Lowering Monkeys Gravity

I love this site. Earlier this week there was a post about airline regulations concerning the handling of monkeys (there actually are such regulations) and today there's a post about a NJ Appeals Court holding that there is no duty to warn about gravity.

Simply wonderful.

I strongly suggest you not only take a look at those two articles but also the site in general. It is now on my list of daily viewings and adds some additional much-appreciated humor to my midday break.

Melancholy Musings

I beg your indulgence for the minor rant that follows. I'm a bit down today, hence the following.

I don't know what went wrong. I don't know where I went wrong.

I don't know what it was but the majority of this year so far has been "off" for me. The year began badly when I had joint trouble in January, landing me in the hospital for the first week of February. I spent February and most of March recovering. I spent the successive time.. well, I don't know if I was still recovering but I know I hadn't fully recovered. Even now, given where I am, what I have to do and how things are at work, I don't consider myself fully recovered. In my mind, I won't be fully recovered from everything until this work-year is over (which is either at the beginning or end of December). Until I survive into next year, this year, and my current status, is in the loss column.

The harder part for me is reconciling my poor performance this year with previous years. Not health wise but work wise and performance wise. Not infrequently I've looked back over the limited history that constitutes my sum total of experience and either wonder if/where I went wrong or whether things were always wrong and I just managed to scrape by on luck, intelligence and ability.

Long, long ago I was a good student. I'm talking elementary school, middle school and high school - Hell, I graduated top 2% in my high school. I took a lot of AP classes and passed (scoring 4 out of 5) a lot of the AP tests. I entered college in good position. In college, I wouldn't say I necessarily thrived. I learned a great deal and I got good grades in my major, okay grades elsewhere. I did well enough, in college and on the LSAT, to get into a first tier law school. I took a year off to work and live at home then went to law school. In law school, I scraped by. I passed. I graduated, eventually. I wasn't on a journal (by choice, presumptively) and I didn't get published. I sat for but did not pass the Patent Bar. I sat for but did not pass the CT & NY Bars.

In other words, my school experience, if graphed performance vs. time, would tend to show a negative trend.

Maybe I lost something during that year off. Maybe I never had the focus, dedication and perseverance it takes to do well in law school. I wouldn't say I turned out to be a bad lawyer or patent agent. With my work experience thus far, I feel qualified to do what I'm doing and I do it well, really. I know I'm smart enough and capable enough.

I just don't know what, if anything, is wrong. And sometimes, sometimes that really bothers the Hell out of me. I only hope I survive this year. That's my goal now – survival. Because this year is already a loss and it is far from guaranteed that I will be where I am come December or January. I can't read, no, I don't want to read the omens yet. I cling to the hope that I can prove myself sufficiently by the end of this year, in these last months, that I am awarded a second chance, a second year to really do things right. But right now, in the uncertain darkness that precedes salvation or ruin, I hope. And work. And, sometimes, I pray.

Tinfoil Hats Ahoy!

A post over at Daily Kos raised a good point that I'd long since forgotten. It seems like the U.S. government never did get around to fully investigating those anthrax letters that came in the wake of 9-11. And it seems like there was some compelling evidence to either indicate a U.S. gov. or employee hand in it or to at least narrow the search down so as to actually get somewhere. Or to put it another way - it looks like there was better intelligence for ferreting out the anthrax culprits than for invading Iraq. (But then that would hardly be news.)

If you read the comments to the post, make sure your tinfoil hat is firmly in place. I'm not going to link to the sites linked in the comments though I will note that the microbiologist murders, in particular, make for some good paranoia.

By the by, it's kind of interesting to see the comments from presumably "regular readers" of Kos. I like reading DailyKos because I tend to share the same political alignment and opinions. However, I'm getting the sense that the site tends to foster darker components too, such as the tinfoil hat wearing crowd. I love a good conspiracy story but, well, I'm unwilling to commit myself to anything like that in the absence of at least some concrete evidence. (And I know that actual evidence is nigh impossible for a good conspiracy.) Maybe that's just the scientist in me. *shrug*

TSA Bans Motherfucking Snakes From Motherfucking Planes

While I eagerly await this week's movie release...

I saw a BoingBoing post that linked to this post. A morsel:

NO SNAKES OF ANY KIND WILL BE PERMITTED ON A PLANE. SNAKES ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED IN CHECKED BAGGAGE. This includes all pythons, boas, rattlesnakes, vipers, mambas, adders, and other known species of snakes.

Exception: some limited amounts of snakes may be allowed if Samuel L. Jackson is traveling; licensed snake charmers are allowed to have snakes in their check in baggage only if the name on the snake charming license matches the one passenger’s ticket; people who'se name is Snake will be allowed on board but only after full body cavity search

• Snakes purchased in the sterile area must be consumed before boarding because they will not be permitted onboard the aircraft.


