Various things to post.
I'm feeling better every day. Ankles don't hurt, just a little sore in the morning. Knees doing better. Hips don't hurt. Only new thing is some random heart-racing and random bouts of dizziness when shifting position, i.e. standing. That's new as of yesterday. I see 2 docs this week so I'll see what they say. Otherwise doing better and getting better and feeling better.
I'm reading Laurell K. Hamilton's 'Incubus Dreams' now. I'm almost 400 pages into it and going fast. The first 200-250 pages bothered me 'cause it was mostly about relationships and about half-a-day in the main character's life. Now the book is picking up and it's getting more interesting. And yes, this one most certainly is vampire pr0n. No doubt about it.
After I finish that book, I have a Terry Pratchett to read. Can't wait.
Back when I 'began' studying for the Feb. bars, which you will recall I am no longer taking due to my prolonged illness, I stopped playing World of Warcraft (WoW), my game du jour for the past year+. WoW was all-consuming for me. I spent *way* too much time in/on it and it just ran over everything else in my life. One problem is that it's rather hard, when you reach the end-game (level 60), to spend less than a few hours in the game and make any headway. I.e. To find/join a group, do an instance, and have a shot at getting better gear takes at least 3 hours, if not more like 4-5 hours+.
So I stopped WoW for studying. I'm maintaining the WoW-outtage as it frees up my life quite a bit to do other things, like read a book, watch a movie, or anything really. Kind of nice. It's an extended break. The WoW expansion is due out this Fall so I don't honestly expect this to be a permanent break. However, if I can maintain it until after I sit for the Patent, CT & NY Bars, I could be golden.
In the meantime, I've picked up other games to fill the 'void' I have. Playstation 2 (PS2) games that is. As in games I can play for 15-45 min, make progress and stop playing (save my game). I have 3 new games (and an accompanying new memory card).
I picked up Dragon Quest VIII 'cause the reviews were so good on it and Grandia III isn't due out 'til the 15th. DQVIII is good but a bit cartoony for me with the graphics and system. I've put 5 hours into it so far so not a bad investment but I'm not sure if I'll play it through. It's just not quite my taste in RPGs. I anticipate Grandia III is more my style, even if it's gotten slightly worse reviews. I may pick it up in a while, like a few weeks or a month. ('Cause I have 2 other new games to keep me occupied.)
The second game I got is Castevania: Lament of Innocence. Man is this one good!!! It's engaging and the system is well-done. I've made progress on the first board (of 5, before the final boss) and put in ~2 hours or so. Very good game. I will likely play this one through, but not until I finish...
God of War!!! I'd read some excellent reviews on this one. It came out about a year ago and did incredibly well. Unfortunately, Sony stopped publishing it recently so it's hard to find (and impossible to find a new copy). They may be working on a Best Hits version with extra content, who knows. However, I did manage to find a used copy (expensive at $40 for a year-old game) at Electronics Boutique. Snagged it and loaded it up yesterday. Wow!!! *SUCH* a good game! If you have a PS2, GET THIS GAME. I've put ~2.5 hours into it so far and I'm absolutely loving it! In fact, once I finish this post and poke around online reading about God of War, I'm gonna go back and play more. The battle system is great, there are tons of 'hidden' things to find and it's really just very engrossing and forgiving. There are some frustrating parts but they're doable with a little patience. Really just an overall, amazing game. I read somewhere that it has ~17 hours of content or so. Pretty cool length in my opinion. Enough to keep me busy for a while but not enough to be insane like Final Fantasy VII's 70-100 hours. (70 hours for my friend, not doing everything, first time through. 100 hours for me, with manual, doing everything.)
To put the hours in perspective... My main character in Dark Age of Camelot, my original and first MMORPG, had over 18 days playtime invested (18 days * 24 hours = +432 hours). My main character in WoW has over 24 days playtime (+576 hours). And I have a second level 60 who I would otherwise be playing. Don't know her playtime but I'd bet it's over 10-12 days (+240-288 hours). See what I mean by 'all-consuming?'
Anyways, it's snowing outside and I'm inside. Stay warm. Cheers!
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Firewall *NOT* A Bomb
My mom and I saw Firewall (starring the illustrious Harrison Ford) on Friday night. Contrary to most reviews, the movie is decidedly not a bomb.
Firewall tells the story of a bank security officer who is held hostage, along with his wife (Virgina Madsen) and two kids (and dog), by a group of bank robbers. (5 robbers, led by Paul Bettany.) As the tale goes, the robbers are after $100 million in electronic funds and Ford is the guy who's going to make it happen. Of course there are problems along the way, leading up to a frantic, last-minute save by Ford. (And I don't think sharing that spoils the movie in any way, shape or form.)
Firewall, at heart, is an action movie. It's not a thrill-a-minute action movie and the characters don't have all that much development, but that's what it is. It's rather reminiscent of other Harrison Ford 'action' flicks, such as Air Force One or Patriot Games (though the plots for those two are inarguably better and more interesting). The movie didn't always have me on the edge of my seat or completely engaged but it's a good ride. It is engaging and interesting and Ford is, of course, excellent.
My biggest problem with the film is the bad guys. There are 5 of them and, of those 5, only 2 of them are truly 'bad,' Paul Bettany (the leader) and his second-in-command. The other 3 are more washed-out bad guys who don't belong in the setting. They're simply not cut out to be hardcore, badass bank robbers who'll do what needs to be done to steal the money. And that's where the movie fails. If the bad guys aren't really bad, aren't believable as an intelligent enemy, then who cares about anything else? Why is it so hard for Ford to win? The answer here is Bettany who brings a glimmer of personality to the mix but even that isn't enough to satisfy me.
On the whole, a decent movie. Certainly not Ford's best but an admirable go and worth watching, either in the theater or not. If you're a Harrison Ford fan, see this one. It's the first thing he's done in 3 years and who knows when we'll see him on the screen again.
Firewall tells the story of a bank security officer who is held hostage, along with his wife (Virgina Madsen) and two kids (and dog), by a group of bank robbers. (5 robbers, led by Paul Bettany.) As the tale goes, the robbers are after $100 million in electronic funds and Ford is the guy who's going to make it happen. Of course there are problems along the way, leading up to a frantic, last-minute save by Ford. (And I don't think sharing that spoils the movie in any way, shape or form.)
Firewall, at heart, is an action movie. It's not a thrill-a-minute action movie and the characters don't have all that much development, but that's what it is. It's rather reminiscent of other Harrison Ford 'action' flicks, such as Air Force One or Patriot Games (though the plots for those two are inarguably better and more interesting). The movie didn't always have me on the edge of my seat or completely engaged but it's a good ride. It is engaging and interesting and Ford is, of course, excellent.
My biggest problem with the film is the bad guys. There are 5 of them and, of those 5, only 2 of them are truly 'bad,' Paul Bettany (the leader) and his second-in-command. The other 3 are more washed-out bad guys who don't belong in the setting. They're simply not cut out to be hardcore, badass bank robbers who'll do what needs to be done to steal the money. And that's where the movie fails. If the bad guys aren't really bad, aren't believable as an intelligent enemy, then who cares about anything else? Why is it so hard for Ford to win? The answer here is Bettany who brings a glimmer of personality to the mix but even that isn't enough to satisfy me.
