Apartment space and time / inhaling the city
Having my own place in a great neighborhood in a wonderful city has not quite been the dream I imagined. But I would attribute the shortcoming not to choices I made on location and amenities, rather one small figure has made it a drag: free time/square feet.
I’d argue that for whatever reason, less free time and more space are mutually repellant; I feel like I’d be fine in a studio. I desperately want to have 1-3 months in this place to live, to make up for the 10 free-hour-weeks I’ve endured since leaving Westmont and the Honda.
Perhaps this setup prepares me well for school, because ideally I’ll read, write, and socialize away from home and merely use it as a place to crash.
By the way, law school is now a certainty. I am beginning to build the mental committment by breathing in Chicago to remember a huge motivational spark from the past year, discussing issues with mentors, and picturing myself there.
Know where yet? Should within a month, two tops.
Slight update, new RSS
Life
Weather has bottomed out, work has continued to flatline, law school news is still in limbo with both definitive defeats and incremental victories, gaming has moved back toward single player after BG WoW was saved (thank you Veri, Bus), health is embattled on sleep, gym, and diet fronts, and most importantly…
Family is great – I was able to visit my parents while on a visit to UA Law and had a really good time catching up and talking things over with them.
Subscriptions
I just added a few feeds of note to my RSS reader. Two are for the exploration of sensible economics, and one is for a new “gamer lawyer” track I am trying to envision and construct.
Chicago’s Becker-Posner Blog
Richard Epstein’s Forbes column
Lawyers in a Gamer’s World blog
Review/Reaction: The Fountainhead
Literary review and criticism never really came easily to me so don’t expect a penetrating masterpiece of things never before said.
Characters
I relate to aspects of both Keating and Roark as well as nuances of numerous other characters. To find myself in opposite and multiple characters speaks to the complexity of humans vis a vis characters, or viewed another way, it reveals my indecision as to what kind of person I am. As to the character I would like to emulate more or eventually become, Dominique Francon or Gail Wynand would be the choice.
Dominique in particular reflected my persona because she didn’t mind irrationally subjecting herself to extended anguish at times.
The liberal, altruistic, and cultured establishment
I was drawn to Rand’s treatment of the establishment’s self image. Happily, the unabashedly self congratulatory tone taken by Toohey in his speeches and reviews was ridiculed extensively. Moreover, my disdain for artistic criticism as an instrument of power and influence in disguise was repeatedly piqued. It’s very hard to enumerate why a work is “awful,” or “bad,” people just tend to trust the reviewer.
Two speeches in particular, that of Toohey on altruism and Roark in defense of the pioneer, were amazing. Toohey’s cast doubt on my affinity to social liberal policy and Roark’s helped me come to terms with why I am so deeply in love with the (common noun) big city. The imagery at the end of the book, wherein Dominique ascends above the established buildings like banks, churches, and apartments, was thus very moving and fitting. Roark wins.
Although he won, per se, expressing his truth in such a destructive form as he did was easily beyond what my set of beliefs would realistically allow. Perhaps it is this hesitancy that allows the left to maintain a hold on people who would otherwise defect; it leverages internal moral leanings as Rand suggests it exploits.
Man over nature / Individual over collective
Right now I see a beautiful sunset, the likes of which I cannot remember seeing before. Nature is indeed beautiful. I am only able to see it, though, because of the Embraer vessel in which I fly, thanks to UAL Corp., and due to man’s progress in science and industry.
Still left to consider are the government wrought enablers. The FAA allows for takeoff and landing. Birmingham’s airport authority, although incompetent in its loss to Atlanta many moons ago, keeps the shared land running. Even, for example, the US military, or whatever peacekeeping entity that affords me the security to value an arrangement of colors in the sky instead of worrying about immediate survival, is partly to thank for this experience.
Nature, individuals, and collectives all create beauty and progress in harmony. To argue for the extermination of one, in my opinion, is to prove blindness to their synergy. We may miss the mark on the mix but should reallocate, incrementally, when possible.
Atlas remains.
BG in FFXIV
With an explosion and some fallout from WoW BG going down over the past week, a lot of buzz has arisen with respect to our guild in FFXIV.
I want its themes to be redemption, friendship, a love for gaming, and accomplishment. I want it to be massive but with nearly everyone connected by an intimate degree. I want it to have an impressive online presence, one that creates a meaningful and valuable long-term network of acquaintance for the ages. I want the immature to grow, mine and others’ sins forgiven, the lost to return, life to be livable, mistakes to be avoided and joys to be repeated.
The most dangerous thing about bliss is that it creates a struggle for reattaining or exceeding it that can be pursued at any cost. I hope none of those costs destroy anything.
And I just want everyone to be there.
