I Immediately Regret This Decision

That's a Wrap

2009-08-24T14:34:00.003-05:00

I've decided to stop blogging here. After that last post, I think this blog has fulfilled its purpose. And since I am using Twitter so much (@Carty64, see the updates on the right side of the page) this whole site doesn't seem necessary. I may start another one to chronicle my life as a young, soon-to-be attorney, and if I do, I'll post that link here.

Thanks for all the views and comments everyone!

Full Circle

2009-05-11T00:23:00.003-05:00

When I first started this blog, I wrote a post about how I love the show Scrubs and how I always felt that it helped me deal with law school. I first got into the show in my first semester and I have been watching it ever since. I even have all the (available) seasons on DVD. Now, as fitting as it could possibly be, both the show, and law school have ended.

I didn't intend for this to happen as it did. Recently, I have been watching the newest episodes on demand on Sunday nights in bed, and tonight was no different. But, was I wasn't expecting was the last episode of the season, and, very likely, of the show. It was fairly emotional for me because I feel like I know the characters so well, like I have grown up with them. And in a way, I have. When I first got here I was just a scared little man not sure about who he was or what he wanted. I hadn't experienced what it was like to really know fear and doubt. And just like Zach Braff's character in the first episode, I very quickly learned that things were NOT going to go like I expected. I discovered that the one, and only, thing I could count on to help me get through this all were my friends.

I didn't know my roommate before law school but without him I really don't know if I could have survived this all. We are so alike and still so different. The insecurities, fears, beliefs, and desires were all there. More importantly though, no one has made me laugh more, or think more. We're not quite as close as JD and Turk from the show, but it's close. I know he'd never say it aloud (like Dr. Cox) but I know he's really going to miss me, and I'll be the sappy dork and probably say something corny (but sincere) when we finally say goodbye.

I didn't know that the episode I would be watching tonight was a finale, but I'm glad it was. My final 2 tests in law school are Monday and Tuesday, then I am driving back to Salt Lake and leaving this all behind. The show tonight talked about the different ways people say goodbye and the way that people want to be remembered. I have so many memories of people, places, experiences and feelings, some good and some bad. But I will even look back on the bad ones fondly because they are part of the whole experience that I have had here. But more than that, they will help me make choices about my future. I'm sad the show is likely over, but it feels somewhat fitting, like it knows that it has helped me get through this and now I need to go out and start the rest of my life. This really is the end of a chapter, and I don't know what will happen next.

So here we are, 2 1/2 years later. I'm 27, graduating from law school, no job locked down yet, and moving home while I study for the bar exam in July...I need a new TV show.

I'm Still Here!

2009-04-07T23:53:00.002-05:00

Hey all, sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been crazy busy with school and the Legal Clinic. Good news though, only THIS long until I am all done! Graduation is creeping up and pretty soon I will be road trippin' back to the good ol' SLC.

My friend Emily has always been the non-mainstream music authority among my friends (well, her and Dan, but he is MIA). I have really changed a lot since leaving the bubble for law school, and one of those changes has been in my musical tastes. Before, I would dismiss a lot of the music she liked as "hippie-indie-emo-wannabeJackJohnson/BenHarper" (that should tell you how long it has been since I have listened to it) garbage. However, thanks to Last.fm and Emily's blogging, I have seriously expanded my musical samplings. For instance, I now regularly listen to music by Franz Ferdinand, SebastiAn, Interpol, Hieroglyphics, Jurassic 5, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Beirut, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Justice.

For those of you that know me, you'll probably be shocked to see any or all of those artists. I used to listen to the Dave Brubeck Quartet, 311, Dave Matthews, and Red Hot Chili Peppers pretty much exclusively. They are still in the playlist, but less often than before (Brubeck is especially good for studying).

If you have 5 minutes, go to Last.fm, create an account and play with it. You'll likely find music you love that you never knew existed!

Brrr Part III: The Science Experiment

2009-01-15T22:41:00.006-06:00

As previously noted, the HIGH today was -1 degree. While sitting here NOT studying, I decided to have a little science fun. As the temperature reached an arctic -15 I took a regular cup of tap-water outside to see how long it would take to freeze.

After 20 minutes there was a thin layer of ice on the top:

Then after forty minutes of ~~playing video games~~ doing laundry and reading, I ventured back out into the tundra to see how my little friend was doing.

Almost totally solid. There was some liquid water still sloshing around in the center, but it was certainly frozen. Upon further inspection, it would likely only have taken about another 20 minutes to be totally solid:

Yay Midwest weather!

Brrrr Part II

2009-01-15T00:04:00.001-06:00

BRRR!

2008-12-20T10:25:00.006-06:00

New!

2008-12-18T15:29:00.003-06:00

Click image for full size

The One Where I Lose my Cool

2008-12-05T15:51:00.001-06:00

I just saw this story and I am, let's say, perturbed. The double standard that many "Christians" cling to is really disgusting, "you cannot infringe on my right to be a Christian, but when you say something I don't like, I am going to steal your sign then call my Congressman to make sure you CAN'T say it."

"We will ask our millions of supporters to call the city of Washington, D.C., and Congress to stop this un-Godly campaign."

Translation, "we are right, you are wrong, no 1st Amendment protection for you!" Where is the Christian trait of loving your neighbor, or turning the other cheek? Instead, these people are so frightened by the thought of an alternate point of view that they literally want to make a federal case out of it and, as the article points out, break one of their own commandments. Nevermind that the nativity scene itself is probably a violation of church and state, but a non-threatening message promoting reason? BLASPHEMY! WE WON'T STAND FOR IT!

I'm sure there are people that cheered when it was stolen, sad it was returned, and are trying to make a stink about the sign being in existence at all. Those people are hypocritical idiots who probably aren't even willing to admit that the Earth is billions of years old. People that know me would say that I am an easy-going guy who rarely gets upset, but this shit pisses me off.

Samwich

2008-12-04T22:08:00.001-06:00

According to my roommate, this is the greatest sandwich ever conceived by man:

Good Call

2008-11-14T00:15:00.003-06:00

Dear ESPN, just wanted to say how glad I am that I didn't take your advice.

Love, Me.

Can you believe what we just did!?

2008-11-10T13:59:00.002-06:00

That was the last text I sent to my sister on Election Night last week as I was leaving Grant Park. Obviously I meant it in a good way, as if to say, "this is amazing!" And it truly was. I don't post about politics very often and everyone and their dog is bloviating on it nonstop, but having BEEN at Grant Park on Election Night and hearing PRESIDENT-elect Obama speak, I had to post my thoughts and pictures. I also want to preface this this the fact that I was essentially a republican when I got to law school. I went to see Sean Hannity, I listened to his radio show, I watched Bill O'Reilly and I couldn't get enough of Fox News. That has all since stopped.

A year ago I remember saying that there was NO WAY I would ever vote for Obama simply because of his lack of experience. At that time he was still in his first term as Senator and had only served in the Illinois state legislature. I felt this was NOT the credentials we need for the nation's highest office. Even during the summer I wasn't sure who I wanted to vote for (after Ron Paul was essentially eliminated). It was the "Reverend Wright" speech that really made me think. I didn't see it live, or even that same week, but when I did see in on CSPAN I remember thinking that this guy really has his act together. I certainly hadn't decided at that point to vote for him, but it started to seem more plausible.

I was sorta rooting for Mitt Romney in the Republican race (I guess it was a hometown thing) but I didn't really plan on voting for him. I truly was a swing voter. But hearing Obama speak, and having to compare him to McCain, the choice not only became clearer, but imperative. My view of McCain was that of the "old way" of doing things, he was the dial-up internet candidate, the standard definition TV candidate, the VHS candidate. Whether it was sincere or not, Obama sold me (and millions of others) on the idea that he is not part of the old guard. He is not a Washington insider and isn't beholden to the same lobbyist-run government. McCain, to me, just seemed widly out of touch with people like me.

Then came the economic meltdown. I don't blame any person or party for this, it was a combination of many factors. But the responses to it from both candidates was very telling. McCain wanted to give MORE tax cuts to the top of the top income bracket whereas Obama wanted to cut taxes for 95% of the working class. Don't get me wrong, I am aware that the rich pay the majority of the taxes, but the fact that they can AFFORD to makes it easier for me to swallow. That certainly isn't a reason to simply raise taxes, but this quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes sums up how I feel about it, "taxes are what we pay for a civilized society." I'm OK with paying a larger share (especially because it means I'm making more!) if it means that there is more police protection, more programs for getting the homeless off the streets, and nicer and safer parks and open areas.