On the whole, a decent movie. Certainly not Ford's best but an admirable go and worth watching, either in the theater or not. If you're a Harrison Ford fan, see this one. It's the first thing he's done in 3 years and who knows when we'll see him on the screen again.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Hello From The Land Of Getting-Better
Kind of a lot has happened since my last post. I promised a friend of mine an explanatory blog post in an e-mail and though I don't feel like telling the whole story right now, I'll at least give a shortened version. (Okay, so this is a full account. It's just not all that detailed per se. Deal.)
On Saturday, Jan. 7, I woke up achey (joints achey) and with a head cold. My left eye was red and sore. I generally felt rotten. Very sudden. I just woke up like that.
The following Monday, Jan. 9 I saw an ophthalmologist and he helped my eye out. Follow up that Friday, eyes fine. He did put me on Doxycycline (an antibiotic) for 10 days.
Joint achiness continued throughout all this, some days better and some worse. Some mornings generally hard. Head cold came and went. Also developed pimples, especially on legs. Sores/lesions in mouth. Fever and chills, randomly. Generally ill-being. Achiness was the worst since it started impairing my ability to move, i.e. my knees, ankles and hips.
Saw my gastrointestinal doc in the middle of this. Switched my ulcerative colitis meds a little bit. He said nothing, offered nothing about the rest.
Went to the walk-in after ~2 weeks of this. No help. Suggested I take Advil regularly to help with inflammation.
Saw my regular doc ~1 week after the walk-in. Started doing tests. Posited maybe lyme disease.
Stopped going into work on Thursday, Jan. 26. Achiness was too much. I'd been limping around, moving slowly for a while prior but now it was too much to go into work. Wednesday night was the first night not sleeping in my bed but downstairs in the family room easy chair - I couldn't make it up the steps to get to my bedroom.
Follow up with regular doc on Friday, Jan. 27. Not lyme disease, not Hepatitis. (Though my old Hepatitis shot was working well as I had Hepatitis antibodies.) More tests. Meanwhile, my join achiness and other symptoms continue unabated. Doc prescribes Biaxin, a strong antibiotic. My throat developed stuff on Thursday - hurts to swallow. Hence strep test.
Biaxin is messing with my appetite, making me nautious at times. Did you know one of my cable channels shows The A-Team for an hour or two every afternoon? (Or is it on Saturdays?)
Sunday, Jan. 29, haven't eaten much in past few days. *Really* don't eat much on Sunday. Nautious much of Sunday after 1pm. Can't get out of chair. Call doc, he says go to hospital. Call ambulance ~5:15pm or so. Go to St. Vincent's hospital in Bridgeport. Get fluids, feeling a little better. Admitted to hospital. Transferred to 10th floor that night. Mom & family friend leave ~11:30pm.
Note that doc from my regular doc's office came in at 10pm on that Sunday night to check on my admission. Wow.
Spend next week in hospital. First few days, can't get out of bed. Per regular doc's tests, don't have strep throat, syhpilis, or any other infectious diseases. Infectious disease hospital doc is running tests galore. Won't do anything 'til sure I don't have an infectious disease.
Got incredible bouquet of flowers from work on Monday or Tuesday. *Very* nice. Big. Pretty. (Expensive.) Wow.
On Tuesday, rheumatologist sees me and immediately identifies everything as an auto-immune system response (manifestations) of my ulcerative colitis. Prescribes prednisone (steroid). Start prednisone Tuesday around 6pm. Doesn't hurt to swallow - actually eat breakfast on Wednesday.
Feeling better as prednisone goes on. Start getting out of hospital bed on Thursday or so. Nice not to use urinal or bedpan.
Wednesday rheumatologiest gave me shot of cortisone in right knee. Ow.
Getting better and better. Hurts less to walk around, move. Knees, ankles, hips getting better. Finally get out of hospital on Sunday, Feb. 5. Still achey and sore and tired and run down, but symptoms going away, i.e. rash above ankles.
1st day back at work in 8 days on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Only putting in half-days.
Today, Thursday, first day things started feeling more normal. Better. Still not fully ready. Need rest more. Taking it easy.
Not sitting for Feb. bar. Lost way too much time. Stinks but way it goes.
Gotta run.
On Saturday, Jan. 7, I woke up achey (joints achey) and with a head cold. My left eye was red and sore. I generally felt rotten. Very sudden. I just woke up like that.
The following Monday, Jan. 9 I saw an ophthalmologist and he helped my eye out. Follow up that Friday, eyes fine. He did put me on Doxycycline (an antibiotic) for 10 days.
Joint achiness continued throughout all this, some days better and some worse. Some mornings generally hard. Head cold came and went. Also developed pimples, especially on legs. Sores/lesions in mouth. Fever and chills, randomly. Generally ill-being. Achiness was the worst since it started impairing my ability to move, i.e. my knees, ankles and hips.
Saw my gastrointestinal doc in the middle of this. Switched my ulcerative colitis meds a little bit. He said nothing, offered nothing about the rest.
Went to the walk-in after ~2 weeks of this. No help. Suggested I take Advil regularly to help with inflammation.
Saw my regular doc ~1 week after the walk-in. Started doing tests. Posited maybe lyme disease.
Stopped going into work on Thursday, Jan. 26. Achiness was too much. I'd been limping around, moving slowly for a while prior but now it was too much to go into work. Wednesday night was the first night not sleeping in my bed but downstairs in the family room easy chair - I couldn't make it up the steps to get to my bedroom.
Follow up with regular doc on Friday, Jan. 27. Not lyme disease, not Hepatitis. (Though my old Hepatitis shot was working well as I had Hepatitis antibodies.) More tests. Meanwhile, my join achiness and other symptoms continue unabated. Doc prescribes Biaxin, a strong antibiotic. My throat developed stuff on Thursday - hurts to swallow. Hence strep test.
Biaxin is messing with my appetite, making me nautious at times. Did you know one of my cable channels shows The A-Team for an hour or two every afternoon? (Or is it on Saturdays?)
Sunday, Jan. 29, haven't eaten much in past few days. *Really* don't eat much on Sunday. Nautious much of Sunday after 1pm. Can't get out of chair. Call doc, he says go to hospital. Call ambulance ~5:15pm or so. Go to St. Vincent's hospital in Bridgeport. Get fluids, feeling a little better. Admitted to hospital. Transferred to 10th floor that night. Mom & family friend leave ~11:30pm.
Note that doc from my regular doc's office came in at 10pm on that Sunday night to check on my admission. Wow.
Spend next week in hospital. First few days, can't get out of bed. Per regular doc's tests, don't have strep throat, syhpilis, or any other infectious diseases. Infectious disease hospital doc is running tests galore. Won't do anything 'til sure I don't have an infectious disease.
Got incredible bouquet of flowers from work on Monday or Tuesday. *Very* nice. Big. Pretty. (Expensive.) Wow.
On Tuesday, rheumatologist sees me and immediately identifies everything as an auto-immune system response (manifestations) of my ulcerative colitis. Prescribes prednisone (steroid). Start prednisone Tuesday around 6pm. Doesn't hurt to swallow - actually eat breakfast on Wednesday.
Feeling better as prednisone goes on. Start getting out of hospital bed on Thursday or so. Nice not to use urinal or bedpan.
Wednesday rheumatologiest gave me shot of cortisone in right knee. Ow.
Getting better and better. Hurts less to walk around, move. Knees, ankles, hips getting better. Finally get out of hospital on Sunday, Feb. 5. Still achey and sore and tired and run down, but symptoms going away, i.e. rash above ankles.
