Well it is official; people crack me up.
As part of this blog, I write not only about my own personal business, but about the business of others when it intersects with mine. So, in the interests of personal privacy [and good, clean fun] I preserve the privacy of all those involved
There have been many questions about what Mystery Man's name is. The answer I continually give is "Mystery Man". This ladies and gentlemen is his name.
There have been many guesses about what other name or names he may go by, and all of them WRONG. Is it important? No, not really. At least, not to the point where any of you should be all that worried about it. Of course if it weren't THAT important, you're saying to yourself, she'd just tell us. Perhaps, perhaps. Or, perhaps I am just keeping private what isn't mine to tell.
Take Note:
1. If you look carefully, he's in MANY posts on this blog.
2. His clothing taste ought not be questioned.
3. You'll note, that he is the one who decided to be called this.
4. You'll see he makes apperances at most all our group activities but only in somewhat of a nonchalant manner.
5. He and my Jonathan are in fact NOT the same person. Jonathan, aka. Wonderboy, who has met my family, is NOT Mystery Man. Why would he be if he's already met you. Keep guessing, I'll entertain your guesses. :-)
6. He usually has very important things to do on weekends.
7. His real home is very far away.
8. He can easily illicit a laugh from the entire class.
9. He is heads above most everyone I know.
That Is All.
End Transmission. Secret Squirrel Out.
You may make your comments as you wish.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
A Fluke That's Good For You
Well, I'm not usually the BIGGEST Destiny's Child fan, but this song is unbelievable. It made me cry last night during my devo time. Maybe it's the minor chords, who knows really? I can't really say anything else. Here it is.
Destiny's Child - Stand Up For Love
#1's
2005
[Beyonce]
There are times I find it hard to sleep at night
We are living through such troubled times
And every child that reaches out for someone to hold
For one moment they become my own
And how can I pretend that I don't know what's going on?
When every second, and every minute another soul is gone?
And I believe that in my life I will see(oh yea) an end to hopelessness, of giving up, of suffering
[Chorus:]
If we all stand together this one time
Then no one wil be left behind
Stand up for life
Stand up and hear me sing
Stand up for love
[Kelly]
I'm inspired and hopeful each and everyday
That's how I know that things are gonna change
So how can I pretend that I don't know what's going on?
When every second, with every minute another soul is gone?
And I believe that in my life I will see(I will see yeah)
An end to hopelessness(Hopelessness), of giving up(Giving Up), of suffering
(Suffering yah, yah)
[Chorus]
If we all stand together this one time(Time)
Then no one will get left behind
Stand up for life
Stand up for love
[Michelle]
And it all starts right here
And it starts right now
One person stands up and the rest will follow
For all the forgotten, for all the unloved
I'm gonna sing this song
And I believe that in my life I will see (yes, yes) an end to hopelessness, of giving up, of suffering
[Chorus]
If we all stand together this one time
Then no one will get left behind
Stand up for life
Stand up and sing yah
Stand up for love (for love, for love)
Destiny's Child - Stand Up For Love
#1's
2005
[Beyonce]
There are times I find it hard to sleep at night
We are living through such troubled times
And every child that reaches out for someone to hold
For one moment they become my own
And how can I pretend that I don't know what's going on?
When every second, and every minute another soul is gone?
And I believe that in my life I will see(oh yea) an end to hopelessness, of giving up, of suffering
[Chorus:]
If we all stand together this one time
Then no one wil be left behind
Stand up for life
Stand up and hear me sing
Stand up for love
[Kelly]
I'm inspired and hopeful each and everyday
That's how I know that things are gonna change
So how can I pretend that I don't know what's going on?
When every second, with every minute another soul is gone?
And I believe that in my life I will see(I will see yeah)
An end to hopelessness(Hopelessness), of giving up(Giving Up), of suffering
(Suffering yah, yah)
[Chorus]
If we all stand together this one time(Time)
Then no one will get left behind
Stand up for life
Stand up for love
[Michelle]
And it all starts right here
And it starts right now
One person stands up and the rest will follow
For all the forgotten, for all the unloved
I'm gonna sing this song
And I believe that in my life I will see (yes, yes) an end to hopelessness, of giving up, of suffering
[Chorus]
If we all stand together this one time
Then no one will get left behind
Stand up for life
Stand up and sing yah
Stand up for love (for love, for love)
Friday, November 18, 2005
For I Am Not My Own
I was not in a good mood yesterday, and was busy writing about all the things that annoyed me. I must say, pride got the best of me last night. Sometime yesterday evening, I inscribed a whole lot of things on this blog that really have no business being there. As Mysetery Man later put it, upon recognizing that Rogue had advised me to "edit" my post, I wouldn't have very many friends left at home if I said things like that often [aka more than once] and that a good rule of thumb, is not to post when you're "sick". When I'm sick huh...
I edited my blog. Now, well now I would erase every word, but then how would I be learning my lesson? Let me explain.