I became very pro-Obama after the debates. I imagined a worldwide summit and I pictured who I would want to represent the USA, it was Obama by leaps and bounds. The "America as an imperial force" attitude was embarassing at this point, I wanted an "America as a force for peace" attitude. I don't believe that America can be the leader by example with McCain as President, just as it hasn't under Bush (whom I voted for both times).

So when I got my ticket for the Grant Park party (at 2 PM on Election Day) I felt legitimately excited to be a part of history. Now I know that that sounds cliche, but it really is the truth. America was about to elect not only a black man, but a man who had the vision and ability to get America out of this political rut of picking the lesser of 2 evils. The writing was on the wall for Obama, he had leads in states that hadn't voted Democrat in 40 years like Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina (sadly, not Utah). It was like a tidal wave, slowly building momentum then finally overtaking the whole country, it was a true mandate and electoral blowout.

So here are the best of my pictures. It was pandemonium but it was amazing, historic, and unforgettable.

It Really Does Work

2008-10-30T01:06:00.001-05:00

Seth Rogen was on Kimmel tonight and when he came out I thought to myself, "man, he looks THIN!" Kimmel brought it up immediately and Rogen mentioned that he lost the weight by simply eating right and exercising. This hit home with me because I actually lost about 25 lbs this summer doing the same thing. I had 6 weeks between the end of the semester and when my job started so I created a routine where I was either playing basketball or going to the gym 6 days a week. I also stopped eating fast food, which was probably the biggest factor since it is LOADED with saturated fat and calories.

I've put a couple of those lbs back on since school started, but I'm still lighter than I've been in about 6 or 7 years. I noticed that the biggest motivator to keep up the regiment was RESULTS. The first 2 or 3 weeks were the hardest, but once you see the lbs coming off it's like a dopamine shot. I also noticed how much more endurance I have, especially when playing basketball. I used to be totally gassed after about 3 games, but now I can play 4 or 5 and be fine. There is a park nearby where I run and last month I did a full lap (3/4 mile) non-stop, which is a big step for me and was one of my top goals. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but setting realistic goals, and MEETING them, is one of the most satisfying things we can do. It has changed how I feel about myself and has given me much more confidence. It really does work and can be done!

Information Overload!

2008-10-15T11:50:00.002-05:00

Why I Love Firefox

2008-10-11T16:43:00.007-05:00

If you don't have/use Firefox, YOU SHOULD. Aside from the speed and memory advantages, the library of add-ons that you can add is quite extensive, which is what really makes Firefox the coolest internet tool EVER.

Adblock Plus - one of the most popular and effective add-ons. It's one of those things that you don't know how well it's working until you go back and look at how it WOULD be.

FoxMarks - This syncs my favorites across computers, so if I update my favorites on my laptop it will automatically update on my desktop.

1-Click Weather - Just look for yourself...

Each button will take you right to the Weather.com page, very handy!

Fire.fm - This one is TRULY awesome. For those of you who know and love Last.fm, this add on turns your browser into a Last.fm player.

Scribefire - An awesome tool for bloggers, just click the little button and BOOM, easy blogging:

There really are a ton of cool add-ons, and I didn't list all of the ones I have installed. Go take a gander at the big list and maximize your interwebbing experience!

Good Start

2008-10-08T16:41:00.005-05:00

I hope to see this headline at least 3 more times and potentially 7 times. Here's to wishing.

Should this Surprise Me or Not?

2008-09-30T15:44:00.001-05:00

Exposing Myself, part 2

2008-09-25T23:05:00.001-05:00

I buy all my clothes at Target and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I just bought a polo, button up, and some nice slacks for a grand total of $58. I don't even remember the last item of clothing I bought that wasn't from Target. They fit great, look great, and are cheap...not unlike myself!

Getting closer to the end

2008-09-17T10:53:00.002-05:00

OK, so I removed my last post in an effort to protect the innocent. But rest assured that, if you didn't see it, you didn't miss anything too exciting.

In other news, my 3L year is 3 1/2 weeks in and it's fun and boring and annoying all at the same time. The clinic is awesome because it makes me feel like an actual lawyer; and, since I am provisionally licensed, technically I am a lawyer...for now. My earliest class starts at 1:40 so my mornings (like today) are filled with The Price is Right and scrambled eggs.

The most important thing right now, though, is that football is back. I just love it so much! And pretty soon the Jazz will be back on, and that is basically what my life revolves around. So much so that I am getting League Pass so that I can watch every second of every game :)

And thanks to Ma for sending the zucchini bread, it is the BEST!

ur doin' it rong

2008-08-15T14:53:00.002-05:00

From today's USA vs Cuba baseball game...

Pretty sure the cameras need to be IN FRONT of the backstop or at least to the side.

MSNBC = FAIL.

I Weep for the Future

2008-08-15T09:46:00.004-05:00

From a poll on CNN.com's front page.

Granted it is unscientific, but still...43%!?

Cheaters

2008-08-12T23:20:00.002-05:00

So, the age limit for Olympic gymnastics is 16, you can't be younger than that. Someone please explain how this girl made it to the arena...

Why my Mom ROCKS

2008-08-11T18:26:00.005-05:00

Mom sends me packages about once a month which normally include some kind of delicious concoction like choc chip cookies or Mormon magic (as the roommate calls it). This last package was different though...

First, the Costco Brownie Bites (cheaper and easier than real brownies, and, while not quite as good as real brownies, they're likely packed with preservatives which help it survive through the mail).

Next is the chocolate frosting in a ziploc bag.

And finally, the pièce de résistance, the chocolate sprinkles.

A bite of chocolate goodness...

Thanks Ma!

This is Where my Brain Goes

2008-08-10T22:29:00.001-05:00

So there I am, right? Running at the park, minding my own business, rocking out to some Kanye. My mind is wandering and i start focusing on my feet. I was trying to run to the beat and I thought, "I can either increase my pace or my stride." You know what I thought of next? That's kinda how radio waves work. AM vs FM. AM is amplitude modulation, like lengthening your stride. FM is frequency modulation, like increasing your pace. Should I be worried that my mind immediately went to the nerdiest thing possible?

Shift

2008-08-01T19:17:00.002-05:00

[article]

Dear Dad...

2008-08-01T18:30:00.003-05:00

Remember when I was talking about cooking country style ribs in the crock-pot, and I mentioned that it needs something? Well, your suggestion of a dry rub then a quick sear first was pretty much the greatest BBQ advice I've ever gotten! They are better tasting and more tender!

Love
Your Son

Annoyance

2008-07-31T18:21:00.002-05:00

Underdogs

2008-07-20T22:15:00.002-05:00

After watching the ESPYS you have to wonder what some of the nominees are feeling. For example, the nominees for best team were: the New York Giants, the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Red Wings, the Kansas Jayhawks, and....the Tennessee LADY VOLUNTEERS! I wonder what the Vegas odds were for a women's college bball team to win "best team," 10,000-1? 100,000-1? I bet the odds weren't very good for the men's college team, the Jayhawks, either. How about being a "minor" sport? A female skiier was nominated for best female athlete, a female tennis player was up against Adrian Peterson in Best Breakthrough Athlete, a track and field athlete was up against Brett Favre for best record breaking performance, and the 2 most anticipated categories: Best Male/Female Action-Sports Athlete, and Best Bowler. (Just for the record, Norm Duke won for best bowler...so there you go.) Don't get me wrong, I love all sports (except soccer...BORING!) but to put some of these people in these categories, it's like nominating Michael Bay with Scorsese and Coppola.

I was pleastantly surprised at how good a job Timberlake did hosting, although the Memphis/Kansas thing got a little tired. The best moment was probably Will Ferrell and John C Reilly making ~~demands~~ requests in order to be the hosts of the show ("I want to play 18 holes of golf with Tiger Woods...on the moon.") All in all it was a great way to spend my Sunday evening, especially in HD.

Oddly Enough

2008-07-15T13:35:00.003-05:00

Weird stories from Reuters:

Lucky the Koala
Expensive Self-Medication
Warning: Contains Small Parts

Enjoy!

Yay Mississippi

2008-07-14T18:48:00.002-05:00

Saw this on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives...

I guess it's OK since their BBQ looks amazingly delicious.

Nerd Xmas

2008-07-14T17:09:00.003-05:00

Gizmodo
Engadget
Kotaku
XBox 360 Fanboy

I suppose this is like when the car manufacturers detail their new models and features. I can't say I'm not interested though. This, especially, looks pretty awesome!

Who's on First?

2008-07-12T20:02:00.002-05:00

Pretty interesting post over at the Sports Law Blog. I like the resolution from the first comment. I don't know the intricacies of baseball rules, but I initially thought that the batter couldn't switch from lefty to righty after stepping into the batter's box. I'm actually surprised there isn't/wasn't a rule in place to address this considering all the other weird rules.