1st day back at work in 8 days on Tuesday, Feb. 7. Only putting in half-days.
Today, Thursday, first day things started feeling more normal. Better. Still not fully ready. Need rest more. Taking it easy.
Not sitting for Feb. bar. Lost way too much time. Stinks but way it goes.
Gotta run.
Friday, December 23, 2005
Wheel of Fish!!!
No, not really. Though UHF was a pretty funny movie.
I was watching Wheel of Fortune tonight (don't laugh.. okay, laugh!) and one of the prizes was a trip to Iceland. "Hmmm.." I thought. "I've been to Iceland!" And 'lo and behold, it was an Icelandair package, airfare & hotel. I saw the hotel shots and thought, "Wow! Cool! I stayed in that hotel!" After all, when The Lawless One and I went two Springs ago we went because he'd found a good Icelandair package.
And then i saw the "value" of this prize. And I say "value" because they are lying, scum-suckign weasels. According to them, the trip was valued at around $8,600. Which is complete and utter bullshit. I think it cost us around $1,500 for round-trip airfare and 3 nights in the hotel. Let's be unreasonable. Add $500 to that for first class seats. Let's add $1,500 to that for 4 more nights in the hotel. What do we have? $3,500. NOT their purported $8,600. HOW THE HELL DO THEY ARRIVE AT THAT NUMBER???? 'Cause I call bullshit on that one.
Also, looks like the NYC transit strike ended on Thursday afternoon. Kinda funny. No concessions were made. Nothing changed, per se, from the previous two days. No, the TWU board just voted, something like 35-6, to go back to work. Yeah. So who thinks the TWU is now in a better negotiating position than before? The city called their 'bluff' (though it can hardly be called a real bluff since they did strike) and didn't concede one inch. So is the TWU any better off? I think not. I think they're in a worse position now, especially considering the strikers and, just as notably, Roger Toussaint are subject to criminal repercussions. Worth it to strike rather than try and hash things out? I don't think so.
My colon was happy today. I just wanted you to know.
But I still have a cold. Bleh. Yay for a 3-day weekend followed by a 3-day week followed by a 4-day weekend! Yay for WoW! Boo for dogs still going on the floor! Yay for... ummm... ... ... tissues! (Sorry, I drew a blank.)
Happy Holidays Everyone!!! Cheers!
I was watching Wheel of Fortune tonight (don't laugh.. okay, laugh!) and one of the prizes was a trip to Iceland. "Hmmm.." I thought. "I've been to Iceland!" And 'lo and behold, it was an Icelandair package, airfare & hotel. I saw the hotel shots and thought, "Wow! Cool! I stayed in that hotel!" After all, when The Lawless One and I went two Springs ago we went because he'd found a good Icelandair package.
And then i saw the "value" of this prize. And I say "value" because they are lying, scum-suckign weasels. According to them, the trip was valued at around $8,600. Which is complete and utter bullshit. I think it cost us around $1,500 for round-trip airfare and 3 nights in the hotel. Let's be unreasonable. Add $500 to that for first class seats. Let's add $1,500 to that for 4 more nights in the hotel. What do we have? $3,500. NOT their purported $8,600. HOW THE HELL DO THEY ARRIVE AT THAT NUMBER???? 'Cause I call bullshit on that one.
Also, looks like the NYC transit strike ended on Thursday afternoon. Kinda funny. No concessions were made. Nothing changed, per se, from the previous two days. No, the TWU board just voted, something like 35-6, to go back to work. Yeah. So who thinks the TWU is now in a better negotiating position than before? The city called their 'bluff' (though it can hardly be called a real bluff since they did strike) and didn't concede one inch. So is the TWU any better off? I think not. I think they're in a worse position now, especially considering the strikers and, just as notably, Roger Toussaint are subject to criminal repercussions. Worth it to strike rather than try and hash things out? I don't think so.
My colon was happy today. I just wanted you to know.
But I still have a cold. Bleh. Yay for a 3-day weekend followed by a 3-day week followed by a 4-day weekend! Yay for WoW! Boo for dogs still going on the floor! Yay for... ummm... ... ... tissues! (Sorry, I drew a blank.)
Happy Holidays Everyone!!! Cheers!
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Where were we?
Ah yes, Boston Legal and my colon. No new Boston Legal this week. (Curse you ABC!!!) However my colon is faring the same. That is to say poorly. Couple that with a cold I have developed today and I'm a little miserable. Add in that one of our two dogs at home is having bladder control issues necessitating morning and evening cleaning of the kitchen floor by yours truly ('cause my mom's bad back and bad knee and bad wrist otherwise disqualify her from floor-cleaning duty) and I'm pretty darn miserable tonight.
Sore throat. Stuffy nose. Leaky colon. Recently-cleaned floor that now has a small pile of dog shit courtesy of the other, non-bladder-control-problems dog. *sigh* Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. (Though I did go to work today so it did pay in the literal sense.)
Work is going rather well. I'm learning more every day. Thus far I've drafted a nonprovisional application and a provisional application. Also many Responses to Office Actions. I'm enjoying it most of the time. Sometimes it's boring or uninspiring but even then I slog through and manage to produce something (hopefully) good. I take heart that my provisional draft, which I turned in for review today, only received minor corrections. Heck, even my flow charts and descriptions thereof passed muster! Not bad all things considered.
One cool thing about work. Since it's the holiday season, the firm gets a number of seasonal cards. The firm also gets a number of edible seasonal gifts, including chocolate, coffee cake, and Mrs. Field's cookies. Oh the cookies. The cookies!!! *Homer Simpson-like drooling noises* Soooooo good. Sooooooooooo good. The worst part is that my desk is very close to the kitchen, where the edible seasonal gifts reside. Hence, whenever I pass the kitchen, which I do on a not infrequent basis, I am tempted to partake of the edible seasonal gifts. Sooooo good. Cooooooookies. Yes, my kryptonite is chocolate chip cookies. Coooooookies.
Sorry about that. Got hung up on the edible fare. By the way, the reason for no new posts of late is work. Some nights I get home and don't even turn on my computer. The nights I do, exepting tonight, I tend to play my computer game and relax. I'll try to post a bit more often but how many times in the lifetime of this blog have I promised that one? Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.
I do have some comments, maybe ones that could even be misconstrued as substantive, concerning the NYC transit strike and FISA taps. We'll see if I get around to posting those, though. I will say that watching the news coverage of the transit strike, safely afar here in CT, is pretty interesting. Personally I'm rooting for MTA and the city (Bloomberg, Patacki, et al.). The union is in a bad position, in my opinion. Hopefully this thing is resolved in the next day or two but I wouldn't be shocked if it took a bit longer.
And as for the FISA taps, in an effort to keep my name and this blog off various non-existent lists of persons I shall refrain from using names. Let's just say I'm not a POTUS-supporter. I think that he could have handled this, as with so many other things, including the war, in a much better manner. I'm also a bit concerned over these things, even though I'm not surprised by them. In my opinion, sans any review or review process, these taps are the first step on a road I distinctly dislike, namely one leading to a more dictatorial form of government. When the government starts conducting its affairs in secret, out of the eyes of the public and without any accountability thereto, it's time for the people to take note and be afraid. Makes you wonder what else they haven't told us, eh? And that does scare me.
So maybe you did get my thoughts on those topics. Thhhpppttt.