• Passengers traveling from the U.K. to the U.S. will be subject to a more extensive screening process.

You can go about your business now.

Oddity in a Dream

I had a dream last night. Here's a sketch of what I can recall.

PART I
Getting into a car or vehicle with 7 other people (or so). 2 couples so they got the backseat. I think my mom was driving. That left me, William Shatner and some woman/girl. Shatner got in the middle-front with the girl and I got in last but Shatner fell asleep so I got to talk with/hang out with the girl.

PART II
Something like my cousin had died but I could still communicate with her as she could write, in pencil, on paper. At first I was shocked but then it was almost normal. Her messages were "usual" ones to people she loved, her mother, her brother, etc. At one point I tried channeling her, writing on the paper myself with the pencil - except that didn't work. It only worked by her writing, herself, directly on the paper with the pencil. END DREAM.

CONCLUSION
Very weird. No real comments to make other than I suspect Shatner's presence is due to me watching a lot of Boston Legal this weekend and the previous one. (Denny Crane.) Even him in the dream seemed like he was Denny Crane, not Shatner. Still, very odd.

OTHER
By the way, the internet connection for my computer at home is mildly and occasionally crippled, I suspect by spyware. I ran AdAware last night and got rid of some junk there. Spybot won't run until I update it, which I couldn't do with my crappy internet connection last night. And so today I seek spyware answers. *sigh* No Molten Core raid for me last night. Damnit.

The Week in (Brief) Review

This week was actually an interesting week for a variety of reasons.

The CT Democratic Primary was on Tuesday. Lamont won over Lieberman. I'm still waiting for Lieberman to get the message, that he's become completely out of touch with his constituency. He now plans on running as an Independent. I don't think he got the message.

British agents foiled a multiple-airplane bombing. Now US passengers can no longer bring liquids or anything non-necessary of any kind on planes. Oddly enough, despite the foiling and increased security, I don't feel any more secure. I think it has to do with Bush and the government's general attitude towards security. I really don't have much faith in the Dept. of Homeland Security.

I've done pretty well at work this week, if you can forgive the screw-ups on the way.. and there were a few. I'm still figuring things out here. I hope I last long enough here that I can use my learnings to benefit. No, I will not explain that statement here, at least not yet.

I'm playing less World of Warcraft. I haven't had a falling out with my guild leadership so much as.. well.. we had a disagreement, though they bear me no ill will. It's resulted in me signing up for, and getting slotted for, fewer raids. Kind of nice, actually. I get more sleep. I watch more TV. I relax a bit more. I'm very tempted to just quit WoW outright, only I think I do enjoy it and want to continue with it. I don't know.

I just saw this on CNN's site. Lieberman scaremongering:

I'm worried that too many people, both in politics and out, don't appreciate the seriousness of the threat to American security and the evil of the enemy that faces us -- more evil or as evil as Nazism and probably more dangerous than the Soviet communists we fought during the long Cold War.

If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them and they will strike again.

That whole "strengthening" argument has been used too many times in too many contexts. Plus it doesn't generally feel as though we're accomplishing much in Iraq these days. Why else do the majority of Americans want to see a withdrawal? It's not worth the price we're paying, in people and in resources. I sincerely hope Lieberman doesn't win his seat back this Fall.

But enough politics. I'm not a politico and you're not here to read about it.

Mmmmmm... hazelnut coffee...

Quotation Goodness, Part I

Courtesy of a post on Daily Kos:

"Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is still in the hospital with a serious medical condition. Castro said that a half century of Communist rule seemed like a good idea right up until the point he was rushed to the hospital in a '55 Oldsmobile."
---Conan O'Brien

"President Bush has rejected calls for an immediate cease-fire [in Lebanon] on the grounds that he'd prefer a "sustainable" cease-fire. It makes sense. He doesn't want the killing to stop until he's sure it will stop. So there will be more killing until the president's convinced that there will be no more killing. Or everyone else runs out of people."
---Jon Stewart

"President Bush had his annual medical exam this week. The doctors said the president remains in excellent health and is fit for duty. In fact, so fit today the National Guard called and said, 'So how about serving your time now?'."
---Jay Leno

Jon Stewart is the man. 'Nuff said.

News Flash: Dog No Longer Man's Best Friend (At Least in China)

As a dog lover, this CNN article really bothered me: Second mass dog slaughter in China.

SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- For the second time in days, Chinese authorities have ordered a mass slaughter of dogs to curb a rabies outbreak -- drawing criticism from animal lovers but also support from many who say it's the only way to contain a disease that kills more than 2,000 Chinese a year.

Officials in the eastern city of Jining plan to kill all dogs within three miles of areas where rabies has been found, the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday.