Getting my Work on

2008-07-06T22:38:00.003-05:00

As of 8:30 AM on Monday I will be officially employed. I'm working for a local public defender but I don't know whether to be excited or bummed. It will be nice to have a little more structure in my life and a feeling that I am accomplishing something, but it was REALLY nice to do the things I wanted on my own terms. I had a great little schedule worked out and I was doing the things that I wanted to do. Now recess is over. After my stint with the New Orleans public defender, I have a vague idea of what to expect, lots of motions to exclude and habeas corpus petitions. That's fine with me, I don't hate that kind of writing and research. But, again, part of me is a little uneasy with defending people (not ALL, obviously) who have committed crimes. I suppose it really comes down to the fact that EVERYONE gets a fair trial, whether they have money or not. By challenging evidence or conduct that we feel is egregious or downright unlawful we are giving the system legitimacy, because if we challenge everything and it all holds up, there can be no accusations of an unfair trial. I liken it to the magician who lets the audience test the sword he's about to use to cut his assistant in half. If the sword is real and the box is real, then those items cannot be the source of the "trick," as it were. What's funny about all this is that I hope to be a prosecutor once I graduate. I hope that when I go up against a public defender that he/she will be sure to keep me honest, so to speak, and not let any violation of rights go unchallenged.

[*note: after reading some interpretations of this post, I think I should clarify something. The quote: "What's funny about all this is that I hope to be a prosecutor once I graduate" really should read like this: "What's funny about all this is that I might get a job offer for a prosecutor, which I would gladly accept."]

On a lighter note, I spent pretty much all afternoon cleaning my apartment. You know that saying from high school, "it's easier to stay caught up than to play catch up"? That also applies to cleaning and laundry.

The Way to a Man's Heart

2008-07-04T17:22:00.003-05:00

The Food Network is running a marathon of "The Next Food Network Star." I hadn't seen it before today and all I can say is: Nipa, you can cook for me any day of the week!

Happy Birthday America

2008-07-04T10:09:00.002-05:00

Nothing like emotion inducing patriotism to celebrate the day!

Exposing Myself

2008-06-30T23:40:00.001-05:00

My first draft of this blog was about how George Lucas is a fantastic movie killer. I was listing his recent disasters but the only movies he's been involved with over the past 25 years are Indiana Jones and Star Wars. I think it's safe to say that Star Wars "belongs" to Lucas, while Indy really "belongs" to Harrison Ford, and, between the original 1977 Star Wars and 1999's Phantom Menace, he did ZERO directing. So I won't look at ALL the movies he's destroyed (and he DID destroy the new Indiana Jones movie) I'll just focus on his deliberate and unending dismantling of the Star Wars universe. So, for those of you who don't know me, I am officially exposing myself as a Star Wars geek.

*note: the lengths to which I will go to prove my unparalleled geekiness should no longer be in question*

I don't need to explain how cool the original Star Wars trilogy is and I don't know how to measure its effect on pop-culture or 2 generations of wide-eyed adolescents, other than to say it was immense. Needless to say, the bar was set pretty high by the original movies. What's interesting is that after the first movie in 1977, Lucas didn't direct again until 1999; he co-wrote and was executive producer, but Irvin Kershner directed Empire Strikes Back (widely considered the best of the 6 movies) and Richard Marquand directed Return of the Jedi. Lucas has said that he doesn't like directing, and, after the lastest 3 movies, I don't like him directing either. His reliance on special effects and cheesy or complicated plots (see: Ep. 1. the trade federation's blockade of Naboo as a strategy for...I don't even remember, but it was important) is especially madening. Without all the cool explosions and CGI, he had to focus the story on the characters (imagine that!) I can imagine how hard it is to act out EVERY scene in front of a green screen. Also, the stories in the first TWO movies are really really bad, when they aren't 100% confusing. Episode III wasn't bad, it is easily the best of the new movies, but still falls WAY short of where the original movies are.

One of my biggest complaints is the use of American slang and, even more so, the use of aspects of American government in the new movies. In episode II, particularly, characters talk about amending constitutions, term limits, democracy, and really, the whole prequel trilogy relies on a body of senators. The closest thing to that we got in the original movies was basically a board room full of military bad-asses. Speaking of which, Empire Strikes Back made us really fear Vader, like, for REAL. But there's no enemy in all of these movies that is really eevieel, like the fru-its of the dev-eel. Darth Maul was pretty cool, but they killed him off too soon.

Granted, some of the shots in the originals seem a bit dated (i.e., stop motion AT-ATs and a disorienting space battle at the end of A New Hope) but to go back and change SO MUCH, it's really frustrating. There are whole characters added! It's like the movie I remember as a kid doesn't even exist anymore. I grew up with these movies, they were my whole life until I was about 15 years old! So I guess it's telling that I don't even OWN the new movies. What's sad, though, is that the unaltered original movies are in Lucas' vault and won't be released on DVD. This total waste of potential awesomeness is similar to The Matrix: Revolutions, every Shamalyasdf4^&Fefjjjsdfjlan movie since the Sixth Sense, and Godfather III.

I guess I'll have to live with a slightly flawed original trilogy and try to conjure up images of playing with my Star Wars toys with my brother and cousins and forget that these new movies were ever made.

Filling the void

2008-06-30T19:05:00.002-05:00

I'm back in town after a month-long trip home and it only took 3 1/2 days for me to start talking to myself again. My roomie is back home working for his uncle this summer so I have been alone in this apartment since mid-May and will be until mid-August.

I really only repeat the funny lines from movies I'm watching (like that super annoying guy at the movie theaters) and curse like a drunken sailor when I try to stand up and walk around because my legs are still burning from this weekend's gym excursion. Important safety tip: if you haven't been to the gym in a month don't spend much time doing lunges...you'll feel it for a week.

I can only take so much...

2008-06-28T23:18:00.002-05:00

I rented Knocked Up from Netflix and, while I liked the movie, I am REALLY annoyed at the audio commentary. You know when you sit around and laugh with your friends and you're telling all your inside jokes but NOBODY else understands it or thinks it's funny? Yeah...one of the guys is actually doing impressions, and they aren't good (his Al Pacino sounds black.)

For the first 30 minutes all they do is talk over each other and laugh at nothing. TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE! Nobody listens to the commentary to see how funny the actors are (and especially not the producer) we want to know about the filming and maybe a funny story about a scene.

You want a really good commentary? Fight Club has the best commentary I've ever heard, Ed Norton is some kind of super-genius.

Or so I've Heard...

2008-06-24T03:42:00.003-05:00

You mean something not named tequila?

[link]

Prospects

2008-06-23T21:25:00.002-05:00

I finally met with one of my contacts today. He is the former bishop at the church that my family attends and is the justice court judge of our recently incorporated city (1999.) He wrote one of my letters of recommendation during my law school application days and was VERY complimentary. I kind of surprised him when I showed up today but he was gracious enough to show me around and we sat and talked for about 40 minutes. The best part is that he asked me to come back on Thursday and meet with the guy who has the hiring contracts for prosecutors for about 5 cities; he also mentioned that he thought I would be very good in front of a jury. For any potential law students or job seekers, all I can say is that networking (as annoying and shallow as it sometimes is) can really work. I had 2 jobs last summer, one was acquired through previous work contacts and the other was through a friend who mentioned to her attorney that I was going to law school and was looking for summer work. I can imagine few jobs better than being a city prosecutor after graduation, especially back home. They don't handle the big murder cases or anything that is going to make the front page, but it would be fantastic courtroom experience and would allow me a chance to make a reputation among TONS of different attorneys. I neglected to bring home a suit...I hope Dad's fits

Tact

2008-06-17T00:41:00.001-05:00

I was thinking this too, but I don't think I'd ever actually post it...

My Celebrity Playlist

2008-06-13T17:39:00.006-05:00

About once every 6 weeks I open iTunes to update all my podcasts. While I am waiting for the downloads to finish I will browse through the popular music to see if anything is good. I happened upon Mike Meyer's celebrity playlist (which was filled with a lot of British bands.) After a little more perusing I found all of iTunes' celebrity playlists, which look like this:

(I chose Jason Bateman because I have been watching Arrested Development a lot lately. You can do the same thing here. I seriously love that website, but I digress...)

Now, seeing as I am a celebrity in my own mind, I thought I'd do iTunes a favor and submit to them my own Celebrity Playlist.

Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin. "Great lounge song from the late 50s. Also a great karaoke song!"
All at Sea - Jamie Cullum. "Very simple song about being alone with your thoughts."
Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones. "I have so much more appreciation for this song after playing it on Rock Band. Great lead-in guitars."
Microphone Fiend - Rage Against the Machine. "Tom Morello and Zack de la Rocha, need I say more?"
Break it Down Again - Tears for Fears. "I don't know what it is about this song, but I usually listen to it 2 or 3 times in-a-row."
Waiting for my Real Life to Begin - Colin Hay. "I've been waiting for 8 years."
Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughn. "Great blues song, I can't help but tap my steering wheel when I listen to it."
Hey - Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Not what you'd expect from RHCP, surprisingly calming."
Hungarian Rhapsody - Franz Liszt. "I think I first heard this song on a Tom and Jerry cartoon 20 years ago."
#41 - Dave Matthews Band. "This goes into my top 5 all-time favorite songs."
Flashing Lights - Kanye West. "People who know me will be surprised to see rap/hip-hop here, but I freakin' love this album."
Viva la Vida - Coldplay. "This may be here because of it's newness (I haven't had a chance to get sick of it) but the first thing that comes to mind about it is that it is everything I love about music."
Take Five - Dave Brubeck Quartet. "It is everything I love about jazz music. So simple and catchy."
Kashmir - Led Zeppelin. "The version that I like the most is the live Page and Plant version from 'Page and Plant Unledded.' It truly rocks"
Horse - Live. "This is one of my all-time favorite albums and this is also the closest thing I have to country on my computer."
Hero of the Day - Metallica. "I prefer the 'S&M' version, the added strings give it a much better 'hero' feel."

Right on Cue

2008-06-10T15:20:00.001-05:00

The football gods heard my cry

Doldrums

2008-06-09T03:03:00.002-05:00

Now that the NBA season is essentially over, I have 1 simple question: WHEN DOES FANTASY FOOTBALL START!?

Nothing is more fun than examining mountains of data to find the one stellar draft pick that nobody will expect. I go into uber-dork mode and plug numbers into equations, dissect data, pore over game splits, study schedules, and basically become familiar with about 100 different players and their statistical averages from the last 3 years. Nothing brings me more joy...other than the Jazz, of course.

*as a sidenote, I have won 3 times (in 2 different leagues) and also come in last.

NEXT!

2008-06-05T17:53:00.002-05:00

It's finally been done. This morning, in Rochester Minnesota, Chris Chike did something no one has been able to accomplish. He got 100% on "Through the Fire and Flames" on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on EXPERT. Here's the video (NSFW language at the very end)

He really is the best Guitar Hero player on the planet, he's even in the Guiness Book of World Records.

So that's it, GH III has been conquered, what's next?

[links]
kotaku.com
rockgamer.com

Barren

2008-05-28T22:18:00.002-05:00

With my month-long trip home on the horizon, my most recent trip to the grocery store involved many frozen items or things I could eat in a week.

Today, the day before I leave, I managed to finish off all of the following:

Chocolate milk
Swiss cheese
Tuna fish
Tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese
2 apples
A jar of pickle spears
Tomato
Frosted mini-wheats

AND

A 12-pack of Diet Pepsi

it was the worst shake I've ever made!

Moving on...

2008-05-27T23:21:00.002-05:00

I finally took the Utah Jazz logo off my desktop. I replaced it with this pic I took while on vacation:

It was either this pic, or one of these (which I also took, because I am both really cool and a top-notch photographer)

Only 3 days...

2008-05-26T13:58:00.003-05:00

There's something a little depressing about being 1400 miles from home on Memorial Day. We are a BBQing family and the Food Network keeps running BBQ shows today. Dad assures me that we'll hit up Famous Dave's and do our own BBQ in the backyard when I get home this weekend.

It was at Famous Dave's that I postulated that I could eat my weight in BBQ'd ribs and brisket.

Good Idea, Bad Idea

2008-05-22T21:36:00.003-05:00

Good Idea: Using my free time to watch movies from Netflix.

Bad idea: Watching Red Dragon at night, alone, in the dark, in my underwear, with no weapons within an arm's length.

My balcony and me

2008-05-17T20:28:00.003-05:00

I've had an interesting couple days...

Roomie left town on Thursday to go work for his uncle for the summer, which, coupled with the mass exodus of law students, has left me nearly all alone. I spent most of Thursday tidying up the apartment and installing the new wireless internet router (Roomie took his for his place at home). I went to the gym, then later went out, briefly, with some friends. I was home by 11:30 because I was feeling a little neglected and started feeling sorry for myself.

Yesterday was better. I played basketball for a little over an hour, then came home and read on my balcony with the sun shining on me. I won't speak of the Jazz game, as it has left me somewhat dead inside. Needless to say, their season is over. Which leads me to today...

I was up around 930 and had a light breakfast (this better eating habit, combined with my 7-straight days of activity, gym/basketball, is feeling REALLY good) and went to the gym. I got back around 3 and read, again, on the balcony in the sun. Around 5 I decided to check out the free OnDemand movies. I picked Legends of the Fall, don't ask me why. I've seen it before but something about it tonight really affected me.

First off, I have always loved camping and being outdoors, so the whole, "living on a ranch in Montana" always appealed to me. But tonight was a little different, afterwards I didn't even want any music or lights on, I wanted to feel like I was out there on the ranch, with no modern day contrivances. For the first time in a LONG time, I finally felt some attachment to world and that there was something that I actually long for. Without school or the Jazz or my roommate here to distract me, I feel like I really found a piece of who I am. After 3 days of getting my bearings it almost overwhelmed me.

I have always considered myself a city-boy, despite my love of the outdoors. I always wanted the penthouse suite on the 20th floor. I wanted the nice suits and the fancy cars. But in all honesty...I don't believe that's me. After the movie I sat out on my balcony again, in almost total darkness and light rain, just to listen to it. I was annoyed when cars drove by because they drown out the sound of the wind. I don't remember the last time I felt so calm. I didn't want to hear the TV, the radio, or turn on the Xbox. I just wanted to enjoy the silence. It really is the simple things in life that give the most pleasure. All of the superficial stuff we do to appear as if we are important or hip just left me like the wind blowing through the trees.

I'm writing this because I don't want to forget it. When I get the invite to the party at the club, or the bar where all the girls are, I want to be able to feel ok about saying, "no thanks." Of course, this doesn't mean I'm turning antisocial or anything, because I will always enjoy spending time with my friends, but when that turns into loud bars or hunting for action, it's then that I'll long for an evening on my balcony.

Re: Fisher

2008-05-15T01:37:00.004-05:00

This goes out to all Jazz fans, Laker fans, Jazz players, Laker players, media, NBA fans, broadcasters, and anyone else who's listening. This message is in regards to Derek Fisher leaving the Jazz to join the Lakers and then getting booed at the ESA:

GET THE HELL OVER IT.

It's done, it's over, he's REALLY gone and he's not coming back. He was (and sorta still is) getting booed at the ESA, he got the message. He's over it: "It hurt him at the time, but he's fine with it now." Let's all do the same. It doesn't make you smart, clever, or a more passionate Jazz fan to boo him. Alternately, it doesn't make you smart, clever, or morally superior to criticize those that do boo him.

Right now I hate Fisher, but not because he left the Jazz. I hate him because he wears purple and yellow and is playing better than he did with the Jazz. Being a "nice guy" and a "class act" doesn't mean you can't be criticized for your actions or hated for leaving. I don't care any more about this guy than any other non-Jazz player. Call me callous or heartless, but, as the saying goes, basketball is a business. I don't have the energy to give a crap about the personal life of anyone not in a Jazz uniform. Let's all take a deep breath and relax.

Danger

2008-05-13T18:05:00.004-05:00

For the last little while, Facebook has been running ads like this:

It's targeted advertising (I'm listed as "single" in my relationship status) and that's fine. But look at this one that I saw today:

Now I'll be the first to admit that I am a terrible judge of age, but there's NO way that these 2 girls are over 18. It's wrong on so many levels.

Not Surprised

2008-05-03T17:05:00.001-05:00

This is about what I expected. One thing to keep in mind, though, everyone who picked the Lakers in 6 must realize that game 6 is IN Utah. Are the Jazz going to lose an elimination game at home? Personally, I'll take the Jazz in 6. I think we can take game 1 simply because we played great yesterday, we won 2 games in Houston, and the Lakers haven't played in about a week. We'll have to win both home games after that but I think we can, because LA is not the defensive team that Houston was.

We all know that Kobe is going to score, that's a given. But the x-factor for BOTH teams will be the bench play. Vujacic, Walton and Farmar vs. Millsap, Harpring and Korver. You can guess where my money is.

