect justice and perfect mercy, and I still believe that. However, I was sitting in criminal procedure reading cases about the 4th Amendment (right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures), and the civil libertarian in me started to protest. I am not, by the way, a liberal, I am a conservative. I also believe that law enforcement has to be able to do its job. However, I get really bothered by the ways the police have around the 4th Amendment to search anyone's vehicle, etc. The cases you read really aren't that sympathetic, because it really does only come up where someone has been convicted of something, and so I have a tendency to think, well, they deserved it anyway. But, I have a difficult time coming to the conclusion that we must sacrifice our Constitutional protections in order to effectively investigate people. I have become a terrible person to watch Law & Order with because I have a tendency to get angry at the police characters in that show for not respecting a suspect's Constitutional rights and then getting upset at the prosecutor for not being able to get the illegally gained evidence in at trial. See, I'm getting upset thinking about it. Well, here's my comment on that - if you want the evidence to be admissible, get it legally! There are plenty of ways to get it legally, trust me. (there is also a problem with the law enforcement here in Oklahoma - not all law enforcement, but it seems to be more pervasive than we might think)
Must get off that topic! Okay, that's all I've got for today (sorry about the rambling, I decided to try out the stream of consciousness writing here).

The Wall

I have hit It. The Wall. And I'm not talking about the Great Wall of China. I am talking about the Wall that has been erected in the middle of every semester of law school. I have run head on into it without a helmet every semester so far. To those of you who are in law school, you will understand. Those of you who are too close to a law student might be able to understand, and probably can, but let me explain it to you anyway. This Wall (I refer to it personally because we have gotten to be acquaintances, never friends because it is more adversarial than that, but we have gotten to know each other over the last year and a half) is an unfortunate lack of motivation. I am sitting in the torts class, in which I am a TA (so to speak), freezing (because they keep this building way too cold) and thinking about how much I have to do this week and not wanting to do any of it. I know this week I will be pressed for time, but who cares? I have hit the Wall, my friends, I have hit the Wall. Here's the other problem with the Wall - apparently every semester it is erected earlier. My first semester I made it through at least 9 weeks without hitting it; second semester, probably 7 weeks....here we are in the 5th week of school in my third semester and I've already hit It. At this rate, by the time I get to my last semester, I will hit it during Christmas break! Okay, that's my rant for today.

Ice Cream, Islam, and 'Tolerance'

Okay, normally (since when did I start calling myself normal?), I wouldn't post twice this closely, but I found this article and really had no choice. I figured if I buried it in my much longer earlier post, no one would read it, but it's hilarious, in my opinion. Burger Kings in the UK had to remove their ice cream machines because....here's a guess, there was some indication that they were unsafe - some employee had stuck his finger in it and it got chopped off and that incident prompted a general recall for safety and health reasons? No....if that was your guess, you were wrong. The real reason? The lid on the ice cream machine resembled the Arabic inscription for Allah. That's right - a Muslim threatened jihad, whatever that means in the context of offensive behavior from Burger King. Wow have we all gotten sensitive or something. I found that article on the tongue-tied website (linked on the right), and just had to comment on it. You know, dipping a crucifix in urine is considered art in the United States, so maybe BK should truck all their restaurants in the UK back on over here.

Judge Roberts and other stuff

This is a picture of East Jerusalem. I can't figure out how to put a picture at the bottom of the posting, so you can look at it at the beginning :).

Nothing much is going on right now: the Roberts confirmation hearings are over and no one knows when the Senate will vote on his appointment. So, in the absence of having anything interesting to say about Capitol Hill, let's move on to other topics.

Gas prices are rapidly declining. However, it doesn't look like they will ever return to those halcyon days of 1.50 prices. I could be wrong, but I don't expect it.

Someone has finally sued "Extreme Makeover" because they refused to make her pretty. Actually, the complaint alleges a little more than that - not only did they refuse to make her pretty, they caused her sister to commit suicide. This is an article you have to read to believe. I'd rather like to follow the case and see whether some judge throws it out for failure to state a claim. (on a 12(b)(6) for all you crazy law students out there!)

Here's an interesting thing about Roberts: Mayor Bloomberg of NYC opposes his appointment because, get this, he can't tell if Roberts would be for or against a woman's right to choose whether or not to have a baby. My roommate and I discussed this last night, and I want to issue a small challenge to all 'pro-choice' persons out there: would someone, in a civil manner without hysterically pointing to the possibility that some woman will be dragged into a back alley to get an abortion or the right of a woman to have autonomy over her own body, please explain to me how not having the right to an abortion keeps women from having the right to decide whether or not to have a child? And no pointing to the rape victims either - that's a discussion for another day.
Speaking of abortion: I found this great article that talks about the fact that actions have consequences, and we wouldn't expect to be able to eat as much as we please without possible health and weight problems; nor would we expect to not eat at all and not have serious health consequences. I really wish I could find the article, but I can't, so you'll have to take it on faith that it was a good article. Bottom line: actions and choices have consequences, there are some you wouldn't dream of getting out of (because of the impossibility), so why do we expect to get out of these?