The measure came in response to the deaths of 16 people from rabies in Jining in the last eight months, Xinhua said.

"I'll take 'Ways NOT to Respond to a Health Crisis' for $200, Alec."

The article goes on to suggest that this is an unreasonable response, especially in light of the medical options (i.e. vaccination) that are available, though not widely used.

The article also states:

The killings have also prompted a slew of impassioned postings in online forums.

"Tens of thousands of people die in traffic accidents each year, but we don't ban cars. Dogs are simply easy to persecute," said one unsigned posting on Xinhua's electronic bulletin board.

"People opposed to killing dogs ought to think how they'd feel if they or a relative was infected with rabies. Are people's or dogs' lives more important?" said another, also unsigned.

In my opinion, the quoted posts miss the point. It's not about persecution nor is it about the relative value of dogs' lives versus peoples' lives. Rather the issue is how a country should go about responding to the health threat of rabies. Should the government mandate a mass genocide of potentially affected animals? Or should the government mandate vaccination and better practices where failure to comply with them carries stiff penalties?

In other words, there has got to be a better approach. This is an overreaction that is going to do far more than merely harm a bunch of animals – it's also going to significantly affect public perception of Chinese government and the public image of China. I wouldn't be surprised if this action carries severe repercussions for China and Chinese companies on an international scale. Okay, so that's more of a wish than a prediction. But I'm an avowed dog lover. I would throw an absolute fit if something like this were attempted with my dogs.

By the way, I'm specifically ignoring the part about precisely how the dogs are killed. If curious, read the article. I refuse to discuss it here.

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

This week we had a new associate start working for my firm. The partners did what they did with me - hiring someone who just graduated from law school, to whom they can teach the trade. The new guy is very nice and should fit in very well with the firm. I've helped him out a bit, not by offering much substantive advice with work (since I feel I'm rather new to this myself and really shouldn't be offering substantive advice), but rather by providing some procedural tips, for both PTO things and office things. I'm in a rather unique position because I know exactly what he needs to know and what materials and resources he's going to need. Why? That was me 8 months ago.

It's also kind of interesting because I can see how much I've learned in my 8 months with the firm. A lot of aspects of work are now rote - I've seen them before and know how to handle them. I know how to approach drafting patents and Responses to Office Actions. I understand the process and the law much better. That's not to say I'm an expert here, Hell no. I've got 8 months of experience under my belt, I'm still learning. But it's really interesting to see how far I've come, especially as I can appreciate where the new guy is right now.

Breakin' All The Rules

I'm breaking one of my rules right now - I'm posting from work. Okay, it's rather early and there are only 3 other people here right now, but I'd long ago made a rule not to post at work. Why? A few reasons. (1) To prevent discovery. I don't want anyone at work to be conscious of this thing. (2) I figure work is for working, not for posting. I haven't changed my view on those two points, I just want to post more often and early-morning at work is a good time for that.

I'm something of an early bird. These days I wake up around 5:30. Leave the house by 7:00 unless I'm running "late." Get to work around 7:00-7:30 or so. I'm not terribly sure why, other than I think it helps me get more hours in. Does it? Results are inconclusive at this time. Mind you I often stay up until midnight-12:30am playing my computer game.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying: "Beer is proof that G-d loves us and wants us to be happy." Replace "beer" with "hazelnut coffee" and that's me in the morning. More on that some other time.

Now I have a donut to consume (vanilla-frosted with sprinkles). Oh sweet sugary goodness, transport me from the sunlit, sleepy morn to a place of slumber and contentment.. at least for a minute or two.

ADDENDUM: It looks like I've lost all the comments to previous posts. Not sure why. Maybe my Haloscan account/comments was inactive too long? *shrug* It's a shame but I'm not going to stress over it.

ADDENDUM II: Rather, it looks like there may have been a minor, temporary hiccup with Haloscan. Comments appear to be preserved, in place and accessible. Rejoice yon masses. Or repent. Whatever.

Coming & Going, Going & Coming

I'm still here, still kicking. I think this blog has had its golden age. Although I have no plans for regular posting, I'll leave it where it is, as it is, for now. Who knows - some day I may return to it or start another blog.

I've been working as before. I'm having some issues with work, personal ones. I'd rather not go into detail here. Suffice it to say *I* have issues. Hopefully I can figure things out and get over them before it's too late. It's nothing per se bad, it's just a facet of myself that I have to come to terms with and get past.

For the past 2-3 weeks I've been playing "my game" (World of Warcraft) more than I should. Honestly, I don't care. I'm content playing it a lot. I think I have to work on minimizing its effects on the rest of my life but that's not the problem. My mom is the problem. In the past I've tempered my playing to cater to her. Now I'm not. And I know she's a bit worried and/or annoyed about that but I'm going to continue it for now. Because I want to. Because I can. Because there will come a time in the future when I must temper it, for other things, such as bar studying.