Game on 21 1/2 hrs.

Welcome May

2008-04-27T18:36:00.002-05:00

"A" Game

2008-04-27T16:42:00.002-05:00

Is there any doubt who the best player has been in this playoff series so far? There are really only 2 candidates:

Tracy McGrady

23.3 points per game
7.8 assists
8.5 rebounds
38.3% FG
15.4% 3-point
57.6% FT
3 points per 4th quarter

Deron Williams

21.8 points per game

9 assists
1.8 rebounds
54.5% FG
58.3% 3-point
66.7% FT
6.8 points per 4th quarter

BUT...the most important stat: Deron - 3 wins, Tracy - 1 win.

What was nice about last night's win was that the scoring was balanced, all the starters were in double figures and shot fairly well (aside from Boozer's 3-13, but he made all his FTs.) If we shoot at least 25% on threes we win by 10.

I am still worried about game 5. We've won 3 of 4 overall and 3 in a row (in the playoffs) in Houston, but they've been playing well and we've had 3 close games in a row. I say the winner is the first to 90 points.

And in case you didn't see the game last night, here's one of the highlights...

Refresher Course

2008-04-26T11:18:00.004-05:00

I saw this today on CNN.com and thought it would a good opportunity to remind people what the 1st Amendment means.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Seems simple enough, right? The story is about an atheist soldier who is claiming harassment from other soldiers and officers. This guy is out there putting his life on the line, religious beliefs couldn't be any less important. He should be able to worship how he wishes, even if it means not at all. If the tables were turned, if the atheist soldier was harassing Christians, you KNOW that he would be crucified in the media (pun intended.) The 1st Amendment guarantees that citizens can follow any faith they want without punishment and that no religion will be forced upon them; I'm fairly certain that it applies to the Federal Government.

26 years ago...

2008-04-23T00:01:00.003-05:00

...I was born. Happy birthday to ME!

Special thanks to my sister who arranged a call from Carlos Boozer earlier. Seriously, I talked to Booz today (well, I use "talked" loosely, it was more like me stammering.) Thanks Booz, good luck on Thu.

[update: TrueHoop blogger Henry Abbott picked up on my story and posted on his blog. This is both awesome and embarrassing.]

Game On

2008-04-19T15:15:00.003-05:00

Time for the playoffs! Jazz will start the post-season in Houston (again) tonight, but the biggest difference is that the Jazz are actually favored this time:

Of course, the Jazz won this series last year even though everyone picked the Rockets:

My previous predictions weren't exactly accurate, although I was 1 win from being right about the 3 seed. I'll pick the Jazz (obviously) to win in 6 games, but 5 games wouldn't be shocking at all either.

The Jazz have gotten a lot of love lately from ESPN,

In the second round, I see Utah and the Lakers meeting in what should be the true conference finals...I have Utah beating L.A. in a six-game barn burner that's about as close to a coin-flip as any pairing you can come up with. That sets up Chris Paul versus Deron Williams in the conference finals...so Utah rolls to the Finals in six.

Game on in 5 hours and 15 minutes!

First Timer

2008-04-18T05:01:00.006-05:00

It is 5:01 AM and I woke up about 25 minutes ago with my bed shaking. It was as if someone was standing there shaking it violently. It lasted about 10 seconds and I had NO idea what was going on. It was weird enough that I was immediately alert. I walked around to see if anything had fallen off the walls, but nothing had. I turned on the TV and waited until the 5 o'clock news started and, lo and behold, there was a 5.2 earthquake about 250 miles away near the state line. It is officially my first earthquake; kinda scary, but nothing serious.

[update: just felt a brief aftershock at 10:15 AM]

Of Nerdery and Weather

2008-04-17T22:50:00.002-05:00

First things first...

My birthday is next Wednesday and I've been checking the weather to see if I'll get some sun. Last week weather.com said 60s and sunny. YAY! Then about 4 days ago it said scattered showers (BOO!) but later that day it said cloudy (better) then back to rain (yargh). Today it says 60s and sunny again. This is torture! Can it please just be warm enough to drive with the windows down and sunny enough to wear my sunglasses?

Next...

I bought a TV tuner card for my computer over the summer. It was fun to play with for a bit, but the software was really really bad. I didn't hardly use it. THEN, after some suggestions from the Roomie, I looked for some new software and found Sage TV. THIS. IS. AWESOME. Not only is it easy to use and find shows (the interface is like Comcast digital cable) but it also works like a DVR so I can record shows right to my computer (if anyone wants to see tonight's episode of The Office, let me know.) It is the perfect companion to a habitual interwebs surfer. I have a fairly large monitor (21" widescreen) so I can have the TV up and a resized, but still pretty big, browser window open. Tasty...

MIA

2008-04-01T00:22:00.006-05:00

Sorry I've been quiet for so long. It's pretty clear that my love for the Jazz has completely taken over my life for the time being; I've been following the Jazz religiously and reading the Jazz blogs that I just linked to under "sweet blogs." I've become a regular commenter on a couple of them. If you haven't been following the NBA, the western conference is like the 405 at rush-hour. 6 teams have at least 49 wins and only 2.5 games separate 1st from 6th place. This is significant for the Jazz for several reasons:

Only 3 more road games (but they're at New Orleans, Dallas, and the black hole...San Antonio, where we haven't won since 1999)
The Jazz lost @ Miami (13-61), @ New York (20-53) and @ Minnesota (TWICE! 19-53). Had they won those games they'd be #1
Of the 4 home games remaining, we should win at least 3; and since 3 of those games are against playoff teams (or borderline: Denver) we should make up a game on at least 2 of them.
The Jazz are 4th, but that's only because of the silly rule that division winners are guaranteed at least 4th. BUT, that doesn't mean homecourt advantage if the 5th seed has a better record. If the playoffs were seeded only by record with no advantage to division winners, the Jazz would be 6th.

Bottomline: I'm nervous about the playoffs. We'll probably play either Phoenix or Houston and neither will be easy.

In other news:
I got a job with the Public Defender one county over. I start in July so I'll have 6 weeks to be lazy as I can be. I'll probably go home for a week or 2 in June and go to the Lake. Luckily it's a paying job so I'll have a little income to blow on video games and Jimmy John's.

Also, I'm pretty tired of school. This is the worst part of the semester because I have to start thinking about finals, and there's still stuff to do before that (like finish the decision for the judge). All in all this semester has been alright, nothing great, but not painful.

I'm looking at next semester's schedule and I'll probably be taking insurance law, secured transactions, and (drumroll please...) the criminal clinic. This is fairly frightening because it is REAL defense of REAL defendants and it's as close to practicing as one can get without passing the bar.

With 6 weeks off after finals, expect more posts and more fun stories.

Shame

2008-03-12T22:21:00.011-05:00

Soooooooooo.................I had good tickets (although my view was blocked by the basketball hoop, as I thought they would be) but the game just made me mad. Being the geek that I am, I kept track of the run the Bulls went on after the Jazz were up 18-10 (26-7); I guessed that they missed 10 straight shots (pretty sure it was 7); and also guessed that they went about 7 min without getting a FG (turns out it was just over 8 min). Seemed like every time the Jazz cut the lead to 8 or 9, the Bulls would hit a 3, or have a turnover or both. It was supremely frustrating.

Just to put things in perspective, the arena was full. This Bulls team is currently out of the playoffs and is 12 games UNDER .500. New Orleans can't fill a stadium when their team is playing for the top seed and the Bulls are selling out when they may not even make the playoffs.

I had my Jazz shirt on and once the game ended I had to walk out in shame. We shouldn't be losing to bad teams on the road...EVER. Last year was nice, they won. In fact, the Bulls scored 85 points last year and THIS year they had 86 points after 3 quarters. Truth be told, had the Jazz not won tonight, I probably wouldn't have posted this at all, woulda been too depressing.

Where "where is everyone?" happens

2008-03-06T15:58:00.007-06:00

I was hoping that the Jazz would be playing here while I was in town, but we missed that game by 2 days. We decided to go to a Hornets game anyway to see what all the fuss is about. The Hornets have the 5th best record in the league and had the best record for about the first 2 1/2 months of the season. You'd think they'd have the stands full to the rafters. You'd be wrong.

This isn't pre-tipoff either, look at the clock and score on the jumbotron.

This one was right at tip-off.

Almost 5 min left in the first.