Today was a rough day for me. I went to all of my classes in the morning, but my eye was hurting something awful. I thought, gee, pink eye hurts this much huh? I don't remember being this upset when I was eight and had pink eye...Oh well. And as it turns out, the reason I don't remember pink eye hurting this much when I was little is because pink eye DOESN'T hurt this much. See funny thing is, the opthamologist on Sunset Boulevard I saw today says what's funny is I don't have pink eye; I have a corneal ulcer. Darn it. I'll let you all google it if you must; but let's just say it's really painful and my vision is blurred now, and may be for a while. The medication is painful too...'nuff said.
I was still a little mad you know? I thought - CLEARLY this is not acceptable. How can I do my memo this way? I'm so mad. I came home, tried my medication, and MAN did it burn my eye! I still can barely see [six doeses later, at least] and the burning is still there. But I realized something reading my post from yesterday; my eye being hurt is not the sickness I need to watch out for.
Here's the thing: I am not a victim. The world is not out to get me: life is hard, period. Frankly, the fact that I cannot do my memo the way I would like to really shouldn't matter to me. Completely healthy or sick as a dog, I'm not the force behind my memo. God is. The way I see it; I'm not my own person. I'm a tool for God; I'm a kingdom servant about kingdom business. There is no other explanation for why I ended up here of all places than that God pretty much moved me to be here. I'm here to equip myself to do HIs bidding - specifically, to spread His justice. That having been said, I cannot boast in ANYTHING I've done. How smart I may be, my grades, my midterms, none of that stuff was me. That's God. Sure I work hard and study and avoid things that would prevent me from doing my best, but what I started with was all Him. I'll tell you what else is Him. He's the motivation behind doing that extra page and a half to be FULLY prepared. He has given me so much, how could I say I was too lazy to read just a few more pages? He's in the raw energy I get from nowhere. He's in the memorization of much more material than I could ever know alone. Mostly, he's in the voices I hear...the ones I often blog about: he's in their faces...the faces of starving and oppressed children waiting for an advocate. How could I ever look such a one as this in the face and say I cannot meet the demands of their legal needs because in law school I was busy goofing off? Or, better yet, I was busy being sick?
Maybe this isn't what Mystery Man meant [but I wouldn't put it past him to "mean" something more than what he "meant" ][for more on this, see The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster], but I'll tell you that what he said now means to me I shouldn't post when I'm sin-sick. Somehow, I lost sight of the fact that I don't write my memos all by myself. Everything I do is by the Grace of God, and Lord willing that'll be with me all of my days.
This is almost an even BETTER chance to lean on God. We all jump for the moon - and even if some jump 8 feet and some jump 20, we all miss. But in real life sometimes it's easier to see God making up the difference when the differential is HUGE beyond all reason. I need to realize that just because I may be "bright" doesn't mean He's not there pickin' up the slack for me too: when I lean on Him.
So sure, my eye hurts REALLY badly. So sure, I can't see so well right now and sure the blurry vision is giving me a headache. But I'll tell you something; whether or not I can see doesn't change who's in my corner. I'll tell you something else I know with COMPLETE certainty: that today little kids suffered. Some of them starved, some of them were shot, some of them raped, some kidnapped, abused, and tortured. Some were forced to fight in an army they are terrified of, and some were slaughtered for the small diamond in the cross I wear under my clothes. And many many more will suffer every day. This IS even MORE certain than death and taxes because it is evil and hidden. It will not cease untill good people of faith stand up and say: "Hey, you over there! Yah you! WE CAN SEE YOU...and, what's more, WE CAN SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WE WILL NOT ALLOW THAT TO CONTINUE." Gary Haugen, IJM Founder once said: "The greatest enemy in our struggle to stop oppression and injustice is always the insidious etiquette of silence." I will not allow my eye to silence me. My grades matter because everything I do, I do for Him as part of the race set out before me. "Sorry Ugandan child soldier, lost and alone, I didn't get the job experience I needed because I didn't do my memo because my eye hurt. So now, now I am not in the position to help you. Sorry. Now look here son, I realize you were kidnapped and raped, had your leg cut off and tortured untill you fought in the army that eventually distroyed your own village. But YOU have to understand, I couldn't write with my eye like that!" NEWSFLASH...I can't do it ANYWAY. I could NEVER write my memo alone...cause alone I'd be exhausted and confused. In perspective nothing that happens to me matters. I won't let it stop me.
For I am not my own.
I hear you, and I'm coming.
For I am not my own.
Take My LIfe
ZOE Worship
Deep Calls To Deep
Lord take my life, make it your own.
Lord live through me for I am not my own.
Bought with a price, the blood of your son;
Nothing I've earned, but by your grace I come.
Lord take my heart, make it your throne.
Lord reign in me for I am not my own.
Lord reign in me, for I am not my own.
I edited my blog. Now, well now I would erase every word, but then how would I be learning my lesson? Let me explain.