I'm (tentatively) planning on sitting for the Connecticut Bar in February. I sat for and passed the Patent Bar. The Patent Bar was the more important one for work - so that I get registered as a Patent Agent. That's in the works. Yay bureacracy.

Health-wise, I'm doing okay... now. I had a nasty bout of poison ivy. (That'll teach my mom to have me do yardwork!!!) Lasted 2-3 weeks. I ended up seeing a dermatologist and going on a hefty dose of prednisone to get over it. Otherwise I'm doing well. I started some other treatment for my ulcerative colitis - Remicade. It's a medication customarily used for rheumatoid arthritis but it's also used for ulcerative colitis. My rheumatologist put me on it - largely based on my arthritis bout earlier this year (the one that landed me in the hospital for a week). No problems currently.

I haven't spoken to or seen any law school friends in a long time, like 3-4 months or so. I have no friends at the moment (at least none close to him, that I see). This is just like my year of work between college and law school. It'd be cool to have friends only (a) I don't have any nearby; (b) I'm not terribly sure how I'd make new friends (e.g. ones in my age bracket) right now; (c) it would cut into my WoW-playing; (d) I'm not sure I *need* a friend right now; (e) I live at home with my mom.

Points (d) and (e) also hold for girls, especially (e). There's no way in Hell I'm going to go on dates when I can't bring them back to my place afterwards, or hang out there with them. There's also no way in Hell I'm introducing girls to my mom. Did that once. Still scarred by it. To put it briefly: I once brought my college girlfriend (we dated for a few months) home. After my dad died, she expressed her condolences and said "He was always nice to me." And my mom was not. So my mom will meet any girlfriends of mine about 1 week before I propose. Okay, maybe not 1 week, but certainly not much more. As to how I would find dates - yeah, I would have to use the internets. e.g. eHarmony or some such. I know it's.. well, it's probably not ideal, but I hate the bar scene and how else would I meet girls to go out on dates? Anyways, I'll worry about that when I move out. And I'm not moving out until next year sometime. Need to pay off debt, save up some money, etc. I'm a bit reluctant to move out 'cause I do help out my mom quite a lot. And I know she likes having me around, especially as she's on her own otherwise. Well, on her own with the two dogs. And the dogs like having me around.

If you're reading this and feel like it, shoot me an e-mail. I check it every day and usually respond pretty promptly these days. (No guarantees, of course.) Stay safe, be well & Cheers!~

"Let's stop thinking and start drinking."

(Ah, if only!)

From the Two Pints quote generator. Why? Because I needed a title.

I received two, count them, TWO comments to my previous post. And so I shall respond to the TWO comments!

zuska: how's work going? Is your health okay?

Work is going.. okay. Ever since my health issues back in January-February, I haven't quite gotten back into the game, so to speak. I think my brain was on vacation or some other such bs. In any case, my hours were way down for March and that ain't good, especially as I recently received a promotion. (Oh yeah, forgot to mention that in the last post.) ::grin:: So I really need to kill myself (metaphorically speaking!) and put in *LOTS* of time at work this month, get back into the swing and really start producing good work product. Fast and strong. So work is okay but it could be, and will get, better.

As for my health, well... I'm over all the *big* stuff. I'm not quote right in the colon right now and I suspect it's the change in medication 2 weeks ago. It's not that bad though, not at all, and certainly something I can deal with, especially given my incapacitation in January-February. So it's okay. Hopefully it'll get better. (Thanks for asking, zuska!)

Next up we have:

I'll Bite: Any advice for UConn 1Ls preparing to pick classes for next year? Profs to avoid, must take classes, etc.?

Also, have any jobs available for the summer? I know some people...

Ah, class selection! An epic event of such joy and merriment! And thankfully one I won't have to deal with, possibly forever, possibly just for a long time. (Eventually I hope to get my Masters in physics. Eventually. Emphasis on the eventually.)

I recommend these classes (and note that I have no idea on actual course offerings for next semester so these are just picks from my time at UConn Law):

Stark's Evidence - Stark is excellent! And Evidence is a subject I feel every law student should take. It's all about screwing the other attorney before/while they're screwing you. You need to have some exposure with this since, by the time you'll need it later, you'll have wished you'd taken the course. Seriously.

Berman's Cyberspace - I'm not a huge fan of Berman but I loved this subject matter. All of the topics are highly relevant to modern times and changing law. They run the gamut from Civ Pro to.. ummm... Jurisdiction. Anyways, a good course by a somewhat-good prof.

Legal Profession (Ethics) - You'll need this at some point anyways. Can do it now, can do it later. Whatever.