Man I feel rotten. Hope I can get some sleep tonight. I still plan on going into work. It's at my option whether or not I do but every hour of work I miss is one more I have to make up later. And that ain't good, especially if I get behind. As it is, I was on target this morning after the previous two weeks' deficits (due to first day, snow, and ice). I'm currently a half hour behind. Hopefully I can at least put in a good 5-6 hours billable tomorrow.
The almighty billable hour. I've learned that it's not so hard to manage 7-8 billables a day. There's plenty of work to do and if I get in early and stay to at least 5pm, with a 30 min. lunch break it's cake. Unfortunately that doesn't take into account my colon (which has exacted 45-60 min on a bad day or as few as 5-10 on a good day) or break time (which has exacted as much as 55 min on a bad day). I view break time as occasionally necessary to preserve sanity. Plus, it's my time to use towards billables or make up later. I try not to break if I can help it but sometimes I have to surf over to Slashdot or The Legal Underground and take a brief, unbilled breather.
Is this post that long yet? I suspect it is but I refuse to verify.
CSI is good. If you like, the Spike channel shows it from at least 7-8pm, if not also 8-9pm. Got a double dose tonight. Yay Grissom! I am kind of hoping that Jorja Fox gets more acting roles. I suspect she has potential. (Plus she's pretty good-looking.) Have to see if she gets other parts elsewhere.
Speaking of entertainment, I need to see Chronicles of Narnia and Aeon Flux. I'd like to buy Serenity on DVD, now that I have money in my pocket from my first paycheck. I did watch the movie Rounders on tv. I rather liked it! A good one with Matt Damon and Ed Norton about poker. Good ending too. Two weekends ago my mom and I saw Syriana in the theater. It was okay at best. We both feel like we missed something with it. As in its overall goal, point, story, or direction. Not a good thing to find oneself missing in a movie.
Enough. Peace out.
ADDENDUM: In reviewing the front page of my blog, I remembered one other thing I wanted to write. Apologies go to my friend's fiancee whom I mentioned about 3 posts back. You see, my friend's fiancee is also a friend of mine and apparently she took my reference to her, as "my friend's fiancee," in a negative light. Apologies T-bone!
She voiced this to me when I met up with her and her fiancee, aka my friend, at that shindig a Thursday or two back. Was a good thing, except for the location. New Haven stinks! Took me over an hour to get there! Anyways, she sparked a brief discussion over my reference to her. At which point I sided with her fiancee, aka my friend, in pointing out that I met him before her. See, I was friends with both of them before they were ever a them. I met him at orientation and her in the grocery store late one night. (She was my neighbor and in front of me in line and recognized me and said hi.)
It's actually kind of funny. Each year of law school I was good friends with a different friend o' mine. First year it was T-bone's fiancee. Second year it was The Lawless One. Third year it was Dan-the-Man. T-bone hooked up with his fiancee the end of first year. The Lawless One re-hooked up with his former-ex girlfriend the end of second year. Dan-the-Man commuted so he had nowhere else to go when in Hartford, other than the school. (Hah!) Plus he and I liked computer games. I got him back into Diablo 2 and then World of Warcraft. As it is, he and I became pretty good friends although I wasn't invited to his wedding this past November. I haven't asked him about that yet but then I haven't talked with him much. I will inquire though.
That's another thing. The Cara and The Dave had their wedding in October. Captain Kate and Sneaky Pete had their wedding this October. I think I was the only law student invited to both weddings. The group of friends I assembled is a little odd in that not everyone in the group is friends or even friendly with the rest. Except me. I'm pretty much friends with everyone. I predict that I won't see all of them again until it's time for my wedding, when I invite them all. 'Cause no one else is friends with everyone. Kinda sad. Especially given some of the 'reasons' behind the non-friendship. Also because they all are my friends and it'd be really cool to hang with them all again. At one time. In one place.
Speaking of my wedding, I predict it to be a loooooooong way off. Me living at home does not a good dating life make. Not that me living in my own apartment was much better. But home just kinda kills it. The town doesn't help either. And I'm not really one to cruise bars and pick up women. I sometimes wish I was but that ain't how it works for me. So I spend my Friday and Saturday nights watching tv or playing computer games. At some point, possibly after I lose a few pounds and feel a bit better about myself and have some more dispensible income, I can give it more of a shot. I suspect the Internet will be involved. Yes, that doesn't make me leap with joy either.
By the way, one soft goal of mine next year, besides getting out of debt, is to consider getting a new car. What would I get? Probably a new, spiffy 2006 Shelby Ford Cobra GT500. I just want to throw that one out there. Sometime, in another post, I'll dig out some links, info, and pictures. Me likey.
Okay, enough addendum. Cheers! [9:45 PM]
ADDENDUM II: I really hate my colon. I mean it. I. hate. my. colon. I mean I'm sure I need a colon. And if I do need one, I'm sure it's better to have a colon than not. However I would much rather it be a properly-functioning colon as opposed to, well, mine. *sigh* I think I should just sit on the toilet and telecommute. [9:54 PM]
Sore throat. Stuffy nose. Leaky colon. Recently-cleaned floor that now has a small pile of dog shit courtesy of the other, non-bladder-control-problems dog. *sigh* Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed. (Though I did go to work today so it did pay in the literal sense.)
Work is going rather well. I'm learning more every day. Thus far I've drafted a nonprovisional application and a provisional application. Also many Responses to Office Actions. I'm enjoying it most of the time. Sometimes it's boring or uninspiring but even then I slog through and manage to produce something (hopefully) good. I take heart that my provisional draft, which I turned in for review today, only received minor corrections. Heck, even my flow charts and descriptions thereof passed muster! Not bad all things considered.
One cool thing about work. Since it's the holiday season, the firm gets a number of seasonal cards. The firm also gets a number of edible seasonal gifts, including chocolate, coffee cake, and Mrs. Field's cookies. Oh the cookies. The cookies!!! *Homer Simpson-like drooling noises* Soooooo good. Sooooooooooo good. The worst part is that my desk is very close to the kitchen, where the edible seasonal gifts reside. Hence, whenever I pass the kitchen, which I do on a not infrequent basis, I am tempted to partake of the edible seasonal gifts. Sooooo good. Cooooooookies. Yes, my kryptonite is chocolate chip cookies. Coooooookies.
Sorry about that. Got hung up on the edible fare. By the way, the reason for no new posts of late is work. Some nights I get home and don't even turn on my computer. The nights I do, exepting tonight, I tend to play my computer game and relax. I'll try to post a bit more often but how many times in the lifetime of this blog have I promised that one? Yeah, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.
I do have some comments, maybe ones that could even be misconstrued as substantive, concerning the NYC transit strike and FISA taps. We'll see if I get around to posting those, though. I will say that watching the news coverage of the transit strike, safely afar here in CT, is pretty interesting. Personally I'm rooting for MTA and the city (Bloomberg, Patacki, et al.). The union is in a bad position, in my opinion. Hopefully this thing is resolved in the next day or two but I wouldn't be shocked if it took a bit longer.
And as for the FISA taps, in an effort to keep my name and this blog off various non-existent lists of persons I shall refrain from using names. Let's just say I'm not a POTUS-supporter. I think that he could have handled this, as with so many other things, including the war, in a much better manner. I'm also a bit concerned over these things, even though I'm not surprised by them. In my opinion, sans any review or review process, these taps are the first step on a road I distinctly dislike, namely one leading to a more dictatorial form of government. When the government starts conducting its affairs in secret, out of the eyes of the public and without any accountability thereto, it's time for the people to take note and be afraid. Makes you wonder what else they haven't told us, eh? And that does scare me.