Today was a rough day for me. I went to all of my classes in the morning, but my eye was hurting something awful. I thought, gee, pink eye hurts this much huh? I don't remember being this upset when I was eight and had pink eye...Oh well. And as it turns out, the reason I don't remember pink eye hurting this much when I was little is because pink eye DOESN'T hurt this much. See funny thing is, the opthamologist on Sunset Boulevard I saw today says what's funny is I don't have pink eye; I have a corneal ulcer. Darn it. I'll let you all google it if you must; but let's just say it's really painful and my vision is blurred now, and may be for a while. The medication is painful too...'nuff said.
I was still a little mad you know? I thought - CLEARLY this is not acceptable. How can I do my memo this way? I'm so mad. I came home, tried my medication, and MAN did it burn my eye! I still can barely see [six doeses later, at least] and the burning is still there. But I realized something reading my post from yesterday; my eye being hurt is not the sickness I need to watch out for.
Here's the thing: I am not a victim. The world is not out to get me: life is hard, period. Frankly, the fact that I cannot do my memo the way I would like to really shouldn't matter to me. Completely healthy or sick as a dog, I'm not the force behind my memo. God is. The way I see it; I'm not my own person. I'm a tool for God; I'm a kingdom servant about kingdom business. There is no other explanation for why I ended up here of all places than that God pretty much moved me to be here. I'm here to equip myself to do HIs bidding - specifically, to spread His justice. That having been said, I cannot boast in ANYTHING I've done. How smart I may be, my grades, my midterms, none of that stuff was me. That's God. Sure I work hard and study and avoid things that would prevent me from doing my best, but what I started with was all Him. I'll tell you what else is Him. He's the motivation behind doing that extra page and a half to be FULLY prepared. He has given me so much, how could I say I was too lazy to read just a few more pages? He's in the raw energy I get from nowhere. He's in the memorization of much more material than I could ever know alone. Mostly, he's in the voices I hear...the ones I often blog about: he's in their faces...the faces of starving and oppressed children waiting for an advocate. How could I ever look such a one as this in the face and say I cannot meet the demands of their legal needs because in law school I was busy goofing off? Or, better yet, I was busy being sick?
Maybe this isn't what Mystery Man meant [but I wouldn't put it past him to "mean" something more than what he "meant" ][for more on this, see The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster], but I'll tell you that what he said now means to me I shouldn't post when I'm sin-sick. Somehow, I lost sight of the fact that I don't write my memos all by myself. Everything I do is by the Grace of God, and Lord willing that'll be with me all of my days.
This is almost an even BETTER chance to lean on God. We all jump for the moon - and even if some jump 8 feet and some jump 20, we all miss. But in real life sometimes it's easier to see God making up the difference when the differential is HUGE beyond all reason. I need to realize that just because I may be "bright" doesn't mean He's not there pickin' up the slack for me too: when I lean on Him.
So sure, my eye hurts REALLY badly. So sure, I can't see so well right now and sure the blurry vision is giving me a headache. But I'll tell you something; whether or not I can see doesn't change who's in my corner. I'll tell you something else I know with COMPLETE certainty: that today little kids suffered. Some of them starved, some of them were shot, some of them raped, some kidnapped, abused, and tortured. Some were forced to fight in an army they are terrified of, and some were slaughtered for the small diamond in the cross I wear under my clothes. And many many more will suffer every day. This IS even MORE certain than death and taxes because it is evil and hidden. It will not cease untill good people of faith stand up and say: "Hey, you over there! Yah you! WE CAN SEE YOU...and, what's more, WE CAN SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND WE WILL NOT ALLOW THAT TO CONTINUE." Gary Haugen, IJM Founder once said: "The greatest enemy in our struggle to stop oppression and injustice is always the insidious etiquette of silence." I will not allow my eye to silence me. My grades matter because everything I do, I do for Him as part of the race set out before me. "Sorry Ugandan child soldier, lost and alone, I didn't get the job experience I needed because I didn't do my memo because my eye hurt. So now, now I am not in the position to help you. Sorry. Now look here son, I realize you were kidnapped and raped, had your leg cut off and tortured untill you fought in the army that eventually distroyed your own village. But YOU have to understand, I couldn't write with my eye like that!" NEWSFLASH...I can't do it ANYWAY. I could NEVER write my memo alone...cause alone I'd be exhausted and confused. In perspective nothing that happens to me matters. I won't let it stop me.
For I am not my own.
I hear you, and I'm coming.
For I am not my own.
Take My LIfe
ZOE Worship
Deep Calls To Deep
Lord take my life, make it your own.
Lord live through me for I am not my own.
Bought with a price, the blood of your son;
Nothing I've earned, but by your grace I come.
Lord take my heart, make it your throne.
Lord reign in me for I am not my own.
Lord reign in me, for I am not my own.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Annoyances
Blogs exist to express oneself right? I mean if they don't exist for that, I'm not really sure what they exist for.