They were playing the Hawks and it wasn't a very exciting game other than the Hornets' 62 three pointers and a nasty put-back by...some guy for N.O. The best part of the game was during the 4th quarter when there was a problem with the net on one of the rims. There was a 10 minute timeout to fix it and the Arena staff decided to run the "kiss-cam" for a full 4 minutes. For those of you that don't know, the camera men around the arena will zoom in on a couple and the jumbotron will show a cute little heart around them and that's a queue for them to kiss. Eventually it zoomed on Tyson Chandler and Josh Childress who were hanging out at the scorer's table. They both saw the screen and Childress played along and tried to plant a sloppy kiss on Chandler, which he adamantly (and playfully) denied. It was also a good time for Pargo (who I want to fight for his 4th quarter against the Jazz) to show off his Harlem Globetrotters skills, it was pretty cool. (As I write this, Around the Horn is showing the footage.)

Before I forget, I want to comment on the gayest halftime show I've ever seen.
These "brothers" were prancing around and spinning while juggling. About as exciting as an AARP convention.

There is also no lack of booz here. There are full bars throughout the stadium and beer stations about every 15 feet.

Finally, I am convinced that the people here think that Chris Paul is Jesus. It's like he is, literally, their savior. I don't think there's anything he could do that the fans wouldn't support/justify/forgive. If he got high and drunk and drove a bus into a school full of autistic and retarded orphans, they'd still chant, "M-V-P!" every time he touched the ball.

As I watched the game, I thought to myself, "How does this team have 40 wins?" There are no real stars on this team (aside from Paul) and their bench is mostly a bunch of no-names. They have specialists like Chandler (rebounds, blocks, and alley-oops); Peja (threes, threes, and threes); and Pargo (clutch shots, spark off the bench) and Paul knows how to use them to exploit other teams' weaknesses. BUT...it's hard for me to not think that they'll fade in the last 8 weeks.

[update: more pics]

Pre-game intros:

Stadium shots:

Perspective

2008-03-04T15:22:00.003-06:00

Before I get into my experiences so far here in New Orleans, let me first thank the 2 groups who have financed my trip.

The Federal Government ($560 tax return)
Everyone I have played poker against in the last 3 weeks, including the fine folks at the New Orleans Harrah's ($380)

So here I am in New Orleans at the Public Defender's Office. It has been exactly what I thought it would be, but I didn't think it would have such an effect on me. I figured it would mostly be young black kids facing drug charges, and the first guy I interviewed was a 17 year-old high schooler who was in lockup for possession of marijuana. This kid is on the baseball team and plays the trombone in the school band, it was his first offense and they had him chained up wearing an orange jumpsuit just like the rapist and armed robber. How traumatic for this kid for a stupid offense; this "war on drugs" is a big joke. One of the staff members here mentioned that 55% of Federal prisoners are there on drug charges...55%!! Can you imagine how much strain could be relieved by eliminating jail time for drug offenses? Our prisons wouldn't be as crowded and it wouldn't take 10 years to appeal a case. This country has spent billions fighting the "war" on drugs and you can still buy marijuana in any city in America with no problems; what have we accomplished? But I digress...

It's amazing how much work the people here do and how little they get paid. We have a volunteer staff of over 20 and we are all busy. I don't know how they get by without an army of volunteers. It is weird, though, to look for ways to get somebody released from prison when they have been arrested for robbery or gun charges. Normally I would think, "good, keep 'em there, they screwed up." But after 2 days of work I feel like I need to bust my ass to give them the same opportunities that Robert Downey, Jr. gets when he gets busted for drugs. Money may be able to buy expensive lawyers who can find loopholes, but it cannot buy justice. If my work allows one person the same opportunities as someone who can afford a lawyer, then my trip here was a smashing success.

I have at least 2 more days here (not sure if I'm working Friday) so I'll have a recap and some funny stories later.

Make more sense now?

2008-02-28T22:38:00.002-06:00

It is foolish and childish, on the face of it, to affiliate ourselves with anything so insignificant and patently contrived and commercially exploitive as a professional sports team, and the amused superiority and icy scorn that the non-fan directs at the sports nut (I know this look -- I know it by heart) is understandable and almost unanswerable. Almost. What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring -- caring deeply and passionately, really caring -- which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives. And so it seems possible that we have come to a time when it no longer matters so much what the caring is about, how frail or foolish is the object of that concern, as long as the feeling itself can be saved. Naivete -- the infantile and ignoble joy that sends a grown man or woman to dancing and shouting with joy in the middle of the night over the haphazardous flight of a distant ball -- seems a small price to pay for such a gift.

[link]

I feel for Sonics fans. If the Jazz were to leave SLC, there is a really good chance that I would have a complete mental breakdown and go into a deep deep depression.

Treatment

2008-02-24T15:43:00.002-06:00

Is it just me, or does this story about shooting down the satellite sound like the start of an alien invasion/zombie movie?

From The Horse's Mouth

2008-02-16T15:20:00.002-06:00

Who would know better?

Again, thanks to CNN; you guys rock!

Yep.....I'm Awesome

2008-02-09T13:56:00.001-06:00

Roomie and I slayed 12 burgers today. Nothing like dominating some poor helpless onion-bombs to lift your spirits!

Irony

2008-02-07T14:18:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago during a Heat - Hawks basketball game, the scorer's table made an error at the end of the game and gave Shaquille O'Neal (who plays for the Heat) his 6th foul, disqualifying him from the game. The Hawks were up 114-111 with about 52 seconds left in the game when Shaq "fouled out." He actually only had 5 fouls but this wasn't discovered until after the game. The Hawks won 117-111 and the Heat filed a protest when they discovered the error. The league granted them a REPLAY of the final 52 seconds to be played immediately before their next game, which is March 8.

Where is the irony in that, you ask? Shaq was just traded to the Suns and cannot play in the replay. So he was out in the original 52 seconds and will be out in the replay of the 52 seconds.

Teach me

2008-02-05T22:39:00.001-06:00

During tonight's coverage of Super Tuesday, I found myself switching between Fox News and CNN. I watched Huckabee, Romney, Clinton, McCain, and Obama speak. I examined all the polling data, the returns, the surprises, and the rhetoric. This is what I have determined: I am a swing vote.

Here is an opportunity to convince me. I am requesting comments on why I should vote for any of the candidates. Keep your comments under 150 words and keep them civil, no bashing or mud slinging.

Have at it!

(I feel fairly certain that Jewel and SLLS will take on Obama and SLG will take on Clinton, anyone gonna try for the GOP candidates?)

Anniversary

2008-02-05T01:00:00.001-06:00

I just want to re-iterate my post from one year ago (almost to the exact day).

Tasty

2008-02-04T23:59:00.000-06:00

Since Dec. 31, 2007, no team in the NBA has a better record than the Jazz. They are 15-2 since New Year's Eve and have moved up into home court position for the playoffs. These 15 wins, and the current 9-game win streak, have been quite impressive:

Average margin of victory: 12.9
Average assists for DWill: 11.3
Home wins: 1o-in-a-row
Road wins: 4-in-a-row
Consecutive double-doubles for DWill: 8
3 point % for Korver: .400
Rebounding margin: +19
FG %: .499

The Jazz are playing like I expected them to at the beginning of the year. They had a TERRIBLE December that left me very angry, but they have managed to pull things together, due partly (or mostly) to the trade for Korver.

My bias for the Jazz is well documented, so with that in mind let me give you my prediction for the rest of the season...

The Jazz will finish the season 52-30, one game better than last season and will be the 3rd seed in the Western Conference, likely playing either the Warriors or the Nuggets in the first round. They'll win 4-2 and play the Mavericks, who'll choke again and lose in 6 games. In the Conference Finals they'll play the Spurs, and will FINALLY win in San Antonio in game 7 to go to the Finals where they'll sweep whichever weak-ass team comes out of the East. There, it's all laid out, no need to watch the rest of the season or the playoffs. You're welcome!

A match made in heaven

2008-01-31T18:48:00.000-06:00

Bowling ball, meet my knee...

it's about time!!

2008-01-28T22:58:00.001-06:00

The Jazz went from the 9th seed (and out of the playoffs) to the 4th seed in one night.

WARNING: crotch shot ahead...

2008-01-28T16:01:00.001-06:00

So...I managed to do this while getting into my car today. Luckily it was AFTER class and not BEFORE. Can I get a round of applause?

Really??

2008-01-20T22:07:00.000-06:00

The real battle huh? So all those soldiers dying over in the Middle East isn't the real battle? Whether you agree with the war or not, saying that the real battle is here is pretty insulting. I wonder if the women who post on that site have an issue with that, I doubt that they are thinking, "I know my husband might get blown up today, but what about ME!?"

CRAP

2008-01-13T00:36:00.000-06:00

I suppose it's time for the annual early year freeze-out.