Trial Practice - An excellent course in which you'll learn practical trial skills. Yes, PRACTICAL. It's one of those rare opportunities to learn something actually useful while at law school. I wish I could remember the names of the good teachers. I know it's a pair of them. If you post some names, I'll remember the ones I'd recommend.

CULI (Building Urban Communities) with Breetz et al. - Another excellent course with excellent teachers! Breetz is an old school kind of guy who'll teach you "the art of the deal." (Not kidding.) This is very much like a clinic so expect that kind of devotion and time commitment. But it's worth it. Oh so worth it. This is one course I highly recommend.

Law and Forensic Science - Good lord did I enjoy this course. Taught forever by the head of the Henry Lee Institute and a local Judge, both of whom are extremely knowledgable, this is one of those courses that, if you can get into, you should. It was one of the best courses I ever took. I held the skull of a CT settler in my hand (over 300 years old I think?). I saw (and smelled) dead bodies in the cooler by the morgue. I handled (unloaded) firearms. And oh yeah, I heard a lecture by Dr. Lee himself. (!!!) I also learned a great deal about Forensics and the laws of Evidence. Amazing course. Absolutely, flat out amazing. This is why we are thankful we have one of the best Forensic Institutes in the country in our state. TAKE THIS COURSE.

Right to Privacy by Attorney Daniel Klau - (I've mentioned him before.) An excellent course by an excellent teacher. Could swear I wrote a review of it but I can't seem to find it right now. In any case, even if you're only mildly interested in the subject matter. TAKE THIS COURSE. Just excellent. By far one of the best I took in law school.

Okay, and your second question. I'll try to remember to ask one of my bosses and see if they're interested in a summer intern or associate or some such. I don't want to sound downbeat or upbeat and it's really hard to not sound the former and harder still to sound the latter. But I'll try to remember to ask, that's all I can do.

Though I'll ask whether you're into patent law and/or have taken any IP courses. Just to get a baseline. :)

Any more questions? (This is fun!)

Remember, remember, the fifth of November...

The gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

I saw V for Vendetta today. A nice translation of Alan Moore's seminal graphic novel. According to an interview, Moore was upset with the movie and did not want his name connected with it. To be honest, it was a fairly good translation of the graphic novel. I rather liked it, even as it was "updated" for modern times, as it must be. I highly recommend you see this one in the theater. Well done.

I've been busy of late. I got back into World of Warcraft. I joined a new guild and am doing some end-game raiding 1-3 nights a week. Keeps me busy for better or worse. Though my Warlock is getting better-outfitted and I'm rather enjoying it. The guild is *excellent* and the game is fun again. Nice for a change.

I very recently purchased components for a new computer. Did lots of research then bought these. I assembled it last week and started *trying* to install the operating system (Windows XP Pro x64). Turning out to be a *BIG* pain, that. So now I'm working on that, on and off. Hopefully I can figure it out so I can get on with installing to then using the computer. Should put my old one to utter shame. (Least it better!)

I'm currently watching "Dark Kingdom" on Sci Fi, a Sci Fi Channel made-for-TV miniseries thing. I think April is their miniseries month and some of them are downright good! This one is very good! I had to miss an hour for the new West Wing tonight and I've been watching it on and off after but from what I've seen, very nice.

That's it for now. Maybe I'll post more than once a month. Who knows? I'll tell you what though, if you reply to this post with a comment, maybe even a question, I'll endeavor to post a post about the topic or with an answer or some such. Maybe I'll get to see who's out there still, eh?

Cheers!

Nightly Activity

The queue to get on my WoW server is at 500. That is, I'd have to wait about 45 minutes in line in order to play tonight. Seeing as I'd like to go to upstairs to bed no later than around 10:30, that might leave me with 15-30 min. to play. No thanks. Not for a 45 min. line. Guess I'll surf the web for WoW-related things!

How I Learned To Change A Car Tire

So I'm coming home last night on the Taconic...

Why was I coming home last night on the Taconic? Well, I was in Philmont, NY appearing for a not-guilty-plead speeding ticket I received on the Taconic in October. I call my appearance successful as I was able to plead guilty at a speed 10 mph lower than the one I was supposedly clocked at (which I maintained was faster than my actual speed, though I admit I was speeding).

Anyways! Before I left, one of the officers told me that my front right tire was extremely low on air and I might want to fill it at a local gas station before heading home. I thanked him and though I stopped at a local gas station, I did not see an air-providing device. So I thought, gee, I made it here on the tire. Surely I can make it home on the tire.

Alas, 2 miles down the Taconic I was proven wrong. Oh so wrong.

My front right tire blew, or at least went flat enough to constitute being undriveable. I pulled off the road onto a grassy area, no problem. I learned I could not get any cell reception. I learned that apparently my trunk takes on water and that water likes to collect in my spare tire well and freeze, thus freezing the tire in.