There, I hope you read that statement because from now on I will be refering to that as my "disclaimer".
I am absolutely NOT in a good mood today. Maybe I should spend less time studying [yah right, that's the answer!] or maybe I should sleep more or maybe I should spend more tiime with my family or maybe I should spend less time on the phone. Either way something is out of whack. Let's address each of these in order:
1. Have you ever felt like people around you need to get over themselves? Ok I'm sure we all have. There are people around here who are so stinking self-absorbed they think everything in life is all about them. If you say something to them, just in passing even, it means that there is a HUGE conspiracy to annoy them, or to hate them, or steal their cheetoes. I hate that. I hate that people ignore you until they want you to get something for them at the store or go somewhere for them or until they read your blog and think that it's about them when it's NOT. I swear, if everyone would just grow up life would be a whole lot easier. Of course I can say these things on my BLOG b/c I'm too terribly big on confrontation. I would never go up to someone and say: "You are ticking me off. I thought we could be friends but if you're gonna be such a witch all the time forget it. P.S. I'm smarter than you." Yah right. I wish. I have a hard time telling a waiter at a restaurant that he brought me the wrong sandwhich or that my Dr. Pepper somehow turned into Diet [yuck] Coke on the way over to my table. And although I can't say those things, there are DEFINATELY some people I'd like to tell to see themselves right on over to France...sheesh.
2. Why do things always go wrong when you need them to go right, more than at ANY OTHER TIME? For instance, this Sunday [in a few days and counting] my legal research and writing memo is due: it's my final grade in LRW and I kinda need for it NOT to suck. So, I spent all weekend doing my homework for each class for the rest of the week so that I could work onthe memo during the week. And what happens? I GO AND GET PINK EYE! Like I don't have enough problems, my eye has been swollen and burning for the whole week, and I thought it was just my contacts. I can't really see and it HURTS. I went to the doctor today, spent an HOUR there and have to go back tomorrow. Almost killed someone going to the store post-doctor b/c can't see...Mystery Man alleges negligence. I say, consideration. I mean come on, people are busy, who wants to take me to the store? I'm sure all my friends WOULD do it, but they don't have the time. I don't even have the time. Why should they? [And to top it all off, I was supposed to go shopping today to get toys for the toy drive and now I cannot BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE.] I should be further proofing my rough draft for my memo, but I've been asleep all day b/c of my eye and don't even get me started on the fact that in addition to a bad case of pink eye [now in BOTH eyes] I also have a CUT on my right eye and need an Optomitrist.
3. People suck. Sheesh. [For more on this, see #1 or the Bible or the Simpsons, season 3]
4. So boys. [This post has been edited at the request of many friends and at the behest of one "Choir Director".]
5. Being misunderstood sux. It's not that I intend to use this as a online DIARY or anything. Rather, I know that many of my friends read this. If you're not in law school and you're reading this just cut me some slack and leave me alone. Don't call me with frivilous questions. Don't have the nerve to call and say I never call you. Don't complain about how you never hear from me. You think I don't know that? Dont' you think that at least ONCE since I've been here I have though about you? The truth is I am homesick. I want to go home, and I miss my family, my friends, Texas, and my dog [sounds like a country song]. California is awful. Pepperdine is good though. But you know what? It doesn't matter if Pepperdine is the coolest place on Earth, or worse than being stuck in an episode of Saved By The Bell for life, becasue I'm here. If you cared about me AT ALL, you'd BACK OFF and want me to do well. This goes as well for people who are always pressuring me to be number one. Let me share a little secret with you: NO ONE that I am personally aware of HAS EVER gotten 100 in EVERY CLASS in law school. It is not going to happen Plus, I'm at a REALLY good law school here. You should be proud of me for being here - I am. I know what's riding on this: my scholarships, my education, loan money, my future, blah blah blah. THANX FOR REMINDING ME. I'm doing the best I can. While you're waiting to harass me why don't you look up the staz on the number of people who NEVER FINISH LAW SCHOOL?? I'm doing the best I can and really don't need anymore pressure. I live in an oven as it is. I would give anything to say all of this to some of the people in my life. But I won't. It's not all true, but it's how I feel. Not everyone actually says all of these things to me, but it's the impression they give. Some people DO say these things to me. One of my best friends called and said I never call him back and don't I love him anymore? I almost cried. There's nothing I can do about it...I signed up for this and I'm gonna take the bull by the horns. No room for ameteurs: this isn't mutton bustin' man...this is the Big Rodeo in the Sky...and I'm going for the best time...
Ok. have many many more things I could complain about, but I'll stop here. I don't mean to complain, but this is the best forum I have for working through my own thoughts. The people I love who read this need to realize that this is just a rough cut: my visceral reactions. Now it's true of course, that I can edit on here and I usually do, some things, I think, need to be expressed just as we feel them. So if you love me, forgive me and go on to another post. Man oh man I want to go home..