So maybe you did get my thoughts on those topics. Thhhpppttt.
Man I feel rotten. Hope I can get some sleep tonight. I still plan on going into work. It's at my option whether or not I do but every hour of work I miss is one more I have to make up later. And that ain't good, especially if I get behind. As it is, I was on target this morning after the previous two weeks' deficits (due to first day, snow, and ice). I'm currently a half hour behind. Hopefully I can at least put in a good 5-6 hours billable tomorrow.
The almighty billable hour. I've learned that it's not so hard to manage 7-8 billables a day. There's plenty of work to do and if I get in early and stay to at least 5pm, with a 30 min. lunch break it's cake. Unfortunately that doesn't take into account my colon (which has exacted 45-60 min on a bad day or as few as 5-10 on a good day) or break time (which has exacted as much as 55 min on a bad day). I view break time as occasionally necessary to preserve sanity. Plus, it's my time to use towards billables or make up later. I try not to break if I can help it but sometimes I have to surf over to Slashdot or The Legal Underground and take a brief, unbilled breather.
Is this post that long yet? I suspect it is but I refuse to verify.
CSI is good. If you like, the Spike channel shows it from at least 7-8pm, if not also 8-9pm. Got a double dose tonight. Yay Grissom! I am kind of hoping that Jorja Fox gets more acting roles. I suspect she has potential. (Plus she's pretty good-looking.) Have to see if she gets other parts elsewhere.
Speaking of entertainment, I need to see Chronicles of Narnia and Aeon Flux. I'd like to buy Serenity on DVD, now that I have money in my pocket from my first paycheck. I did watch the movie Rounders on tv. I rather liked it! A good one with Matt Damon and Ed Norton about poker. Good ending too. Two weekends ago my mom and I saw Syriana in the theater. It was okay at best. We both feel like we missed something with it. As in its overall goal, point, story, or direction. Not a good thing to find oneself missing in a movie.
Enough. Peace out.
ADDENDUM: In reviewing the front page of my blog, I remembered one other thing I wanted to write. Apologies go to my friend's fiancee whom I mentioned about 3 posts back. You see, my friend's fiancee is also a friend of mine and apparently she took my reference to her, as "my friend's fiancee," in a negative light. Apologies T-bone!
She voiced this to me when I met up with her and her fiancee, aka my friend, at that shindig a Thursday or two back. Was a good thing, except for the location. New Haven stinks! Took me over an hour to get there! Anyways, she sparked a brief discussion over my reference to her. At which point I sided with her fiancee, aka my friend, in pointing out that I met him before her. See, I was friends with both of them before they were ever a them. I met him at orientation and her in the grocery store late one night. (She was my neighbor and in front of me in line and recognized me and said hi.)
It's actually kind of funny. Each year of law school I was good friends with a different friend o' mine. First year it was T-bone's fiancee. Second year it was The Lawless One. Third year it was Dan-the-Man. T-bone hooked up with his fiancee the end of first year. The Lawless One re-hooked up with his former-ex girlfriend the end of second year. Dan-the-Man commuted so he had nowhere else to go when in Hartford, other than the school. (Hah!) Plus he and I liked computer games. I got him back into Diablo 2 and then World of Warcraft. As it is, he and I became pretty good friends although I wasn't invited to his wedding this past November. I haven't asked him about that yet but then I haven't talked with him much. I will inquire though.
That's another thing. The Cara and The Dave had their wedding in October. Captain Kate and Sneaky Pete had their wedding this October. I think I was the only law student invited to both weddings. The group of friends I assembled is a little odd in that not everyone in the group is friends or even friendly with the rest. Except me. I'm pretty much friends with everyone. I predict that I won't see all of them again until it's time for my wedding, when I invite them all. 'Cause no one else is friends with everyone. Kinda sad. Especially given some of the 'reasons' behind the non-friendship. Also because they all are my friends and it'd be really cool to hang with them all again. At one time. In one place.
Speaking of my wedding, I predict it to be a loooooooong way off. Me living at home does not a good dating life make. Not that me living in my own apartment was much better. But home just kinda kills it. The town doesn't help either. And I'm not really one to cruise bars and pick up women. I sometimes wish I was but that ain't how it works for me. So I spend my Friday and Saturday nights watching tv or playing computer games. At some point, possibly after I lose a few pounds and feel a bit better about myself and have some more dispensible income, I can give it more of a shot. I suspect the Internet will be involved. Yes, that doesn't make me leap with joy either.
By the way, one soft goal of mine next year, besides getting out of debt, is to consider getting a new car. What would I get? Probably a new, spiffy 2006 Shelby Ford Cobra GT500. I just want to throw that one out there. Sometime, in another post, I'll dig out some links, info, and pictures. Me likey.
Okay, enough addendum. Cheers! [9:45 PM]
ADDENDUM II: I really hate my colon. I mean it. I. hate. my. colon. I mean I'm sure I need a colon. And if I do need one, I'm sure it's better to have a colon than not. However I would much rather it be a properly-functioning colon as opposed to, well, mine. *sigh* I think I should just sit on the toilet and telecommute. [9:54 PM]
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Boston Legal Roxxors
William Shatner on an immediate trial, to a judge:
Watch it. Now. And I mean now, a new episode is on! (Gotta go! Commercials are nearly over.)
Your old. I'm old. Lock and load. Let's do this before we die.Boston Legal is insanely funny. It's also absolutely hilarious for its legal content and arguments. Like The Practice, at times the legal content is spot on and dead right. Not to mention it's funny.
Watch it. Now. And I mean now, a new episode is on! (Gotta go! Commercials are nearly over.)
Monday, December 12, 2005
Responses et al.
Last week, Anon had this to say:
First off, my firm does not require any bar except for the Patent Bar. I can sit for the Patent Bar fairly soon as it's now given at a professional computer testing center (instead of biannually). I shall submit my application any day now and then it shouldn't be long 'til the exam.
Now, as for the state bars... I didn't pass CT or NY last time around. This time I'll sit for them again. Why? There's no real reason not to. Sitting for 2 bars isn't all that much harder than sitting for 1, at least not when it's CT & NY. I can study for NY and plan on passing CT. Seriously. At worst it's just one extra day of bar exams and I'd rather suffer that than sit for one or the other at a later date. (Yes, I know I can waive in but screw that. I'll take the exam.)
Any other questions?
~//~
Also, fyi, I will not be publishing posts from work. I figure, just to be extra safe, I will not compose or publish posts there. Heck, I'm not even going to surf to the blog's webpage. As far as I know, there's no monitoring of anything other than work e-mail but why chance it. I'd rather be safe than sorry on this one.
Work is going rather well. I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Today I began writing my first patent. I got the claims done. Tomorrow it's the Description and Figures. I'm learning a lot and enjoying the work. Not bad, really. Not bad at all.
On Thursday I have a Holiday Party that a friend invited me to. His law firm is sponsoring it or what not. Should be good. I haven't seen my friend or his fiancee since law school (so that was about 6-7 months ago).
Cheers!
Why NY *and* CT? Does the firm require both? Right away?I promised I would respond and so I shall.