OU football: there are reasons to be comforted even in the face of two seemingly insurmountable losses. However, we will probably be lucky to win 6 games this season. If Bomar keeps getting better (I concede that this week was an exponential improvement over the last game) and we can get rid of stupid mistakes, we may not be too bad at the end of the season. [I'm not as hopeful as some people I've talked to, though - we still look pretty bad.] And look out next year after these players get some playing time in! And, in OU news, apparently the coaches have decided to play Paul Thompson as a WR. How do you go through spring training, an entire summer, and fall practices and not know that the guy you have starting the first game at QB shouldn't be there?

And, who believes Iran when they say they don't have any and are not seeking the technology to create any nuclear weapons? (and get this: it's because the religion prohibits it - someone find me that sura in the Koran)

I'll leave everyone with this verse this afternoon: "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"

Complaint

I am going to register a complaint against blogging. I enjoy writing my opinions and linking to all types of news stories and all that, but I have one (I may have more, but this is the one I can think of at the moment) big complaint about it. There is very little discussion! I am the type of person who (1) learns by discussion; (2) loves to hear other people's opinions on things; and (3) will argue about anything (this point is likely to generate not a little commenting). So, what's my problem with blogging? Well, not to impugn my regularly reading and commenting (thanks everyone :)) readers, but there are very few discussions about anything I post. Now, this, I concede, may very well be my fault because I don't post nearly enough 'discussion-worthy' topics. And, since I don't comment on too many other people's blogs nearly often enough, I extend my most abject apologies for complaining about this. I think, however, that it is also a question of numbers - the more people reading any one thing, the more discussion it is bound to generate. (what has been so interesting to me so far is that the posts I think will generate debate rarely do, while the ones I think have very little to do with anything worthwhile (i.e. the band names post) have, for some odd reason, generated the most responses - weird)

So, in an attempt to fix what I see as a problem, I am going to try to post more 'discussion-worthy' topics. I don't know how to fix any of the other parts of this problem, so I guess I'll have to leave them alone for now. Either that or quit blogging in favor of having actual real live discussions with people that don't involve a keyboard.

However, there is one bright side to my complaint: what I do like about blogging is that when discussions do happen to get started, while there is ample opportunity for people to be rude and mean and slanderous and everything else that goes along with that, there is no opportunity to interrupt. (all the people who have ever had an argument with me may be surprised that I like this about blogging because I have a terrible habit of interrupting people when I think I'm right and they are wrong - but, contrary to popular belief, I do enjoy a good, civil, non-raised voices discussion where people are allowed to finish their thoughts and then have them commented upon). The other side of the no opportunity to interrupt is that you have the argument laid out before you, not on a page with disappearing ink, so that you can respond point by point to all the contentions. That, in my humble opinion, is both good and bad (because invariably, if you're the one making the argument, you will leave something out; but, if you are the one refuting the argument, you have ample opportunity to think about it).
Okay, well, that's all I've got for today except:
I took my car in to get it fixed and it's going to cost me a pretty penny (that's even minus the 4 other things they found wrong with it! And about the phrase 'pretty penny' - where did that come from anyway?). But, on the bright side - gas prices are coming down!

A random question about band names

Okay. If anyone I don't know finds this blog, this question is going to sound very odd and random, but, if the reader knows me, this will merely seem like par for the course.
Here's the question that's been keeping me up at night (well, really just one night, and my roommate wasn't very much help):
Why do some vegetables (and other food) work for band names but not others?
For example, the Black-eyed Peas - that works. The Carrots - that does not work.
Korn - that works.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - that works. Black Cold Cabbage - that does not work.
Bread - that works. Muffins - that does not work.
And I can think of no fruit band names (there's Banana Seat - but that's not named after the yellow fruit). If anyone else can, let me in on the secret.

And, to extrapolate that principle, let's apply it to places as well:
Chicago, Boston, Kansas - those all work.
Think you'll ever hear of a band named Norman? (unless the lead singer is named Norman, don't count on it) Or how about Tobago? (now that I think about it, that would actually be a pretty cool name)
Why is there no band named Greenland (or is there and I don't know about it?) or Iceland?

Here's my theory: there are some names that are inherently cool and those are the names that work for bands (don't ask me what it is that makes them inherently cool, that's like asking what makes ice cubes cool - no, not the same thing, that actually has an explanation - they're frozen; it's like asking what makes waterskiing cool - it just is). The other names are like instant death to your band if you name your band after that item/person. Rule of thumb? There is none - I guess you have to name your band and leave the coolness decision up to everyone else (sorry all you aspiring bands out there, I have no guidelines for you).