There, I hope you read that statement because from now on I will be refering to that as my "disclaimer".
I am absolutely NOT in a good mood today. Maybe I should spend less time studying [yah right, that's the answer!] or maybe I should sleep more or maybe I should spend more tiime with my family or maybe I should spend less time on the phone. Either way something is out of whack. Let's address each of these in order:
1. Have you ever felt like people around you need to get over themselves? Ok I'm sure we all have. There are people around here who are so stinking self-absorbed they think everything in life is all about them. If you say something to them, just in passing even, it means that there is a HUGE conspiracy to annoy them, or to hate them, or steal their cheetoes. I hate that. I hate that people ignore you until they want you to get something for them at the store or go somewhere for them or until they read your blog and think that it's about them when it's NOT. I swear, if everyone would just grow up life would be a whole lot easier. Of course I can say these things on my BLOG b/c I'm too terribly big on confrontation. I would never go up to someone and say: "You are ticking me off. I thought we could be friends but if you're gonna be such a witch all the time forget it. P.S. I'm smarter than you." Yah right. I wish. I have a hard time telling a waiter at a restaurant that he brought me the wrong sandwhich or that my Dr. Pepper somehow turned into Diet [yuck] Coke on the way over to my table. And although I can't say those things, there are DEFINATELY some people I'd like to tell to see themselves right on over to France...sheesh.
2. Why do things always go wrong when you need them to go right, more than at ANY OTHER TIME? For instance, this Sunday [in a few days and counting] my legal research and writing memo is due: it's my final grade in LRW and I kinda need for it NOT to suck. So, I spent all weekend doing my homework for each class for the rest of the week so that I could work onthe memo during the week. And what happens? I GO AND GET PINK EYE! Like I don't have enough problems, my eye has been swollen and burning for the whole week, and I thought it was just my contacts. I can't really see and it HURTS. I went to the doctor today, spent an HOUR there and have to go back tomorrow. Almost killed someone going to the store post-doctor b/c can't see...Mystery Man alleges negligence. I say, consideration. I mean come on, people are busy, who wants to take me to the store? I'm sure all my friends WOULD do it, but they don't have the time. I don't even have the time. Why should they? [And to top it all off, I was supposed to go shopping today to get toys for the toy drive and now I cannot BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE.] I should be further proofing my rough draft for my memo, but I've been asleep all day b/c of my eye and don't even get me started on the fact that in addition to a bad case of pink eye [now in BOTH eyes] I also have a CUT on my right eye and need an Optomitrist.
3. People suck. Sheesh. [For more on this, see #1 or the Bible or the Simpsons, season 3]
4. So boys. [This post has been edited at the request of many friends and at the behest of one "Choir Director".]
5. Being misunderstood sux. It's not that I intend to use this as a online DIARY or anything. Rather, I know that many of my friends read this. If you're not in law school and you're reading this just cut me some slack and leave me alone. Don't call me with frivilous questions. Don't have the nerve to call and say I never call you. Don't complain about how you never hear from me. You think I don't know that? Dont' you think that at least ONCE since I've been here I have though about you? The truth is I am homesick. I want to go home, and I miss my family, my friends, Texas, and my dog [sounds like a country song]. California is awful. Pepperdine is good though. But you know what? It doesn't matter if Pepperdine is the coolest place on Earth, or worse than being stuck in an episode of Saved By The Bell for life, becasue I'm here. If you cared about me AT ALL, you'd BACK OFF and want me to do well. This goes as well for people who are always pressuring me to be number one. Let me share a little secret with you: NO ONE that I am personally aware of HAS EVER gotten 100 in EVERY CLASS in law school. It is not going to happen Plus, I'm at a REALLY good law school here. You should be proud of me for being here - I am. I know what's riding on this: my scholarships, my education, loan money, my future, blah blah blah. THANX FOR REMINDING ME. I'm doing the best I can. While you're waiting to harass me why don't you look up the staz on the number of people who NEVER FINISH LAW SCHOOL?? I'm doing the best I can and really don't need anymore pressure. I live in an oven as it is. I would give anything to say all of this to some of the people in my life. But I won't. It's not all true, but it's how I feel. Not everyone actually says all of these things to me, but it's the impression they give. Some people DO say these things to me. One of my best friends called and said I never call him back and don't I love him anymore? I almost cried. There's nothing I can do about it...I signed up for this and I'm gonna take the bull by the horns. No room for ameteurs: this isn't mutton bustin' man...this is the Big Rodeo in the Sky...and I'm going for the best time...
Ok. have many many more things I could complain about, but I'll stop here. I don't mean to complain, but this is the best forum I have for working through my own thoughts. The people I love who read this need to realize that this is just a rough cut: my visceral reactions. Now it's true of course, that I can edit on here and I usually do, some things, I think, need to be expressed just as we feel them. So if you love me, forgive me and go on to another post. Man oh man I want to go home..