You need to pass one state bar to practice law, not two. You also need to pass the pat bar so you can prosecute patents.
Maybe concentrate on just the two required bars and use the saved time impressing the new firm with your work ethic and product.
First off, my firm does not require any bar except for the Patent Bar. I can sit for the Patent Bar fairly soon as it's now given at a professional computer testing center (instead of biannually). I shall submit my application any day now and then it shouldn't be long 'til the exam.
Now, as for the state bars... I didn't pass CT or NY last time around. This time I'll sit for them again. Why? There's no real reason not to. Sitting for 2 bars isn't all that much harder than sitting for 1, at least not when it's CT & NY. I can study for NY and plan on passing CT. Seriously. At worst it's just one extra day of bar exams and I'd rather suffer that than sit for one or the other at a later date. (Yes, I know I can waive in but screw that. I'll take the exam.)
Any other questions?
~//~
Also, fyi, I will not be publishing posts from work. I figure, just to be extra safe, I will not compose or publish posts there. Heck, I'm not even going to surf to the blog's webpage. As far as I know, there's no monitoring of anything other than work e-mail but why chance it. I'd rather be safe than sorry on this one.
Work is going rather well. I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Today I began writing my first patent. I got the claims done. Tomorrow it's the Description and Figures. I'm learning a lot and enjoying the work. Not bad, really. Not bad at all.
On Thursday I have a Holiday Party that a friend invited me to. His law firm is sponsoring it or what not. Should be good. I haven't seen my friend or his fiancee since law school (so that was about 6-7 months ago).
Cheers!
Friday, December 09, 2005
We interrupt this irregularly scheduled program to bring you-SNOW!
It's snowing outside! A LOT!!! We're expected to get between 5 and 9 inches of snow. So far we have something like 3-4 inches and there's more coming down.
Interesting thing here is that my new job doesn't have a snow policy per se. Rather, it's up to me whether or not I go in. (Which makes an inordinate amount of sense since it's me who has to reach my billable hours suggestion every year.) I'll probably go in around 10:30-noon or so, once the heavy snow fall tapers off a bit. Put in around 4-5 hours billable and I'll be good.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled non-broadcast already in progress.
Interesting thing here is that my new job doesn't have a snow policy per se. Rather, it's up to me whether or not I go in. (Which makes an inordinate amount of sense since it's me who has to reach my billable hours suggestion every year.) I'll probably go in around 10:30-noon or so, once the heavy snow fall tapers off a bit. Put in around 4-5 hours billable and I'll be good.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled non-broadcast already in progress.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Work Report
I began working at the law firm on Monday. I'd been offered (and accepted) the position two weeks earlier. The two week wait was so they could find me some office space. Their current office is positively busting. They ended up converting a conference room into half of an office for me. I have my own desk (wood), my own phone line extension (with phone), and, hopefully soon, my own computer. (Didn't arrive yet.) So far I've been using my laptop and flash drive. The worst part is that since I'm not on the network I can't print anything without someone's (a paralegal's) assistance.
Okay, enough with the objective. So far, after two days of work, I love the firm. Everyone there that I've met is very warm and personable. My first day no less than 4 of the other agents/attorneys stopped in, of their own accord, to say hello and briefly chat a bit. The paralegals/secretaries are all very nice and helpful. The two main partners are excellent too. I've been working fairly heavily with one of them. I only met the third, not-so-main, more-recent partner today. She stopped in to say hello and see how I was doing. So all the people I've met are terrific.
The work? I'm doing work. Work as in real work. So far I've drafted 3 responses to office actions for the partner. Tomorrow? Tomorrow I can either begin drafting my first patent application or I can work on my first unguided response to an office action. I'm learning a ton and the partner is actually working with me to help me learn. This is awesome.
Now, at times I do find some of the work to be pretty boring and unengaging. However, I suspect some of that will diminish as I get accustomed to the work. For crying out loud, I haven't had a real 8 hours+ a day job in over 3 years, let alone one that required significant amounts of brainpower. I know there's going to be a certain level of acclimatization involved. Plus I haven't even finished my first week here yet. Hell, I don't have a computer! So let me report back on my happiness-level/work contentment in a week or a month. We'll talk then.
Other cool thing. Once I pass the patent bar, my name goes on the letterhead. Whoah. Yeah, once I get my first paycheck and can afford the patent bar fee, I'm signing up. I need to pass that bad boy asap. I've already registered for the Feb. NY Bar Exam. The CT registration isn't due for another month so I can wait for a paycheck on that. Paaaaaaaycheck. Paaaaaaaaaycheck. I need one (or more) of those. T'would help a great deal.
By the way, my billable hoursrequirement suggestion isn't too bad. I can easily find the daily billables I need, provided I get in to work a little early and stay long enough. Not too bad, especially if I like the work. More on that as time passes.
I think that's it for now. Anyone have any questions for me? If so, leave them in the comments and I'll respond.
Cheers!
Okay, enough with the objective. So far, after two days of work, I love the firm. Everyone there that I've met is very warm and personable. My first day no less than 4 of the other agents/attorneys stopped in, of their own accord, to say hello and briefly chat a bit. The paralegals/secretaries are all very nice and helpful. The two main partners are excellent too. I've been working fairly heavily with one of them. I only met the third, not-so-main, more-recent partner today. She stopped in to say hello and see how I was doing. So all the people I've met are terrific.
The work? I'm doing work. Work as in real work. So far I've drafted 3 responses to office actions for the partner. Tomorrow? Tomorrow I can either begin drafting my first patent application or I can work on my first unguided response to an office action. I'm learning a ton and the partner is actually working with me to help me learn. This is awesome.
Now, at times I do find some of the work to be pretty boring and unengaging. However, I suspect some of that will diminish as I get accustomed to the work. For crying out loud, I haven't had a real 8 hours+ a day job in over 3 years, let alone one that required significant amounts of brainpower. I know there's going to be a certain level of acclimatization involved. Plus I haven't even finished my first week here yet. Hell, I don't have a computer! So let me report back on my happiness-level/work contentment in a week or a month. We'll talk then.
Other cool thing. Once I pass the patent bar, my name goes on the letterhead. Whoah. Yeah, once I get my first paycheck and can afford the patent bar fee, I'm signing up. I need to pass that bad boy asap. I've already registered for the Feb. NY Bar Exam. The CT registration isn't due for another month so I can wait for a paycheck on that. Paaaaaaaycheck. Paaaaaaaaaycheck. I need one (or more) of those. T'would help a great deal.
By the way, my billable hours
I think that's it for now. Anyone have any questions for me? If so, leave them in the comments and I'll respond.
Cheers!
Friday, December 02, 2005
Blog Anonymity & Employment: The Twin Pillars of Enlightenment
(Good luck making sense of the post title!)
Here's an ABA article about an anonymous Manhattan associate's blog: An Anonymous Blogger Preps For The Big Time. The blog in question is opinionistas.
I would like to take this time to briefly gloat over my choice to not make this blog anonymous.
Blog anonymity is a two-way streak, it can be good and bad. The good is pretty obvious. The blogger gets a chance to seriously vent to the world at large about whatever he or she wishes. There can be no concern for giving away secrets or saying something one would not or cannot say otherwise, in a non-anonymous setting. In addition, due to this free-ranging ability to say almost anything, the blog itself will probably be a Hell of a lot more interesting and garner a larger audience. Hell, The Hot Librarion is damn entertaining because the author writes what she thinks, no filter, no editing, no holding back. That can make for some real entertainment.