Sometimes it Pays to be a Jerk

2008-01-02T13:20:00.000-06:00

I don't own an iPod. I hate iTunes and the whole iPod culture. I DO own a Creative brand MP3 player that is just as good (in my opinion) as an iPod video. About a week before finals I spilled my chai tea on it while I was studying at the library. Not smart. It almost immediately started malfunctioning and I was pretty pissed. When I bought it I made sure to get the extra year warranty because my previous MP3 player (same brand) had some issues. My year warranty, added onto the manufacturer 30-day warranty, expired on Dec 15. So I send Creative an email about my malfunctioning MP3 player on or around the 12th, while conveniently forgetting to mention the chai tea incident. I send in my player and all the required documentation and hope that they don't realize that not only did I spill something on it (which isn't covered under the warranty) I also opened it up and tried to clean it (voiding the warranty).
About a week ago a got this email:

In regards to your RMA XXXXXXX, we are sorry to inform you that upon receiving your product and reviewing your file, it was determined that the unit is no longer covered by Creative's limited warranty due to the date it was purchased (11/15/06).

If you still wish to proceed with the repair/ replacement it will cost $240.00 to complete the process, and the unit you will receive back from our facility will have a 90 days labor/ parts warranty.

I realize that it shouldn't still be covered under the warranty, but not because it has expired. The reason they shouldn't fix it is not the one they gave me. So I respond with this:

My warranty was one year and one month due to the manufacturer 30 day warranty. I got my RMA before 12/15/07. My unit should still be covered. It is surprising that Creative would hassle me over the matter of only a couple days. I have been a loyal customer for over 2 years (I have purchased 4 mp3 players and numerous accessories). If I spend $60 on a year long warranty and get my RMA BEFORE it has lapsed, I expect it to be honored. If this is how I am going to be treated I can assure you that I will spend the $240 on a new iPod (like everyone else) rather than getting my Zen Vision replaced.

I got a response today:

Thank you for replying to Creative E-mail Support.

I am pleased to inform you that I was able to locate your Creative Care Protection Plan for your Zen Vision: M, and I have notified the RMA department. Because you have invested in a Creative Care Protection Plan for your Zen Vision: M this RMA will be considered under warranty and there will be no out of warranty fees.

Sometimes you have to be a jerk to get what you want. Me: 1 Creative: 0

For the SLG

2007-12-19T23:55:00.000-06:00

I just finished Monsoon Wedding and I have decided that I am not going to date another girl until I find a cute Indian girl like these:

The first girl only has about 5 seconds of airtime, but she is, literally, the exact girl I think of when I talk about cute Indian girls. My obsession with Indian girls is no secret but I think it's worth going over again.

Roomie asked me what it is about them, I told him that I have no idea. He also asked me if I prefer them over white girls, I said yes. Call me crazy, but that's my bag, baby. Like Kim Kardashian and black dudes, and Britney Spears and losers, I just have a thing for the Indian persuasion. Now if only I could meet one...

Not Sure How to Feel

2007-12-16T22:51:00.000-06:00

I just made my first political donation today. $50 to Dr. Paul. I know this only perpetuates the problem of money dominating politics, but I can't think of any better way to help Dr. Paul (aside from being a campaign worker, which I clearly have no time to do).

Turns out that my roommate donated today as well (also to Dr. Paul), we talked about how our generation may be the one that changes this 2-party bull. I think people are getting fed up with "DEMOCRAT V REPUBLICAN" every single election. There really is no way that the political views of the whole country can be adequately represented as a choice between 2 candidates. I know that every time I vote I feel like I am picking between hanging and drowning (i.e., this guy offends me least).

This is why I hate labels like DEMOCRAT, LIBERAL, CONSERVATIVE, REPUBLICAN, ANTI-this, PRO-that. I have a manifesto in the works that will discuss how labels are so damaging. Stay tuned.

An Open Letter to the Utah Jazz Organization

2007-12-14T23:36:00.001-06:00

You guys are an embarrassment.

After going winning over 50 games and going to the Western Conference Finals last year, people were starting to fear the Jazz. They were prohibitive favorites to win the division and given a fair shot at returning to the Conference Finals.

The first in a long line of mistakes was letting Dee Brown go. This kid had speed and talent but you let him go anyway. You also released Rafael Arraujo, the only guy on the team with the attitude to play hard-nosed defense. Then you signed Jason Hart, a nobody from the Clippers who has been nothing short of terrible. We were excited when you picked up Ronnie Price, we thought he was a baller, but he pretty much never plays. You kept Gordan Giracek, who hasn't played 3 good games since Deron Williams arrived.

Even with those moves people thought we could still play. We still had Booz, Deron, AK, Memo, and Sapp on the roster and these guys can play. But, even with these guys the Jazz have managed only 2 quality wins in 24 games and are now in a 6-game losing streak. The players are really sucking quite badly. No player should be proud of anything that has happened in the last 9 days. Every player should be ashamed of their performance.

The one thing that is absolutely maddening is our lack of defensive energy. It's like nobody wants to play defense and there's a sense that no one has any confidence in their own defense. That wouldn't be AS bad if our offense was up to the task, but we haven't been scoring at all lately. After starting out leading the league in scoring at 107 ppg, the Jazz have scored 100 points in only 1 of their last 5 games (all losses) and also managed to give up a 43 point quarter last week in a loss.

Tonight was the last straw. We had a 4 point lead going into the final quarter and ended up losing by 8. And it's not like we lost to the Spurs (again) this was the BLAZERS, who 10-12 before tonight and 8-12 before they played the Jazz on Tue. The Jazz are not executing, not playing defense, not scoring, and generally not caring at all. To all the Jazz players: YOU ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO YOURSELVES AND TO ALL JAZZ FANS. HAVE SOME PRIDE AND PLAY WITH THE ATTITUDE THAT YOU ARE THE BETTER TEAM.

I am so beyond frustrated and annoyed at how my beloved Jazz are pissing away one of their best chances to win the championship in 10 years. At this point, I say Sloan needs to go. I love him and I think he's one of the top 5 coaches ever, but he is not the best coach for this team. He's an old school coach but the game has evolved and left him behind. If the Jazz lose at home to the Sonics tomorrow, I might just lose it and picket the stadium. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.

PHEW!

2007-12-11T16:42:00.000-06:00

Click the picture for the big version

Oh Mitt...

2007-12-06T13:06:00.000-06:00

You couldn't be MORE wrong:

Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone.

So so so wrong. I never felt MORE free than when I renounced religion.

Let's Get Political

2007-12-06T00:23:00.000-06:00

I support Ron Paul. Those of you who know who he is probably know that he's a Republican candidate. Forget about that for now, I'll get to that in a second. First let me give you a little rundown of what he stands for:

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

Paul is forced to run as a Republican because he wouldn't receive any press if he didn't. He clearly doesn't follow lock-step with the more conservative wing of the GOP. He ran as a Libertarian candidate a few years back and no one really knew, as a Republican he's burning up the news. He is a true small government conservative which means he believes in a non-interventionist foreign policy (i.e., anti-war).

He doesn't sound like the other candidates with canned answers that are designed to not really say anything. He sounds like a guy who has just had enough of the bullshit and wants to see a real change.

It would be worth your time to spare the 7 or so minutes to watch the youtube video and check out his website.

RON PAUL 2008

I. AM. A. GENIUS.

2007-12-05T19:43:00.000-06:00

Perfect study break snack.

Ugh...You Should Know Better

2007-12-04T21:37:00.000-06:00

Marc Stein just said "more better" on ESPN's NBA Coast to Coast.

[update: Tim Legler, Rick Carlisle, and Greg Anthony all agreed that if they had to pick a point guard to start a team, they'd pick Deron Williams. WOOT!]

Stephen A Smith Doesn't Believe in Freedom of Speech

2007-12-04T18:57:00.000-06:00

In post today by SPORTSbyBROOKS, Stephen A Smith apparently doesn't think that bloggers should be allowed to reach a big audience. He goes on to say that

someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts.

I suppose that only obnoxious blowhards like Smith can "disseminate to the masses." I've talked before about how big of an idiot he is, but seriously, he's basically saying that no one should be able to blog about sports unless they are "professionals" or, more likely, have their own show (even if it was canceled because it sucked so bad...ring a bell?)

Context

2007-12-03T10:43:00.001-06:00

After reading through the cases on the establishment clause, I get really sick of all the dissenting (read: LOSING) justices trying to make their case by quoting President Washington ("...with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God") and any other litany of practices and quotes from the Revolutionary Period. Can we please also note that they wanted to count black people as 3/5 of a person? The Framers were not infallible paragons of virtue.