Rogue's Idea...So Blame Him...Whoever He Is
Well, I got this email today from Rogue and I though...hmm...this calls for a ridiculous internet push-button poll!!
From: Rogue@RougeNation.com
Subject: Super Idea
Date: November 17, 2005 4:26:43 PM PST
To: elizabeth.alvarez@pepperdine.edu
I just got this crazy idea that we should take an old Gregorian chant, and
put a whole bunch of Latin, legal phrases to it. We could use words such as
Actus reus, mens rea, res ipsa loquitur, prima fascia, ad hoc ergo prompter
hoc, and etc.
It will be even better if we then put together a choir and we find some
appropriate activity to sing it at.
Rogue
So now it is time....VOTE Y'ALL VOTE!
From: Rogue@RougeNation.com
Subject: Super Idea
Date: November 17, 2005 4:26:43 PM PST
To: elizabeth.alvarez@pepperdine.edu
I just got this crazy idea that we should take an old Gregorian chant, and
put a whole bunch of Latin, legal phrases to it. We could use words such as
Actus reus, mens rea, res ipsa loquitur, prima fascia, ad hoc ergo prompter
hoc, and etc.
It will be even better if we then put together a choir and we find some
appropriate activity to sing it at.
Rogue
So now it is time....VOTE Y'ALL VOTE!
| |
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Rules
I've been told by some - INCLUDING YOU MYSTERY MAN - that there are some rules I should accept now that I'm living here in California. Well, here is MY response to THAT:
Rules For Entering Texas
These apply to every person as they enter Texas. Learn ’em & ’member
’em. East Coast and California-types should pay particular attention!
1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.
2. Let’s get this straight; it’s called a "gravel road," I drive a
pickup truck because I need to. No matter how slow you drive, you’re
going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get the hell out of the
way.
3. Those are cattle & oil wells. That’s what they smell like to you.
They smell like money to us. Get over it. You don’t like it? I-20
And I-10 go east and west, I-35 goes north and south. Pick one and
go.
4. So you have a $60,000 dollar car. We’re impressed. We have
quarter-million dollar cotton strippers that we drive 3 weeks a year.
5. So what if every person in every pickup waves. It’s called being
friendly. Try to understand the concept.
6. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of doves are coming in, we
WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don’t have it
up to your ear at the time.
7. Yeah, we eat catfish & crawdads. You really want sushi &caviar?
It’s available at the corner bait shop.
8. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It’s a
religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of
November.
9. We open doors for women. That applies to everyone, regardless of
age.
10. No, there’s no "vegetarian special" on the menu. Order a steak.
Or order the Chef’s Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham &turkey.
11. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats,
vegetables and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper and green
chili. Oh, yeah .... We don’t care what you folks in Cincinnati call
that stuff you eat... It AIN’T REAL CHILI!! Chili was born and bred
in San Antonio....and real chili never met a tomato!
12. You bring "coke" into my house, it better be brown, wet, and
served over ice. You bring "Mary Jane" into my house, she better be
cute,
know how to shoot, drive a truck and have pretty long hair.
13. High School Football is as important here as the Lakers and the
Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.
14. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don’t hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.
15. Colleges? Try Texas A&M. They come outta there with an education, plus a love for God and country, and they still wave at passing pickups when they come home for the holidays.
16. We have more folks in the Navy, Army, Marines and Air Force than any other state, so "Don’t Mess with Texas." If you do, you will get your butt whipped by the best.
17. Always remember what our great governor Sam Houston once said:
"Texas can make it without the United States, but the United States
can’t make it without Texas."
18. By the way, the boys that captured So-Damn Insane (Hussein) were
from...Yep! You guessed it~~"The Great State of Texas."
Rules For Entering Texas
These apply to every person as they enter Texas. Learn ’em & ’member
’em. East Coast and California-types should pay particular attention!
1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.
2. Let’s get this straight; it’s called a "gravel road," I drive a
pickup truck because I need to. No matter how slow you drive, you’re
going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get the hell out of the
way.
3. Those are cattle & oil wells. That’s what they smell like to you.
They smell like money to us. Get over it. You don’t like it? I-20
And I-10 go east and west, I-35 goes north and south. Pick one and
go.
4. So you have a $60,000 dollar car. We’re impressed. We have
quarter-million dollar cotton strippers that we drive 3 weeks a year.
5. So what if every person in every pickup waves. It’s called being
friendly. Try to understand the concept.
6. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of doves are coming in, we
WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don’t have it
up to your ear at the time.
7. Yeah, we eat catfish & crawdads. You really want sushi &caviar?
It’s available at the corner bait shop.
8. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It’s a
religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of
November.
9. We open doors for women. That applies to everyone, regardless of
age.
10. No, there’s no "vegetarian special" on the menu. Order a steak.
Or order the Chef’s Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham &turkey.
11. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats,
vegetables and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper and green
chili. Oh, yeah .... We don’t care what you folks in Cincinnati call
that stuff you eat... It AIN’T REAL CHILI!! Chili was born and bred
in San Antonio....and real chili never met a tomato!
12. You bring "coke" into my house, it better be brown, wet, and
served over ice. You bring "Mary Jane" into my house, she better be
cute,
know how to shoot, drive a truck and have pretty long hair.
13. High School Football is as important here as the Lakers and the
Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch.
14. Yeah, we have golf courses. Don’t hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.
15. Colleges? Try Texas A&M. They come outta there with an education, plus a love for God and country, and they still wave at passing pickups when they come home for the holidays.
16. We have more folks in the Navy, Army, Marines and Air Force than any other state, so "Don’t Mess with Texas." If you do, you will get your butt whipped by the best.
17. Always remember what our great governor Sam Houston once said:
"Texas can make it without the United States, but the United States
can’t make it without Texas."
18. By the way, the boys that captured So-Damn Insane (Hussein) were
from...Yep! You guessed it~~"The Great State of Texas."
Nicknames
I have always had a facination with nicknames. I think everyone, secretly, has a facination with nicknames. It is my personal belief [and as we have covered many times previous to the instant post on this blog, all my personal beliefs and opinions are correct] that everyone has always secretly wished that they had a cool nickname. Do not deny it, for it is the absolute truth!!
But what exactly do nicknames mean? Some nicknames, are for private use only. For example, there are those we use with teachers or authority figures that are only to indicate a sense exhasperation with them. One of my proffessors in undergrad was a bit bumbling and kind of awkward. Somehow though, he was often put in charge of big public events, often turning them into big public spectacles. This led to the nickname "Bubbles", a derivitave of Bubbles the Clown. But similarly, some nicknames that are private are not for ridicule purposes, but for the purposes of affection: like when my daddy called me Foo Foo when I was a baby.
As we grow older though, we all want to be the one with the good nickname. All good nicknames have good stories. I will tell you what though: I have often been facinated by people with enough skill to choose their own nicknames. That is something which has NEVER failed to impress me. Those are the people who are so rogue, so cool, that they can say things like "Call me the Fonz" and everyone WILL JUST DO IT! I have read enough Judy Blume books to know that this is CLEARLY not how it works in real life. There a plenty of examples of young adolescents who give it their all: they will do ABSOLUTELY anything to get people to call them Trixie, or Pinkie, or some other thing that ends in "IE" or "Y" pronounced "eeeeeeeee". But it doesn't seem to work out well for them...now why is that I wonder?
I'll tell you why that is ladies and gentlemen, it's because nicknames are inherently cool: both the ones that are used mockingly and those that are not. If no one cases about you or your mild ability to annoy then clearly they will not take the time to assign you a nickname. But if you are so menacing as to qualify you for "nickname land" than you are GOLDEN. that's why these silly teeny-boppers could not force nick-nameness. You can't force cool. Only the truly cool can say "You will refer to me as Mystery Man yes?" and have people acquiesce. Man, NOW THAT'S cool.
Nicknames always have something important to say about people. It seems to me that most people worry more about their nicknames then they are willing to admit. We all want someone -particularly that certian someone- to pay attention to us enough to give us a nickname, but we wonder what each nickname means. What is the secret meaning behind the names others give us? I think the real question is, why are we only happy with nicknames that reflect what we would hope to project about ourselves?
But what exactly do nicknames mean? Some nicknames, are for private use only. For example, there are those we use with teachers or authority figures that are only to indicate a sense exhasperation with them. One of my proffessors in undergrad was a bit bumbling and kind of awkward. Somehow though, he was often put in charge of big public events, often turning them into big public spectacles. This led to the nickname "Bubbles", a derivitave of Bubbles the Clown. But similarly, some nicknames that are private are not for ridicule purposes, but for the purposes of affection: like when my daddy called me Foo Foo when I was a baby.
As we grow older though, we all want to be the one with the good nickname. All good nicknames have good stories. I will tell you what though: I have often been facinated by people with enough skill to choose their own nicknames. That is something which has NEVER failed to impress me. Those are the people who are so rogue, so cool, that they can say things like "Call me the Fonz" and everyone WILL JUST DO IT! I have read enough Judy Blume books to know that this is CLEARLY not how it works in real life. There a plenty of examples of young adolescents who give it their all: they will do ABSOLUTELY anything to get people to call them Trixie, or Pinkie, or some other thing that ends in "IE" or "Y" pronounced "eeeeeeeee". But it doesn't seem to work out well for them...now why is that I wonder?
I'll tell you why that is ladies and gentlemen, it's because nicknames are inherently cool: both the ones that are used mockingly and those that are not. If no one cases about you or your mild ability to annoy then clearly they will not take the time to assign you a nickname. But if you are so menacing as to qualify you for "nickname land" than you are GOLDEN. that's why these silly teeny-boppers could not force nick-nameness. You can't force cool. Only the truly cool can say "You will refer to me as Mystery Man yes?" and have people acquiesce. Man, NOW THAT'S cool.