Wonderful.

Thankfully an extremely nice gentleman who lives very nearby, name is Dan, showed up to assist me in changing my tire. With his help (and his flashlight), we were able to successfully change my front right tire. Apparently he's helped other people on this stretch of the Taconic before with similar tire problems. (He even knew that AAA wouldn't have come - the only help you can get is by calling the state police and having them call the one garage that has a lone tow truck that will come tow your car to that garage. Splendid, eh?) Dan was extremely nice, even refusing any proferred compensation. (I owe someone in this world a big favor in return. I won't forget.)

In any case, I now know how to put the spare tire on my 1998 Buick Park Avenue.

As it is, my car now has 4 new tires after a stop at the tire store this morning. Town Fair Tire in Bridgeport, CT. Excellent place. They even managed to bang out the dent in my spare and reinflate it so I can use it again. (I put 110 miles on that spare getting home last night! When I got home, it was incredibly flat and I couldn't manage to inflate it before going to Town Fair. So I drove over there on my flat spare, nerves tensed the entire way.)

Thus endeth the tale.

The Matador, Olé!

Last weekend I saw The Matador, starring Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, and Hope Davis. IMDB summary:

A chance encounter between a travelling salesman [Kinnear] and a lonely hitman [Brosnan] triggers a strangely profound relationship which provokes each to act in ways neither would have imagined possible. Fate steps in to form a friendship between two men from irreconcilable worlds that will alter the lives of both forever.

Very succinct without really saying much. Then again, it's a relatively short movie where if I tell you much more, there's not much left to it.

I will say that I rather enjoyed the movie. It's light in places and heavy in others. But what really made it shine for me were the characters portrayed by Brosnan and Kinnear. Brosnan's hitman is perfect! He's absolutely nuts. I don't mean he's mentally incompetent but rather that he's 'off' by so much from what one might consider a 'normal' person to be. He's a bit unstable, unhinged, and just generally depraved. He's what I hope a hitman might be like. Very odd and yet very good at his job.

Kinnear's character is in direct contrast. Very down to Earth, very likeable, very much your average man. He has a wife [Davis] and a nice house. Very average and the perfect 'partner' for Brosnan.

It's a strange pairing that really works. Kinnear reacts like the average person would/should and his reactions and acting are spot on. The plot itself is very thin, at times I wondered what the plot actually was, but the acting of the two main characters overshadows this rather large hole.

Not everyone will like this movie. For me, it was Brosnan's assassin. At one point he takes you step-by-step through an assassination. It's chilling and oh so well done. Kinnear is there, of course, and his reactions and 'learning' really serve to reflect the audience.

Anyways, I like it. You may not. If you like Brosnan or Kinnear (or what-I-consider-to-be-realistic assassins), give it a look. It's funny at times, serious at others. I'd label it a drama but even there it's not all that dramatic. It just sort of is. If you can deal with that, enjoy the ride (or at least the acting).

More Work & More Play

A one-day belated Happy Valentine's Day! Personally, I have yet to actually have a Valentine's Day on which I have a S.O. (significant other). No big deal. It just generally means that it's an empty holiday for me. One thing this year, the morning radio show I listen to, Z100's Z Morning Zoo with Elvis Duran, was talking about a musical CD Victoria's Secret is selling called Strip. The CD has a number of songs for one to strip to for your S.O. I mention this because some of the songs were just really good songs, regardless of the underlying strip theory. Next time I hit the mall I'm going to swing by Victoria's Secret and see if I can snag a CD (costs $15-20 though, ugh).

At work today I finally finished a nonprovisional draft I'd been working on for over a week. Granted last week's half-days didn't help but this thing was a beast! I was tying together 10 different embodiments of a tool. I had a provisional to use as the basis for the Description but I ended up adding 3 figures and redoing the numbering for 5 figures. I came out with 35 claims, 9 independents, 4 of which were narrower repeats of previous ones. I thought that was pretty good, to only use 5 independents as the basis for 10 different embodiments. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I've now got 4 nonprovisionals (no provisional basis) to draft and one Response to a Final Office Action. In short, plenty of work to keep me busy for a while.

I really do love drafting these nonprovisionals. It's like one big logic puzzle. You're given X pieces of information to start and your goal is to arrive at a final work product that accurately covers the invention as best you can. It really does keep me going, keep me busy, even entertained at times. Not bad if this is my career, to wind up doing something I'm not only pretty good at (if I may say so myself!) but also doing something I actually enjoy at times. Pretty rare I think.

More play.