The bad is oh so much worse, however. All it takes is one chink in that armor of anonymity and everything previously written becomes a weapon. That post about your female colleague who really needs to change her brand of deodorant? WHAM! That post about your boss' horrible toupee and the time he tripped down the stairs only to have the darn thing fluttering down after him? SMACK! That post about the time your law professor's pink shirt poked through his unzippered pants? KAPOW! All of a sudden, the blogger's entertaining posts become fuel for his/her demise. Blackmail is too nice a word when one's professional reputation and, indeed, profession are on the line.
So what is this all about? Accountability. As a blogger, are you willing to be held accountable for what you write? I said yes, knowing that: (1) Someone, some day, would link my real name to this blog. (2) I don't want to be fearing the day that the someone in question is my boss. (3) I'm generally not a bitchy kind of guy. I try not to strongly put down others. Not to say I'm against the odd moment of truthful opinion but that I'd prefer not to rant about friends or co-workers. (4) The blog would be a bit less entertaining because of the inherent filters. But that was my choice and I'm still glad for having chosen as I did.
When I read the above article, I noted the comments about the blogger's anonymity being in danger and briefly reflected on my budding career. I start work next Monday at my first "real" position. Oh I've worked full time before but not in a permanent position. And this one is permanent or at least "for the foreseeable future," which is approximately the same thing. Maybe once I get a hard schedule in place I'll take the time to post more regularly here. Not on the clock, of course, but rather because it will mean more and I'll have more to say and relate. Right now my days consist of occasionally being productive, more often screwing around watching television or playing computer games, seriously trying not to piss off my mom, and taking the dogs out. It's sad and slow and boring and pretty damn dull. But all that changes next week, for better or worse. Of course the paychecks I receive will heavily weigh in on the 'better' but that's a little different than considering generic levels of happiness and well-being.
So in summary, anonymity no, employment yes. Kind of a killjoy when you can reduce an entire post into four words. Bleh. (Or one word.)
Here's an ABA article about an anonymous Manhattan associate's blog: An Anonymous Blogger Preps For The Big Time. The blog in question is opinionistas.
I would like to take this time to briefly gloat over my choice to not make this blog anonymous.
Blog anonymity is a two-way streak, it can be good and bad. The good is pretty obvious. The blogger gets a chance to seriously vent to the world at large about whatever he or she wishes. There can be no concern for giving away secrets or saying something one would not or cannot say otherwise, in a non-anonymous setting. In addition, due to this free-ranging ability to say almost anything, the blog itself will probably be a Hell of a lot more interesting and garner a larger audience. Hell, The Hot Librarion is damn entertaining because the author writes what she thinks, no filter, no editing, no holding back. That can make for some real entertainment.
The bad is oh so much worse, however. All it takes is one chink in that armor of anonymity and everything previously written becomes a weapon. That post about your female colleague who really needs to change her brand of deodorant? WHAM! That post about your boss' horrible toupee and the time he tripped down the stairs only to have the darn thing fluttering down after him? SMACK! That post about the time your law professor's pink shirt poked through his unzippered pants? KAPOW! All of a sudden, the blogger's entertaining posts become fuel for his/her demise. Blackmail is too nice a word when one's professional reputation and, indeed, profession are on the line.
So what is this all about? Accountability. As a blogger, are you willing to be held accountable for what you write? I said yes, knowing that: (1) Someone, some day, would link my real name to this blog. (2) I don't want to be fearing the day that the someone in question is my boss. (3) I'm generally not a bitchy kind of guy. I try not to strongly put down others. Not to say I'm against the odd moment of truthful opinion but that I'd prefer not to rant about friends or co-workers. (4) The blog would be a bit less entertaining because of the inherent filters. But that was my choice and I'm still glad for having chosen as I did.
When I read the above article, I noted the comments about the blogger's anonymity being in danger and briefly reflected on my budding career. I start work next Monday at my first "real" position. Oh I've worked full time before but not in a permanent position. And this one is permanent or at least "for the foreseeable future," which is approximately the same thing. Maybe once I get a hard schedule in place I'll take the time to post more regularly here. Not on the clock, of course, but rather because it will mean more and I'll have more to say and relate. Right now my days consist of occasionally being productive, more often screwing around watching television or playing computer games, seriously trying not to piss off my mom, and taking the dogs out. It's sad and slow and boring and pretty damn dull. But all that changes next week, for better or worse. Of course the paychecks I receive will heavily weigh in on the 'better' but that's a little different than considering generic levels of happiness and well-being.
So in summary, anonymity no, employment yes. Kind of a killjoy when you can reduce an entire post into four words. Bleh. (Or one word.)
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Happy Turkey Day!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Turkey out.
ADDENDUM: By the way, I didn't pass the NY Bar either. (Not that I was expecting to, based on my MBE score - which I learned from my CT Bar results.) Ah well. February here I come! [11:19 PM]
Turkey out.
ADDENDUM: By the way, I didn't pass the NY Bar either. (Not that I was expecting to, based on my MBE score - which I learned from my CT Bar results.) Ah well. February here I come! [11:19 PM]
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Whenever I want you all I have to do is dream...
I had a horrible dream last night/this morning. As you may be aware, I didn't pass the Connecticut Bar. The New York Bar results came out this past Friday but I forgot to get my MBE score transferred so I don't know yet whether or not I passed.
Last night I dreamed that I had received a paper in the mail saying I'd passed the New York Bar. In the middle of the dream I can remember thinking something like "wait, this must be a dream!" Then I thought, "but I have this paper that says I passed, right?" And I felt the paper in my hand, reassuring myself that this was indeed happening, that I'd passed the New York Bar. I was very happy. I mean, with my MBE score it was nothing short of a miracle.
Then I woke up. It took me a solid minute or two to realize there was no such paper and I didn't know if I'd passed.
*sigh*
Last night I dreamed that I had received a paper in the mail saying I'd passed the New York Bar. In the middle of the dream I can remember thinking something like "wait, this must be a dream!" Then I thought, "but I have this paper that says I passed, right?" And I felt the paper in my hand, reassuring myself that this was indeed happening, that I'd passed the New York Bar. I was very happy. I mean, with my MBE score it was nothing short of a miracle.
Then I woke up. It took me a solid minute or two to realize there was no such paper and I didn't know if I'd passed.
*sigh*
Friday, November 18, 2005
Woohoo!
Yay!!! I am now (rather, will be) gainfully employed! I had an interview yesterday afternoon and was extended an offer this morning, which I accepted. I'll be working for a small patent firm located about 10-15 min. from where I'm living. What will I be doing? Writing and prosecuting patent applications, primarily. To be honest, the position is perfect for me. It's a learning position - I will learn all about patent prosecution by doing it. The partners will be overseeing my work and guiding me. The firm itself only has 9 patent agents/attorneys but quite a few big, corporate clients. I start in about 2 weeks. I can't wait!!! Boo-yah!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Hello.
Yeah, I'm still here. I haven't been posting 'cause, well.. nothing is really going on and I'm fairly laid-back these days. Maybe sometime I'll pick up this blog again, get into regular posting again. For now... it's probably not going to happen.
But I do want to post a quote I just heard on The Drew Carrey Show:
But I do want to post a quote I just heard on The Drew Carrey Show:
Priest: Oh Drew, you could come to the Christian Singles Night. Lewis is always there.I couldn't resist. Cheers!