This is one of those posts where I am going to ask for feedback. What are your thoughts on this band issue? I need to get some sleep, so I need to know. I can't afford any more sleepless nights because of this question!

Church Attendance

A friend sent me an email about church attendance and I thought I'd share it with everyone. It's a pretty cool little anecdote:

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this! If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it. If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them.. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."
This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:
I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.
Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

A few thoughts from around the internet

I was looking around on the internet yesterday and a few editorials caught my eye. So, I thought that others might like to read them.

This article is a heartwarming discussion about individuals' responses after Katrina. We may all be worried about the criminal element in New Orleans after this disaster, but there are some great things that come out of it as well.

The second article is actually a blog entry making parallels between Katrina victims and humanity in its fallen state. It's really well done.

Also, an update - I got a new computer and the number keys work. Yay!
Okay, I'm going to the OU game now, hoping that it's better than last week. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Another Birthday?

Happy Birthday Chad! You're getting old!

Breaking News

President Bush has some more on his plate this evening! Chief Justice Rehnquist has passed away tonight, giving Bush another appointment to the Supreme Court, immediately on the heels of what looks like it might be a brutal series of hearings on John Roberts' appointment. Conservatives such as myself mourn the passing of Justice Rehnquist and would like to reflect for just one moment about his time on the Bench.

Rehnquist was appointed by President Nixon in 1972 and became Chief Justice in 1985 when President Reagan filled the opening left by Chief Justice Burger's retirement.

Rhenquist and 'his' court will most likely be remembed as taking a broader view of states' rights, with its opinion in US v. Lopez; and as broadening the Court's view of the Establishment Clause in cases such as Zelman v. Simmons-Harris. He was a conservative justice, concerned with originalist interpretation of the Constitution, and I hope that President Bush is able to appoint someone similar to replace him.

2 Questions and a comment

Ok, in the wake of Katrina, I feel the need to ask for feedback on two questions:

First, does anyone have any suggestions as to what organizations to which to donate? Is the SBC gathering a collection or anything? I never know which organizations are best to donate to as far as how many of my dollars or how much of my help is actually going to the rescue effort rather than to administrative costs.

Ok, and second, does anyone have any suggestions as to how to cope with the rapidly rising gasoline prices? I know the obvious, don't do unnecessary driving, but does anyone have any other thoughts on this?

Last, the comment, prayer, prayer, prayer. Like the situation I discussed in an earlier post, worldwide prayer is needed here.

Christian Marriage

Of course, I am not going to write this post. I am going to allow more adept, more experienced, and more wonderfully verbal people to write it for me. In other words, I am going to exploit some scholars (and some who are not scholars) to say some things that I agree with but that I cannot say with the alacrity with which they speak. So, disclaimer aside, here we go.

First, the text in question:
"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
Ephesians 5:22-33

Second, a quote from C.S. Lewis:
"Something else, even more unpopular, remains to be dealt with. Christian wives promise to obey their husbands. In Christian marriage the man is said to be the 'head'. Two questions obvoiusly arise here. (1) Why should there be a head at all - why not equality? (2) Why should it be the man?
(1) The need for some head follows from the idea that marriage is permanent. Of course, as long as the husband and wife are agreed, no question of a head need arise; and we may hope that this will be the normal state of affairs in a Christian marriage. But when there is a real disagreement, what is to happen? Talk it over, of course; but I am assuming they have done that and still failed to reach agreement. What do they do next? They cannot decide by a majority vote, for in a council of two, there can be no majority. Surely, only one or other of two things can happen: either they must separate and go their own ways or else one or other of them must have a casting vote. If marriage is permanent, one or other party must, in the last resort, have the power of deciding the family policy. You cannot have a permanent association without a constitution.
(2) If there must be a head, why the man? Well, firstly is there any very serious wish that it should be the woman? As I have said, I am not married myself, but as far as I can see, even a woman who wants to be the head of her own house does not usually admire the same state of things when she finds it going on next door. She is much more likely to say 'Poor Mr X! Why he allows that appalling woman to boss him about the way she does is more than I can imagine.' I do not think she is even very flattered if anyone mentions the fact of her own 'headship'. There must be something unnatural about the rule of wives over husbands, because the wives themselves are half ashamed of it and despise the husbands whom they rule. But there is also another reason; and here I speak quite frankly as a bachelor, because it is a reason you can see from outside even better than from inside. The relations of the family to the outer world - what might be called its foreign policy - must depend, in the last resort, upon the man, because he always ought to be, and usually is, much more just to the outsiders. A woman is primarily fighting for her own children and husband against the rest of the world. Naturally, almost, in a sense, rightly, their claims override, for her, all other claims. She is the special trustee of their interests. The funciton of the husband is to see that this natural preference of hers is not given its head. He has the last word in order to protect other people from the intense family patriotism of the wife. If anyone doubts this, let me ask a simple question. If you dog has bitten the child next door, which woud you sooner have to deal with, the master of that house or the mistress? Or, if you a married woman, let me ask you this question. Much as you admire your husband, would you not say that his chief failing is his tendencey not to stick up for his rights and yours against the neighbors as vigorously as you would like? A bit of an Appeaser?"
That, of course, is not all Lewis has to say on the matter, but I think that it applies to the matter at hand more closely than the rest of his chapter in Mere Christianity about Christian marriage - the matter in question being the submission of the Chrisitian wife, not the state of being in love or the promise made by a marriage 'contract' with which the rest of Lewis' chapter is primarily concerned.