Resolution
Size relates to the difficulty of completion or year-long sustainment, color (green to red) relates to importance.
As corporate America so often and inanely demands “actionability” so too will I try to make these as “actionable” as possible.
Work out
Meet the following milestones:
Bench my body weight
Squat 250
Do 10 pullups
Run a 10k
And the obvious: lose the gut
Better Manage the Online Presence
Unify all of my status updater network things (Facebook, Twitter, Gowalla) in a way that makes sense. Be less polar for Yelp reviews, write more often, and improve my spur-of-the-moment writing in terms of accuracy and quality.
MMOs: Kill Arthas
This must be the most decisive one. A whole lot hinges on my sticking to it.
Play WoW at most for story and contact with people I like. Quit completely and forever by July. On FFXIV, do nothing other than chat until 1L is over.
Overcome ADD and other psychological hurdles
I have a hard time keeping focused on any game or book, tend to spread myself thinly between all sorts of hobbies and desires, and waste a lot of time in the little free time I have. “Learn a language” below relates strongly to how bad I was about this in the advanced stages of Japanese.
So I’ll finish what I start, better maintain a to-do list on for daily/monthly/annual goals, and eliminate superfluous desires.
Do not miss Birmingham family events.
Missing Christmas was a first, a bummer, a stupid mistake. Like this, I want to always make it home for my mom’s birthday (or new years), my dad’s birthday (or easter), Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If work or school takes me too terribly far away from the family, for instance somewhere like Japan, I’d still want to make it for at least two.
“Learn a language”
To keep sharp ’til fall I want to remain mentally engaged. To do this, learning three types of languages come to mind: foreign, computer, and musical. Ideally I’d like to hone Japanese, learn one of many useful programming languages for fun, and get back into piano. Realistically, I may have to exclude some. I resolve to do two, well.
Monetary Responsibility
Chill on the big purchases
From now on I’m only going to spend big on things I absolutely need, like a car if I need one for school. Heads up: I’m going to become cheap.
I think to focus on the food budget from a cost standpoint would be a mistake. At the cheapest/fastest levels – McDonalds – I’d conflict with my work out goal if I tried to min/max here. Instead, I’ll attack the food budget from the large/wasteful level by making two separate budgets for groceries and restaurants, keeping the latter low, and sticking to it.
By the way, now is a better time than ever to plug Mint for how much it helped me keep a budget last year.
When I head home on Jan 21 I’m getting to meet with my financial advisor to make my first Traditional IRA contribution and discuss the most important short-term decision: law school and debt.
So this is the big one, but it isn’t much of a resolution because it’s still up in the air. Do I do it big and take a ton of debt at a higher ranked school, or take an attractive ultra-low-debt financial aid package from Alabama? Still have to get some results to have all the facts, but man this is weighing on me.
Complete business plan aspect of gaming royalty house
This might take a while. I want to complete the prospectus for the case where the gaming royalty house becomes a business rather than a symbol of rich excess. Who finances it, who pays to use it, who’s included in the ownership, who can use it, and sexy glossy paperwork all come to mind. This’ll be fun.
The colors made little sense.
Looking up I see a rainbow of senselessness, but I’ll leave it be. The one thing I didn’t address is work until fall. On the past few days traveling to and from work I have been attacked by the lowest temperatures I’ve ever felt. This isn’t just walking to the car either, sometimes it can be as many as 30 minutes. Achgfk.. So I’m targeting a transfer within a month and then if I see it’s not panning out I’ll try to find any random job near the apartment. However, due to what’s now an annoyance but may grow into something serious very soon I might not even BE in the apartment. Dealing with it though.
Happy 2010 
Works I am Currently Involved in and Unwordy Reviews
The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
Thanks to a GQ article, a playthrough of Bioshock, and a giddy Borders salesperson I picked up the Signet version of Rand’s two best known works. One section through the first I relate closely to a lot of the characters, don’t yet fully see her as the article perceived her (elitist jerk), and am enjoying myself.
Can a Smart Person Believe in God, Michael Guillen
My pop got me this book as a birthday gift. Guillen’s main premise of two separate dimensions with respect to knowledge and spirituality resonates thunderously with my personal beliefs. Some of the explicit, rational argumentation doesn’t ring as loudly because it contradicts the whole just-mentioned separation of reasoned articulation and internal spirituality (my brands, not his) but on the whole I feel like a better person having finished this book.
The Nine, Jeffrey Toobin
Not as much of an insider job as The Brethren, The Nine picks up chronologically at the end of the Burger Court and tells of the entire Rehnquist court. The revelation of more justices’ personalities, doctrine, and professional habits has confirmed most of my notions about the court but twisted others. A set of contemporary issues, some newer than those of Woodward’s piece, takes the stage too: the 2000 election, heated Senate confirmations, and religious America’s crusade for the court are all reviewed.