(Priest leaves, Drew turns to Lewis)
Drew: Christian singles night, eh?
Lewis: Oh and you would prefer some loose, drunken woman in a smoke-filled bar? Well so would I but that didn’t work so it’s on to Plan B.
Monday, October 24, 2005
18
It's been 18 days since my last post. Apologies for that. I got back from the whole grandfather escapade a while ago and simply haven't put up a new post. I also broke a promise to a friend to put up a post on Saturday. (Sorry!)
I've been busy with nothing important. I played one night of World of Warcraft a week ago this past Friday. I got into Magic: The Gathering Online last Tuesday night. That's consumed some time of mine. I went to a wedding on Friday night. Two good law school friends of mine. (Congratulations!) And on Monday I head out to D.C. for an Intellectual Property Conference. That gives me 3 solid topics, at the very least, to opine upon. However, since I wake in less than 5 hours to begin my travel, I shall not opine much here. If I find the internet in D.C. I shall endeavor to post more. Else you will have to wait for my return.
In the meantime...
I've been busy with nothing important. I played one night of World of Warcraft a week ago this past Friday. I got into Magic: The Gathering Online last Tuesday night. That's consumed some time of mine. I went to a wedding on Friday night. Two good law school friends of mine. (Congratulations!) And on Monday I head out to D.C. for an Intellectual Property Conference. That gives me 3 solid topics, at the very least, to opine upon. However, since I wake in less than 5 hours to begin my travel, I shall not opine much here. If I find the internet in D.C. I shall endeavor to post more. Else you will have to wait for my return.
In the meantime...
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Continuing
I was back, briefly, to regroup, gather supplies and head back up to my grandparents and aunt.
Opa fell Sat. morning. Had surgery Sun. morning. Surgery went fine. He was in & out the rest of Sunday. No real complications to speak of. Sun. night they gave him some morphine for the "pain." Mon. he was out of it and loopy. I think they gave him *more* morphine late Monday night. Baaaaad. He was out of it (incoherent) and loopy all Tuesday. Bad times. He was also running a slight fever (100-101). At first they wanted to give him a narcotic (pill) since it had tylenol in it. (...) Thankfully he wouldn't swallow the pill so they were working on a tylenol (non-narcotic) suppository. That took +6-7 hours to come through. Once he had that the fever went down.
Wed. morning he was *MUCH* better. Did some physical therapy (PT), walked 7-8 feet, knew who we were, ate all of his breakfast. Complete turn around. My mom and I came back home, I'm doing a turn around and going back up today (Thursday). We heard from my aunt that things fell apart (AGAIN). They hadn't been monitoring his temperature so he was running a fever (AGAIN) and needed more tylenol. Wed. afternoon's PT didn't really happen, that is he couldn't get up and walk again thanks to the effin fever and the useless nurses. So although Wed. morning was a nice step forward, Wed. afternoon was a big step back. ...
When I get up there I'll see how he's doing today.
You probably won't get any new posts from me for a while. Unless the hotel I'm at this weekend has an interent connection, probably not until next Wed. or Thurs.
This hospital he's at is horrible. HORRIBLE. We're on the phone with a cousin of mine who's a prominent surgeon in NYC. He's telling us what to look for and do. The nurses ain't doin' jack. I am strongly inclined to start asking the sorts of questions and obtain the sort of information that a lawyer likes to get. It's patently ridiculous.
I'd write more but no time. Need to keep moving.
Wedding this Sunday for 2 law school friends. Congratulations in advance to them!!! Best wishes for a wonderful future!
I'm out. More posts when time and access allow.
Opa fell Sat. morning. Had surgery Sun. morning. Surgery went fine. He was in & out the rest of Sunday. No real complications to speak of. Sun. night they gave him some morphine for the "pain." Mon. he was out of it and loopy. I think they gave him *more* morphine late Monday night. Baaaaad. He was out of it (incoherent) and loopy all Tuesday. Bad times. He was also running a slight fever (100-101). At first they wanted to give him a narcotic (pill) since it had tylenol in it. (...) Thankfully he wouldn't swallow the pill so they were working on a tylenol (non-narcotic) suppository. That took +6-7 hours to come through. Once he had that the fever went down.
Wed. morning he was *MUCH* better. Did some physical therapy (PT), walked 7-8 feet, knew who we were, ate all of his breakfast. Complete turn around. My mom and I came back home, I'm doing a turn around and going back up today (Thursday). We heard from my aunt that things fell apart (AGAIN). They hadn't been monitoring his temperature so he was running a fever (AGAIN) and needed more tylenol. Wed. afternoon's PT didn't really happen, that is he couldn't get up and walk again thanks to the effin fever and the useless nurses. So although Wed. morning was a nice step forward, Wed. afternoon was a big step back. ...
When I get up there I'll see how he's doing today.
You probably won't get any new posts from me for a while. Unless the hotel I'm at this weekend has an interent connection, probably not until next Wed. or Thurs.
This hospital he's at is horrible. HORRIBLE. We're on the phone with a cousin of mine who's a prominent surgeon in NYC. He's telling us what to look for and do. The nurses ain't doin' jack. I am strongly inclined to start asking the sorts of questions and obtain the sort of information that a lawyer likes to get. It's patently ridiculous.
I'd write more but no time. Need to keep moving.
Wedding this Sunday for 2 law school friends. Congratulations in advance to them!!! Best wishes for a wonderful future!
I'm out. More posts when time and access allow.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Upon My Return
I got back today from the bachelor's party in NYC last night. Was a great time. The bachelor in question is a law school friend who I've known for ~2.5 years now. The party was rather small, consisting of the bachelor, his brother, 2 of their former college buddies and me. Very cool to meet college friends of the bachelor and hear numerous tales of debauchery and depravity.
I'd give more details about last night's fun only I know for a fact that the bachelor's fiancee reads this blog and I can't discuss with her what occurred. Sworn to secrecy, blood oath, etc. I will say that NYC can be a fun town for a bachelor party, even a rather low key one.
Anyways, when I got back home I learned that my grandfather (who's ~92 years old) sustained a fall this morning and fractured his hip. I'm going up to my grandparent's/aunt's tomorrow morning to help my aunt out. My grandfather (aka Opa) is going in for surgery early tomorrow morning - nothing too bad, pins and plates. Still, my aunt could use some help with Oma (aka my grandmother) and just things in general.
So don't be surprised (as if it would surprise you) if you don't hear from me for 5-7 days. I'll be up with Oma & Opa & my aunt, doing whatever I can.
So it goes.
I'd give more details about last night's fun only I know for a fact that the bachelor's fiancee reads this blog and I can't discuss with her what occurred. Sworn to secrecy, blood oath, etc. I will say that NYC can be a fun town for a bachelor party, even a rather low key one.
Anyways, when I got back home I learned that my grandfather (who's ~92 years old) sustained a fall this morning and fractured his hip. I'm going up to my grandparent's/aunt's tomorrow morning to help my aunt out. My grandfather (aka Opa) is going in for surgery early tomorrow morning - nothing too bad, pins and plates. Still, my aunt could use some help with Oma (aka my grandmother) and just things in general.
So don't be surprised (as if it would surprise you) if you don't hear from me for 5-7 days. I'll be up with Oma & Opa & my aunt, doing whatever I can.
So it goes.
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