Then, for the sake of brevity, not reproduced in its entirety here, a blog entry that I think succinctly addresses the subject without beating anyone over the head with it. But first, a note from the aforementioned blog to whet everyone's appetite:
"The decision to submit is a voluntary one - it cannot be forced on the wife or husband. It has to be voluntary because it is an expression of obedience to God; and He looks at our heart." (emphasis in original)

Okay, just some food for thought during this wedding season (I feel like I have been to so many weddings in the past few months! And I have more to go to before the year is out!).

Reflections

I'm excited about the Christian Legal Society (CLS) at OCU. We're planning to help OU's CLS start a legal aid clinic. We're also thinking about planning a statewide conference for pastors and other interested parties who want to learn about the legal issues that a church can become involved in or, better yet, how to avoid legal issues as a church. Everyone likes to learn about avoiding legal issues (or maybe just the lawyers)! Lawyer jokes aside, it really looks like we're going to do some serious outreach stuff this year, so I'm very excited.

"I have said that we should never get a Christian society unless most of us became Christian individuals. That does not mean, of course, that we can put off doing anything about society until some imaginary date in the far future. It means that we must begin both jobs at once - (1) the job of seeing how 'Do as you would be done by' can be applied in detail to modern society, and (2) the job of becoming the sort of people who really would apply it if we saw how."
---------- C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity"

This, I believe, is the reason that Christians should, and do, get involved in politics, in the schools, and in society in general. This is why I believe that pulling out of the public schools is a bad idea. This is why I believe that Christians secluding themselves is a bad idea. If we are truly called to be light, the city on a hill (Matt. 5:14), and all that, then, we must not sequester ourselves away from the very people we are to be light to. After all, what good is a light without someone who can use it to see? It'd be like that forest and tree question (if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Who cares? There's no one to hear it!). Lewis always says things much better than I can, so I like his quote better than my explanation about it.

In other news: gas prices keep going up, and we really need to be praying for the survivors of Katrina and all the people affected by that very bad storm. I love that song by Natalie Grant, "Held", and I think it has great application here:

Who told us we'd be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We're asking why this happens
To us who have died to live
It's unfair

This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we'd be held.

Gas and stuff

So, the price of gas is rising rapidly. What is a good metaphor for this phenomenon? How about: rising faster than the temperature in the middle of the Sahara in the middle of July? Nah.... How about: rising faster than the blood pressure of a man who has just been told he is wrong? Nah.... How about: rising faster than the anxiety level of a law student the day before a final? Well, whatever metaphor you want to come up with, driving is getting cost prohibitive (I could say that another way, but I like the way 'cost prohibitive' sounds). Who knows how long it'll stay that high.

In other news....one week and one day through classes and I actually have more time than I thought I would have. Interesting since I thought I was so busy. I seem to get more done during the breaks between classes than I thought I would.

Watched "The Aviator" over the weekend. Not a bad movie, especially if you know anything about Howard Hughes. I don't know if I would suggest it if you're just looking for something short, light, and humorous, it's pretty long, but it's enjoyable.

"The LORD longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!" Isaiah 30:18. This my verse of the week, or perhaps longer - probably longer. I really like the verse because it reminds me that I don't have to do anything but wait for Him. I really like that because I have a tendency to get really busy and forget to take the time to just sit and wait for God to speak to me. So, I need the reminder every so often :).

One more Biblical item as food for thought: "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that would cause your brother to fall." Romans 14:21. I found this the other day during my quiet time, and, even though I've read it before, it struck me anew (that's the thing about Scripture - no matter how many times you read it, there's always something more God has to tell you through it - gotta love that!). I think it probably hit me again because since the last time I'd read it, I had a conversation on that topic with my mother. So, it brought the import of the verse home to me in a completely different way. And, I started thinking about the way I talk about some things that I don't do, but I talk about like it's okay for everyone. That probably doesn't make any sense to anyone, but I thought I'd write some of it down on here and just give some food for thought.

Finally, there is a description of heaven in C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" that I really like: "The regions where there is only life and therefore all that is not music is silence." I like the idea that when we get there, the time we do not spend singing praises to God will be spent in silent adoration of Him.