Nicknames always have something important to say about people. It seems to me that most people worry more about their nicknames then they are willing to admit. We all want someone -particularly that certian someone- to pay attention to us enough to give us a nickname, but we wonder what each nickname means. What is the secret meaning behind the names others give us? I think the real question is, why are we only happy with nicknames that reflect what we would hope to project about ourselves?
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Home
It's been a busy past week and a half you know? Friday Mystery Man [yes, he strikes again!] - and I went with everyone else over to the 3rd Street Promenade for our Section C Party. My roomie - Chelsea [heck yes she's cool] organized it. So M&M [Mystery Man] was over here at 4:15, as instructed, but it turns out that Brendan [Chelsea's boy] wasn't ready to go yet. We pretty much waited around for Brendan for like 45 minutes. M&M and I hung out and talked about Classic Rock and other randomness and then Chelsea said it was time to go. Brendan had some kind of issue on his way down the stairs and ended up not driving with us. Chelsea and Andy took one car and M&M and I took another.
It was fun. We all hung out and ate and there was pool and stuff: Chelsea had gotten us a whole floor! It was pretty fun y'all! After a while, as more people began to show up and more alcohol began to pass through their veins, M&M and I bailed for general Promenade fun.
For those of you who don't live around here, the 3rd Street Promenade is world-famous!! It's multiple blocks with stores, bars, street performers, food, EVERYTHING!! It's so cool. We just hung out and talked and stuff: relaxin' doin' nothing [a rare commodity around here!]. I think we only went in one store - Barnes and Noble. Anyway, we left the promenade after a couple of hours and came back here to campus. We played Game Cube for a while and then watched South Park. At about 1:30 we called it a night.
Saturday morning I left for home the remix. When I got to my Abuela's house, she said I was skinnier. "oh la la!!" While telling me I could stay skinnier by not eating flour tortillas, she proceeded to feed me like twice in 4 hours. I love mi abulea! The weekend was wonderful and relaxing. Good food, my wonderful family, some shopping, and new running shoes! Abuela made me tortillas to take with me, and I took the 101 into Calabasas [instead of the 10 to the PCH] cause I like to see Hollywood at night, and because I stopped at Jonathan's [WonderBoy!]. WonderBoy! got 6 tortillas and we hung out for a while. Then I headed home for bed.
Class has been business as usual here for a while. We had the canned immunity thing today [bring a can for the food drive to class and your prof can't call on you! How righteous is that!] and Jonathan [Mr. Jonathan Webb, NOT Wonder Boy!] invited me to lunch with him. It was good...pizza. I'm sleepy now so I'm heading to bed. I don't really have anything substantive to offer today, but I do have three closing comments:
1. I BOUGHT MY PLANE TICKET HOME FOR CHRISTMAS VACATION AND AM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS!!!
2. I have a Texas Mix that I listen to, and it makes me happy!
3. I lost my teddy bear...
sad :-(
It was fun. We all hung out and ate and there was pool and stuff: Chelsea had gotten us a whole floor! It was pretty fun y'all! After a while, as more people began to show up and more alcohol began to pass through their veins, M&M and I bailed for general Promenade fun.
For those of you who don't live around here, the 3rd Street Promenade is world-famous!! It's multiple blocks with stores, bars, street performers, food, EVERYTHING!! It's so cool. We just hung out and talked and stuff: relaxin' doin' nothing [a rare commodity around here!]. I think we only went in one store - Barnes and Noble. Anyway, we left the promenade after a couple of hours and came back here to campus. We played Game Cube for a while and then watched South Park. At about 1:30 we called it a night.
Saturday morning I left for home the remix. When I got to my Abuela's house, she said I was skinnier. "oh la la!!" While telling me I could stay skinnier by not eating flour tortillas, she proceeded to feed me like twice in 4 hours. I love mi abulea! The weekend was wonderful and relaxing. Good food, my wonderful family, some shopping, and new running shoes! Abuela made me tortillas to take with me, and I took the 101 into Calabasas [instead of the 10 to the PCH] cause I like to see Hollywood at night, and because I stopped at Jonathan's [WonderBoy!]. WonderBoy! got 6 tortillas and we hung out for a while. Then I headed home for bed.
Class has been business as usual here for a while. We had the canned immunity thing today [bring a can for the food drive to class and your prof can't call on you! How righteous is that!] and Jonathan [Mr. Jonathan Webb, NOT Wonder Boy!] invited me to lunch with him. It was good...pizza. I'm sleepy now so I'm heading to bed. I don't really have anything substantive to offer today, but I do have three closing comments:
1. I BOUGHT MY PLANE TICKET HOME FOR CHRISTMAS VACATION AND AM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS!!!
2. I have a Texas Mix that I listen to, and it makes me happy!
3. I lost my teddy bear...
sad :-(
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