Still love it. Still would love to take part in it.
Dragon Age, Two Badass Doctors who started a small game company
Bioware RPGs have never stuck with me, but because I got this in the $40 pre-holiday rush and because I think their quirkiness is evolving to meet my attraction to mass-produced qualities (ugh, a weakness I might point out) I have gotten into it and resolved to finish. Not an uberfan I will not give it more than one playthrough except possibly to harvest some easy achievements or new key story elements and am playing it on a pretty low difficulty (normal, no FF I think?).
Zenonia, Gamevil
For the $2.99 I paid on the iPhone this Zelda meets Secret of Mana meets Diablo mix of goodness has returned hours of occupation when staring at the drywall of Las Colinas’ McDonald’s was the only otherwise available activity. Still leaves a lot to be desired story and control-wise, but again, for the circumstances this work is great. Picked up HYBRID on $0.99 holiday sale too but I may not get to it for a while.
Cheers.
John Gilbert Wed, Past Woes Shed
Three nights and we’re done. After a long hiatus of human interaction Gilbert and I were reunited; a hug and a punch to the lip to bring it back together. The festivities happened to take place on the most sacred of ground: Duke University, which one bridesmaid very eloquently described as their closest thing to home at present.
John
At an early hour in our friendship for innumerable reasons John and I knew we were roughly the same person. Given my retreat after freshman year, however, we grew distant and underwent many unshared developments. So when I asked him what had changed for him to become marriage material, expecting something grandiose and informative (for my own curious purposes), I was surprised to hear just a genuine “I met Jenny.”
Man. He evolved within his self. I didn’t as much as I swing wildly for the identity with which to approach girls and live life. Maybe I should stop that nonsense.
Regardless, I am truly appreciative to have been invited despite my status as the least involved g-man.
Then in his amazingly composed and conducted toast, John referred to each of us in terms of a nature to which he rarely resorted. I was moved.
Finally, upon hearing the beatific FF Prologue and Rosa/Love Theme I knew he was still the man. Sheer happiness was visited upon me.
The New Faces
Knowing only four or five people of the seventy there made for some awkward moments, others interesting. With the few people who made it past small talk I think many of us would be good friends.
With those who didn’t, well, I’m not sure. Everyone seemed very nice, some so much that I wish we had in fact talked a bit more. I’d never met Jenny before, was happy to finally say hello, and hope to hang out with Gilbert sufficiently enough to get to know her. It almost goes without saying: the Dukies, I could’ve known them all.
WaDuke
The undergraduate fantasies came to fruition. I am a rich, white, golfing, southern businessman. I eat $20 omelettes and watch $15 movies. (thank you hotels.com).
From the willingness to bypass crummy interactive TV systems for the bachelor party of the ages to democratic political strategist James Carville’s mean Manhattan to the yummy food choices, all about the Washington Duke was as expected, wondrous. I hope later to make deals there.
The Partying
Ahh Yellow Toad and Marth were true fighters in the struggle to outgame Gilbert. And a struggle it was for all but a few glorious moments. Audrey beating him cold with BB Hood on MVC2 surpassed all as candidate for the best, but Yellow Toad’s “I’m not softcore” trance and Marth’s glorious final smash will remain memorable as well.
Dancing at the reception was a trip. Sauced up and ready to go I made a sufficient ass of myself early on during Poker Face to garner some rather interesting comments.
That’s about it for the wedding review. The pilgrimage back to the best place of my life nearly had me as excited as the wedding did. More later.
The End
Dear John: As you tried so proactively to get me to salvage my life in the past, and as you successfully save many now and going forward, your true colors in what limited serious stations confront us together have been shown. I am impressed. Congratulations, John. Kudos, Jenny.
For tomorrow we sail for the kingdom of Duke
John Gilbert, a true and appreciated friend, has decided to tie the knot. Doubt I would have done it any sooner, but I am surprised he is the first of my group of friends from Duke.
Duke. Where we went and where I return for the first time in five years. Work and life have kept me too busy to fully appreciate the gravitas of this trip, but I have no doubt that upon arrival I will be stirred violently. Returning to campus, seeing the chapel, walking and talking where I for just one year acquired a flood of invaluable knowledge, and lobbying the law school to let me back in, as it were, will fill me with emotions that I cannot predict and probably won’t be able to describe.
I’d do well to get over it and quick because a few hours into the trip I’m interviewing with a Duke Law adcom, hopefully giving me at least a marginal boost. Rehearsal in front of the airplane lavatory window? I think so.
Afterward it will be all fun, all reunion, all wedding. I have looked forward to this day more than nearly anything before it; I hope it is spectacular.