Grammar Nazi Strikes Again

2007-12-01T22:55:00.000-06:00

Special thanks to the AP.

Dear Arizona State Punter...

2007-12-01T22:48:00.000-06:00

You owe me $30 after your amazing 30 yard punt. I expect a check in the mail ASAP.

Don't Take it so Personally...

2007-12-01T21:13:00.001-06:00

The Jazz were on ESPN last night against the Lakers and dominated them by 24 points. Derek Fisher, formerly of the Jazz and currently with the Lakers, was booed all night. Let me give you a brief rundown on why this is significant:

Fisher played with the Lakers before joining the Jazz
Jazz fans, for the most part, really really hate the Lakers
When Fish signed with the Jazz, we were all excited because he's pretty good and is a good leader
Fish came up HUGE against the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs
We also found out that his daughter has a rare form of eye cancer during the first round

Those are the basic facts. Now, after the season ended he asked to be released from his contract with the Jazz (this NEVER happens...) so that he could move his family closer to a treatment facility and the Jazz were more than happy to comply (family stuff trumps all with the Jazz, and they didn't want to be heartless bastards). Here comes the nasty part...HE SIGNS BACK WITH THE LAKERS! To Jazz fans (myself included) it was like he saw a chance to get outta Dodge and he took it.

Look at it this way, during the off-season the players scatter like cockroaches, going back to their home cities. During basketball season they're on the road half the time and don't get to spend much time at home anyway. How hard would it have been to move the family to LA and come "home" when there's an extended break of 3-5 days (or 10 days during All-star Weekend)? It's a 90 min flight from SLC to LAX! If he had signed with the Knicks (NY HAS to have a good treatment center) then everyone would understand.

Seriously, he only got booed because he signed with the Lakers. He wants to think that we're pissed that he left, WRONG, we're pissed he's wearing yellow.

Ummm.......what?

2007-11-30T12:33:00.000-06:00

So I noticed a new trailer on Apple.com yesterday and, after watching it, I sent the link to Roomie since it seems right up his alley. This is the response I got:

Ahhh interesting. Oh wait!

MAJOR PLOT FLAW ALERT!!!!!!

For a site to be ‘untraceable’ it would require an insane amount of hops (bounces) around the world along with a TOR like configuration which significantly reduces ping time and throughput speed. This would render a site like that (particularly streaming media) utterly useless and even a minimal amount of hits would bring it to its knees!

CASE CLOSED – STRAIGHT TO DVD.

Uhh...ok, sure! Sounds right....I guess...

I might be a little obssessed

2007-11-30T00:13:00.000-06:00

As I was blogging earlier, I happened to glance down and notice my Jazz notepad and coffee mug sitting right by each other. This doesn't mean much except that my desktop is Jazz, and so are my keys, and my license plate, and, well, here are the pictures to prove my insanity...

(Just got the plate and frame last Friday at the Jazz game)

I didn't bother to post pics of my Jazz apparel, I don't have that much time.

Some Good Comes from the NFL / Cable Disupute

2007-11-29T23:46:00.001-06:00

So, as I'm sure everyone has heard by now, there was a big game on TV tonight. My beloved Packers vs the hated and ugly Cowboys. I would have LOVED to watch this game from my couch, where I have easy access to the fridge, bathroom, and remote; BUT, this game was on the NFL Network and due to some disputes with the big cable companies, less than 40% of the country can even GET the NFL Network. I live in part of that 60% that can't get the game, so I had to venture out of my apartment to the local watering hole to see the game. Turns out I'm not the only Pack fan in this town (SURPRISE!), the place was totally PACKED (pun intended) including about 20 other 2Ls /3Ls and even some 1Ls. This meant that I could yell and scream as if it were a big college game. I talked some trash, gave multiple high-fives, and drank about a dozen Cokes. It was the most fun I have had since the big karaoke bash and probably a top five-er for the year. It would have been perfect, though, had the Pack pulled out a victory...

The More Things Change...

2007-11-22T22:57:00.001-06:00

I'm seriously surprised that it has taken me so long to get this way, but for the first time in my life, I really feel like I just want to be alone (as in, no significant other) and be especially selfish. I want to be myself and play Xbox when I want, go out when I want, talk to anyone that I want, eat what I want when I want (more on this later) and just be the guy that I wanted to be in college but never felt the significance of how much it would change my lifestyle.

The "relationship that almost was" is over and I couldn't feel better about it. Not because I don't like her (she's way fun) but because even in the early stages of the BF/GF thing that it almost was, I still felt trapped in a cage. I needed me time to do, literally, nothing.

Now that I am focused on me being me, I really want to spend some time improving myself. I'd like to shed some needed poundage and find out what the hell I want to do after I graduate. I've spent a lot of time being concerned with how I am perceived by others, but at this point I think that ship has sailed. However people view me now isn't likely to change, and even if it did, I'm not going to worry about that anymore.

I could ramble on about all the ways I am wasting away both physically and mentally, but that would be too depressing. Instead of eating fast food on a whim 4-5 times a week, I can have a tuna sandwich at home. Instead of spending my Friday nights on the computer, I can go out and enjoy the company of my friends. Instead of playing Xbox during the afternoons, I can work on outlines and my reading.

I know this sounds a little contradictory to the first paragraph, but when I say "I want to play Xbox when I want," I mean that I don't want to feel guilty about it or feel like I need to "grow up." And when I say that I want to eat what I want when I want, I mean that eating a salad doesn't make me less of a man! (especially the greek salad at Panera).

I think at this point the hate that I have for myself has finally been faced with an ultimatum: keep doing what you've been doing, and you'll keep getting what you've been getting (which is fatter, mediocre grades, and no self-worth).

So here it is folks, mark it down. I'm going to start being the guy I wanted to be when I moved to law school over a year ago.

[update: I just realized that all this was a very round-about way of saying that I am having an identity crisis and I need to figure out "who I am."]

Redemption

2007-11-11T16:06:00.000-06:00

This is a public thank you to all those that I apologized to previously. Last night was karaoke night and we TORE. IT. UP.

We got stirring renditions of "Sweet Child of Mine," "Jessie's Girl," "I've Got You Under my Skin," and "Stay (I Missed You)." There was singing and dancing and copious amounts of alcohol.

Just like old times...

Important safety tip

2007-11-09T18:02:00.000-06:00

more penetrating insight from CNN.

Bad friend

2007-11-04T19:26:00.000-06:00

This is a public apology. I have been a bad friend lately. I want to apologize to Jewel, SLLS, and Jordan. I have been spending time with the new babe and basically been ignoring all other human beings. I am throwing myself on the mercy of the court...

update: upon further examination, I have been a bad friend for most of the semester so far. In attempting to "make up for lost time," as it were, I have neglected you all. Consider this my admission that I have a problem.

Stephen A Smith is officially crazy

2007-10-31T19:00:00.000-05:00

He is ADAMANTLY picking the rich and creamy Nuggets to go to the NBA Finals. There is a REALLY good chance that they aren't even the best team in their division, but Stephen is really ~~smart~~ ~~crazy~~ ~~eccentric~~ loud so he might be right.

I'd say the Nugs are 40:1 underdogs to get to the Finals. And just because I'm making odds, I'd put the Jazz at 20:1. I love my Jazz, but the Spurs are just too damn good.

Here are my picks:

MVP
Heart says: Carlos Boozer
Brain says: Steve Nash

6th Man
Heart says: Paul Millsap
Brain says: Manu Ginobli

Most Improved
Heart says: Ronnie Brewer
Brain says: Ronnie Brewer

Coach of the Year
Heart says: Jerry Sloan
Brain says: Anyone except Sloan

Defensive Player
Heart says: AK
Brain says: pick 'em (Bowen or Wallace, as usual)

Finals
Spurs over whatever crap team comes out of the East

Me Gusta

2007-10-31T00:49:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to call this a "relationship," at least not yet. But this girl that I met on Friday, she is such a breath of fresh air. Talk about no drama and low maintenance...

She's into me, this I know for sure. I am into her too, and she knows this for sure. But we are confident enough in ourselves that a) we don't have to do ANYTHING in a hurry, and b) I'm not going to be upset if she puts studying ahead of hanging out and vice versa. This is the level of maturity I was expecting when I came to law school.

And she's hot, so that helps too :-P

That was Tasty

2007-10-31T00:46:00.000-05:00

Jazz win by 21 IN Oakland. Brewer and Millsap looked AWESOME, seriously. AK was in good (not great) form and DWill and Booz, they were at their normal best, combining for 56 points. I love beating teams that think playing fast and loose will win. We play slow and methodically and we DOMINATED. Damn it feels good to be a Jazz fan.