The whole Cheney hunting incident ceased to be funny when the victim, Harry Whittington, had a small heart attack. On the other hand, if you can get past that, the incident is pretty amusing and has led to some damn funny jokes, one-liners, and such about Cheney and lawyers. Here are some links to some of my favs:

TV joke writers take shots at Cheney [CNN]

Ten ways Dick Cheney can kill you (apols to Chuck Norris) [Boing Boing]

Cheney shoots 78-year old lawyer with shotgun, story held 24h [Boing Boing]

CHENEY SHOOTS ... by all the top cartoonists! [MSNBC-Daryl Cagle]

Of course, some of the jokes are just hilarious:

*Are* lawyers in season right now?

Will Disney adapt this into a cartoon about a baby lawyer having to adjust to living in the wild without his parent?

Is this the administration's new plan for tort reform, No Lawyer Left Behind?

(Boing Boing)

And:

"I think Cheney is starting to lose it. After he shot the guy he screamed, 'Anyone else want to call domestic wire tapping illegal?'" (Jay Leno)

"Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt ... making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting veep since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, of course, (was) shot in a duel with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington? Mistaken for a bird." (Jon Stewart)

"Now, this story certainly has its humorous aspects. ... But it also raises a serious issue, one which I feel very strongly about. ... Moms, dads, if you're watching right now, I can't emphasize this enough: Do not let your kids go on hunting trips with the vice president. I don't care what kind of lucrative contracts they're trying to land, or energy regulations they're trying to get lifted -- it's just not worth it." (Jon Stewart)

"The big scandal apparently is that they didn't release the news for 18 hours. I don't think that's a scandal at all. I'm quite pleased about that. Finally there's a secret the vice president's office can keep." (Craig Ferguson)

"Apparently the reason they didn't release the information right away is they said we had to get the facts right. That's never stopped them in the past." (Craig Ferguson)

(CNN)

Okay, enough on that. I really just wanted to post the links and the snippets. They were too amusing to pass up. (And I am happy that Whittington is now recovering nicely.)

Next up, and probably the last item for this post - Chuck Norris! I'd heard of Chuck Norris Facts before but I hadn't actually surfed over to the site until early this week. (Or was it last week? Whatever.) The site is friggin' hilarious!!!

"The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain."

"Chuck Norris has two speeds. Walk, and Kill."

"The Great Wall of China was originally created to keep Chuck Norris out. It failed miserably."

"Chuck Norris invented Kentucky Fried Chicken's famous secret recipe, with eleven herbs and spices. But nobody ever mentions the twelfth ingredient: Fear."

"What was going through the minds of all of Chuck Norris' victims before they died? His shoe."

I would go on quoting 'facts' but there are so many good ones!!! I was reading this site and barely containing myself from laughing out loud! And the best part? It's gone commercial so you can get some of these sayings on a t-shirt with a graphic of Chuck Norris!!! I so have to get at least one t-shirt! I haven't chosen which one yet but I will get one. I just love it. If you like, check out Norris' response to the website.

Enough for now. I've been working at God of War. I'm about a third of the way through the game I think. Still going strong, still fun, still lovin' it. Grandia III came out today. Reviews have it as a mediocre RPG with an excellent combat system. Only 25-30 hours of play time. I know I'm going to snag it at some point. I think I'll finish God of War first though. It'll be tough not to buy Grandia III sooner but I hate having so many games going at once, especially since I really don't have all that much time to spend on them. The weekends are when I get the most play time in and even then I have to be a little careful not to upset the careful balance of not pissing off the mother. Ah, such is the price of living at home with no overhead.

Cheers!

Of Work

In the spirit of writing posts when I do, here's one on work.

Very recently I've only been putting in half-days as my body recovers and I start approaching some semblance of how I felt 6 weeks ago (as in before I started feeling absolutely rotten). This week I'm going to start attempting more reasonable hours, as in 4-hour+ days (hopefully more like 5-6+, since my goal is 7+ per day, once I'm recovered sufficiently, which I almost am). Of course I have 2 doctor appointments and 2 feet of snow on my car that will attempt to deter me from this lofty goal. So be it. I'm giving myself a pass and doing what I can 'cause there ain't much else I got left these days. Give me a week or two and I should be good for a much closer semblance of 'normalcy' (if normalcy can be said to exist).

See! I'm making less sense than, well, not usual, but certainly less sense! That's a positive sign, I swear!

Anyways, about work. What do I do at work? Patents! I write Patent Application drafts and Responses to Office Actions for prosecuting patent applications. Now, even though I tell people I'm an Associate Attorney, hey - that's what my 'position' lists me as, I'm really a ghost-writer at this junction. That is to say, until I pass the Patent Bar, all of my work is carefully reviewed and signed off by a barred attorney. Honestly, my work will always be reviewed. The only change, once I sit for and pass the Patent Bar, will be that my name starts showing up on things. No big at the moment. In the meantime, it's nice to be working.