Review/Reaction: The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court
On November 29, 2009, I finished my reading of Bob Woodward’s The Brethren, which I set out to read in order to form a more perfect understanding of law. My interest in the courts has grown enormously, therefore, I am immediately preparing a draft review for circulation.
Woodward
Knowing of Bob Woodward from his involvement in Watergate and then from his recent Bush book, I knew I was getting into a quality piece of writing. Woodward pieced together all of his sources to form a beautiful, descriptive narrative that flowed sequentially from the Warren-Burger transition to the resignation of Douglas and appointment of Stevens in the 1975 term. The author’s slant is obviously anti-Burger, but some of the suggestions that made him look like a dope seem to have been originated by the other Justices rather than Woodward himself.
I love how the book travels around the bench at key junctures at least once per term. That frequent exercise illuminated the way Justices operate, the way their ideologies are involved (or not) in decisions, and the way legal reasoning works in general.
History
The Brethren attuned me further to Nixon era history in that, for example, I watched the Nixon resignation speech for the first time. I saw Vietnam from an angle other than the protest or war zone settings that have comprised the extent of my exposure thanks to popular movies and documentaries. Perhaps most importantly to my future, I saw a slice of Court history almost completely ignorant of the surrounding eras. Sowell talked about the Warren court quite a bit so I had a conservative taste of Burger’s predecessor, but now I have my sights set on The Nine, the news, and any other recommendations you might have for a more complete understanding.
Court Practice
For all the times I’ve heard SCOTUS referred to as “a club” and for all the calls for its reform or abolishment I wasn’t too surprised at some of its secretive inner workings. But I was still shocked by how much power over the outcomes of so many lives a man like Earl Warren held. This influence, the impassioned opposition to it of court colleagues among any set of disagreeing justices, and then their camaraderie afterward and in general was hard to digest.
With respect to the rules, both de facto and de jure, I see many opportunities for FDR-like exploitation. Depending on some unlikely but possible circumstances some crazy outcomes could possibly be reached. Most notably, had Nixon stayed around and Douglas and Marshall both retired at the same time, say, Nixon would have had six appointees! In a more general sense the fluid and unarticulated nature of many of the court’s internal regulations is suspicious.
Issues
The main issues highlighted across the terms included are segregation enforcement, abortion, obscenity, the death penalty, Watergate and executive privilege, and mental illness. Not sure what may have been skipped over but these seemed like a representative sample of what mattered in the early seventies.
Key Takeaways
Number one: Supreme Court Justices, while they usually arrive at their station via a fiercely political process, seem to be some of the most independent-minded people in Washington. My major support here would have to come from Hugo Black, the deep south justice who tended to vote heavily on the left. Despite his already surprising, effectively anti-deep south philosophy, he still remained to what would politically be considered “the right” on issues like busing, a stance he took for actual, logical, legal reasons. Other polar justices doing the same on other issues and the centrist justices’ unpredictability confirm the feasibility of cultivating a flexible set of beliefs. I like this.
Number two: this stuff is cool. My desire to participate in the courts either as an appellate lawyer or clerk has risen ten-fold. Maybe approaching this aspiration with Vince Lombardi’s “strive for perfection settle for excellence” in mind could propel me a long way.
In any case, I’m happy for the recommendation given by Tom at Alabama Law’s Career Services and would recommend the book to anyone interested in either law school or what happened in the judiciary in the Nixon era.
Modern Warfare 2
Oh it’s that time of life again, that time to adopt a singular line of free-solo-time entertainment for the next couple of months. Last year and at Alabama, COD4 was such a fantastic, reasonable, and non-time-consuming choice for whetting this particular appetite that I think I’m going to do it again.
Reunion
Cody, Doug, and Dan, with whom I’ve kept in close touch, all seem to be doing the same. Hooah. But playing with Tuanh and Tuhoa again as well as whomever these guys all bring along ought to be as or more fun as the lovely memories from before (Cloverfield, tobaccer, etc). Balancing improvement with all that’s going on in life.. well, just the crappy commute at the moment.. may be rough. But I’ll try mainly to keep ahead of the curve by playing a good bit each week.
I’m bad
Using my normal Halo/Assault Rifle/Sprint regimen of offense across handful of games my ratio has landed at a stanky 0.7ish. I’m seeing how a more Counterstrike mode of play makes sense here, but map and weapons familiarity are still at a minimum. That should change soon though, but not too soon (read: don’t play too much!)
Single Player Sensationalism
The campaign’s art direction, music, and story were a recognizably higher sensual bombardment than those of COD4’s single player. You may have read of some controversy in the media, or you may not have, so I’ll leave out all the spoilers, but the twists do not end with “No Russian.” Although shorter – 5 hours on easy – the range of environments is the most diverse of any FPS and the difficulty was a bit sharper.