I've written quite a few Patent Applications, nonprovisional and provisional alike. I love writing patents. It's honestly fun and interesting most of the time. Taking a disclosure given to me, sometimes very complete and detailed, other times bare bones, and drafting something that almost always doesn't look like what I started with 'cause I add details and write it in patent-speak to be broader and more comprehensive. It really is an art. And it's a learned art at that, not something you can figure out by reading books or such. No, the only way, well the best way, to learn this trade is to do it and have your work reviewed by knowledgable, experienced persons. I am incredibly lucky to be working for the firm I am and have this opportunity. I learn from every patent I write, every document I produce, and I put it into the next ones, hopefully improving my skills while producing good work product and earning the firm good fees.

As noted above, I went to UConn Law for my J.D. Although UConn Law has an Intellectual Property (IP) Certificate Program and boasts many IP-related courses, the patent pickings are extremely slim. Slim as in one guaranteed course on Patent Theory and possible seminars, such as one on IP Litigation Strategies that I couldn't fit into my schedule. So although I know a good deal about Patent Theory from that course, UConn Law didn't actually help prepare me to practice Patent Law or write or prosecute patents. Very sad.

One idea I have in the back of my mind is for 2-3 years down the road. All I do at work is write and prosecute patent applications. Very narrow, relatively speaking (as compared with the whole of IP Law or even with Patent Litigation, which is a whole other animal). One idea of mine is to approach UConn Law in 2-3 years, after I can claim to have some experience, even minimal, and suggest I teach or co-teach a Patent Drafting/Prosecution seminar. Nothing too fancy, maybe only a 2-credit course, but something to help prepare interested students so they have an idea how to write and/or prosecute patents. As I said, it's an art, but one that can be learned with practice. If offered the chance, I know a number of students would be interested in such a course and it would be extremely helpful for post-law school work. Heck, in 2-3 years I could probably use some case files I've written (with client & firm permission, of course!) as examples of good and bad and as practice. Again, this is just something I have tucked away in the back recesses of my mind. Y'know, if I survive that long with some mild sense of sanity intact. (*nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*)

In any case, tomorrow I go into work in the morning (though not for my 8-9am goal I suspect, due to the 2 feet of snow on my car and some pressing errands that I really need to take care of asap) and I'll work on drafting a patent application that I was working on last week. Fun stuff. I finished the Background and am now left with reviewing the Detailed Description, probably adding at least one Figure, and, oh yeah, writing the effin claims. Actually, the claims for this one shouldn't be too hard 'since although it is a technology-oriented subject matter (which I won't reveal), the patent/invention is directed to more superficial aspects of the item. Still, I'm enjoying it.

One thing I'm still working on for this blog is figuring out some way of incorporating more law posts into the fold. Since I graduated, the legal content here as diminished to almost nil (or perhaps nil). Not quite what I'd like to see. However, my job is writing patents. What can I write about that? I don't know. I don't want to start writing a 'How To' 'cause that might be trade secret material, infringing on work product, heck it might be bad advice. Plus, providing legal advice in a general context is never a good idea liability-wise.

I don't want to start researching legal material for specific blog legal posts. That would take more time than I'm willing to dedicate and I doubt I'd say much terribly interesting without a good amount of effort and thought.

Yet I don't want to give up on the legal aspect of this blog, what legal aspect there ever was. It doesn't feel enough to merely mention my job and such and call this a 'blawg' -- that feels thin, a sham. No, I want to find something to talk about, I just don't know what.

I'll try to think about it some in the coming weeks, figure something out if I can. The thing is nothing I do at work really dovetails into potential blog-post material. I don't see an in. Maybe the blog becomes more of a personal blog until I find something. Goodness knows it couldn't but benefit from more posts, personal or legal. It just bothers me.

Then again, if I'm not finding interesting legal things to post about, maybe I should be. Maybe I should be trying to keep up on current IP law, like I did at my part-time job during law school. (Granted we had monthly meetings that meant I had to research recent IP Law at least every other month.) I mean, I should stay on top of developing IP Law. I will run into it. But I can't bill for that. And that is what my employment is all about - the almighty billable hour. Thankfully work is a little relaxed in that I don't need to organize my life in 6-minute increments, I can go minute-by-minute, but the almighty billable does reign supreme. And due to my recent illness, I am oh so dreadfully behind thus far this year. I'm not sure I'll be able to make it all up but once I start feeling better you'd better believe I'm gonna try my hardest. (I'm talking 8-9 hour days, weekends, the works.)

Anyways, long enough post. Tangentially related to law. Sort of. And late enough now that I need to take the dogs out, grab a snack & head up to bed. At least I get to read my book a bit before bedtime. W00t for vampire pr0n.

Cheers!